Calculating my Macros?

tracymayo1
tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
in Getting Started
I am here to lose weight over anything else - but I do not have much to lose (21lbs now left)
As I have a small number - I am wondering if I should try to start paying attention to my macros now?
I am bouncing around the same weight now for over a month, I cannot get past this 185lb mark.

I do not really do any exercise - I was doing the 30 day shred but have not since my camping trip. I would like to do some at home workouts (fitness blender cardio/arms/abs) stuff - but would not be for more than 20-30 mins a day at most - and this would be to try and firm my baby tummy, and my flappy happy arms.

So based on my caloric goal given to me of 1540 (by MFP) for a 0.5lb a week loss - what should me macros be for each category?
I know it may sound like a dumb question... but math and I are not friends, and I would like to make sure I have the right numbers.

My diary is open (if anyone could see another reason why I have plateaud and what I could maybe tweak) and my stats are as follows:

Female
36 years old
5' 11"
185.2 lbs (current weight)

Thanks to any and all who leave a reply! I appreciate your help/advise.

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Everyone calculates their macros a little differently depending on their workout routine, diet, culture, and what makes them feel best. But I can tell you how I set mine up. You may need to play around a little and see what works best for you.

    I set protein and fat as minimums to hit every day.

    Protein should be around .6-.8 grams per pound of body weight minimum. For you that's 111-148 grams of protein every day, or 29%-38% of your diet.

    Fat should be around .3-.4 grams per pound of body weight minimum. For you that's 55-74 grams of fat every day, or 21%-29% of your diet.

    You fill in the rest of your calories with carbs, making sure that you hit 20-30 grams of fiber every day.

    It looks like 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs would be an easy way for you to set your macros.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    so I take my daily calorie goal, and use the below % to see what I should manually input?
    I havent used the set your own setting before, does it work with the grams below or the %?
    Guess I can go check it out!

    Thank you for your reply BTW - I appreciate you taking the time.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Everyone calculates their macros a little differently depending on their workout routine, diet, culture, and what makes them feel best. But I can tell you how I set mine up. You may need to play around a little and see what works best for you.

    I set protein and fat as minimums to hit every day.

    Protein should be around .6-.8 grams per pound of body weight minimum. For you that's 111-148 grams of protein every day, or 29%-38% of your diet.

    Fat should be around .3-.4 grams per pound of body weight minimum. For you that's 55-74 grams of fat every day, or 21%-29% of your diet.

    You fill in the rest of your calories with carbs, making sure that you hit 20-30 grams of fiber every day.

    It looks like 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs would be an easy way for you to set your macros.

    +1
    For weight (fat) loss, overall caloric intake is all that matters. Focusing on a specific macro setup is more for body composition/athletic and training needs.
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    +1
    For weight (fat) loss, overall caloric intake is all that matters. Focusing on a specific macro setup is more for body composition/athletic and training needs.

    Oh... I thought that when you get down closer to goal weight, you may HAVE to watch Macros to loose? See I have been stuck between 185.2 - 186.2 for over a month now... I thought maybe because I only have 20lbs left, I have to micromanage more
  • Guns_N_Buns
    Guns_N_Buns Posts: 1,899 Member
    Have you adjusted your caloric intake since you have lost weight?
  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
    Have you adjusted your caloric intake since you have lost weight?
    Sorry Aries - I only saw your reply now, Yes, actually I re-calculated my calories just last week.
    There is only a difference of 40 calories from then and now - and I am normally under or just over my goals anyway.
    I was pretty sure that wasnt the issue...
  • jojomoe523
    jojomoe523 Posts: 57 Member
    how do i change my numbers? i remember being in to set all my figures, but now I can't seem to find where to do it. I need to adjust my fat and carbs...thanks.
  • SeptemberLondon
    SeptemberLondon Posts: 151 Member
    so I take my daily calorie goal, and use the below % to see what I should manually input?
    I havent used the set your own setting before, does it work with the grams below or the %?
    Guess I can go check it out!

    Thank you for your reply BTW - I appreciate you taking the time.
    I really like Scooby's site for calculating macros. Try this link: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    You can adjust as you'd like. I usually eat 40% protein because I'm doing a lot of strength training right now. You can set the percentages any way you'd like and then the site will do the math for you & give you the # of calories for each macro.
    Good luck!
  • SeptemberLondon
    SeptemberLondon Posts: 151 Member
    how do i change my numbers? i remember being in to set all my figures, but now I can't seem to find where to do it. I need to adjust my fat and carbs...thanks.

    My Home
    Goals
    Change Goals
    Custom: Manually set my own custom fitness goals
    Here you will enter the percentages for your macros & see the calculations for the raw numbers.

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