Looking for friendly wisdom..

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phofilled
phofilled Posts: 22
in Food and Nutrition
Disclaimer: I just wanted to post a specific question to myself, please disregard if it bothers you if this has been asked/answered previously.

So, I recently used a few resources to calculate my macros. My goal is to be at/under 66g of carbs a day. I am getting better the more I get used to it, but, I am still going over. I have yet to hit my calories because either; 1. I'm not hungry 2. I'm finding it difficult to find something within my carb intake. It's not a matter of going over calores, but going over the carb intake. For instance, yesterday, I did not go over my calories, I could have made a post workout shake or something, but the banana would have made me go over my carbs even more! So I decided against it and just waited till supper. Mind you, I wasn't necessarily hungry, it just would have been good to replenish my body after my workout.

I suppose my question is, should i pay more mind to sticking to my 66g carbs, or hitting my calories? Of course I'm not trying to go crazy over my carbs, just which should I pay more mind to?

Replies

  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
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    Why must you limit to 66g of carb specifically?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    Why must you limit to 66g of carb specifically?

    This.

    Also, what is your calorie goal?
  • phofilled
    phofilled Posts: 22
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    It's not that I must, I used different resources to assist in calculating those numbers. I also chose to focus on more protein, less carb intake.

    My calorie goal is 1744, which I used from my TDEE.
  • jchite84
    jchite84 Posts: 467 Member
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    I don't know a ton about macros per se, but I believe, and this is backed up by a lot of people, and in fact, is the basis of the methodology for MFP, that a calorie is a calorie. Focus on calories first and macros second, unless you are aiming for a specific nutrient related goal, like bulking up for body building competition. The biggest thing, if you want to think more about macros is how/when your body processes them. So, I try to focus on eating more carbs right before and/or right after a workout because my body needs fast burning sugars as fuel. I eat protein in the morning to stave off hunger until lunch, and I eat proteins with dinner to help rebuild/repair muscles damaged during workouts.
  • Synchronicity
    Synchronicity Posts: 82 Member
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    I suppose my question is, should i pay more mind to sticking to my 66g carbs, or hitting my calories? Of course I'm not trying to go crazy over my carbs, just which should I pay more mind to?

    The answer depends on: 1) Why you are limiting your carb intake? 2) What is your calorie goal?, and 3) How far away are you from your calorie goal?

    I would recommend a protein shake, some chicken, eggs, or something similar that is high in protein and low in carbs.
  • ActuarialChef
    ActuarialChef Posts: 1,413 Member
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    It's not that I must, I used different resources to assist in calculating those numbers. I also chose to focus on more protein, less carb intake.

    My calorie goal is 1744, which I used from my TDEE.

    With a 1744 calorie goal, your carb intake of 66g means you're shooting for ~15% carbs. Why?
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    It's not that I must, I used different resources to assist in calculating those numbers. I also chose to focus on more protein, less carb intake.

    My calorie goal is 1744, which I used from my TDEE.

    I would use this calculator instead and let them set your macros. 66g of carbs on 1744 calories is a bit far off, I'm guessing about half of the usual suggested. I do like extra protein because it keeps me full, but there's no need to restrict carbs that far.

    http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
  • phofilled
    phofilled Posts: 22
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    Hmmm... I did use that, those numbers are based off of my high body fat %. But honestly, I very well could have messed up the numbers because the subject of macros is so new to me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Your weight loss is largely going to be your calorie intake. Your macros have more to do with eating a more balanced diet in general, performance, and overall body composition...barring certain medical conditions, your macros aren't going to be major players in your actual weight loss other than the fact that too little protein coupled with a lack of proper resistance work can ultimately lead to a greater ratio of muscle to fat loss.

    There's really no reason to go that low carb unless it's just something you want to do...personally, my fitness performance really suffers when I don't eat enough carbs. I personally focus primarily on hitting my 1 gram of protein per Lb of LBM and then my fat intake of around 60 grams and then just round out the rest with carbs...this gives me plenty of carbohydrates for my workouts and optimal fat and protein intake.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
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    I think you're focusing on the wrong macro. I'd be more inclined to focus on hitting my protein macro first, then worrying about staying under on calories, then a bunch of other things, and then worry about the carb macro.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    It's not that I must, I used different resources to assist in calculating those numbers. I also chose to focus on more protein, less carb intake.

    Why, though? What are your reasons for deciding to do so? Do you have any scientific data to back up this decision, are you educated about why you are doing it? Or are you (no judgement, a lot of people get sucked in) going along with something you perhaps read in People or Cosmo magazine?
  • phofilled
    phofilled Posts: 22
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    It's not that I must, I used different resources to assist in calculating those numbers. I also chose to focus on more protein, less carb intake.

    Why, though? What are your reasons for deciding to do so? Do you have any scientific data to back up this decision, are you educated about why you are doing it? Or are you (no judgement, a lot of people get sucked in) going along with something you perhaps read in People or Cosmo magazine?

    ^^ That is what works for me, lower carb. Not eliminating in any way, just monitoring. I don't read magazines for this, I try to research online and use accredited resources. But again, it is something that works for me personally.

    To SaintGiff -- I don't focus on staying under calories, it's just been happening that way this week.

    And now looking at it, it does look like the numbers are a little jumbled. I'm going to look into tweaking them a bit, but I will focus more on calories in/out than macros. Thanks for the input guys!

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