Counting macros

mayamonicag · August 2014

I just started counting my macros and im starting at 110g of protein, 198g of carbs and 59g of fat. My calorie intake is 1760. I work out every day for at least half an hour. I am having a REALLY hard time hitting all of my macros. Most of the time I hit either protein and fat but not carbs, or carbs and protein, but not fat. I am almost always 100-300 calories short every day and I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. Should I be hitting my macros exactly or is that just an everyday goal? Should I always hit my calories spot on?

Also, when I do cardio, how do I count my macros after I burn approx. 300 calories? Last question, when I have my cheat day/meal, should I not care about my macros for that day? Or always pay attention to that..

Very confused, would really appreciate if anyone could give me advice on this!

sashafischang · August 2014

In my opinion:

If you are trying to hit your macro goals, you should care less about your overall calorie goal. You should also try to hit your macros within +/- 3 grams. You will need to experiment with your logging and will often have to play around with logging foods for several attempts before meeting your goals. For example, if you are short on protein only and are good on carbs and fats, then you might need to eat egg whites to meet your goal. Or if you are short on carbs, you may need to eat fruit, which would be higher on carbs but very low on protein. I often try several different foods in my diary before hitting my macros accurately.

When I log my exercise, I count it as 1 calorie, so that my macro goals won't change. You could put the actual amount of calories burned under the notes section of your diary for the day.

In terms of cheat meals, that is up to you.

Hope that helps. I have only been doing IIFYM (if it fits your macros) for a few weeks, but have learned from my husband who has been doing it for several months. Good luck.

erickirb · August 2014

Use fat and protein as minimums and carbs as a maximum! and come in close to your total calorie goal for the day.

tamelakaye79 · August 2014

In my opinion:

If you are trying to hit your macro goals, you should care less about your overall calorie goal. You should also try to hit your macros within +/- 3 grams. You will need to experiment with your logging and will often have to play around with logging foods for several attempts before meeting your goals. For example, if you are short on protein only and are good on carbs and fats, then you might need to eat egg whites to meet your goal. Or if you are short on carbs, you may need to eat fruit, which would be higher on carbs but very low on protein. I often try several different foods in my diary before hitting my macros accurately.

When I log my exercise, I count it as 1 calorie, so that my macro goals won't change. You could put the actual amount of calories burned under the notes section of your diary for the day.

In terms of cheat meals, that is up to you.

Hope that helps. I have only been doing IIFYM (if it fits your macros) for a few weeks, but have learned from my husband who has been doing it for several months. Good luck.

^^^^ This- ALL of it

It helps me to sit down for a few minutes at night and log the next day. I first put my meals in and then fill in my snacks to meet my goals.

Good luck!!

wkwebby · August 2014

I just started counting my macros and im starting at 110g of protein, 198g of carbs and 59g of fat. My calorie intake is 1760. I work out every day for at least half an hour. I am having a REALLY hard time hitting all of my macros. Most of the time I hit either protein and fat but not carbs, or carbs and protein, but not fat. I am almost always 100-300 calories short every day and I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. Should I be hitting my macros exactly or is that just an everyday goal? Should I always hit my calories spot on?

Also, when I do cardio, how do I count my macros after I burn approx. 300 calories? Last question, when I have my cheat day/meal, should I not care about my macros for that day? Or always pay attention to that..

Very confused, would really appreciate if anyone could give me advice on this!

What is your primary objective? If you want to lose weight, hit the caloric intake on the dot (or as close to it without being too much over). Health issues are another consideration for getting the correct macro nutrients, but if weight loss is your primary, then concentrate on your calorie intake first and then secondary goal is the macro.

If you miss it one day, so be it. Fix it after the experimentation with different foods. Don't get too obsessed with the little things, you'll end up stressing yourself out about minutia and not taking care of the calories. Missing one or two days of the protein/carb/fat mix isn't going to cause long term harm. The mix is a guideline, not a bible. It is a healthy mix for your body in order to build lean muscle and energize yourself throughout the day. That being said, if you have medical issues (gout, prediabetic, etc.), your mix can be customized and then you can have new targets. But again, these percentages are only guidelines.

I'll stress it again, if you are trying to lose weight, you should concentrate on the caloric intake first and then try your best to also hit the percentages for your nutrients.

martinel2099 · August 2014

Use fat and protein as minimums and carbs as a maximum! and come in close to your total calorie goal for the day.

This is what I do, highly recommend it.

diannethegeek · August 2014

Use fat and protein as minimums and carbs as a maximum! and come in close to your total calorie goal for the day.

This is what I do, highly recommend it.

This is my method as well.

mayamonicag · August 2014

Thank you to everyone who commented! really helped me alot!

Counting macros

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