What are your macros?

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24

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  • eatsyork
    eatsyork Posts: 71 Member
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    Carbs 5-10%
    Protein 25-30%
    Fat 65-70%
  • andreamaym
    andreamaym Posts: 179 Member
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    tdoug777 wrote: »
    I don't ever rely on percentages. I go by the numbers themselves.

    Ditto.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited February 2015
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    50C-25P-25F.

    I started with needing 1.4g of protein per pound of lean body mass since I workout intensely several times per week (at a calorie deficit)--and then fit everything well-within what the USDA found to be safe/healthy: 45-65% carbs, 10-35% protein, and 20-35% fat.
  • TheMetalMan0
    TheMetalMan0 Posts: 64 Member
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    P: 0.8-1g/lb of body weight
    F: .35g/lb of body weight
    C: Fill the rest of calories.

    Don't use percentages.

  • DAM5412
    DAM5412 Posts: 660 Member
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    Carbs 5 %
    Protein 20%
    Fat 75%
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Macro % is irrelevant for most people. Especially trying to stick to exact percents. Rough ranges are adequate and many are successful without ever knowing what their breakdown is.
  • LaurelCarno
    LaurelCarno Posts: 5 Member
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    I'm tracking my macros, and my percentages seem way off. I haven't ate anything super high in carbs so I'm confused. Should I go by the nutrition chart or pie graph?
  • giantrobot_powerlifting
    giantrobot_powerlifting Posts: 2,598 Member
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    200 grams of protein.. that's about all I worry about.
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    45% protein
    35% carbs
    20% fat
    This can change though. For example if im heavily restricting calories that day i still need to get to the minimun 1g of protein per pound so my protein percentage can sometimes go up well over 60% of the calories for that day.
  • Jolinia
    Jolinia Posts: 846 Member
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    Carbs < 15g Protein <100g (and I need to get it lower, I'm not that active and I'm certainly not muscular, sad to say) Fat: I don't really care.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    protein - c. 135g (minimum)
    fat - c. 65g (minmum)
    carbs - whatever

    Percentage ratios don't make a lot of sense to me.

    Same macros, but protein is 120g minimum. Probably higher than I need but I also really like protein and this IS lower than it used to be aha.

    Also agree re: percentages.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    prattiger65 wrote: »
    jenny3008 wrote: »
    prattiger65 wrote: »
    .8-1g protein per pound of lean mass and .35 grams of fat per pound of body weight, then do the math and come up with the percentage that's close to set your MFP goals. That's what I did anyway. Oh, yeah, protein and fat numbers "should" be minimums you aim for and once those are met fill in the rest of your calories however you wish.

    How do you work out your lean body mass? I have electronic scales that measure body fat but they lie. I know this because I can't possibly have lost 10kg in weight, physically be much stronger, actually be able to see muscle definition where there was podge before and have gained 2% body fat.

    I don't want to be precious about the percentage macros but I'd like to have my protein about 30% ... this is based on nothing other than it seems to be a good number I don't know how to figure out what is a good macro breakdown

    This is precisely what I mean about having the info. I use caliper skinfold to measure mine, and those are inaccurate also. Honestly, if I were you, I would use the number the scale gave me and figure my LBM from that. I also agree that those numbers sound wonky. You might also use the BF% picture comparisons, those will get you close too. This is also why I say that a % for macros isn't necessarily a bad thing.

    Or you can just do 0.8 x your total weight to get a close approximation, and this is still on the high end of recommended goals for protein consumption for people trying to maintain lean body mass (I think some rec as low as 0.6? I wouldn't go that low myself).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I base mine on grams also, but at the moment it comes out to 40-30-30 (the 40 is carbs). Protein is at 130 grams (mostly because I raised my calories) which is certainly higher than I need but fits with how I like to eat. I'm trying out carbs at 175, which is an increase for me.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Or you can just do 0.8 x your total weight to get a close approximation, and this is still on the high end of recommended goals for protein consumption for people trying to maintain lean body mass (I think some rec as low as 0.6? I wouldn't go that low myself).

    For a woman I think it's safe enough to do 80% of total goal weight, even, if you have a reasonable goal weight and aren't extremely obese.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited February 2015
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    prattiger65 wrote: »
    Or you can just do 0.8 x your total weight to get a close approximation, and this is still on the high end of recommended goals for protein consumption for people trying to maintain lean body mass (I think some rec as low as 0.6? I wouldn't go that low myself).

    WebMD recommends 0.8g/kg for the average American, but notes endurance athletes need 1.2g/kg and body builders need 1.6g/kg. If your journey includes not only weight loss but also weights or activities than span hours, it's worth considering whether more's appropriate.

    (I take that as g/kg of lean body mass, although not all studies clarify that.)

    http://www.webmd.com/diet/how-much-protein

    Livestrong recommends most people need 0.8g/kg, but athletes need 1.4g/kg.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/399190-how-much-protein-do-athletes-need/
    TNation wrote:
    If I had to make recommendations, though, I'd say that 1 g/lb is a good start for trainees just plugging along with typical year-round training. When the intensity goes up, I'd take the protein up, too. However, I think that going up to or above 2 g/lb might, at the least, be overkill and at the most, be harmful.."

    http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_interviews/the_protein_roundtable
  • CallMeRuPaul
    CallMeRuPaul Posts: 151 Member
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    carbs-60%, fat-16% and protein-24%.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,624 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Or you can just do 0.8 x your total weight to get a close approximation, and this is still on the high end of recommended goals for protein consumption for people trying to maintain lean body mass (I think some rec as low as 0.6? I wouldn't go that low myself).

    For a woman I think it's safe enough to do 80% of total goal weight, even, if you have a reasonable goal weight and aren't extremely obese.

    I do 80% of my total weight. But I'm not sure what is recommended for people who don't lift, so it might still be higher than OP/non-lifters would need to eat? I think some lifters will even eat as low as 60% though. 80% is much more reasonable than eating your own body weight or higher haha.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Or you can just do 0.8 x your total weight to get a close approximation, and this is still on the high end of recommended goals for protein consumption for people trying to maintain lean body mass (I think some rec as low as 0.6? I wouldn't go that low myself).

    For a woman I think it's safe enough to do 80% of total goal weight, even, if you have a reasonable goal weight and aren't extremely obese.

    I do 80% of my total weight. But I'm not sure what is recommended for people who don't lift, so it might still be higher than OP/non-lifters would need to eat? I think some lifters will even eat as low as 60% though. 80% is much more reasonable than eating your own body weight or higher haha.

    My reason for the 80% of goal weight for a woman theory is that at goal most women will likely be at 20% BF or higher (if you will be lower chances are you lift and have some kind of better estimate of BF% anyway). So if you aren't hugely far from your goal, it's safe to say that 80% of goal weight is going to approximate your current LBM. And my understanding is even a conservative estimate is that you don't need more than 80% of LBM (to preserve muscle mass at a deficit, that is).

    80% of my goal weight is 96 (which does approximate my LBM), so I round up to 100 as the minimum I'd look for. (But I eat 130, which happens to be higher than my body weight, just because I like protein.)

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