Weight Loss Tip: Focus on your Macro Percentages

rabbitjb wrote: »

This may be a contentious point but I think personal trainers should focus on .. oh I dunno.. training and leave nutrition advice to those who know what they're talking about either through being a registered dietician or actual knowledge with scientific basis

starvation mode - derp

I say this as someone who is happy at around 50% carbs .. cos yum carbs

I am at 45-50% carbs myself too. Love the carbs!!!

Let me clarify "starvation mode": lack of energy, lethargy etc meaning you cannot get as good of a workout you are miserable and fatigued and you are not giving your body adequate nutrients to function optimally. Not giving your body the nutrients it needs to recover after workouts. HENCE not burning as many calories! Call it what you will if starvation mode scares you then give it another term.

I didn't come on here pretending to be some dietician again just referring the average user on here to explore this app look into yes the caloric deficit but also at where these calories are coming from. You need protein to build and fuel muscle, you need carbs for energy and daily function, and fat for energy and nutrient absorption (some nutrients cannot be absorbed in the body without fat). I didn't prescribe a meal plan nor make anyone eat a certain kind of way the 40-60% carb intake is a well known GENERAL avg and not specific to an individual! As you first start this weightloss journey it's a good safe place to start when you don't know where to begin and as you get more knowledable in the field or see a professional you can adjust these numbers accordingly. Sheesh everyone calm down even personal trainers have to learn about nutrition and come out with BASIC knowledge about nutrition. I went to school for this I didn't just read one text book and take a test and call myself a personal trainer. I also properly refer my clients to a nutritionist for their diet that is not my scope of practice but I can give them guidance at first. Like a nutrition 101 basic info they could start with its in textbooks it's not rocket science but it is foreign to people that have never been exposed to it so why not get your clients thinking about nutrition and what they put in their bodies and talk to them about balance.

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

This may be a contentious point but I think personal trainers should focus on .. oh I dunno.. training and leave nutrition advice to those who know what they're talking about either through being a registered dietician or actual knowledge with scientific basis

starvation mode - derp

I say this as someone who is happy at around 50% carbs .. cos yum carbs

Yeah .

Emmy, we get that you were trying to be helpful, but there really are some clangers scattered through your posts - starvation mode, storing carbs as fat (with no mention that that is only going to happen if you're at a calorie surplus), and the latest one increasing muscle mass while eating at a deficit (at least that's the way it reads), which doesn't happen. You can preserve existing muscle mass, as much as possible, and build strength while eating at a deficit, but you can't build new muscle.

And now we are talking about something far off from what the intent of this post was. Maybe I should have just wrote "Hi everyone check out your Macro Percentages and keep an eye on them and try and eat balanced meals" "don't ignore where your calories come from" There are some things that deserve a post in themselves so we can really delve into topics. I'm finding correcting some statements because they were not received in a way that was intended so that falls on the author to be more clear in their meaning. For future posts it's exactly what I would do but this is all great learning feedback from the community. Everyone can always learn more that's the beauty of all this and it raises thought and discussion about nutrition and health I'm all for that!

rabbitjb wrote: »

emmy_marino wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

This may be a contentious point but I think personal trainers should focus on .. oh I dunno.. training and leave nutrition advice to those who know what they're talking about either through being a registered dietician or actual knowledge with scientific basis

starvation mode - derp

I say this as someone who is happy at around 50% carbs .. cos yum carbs

I am at 45-50% carbs myself too. Love the carbs!!!

Let me clarify "starvation mode": lack of energy, lethargy etc meaning you cannot get as good of a workout you are miserable and fatigued and you are not giving your body adequate nutrients to function optimally. Not giving your body the nutrients it needs to recover after workouts. HENCE not burning as many calories! Call it what you will if starvation mode scares you then give it another term.

I didn't come on here pretending to be some dietician again just referring the average user on here to explore this app look into yes the caloric deficit but also at where these calories are coming from. You need protein to build and fuel muscle, you need carbs for energy and daily function, and fat for energy and nutrient absorption (some nutrients cannot be absorbed in the body without fat). I didn't prescribe a meal plan nor make anyone eat a certain kind of way the 40-60% carb intake is a well known GENERAL avg and not specific to an individual! As you first start this weightloss journey it's a good safe place to start when you don't know where to begin and as you get more knowledable in the field or see a professional you can adjust these numbers accordingly. Sheesh everyone calm down even personal trainers have to learn about nutrition and come out with BASIC knowledge about nutrition. I went to school for this I didn't just read one text book and take a test and call myself a personal trainer. I also properly refer my clients to a nutritionist for their diet that is not my scope of practice but I can give them guidance at first. Like a nutrition 101 basic info they could start with its in textbooks it's not rocket science but it is foreign to people that have never been exposed to it so why not get your clients thinking about nutrition and what they put in their bodies and talk to them about balance.

Oh I know you are well-meaning

I posted advice on your very first thread and suggested that you just join in the conversations offering your advice on specific questions but make sure you can back it up.

Unfortunately when you post generic advice, at an audience you don't know, you are going to get people going 'now hang on a second here'.

You have intimated that you have a special background that you seem to think means MFP users should give your posts special credence ... which means that those who have some knowledge will respond to your posts to ensure that lurkers do take what you say under advisement.

PS for the benefit of those who do not know ... a nutritionist is not a dietician .. I could become a nutritionist online in a weekend if I chose

Very very true! The term is sometimes used interchangeably and it shouldn't be. Right now the personal training industry is not very highly regulated ... You can have someone that can become a personal trainer in a week and then someone that's gone to school and actually knows what they are talking about. My goal was to use lamen terms and generalizations for the newbie person first looking at this app and a basic starting point. A pie chart always needs to balance well obviously and then the generalized 40-60 percent carb range is a safe start for someone just starting out.. From there the general fat range should be from 20-30 percent and then your protein from 0.8g per pound of body weight up to 2.0g per pound of body weight dependant on your activity and goal. Then convert that into calories and convert into a percentage etc ... Way to much info for someone to take in the app makes it easy in the pie chart like ok today wow I barely ate carbs hey ok I need to fix that or seeing your fat percentage was way out of wack causing you to look back and say wait what had so much fat in it... Just want consumers to be conscious to more than calories this is the next step and sometimes it gets overwhelming and its surprise what foods contain what. I love that this app promoted awareness to what you actually consume!

mjffey wrote: »

I was vegetarian for a long time and a couple of years ago I switched to vegan. I always say: If you can't look a non human animal in the eye and say out loud "I'm going to kill you now", and do it, you should not eat it.

Being vegan is easier than people think. It's just a matter of bringing a great variety in your food. Really that's all. Only supplement I have is for B12, because I'm too lazy to keep an eye on that, and those supplements are vegan. Really. People make a lot of fuss about it, but it's easy.

Did you know that women who lead a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle have less Monthly problems and less to no problems at all during the menopause? I'm 55 and had NO!!! problems at all. None, no hot flushes, nothing at all. It just stopped and that was it. My sister, who isn't vegan/vegetarian is 58 and still has problems. Just a nice thing to know :-)

Just like with anything it takes some prep, planning, and getting used to! I'm glad you have found something that works for you and you've seen positive results and are sticking to it!

SezxyStef wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

emmy_marino wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

This may be a contentious point but I think personal trainers should focus on .. oh I dunno.. training and leave nutrition advice to those who know what they're talking about either through being a registered dietician or actual knowledge with scientific basis

starvation mode - derp

I say this as someone who is happy at around 50% carbs .. cos yum carbs

I am at 45-50% carbs myself too. Love the carbs!!!

Let me clarify "starvation mode": lack of energy, lethargy etc meaning you cannot get as good of a workout you are miserable and fatigued and you are not giving your body adequate nutrients to function optimally. Not giving your body the nutrients it needs to recover after workouts. HENCE not burning as many calories! Call it what you will if starvation mode scares you then give it another term.

I didn't come on here pretending to be some dietician again just referring the average user on here to explore this app look into yes the caloric deficit but also at where these calories are coming from. You need protein to build and fuel muscle, you need carbs for energy and daily function, and fat for energy and nutrient absorption (some nutrients cannot be absorbed in the body without fat). I didn't prescribe a meal plan nor make anyone eat a certain kind of way the 40-60% carb intake is a well known GENERAL avg and not specific to an individual! As you first start this weightloss journey it's a good safe place to start when you don't know where to begin and as you get more knowledable in the field or see a professional you can adjust these numbers accordingly. Sheesh everyone calm down even personal trainers have to learn about nutrition and come out with BASIC knowledge about nutrition. I went to school for this I didn't just read one text book and take a test and call myself a personal trainer. I also properly refer my clients to a nutritionist for their diet that is not my scope of practice but I can give them guidance at first. Like a nutrition 101 basic info they could start with its in textbooks it's not rocket science but it is foreign to people that have never been exposed to it so why not get your clients thinking about nutrition and what they put in their bodies and talk to them about balance.

Oh I know you are well-meaning

I posted advice on your very first thread and suggested that you just join in the conversations offering your advice on specific questions but make sure you can back it up.

Unfortunately when you post generic advice, at an audience you don't know, you are going to get people going 'now hang on a second here'.

You have intimated that you have a special background that you seem to think means MFP users should give your posts special credence ... which means that those who have some knowledge will respond to your posts to ensure that lurkers do take what you say under advisement.

PS for the benefit of those who do not know ... a nutritionist is not a dietician .. I could become a nutritionist online in a weekend if I chose

I agree with this totally

Probably well meaning but....generic advice, touting being a personal trainer and mentioning "starvation mode" even to get the attention of people has made me question your intent and actual knowledge.

I agree leave the nutrition advice to a well qualified up to date RD.

Macros imo should be personalized and throwing random numbers out there for a large population doesn't sit well with me.

If we stick to our caloric restrictions but want to increase muscle mass we need more protein thus less calories in that pie chart are left for carbs and fat hence altering your percentages.

*it is almost impossible to build muscle while in a calorie deficit...you are either obese and new to lifting or new to lifting....and eating more protein isn't the way to build muscle....you need resistance/heavy lifting in there too...


This among other things (which I won't mention as it goes against TOS) lead me to question knowledge as well...

Perhaps the next time you think something needs special note like the PIE chart on the app...just mention it...don't give advice about it.

Alright me responding at 4 am in the morning obviously was a bad choice however I should have been specific in that case where most people trying to loose weight have an excess amount of fat and therefore they go into a calorie deficit and up their protein intake and results have yeilded an INCREASE in muscle mass and a decrease in FAT and a decrease in weight on the scale (I always tell clients not to worry so much about the numbers on the scale and find a different measure of success like circumference measurements or body fat percentage etc) So sorry for not being specific people here are starting to apply what I said to specific individuals and specialized populations I'm not talking about body builders and marathon runners this forum said "GENERAL weightloss tips" and although watching your Macros is not in itself going to give you weight loss it promotes a shift and an emphasis on BALANCE! I cannot stress that enough now different approaches work for different people and I encourage to find what works for you but if you completely don't know what to look at when you're looking at macros 40-60 percent of carbs 20-30 percent of fat and the remaining protein is a great place to start. Common now we aren't here to break apart and take out of context what people write about... its about encouraging a healthy shift sorry for not putting a disclaimer at the bottom of my original post I really figured that that was a given. Like I mentioned earlier my post should have been "hey guys try looking at your macros" the person reading about macros for the first time is prob like what the heck does this mean what's average where do I begin so even My Fitness Pal automatically starts you at these ranges and allows you to specifically change it if you need to. Maybe ask My Fitness Pal why they start you within that range too since this personable trainer is "questionable". Again this app and this post is a generalized guideline, YOU may not fall within this generalized guideline based on your needs find what works for YOU!

SezxyStef wrote: »

MFP sets macros at minimums recommended by government departments I believe..

and I doubt very much that clients who JUST increase protein without resistance training or heavy lifting are building any muscle...come on.

I had an excess of fat (about 60lbs of it) make sure I get in lots of protein and lift heavy and if I built any muscle it's not much and it was when I was eating at maintenance over a 7 month period.

again...education is key and if people are interested in it certain personal trainers on this site is where they go..not someone touting that they are and giving out bad information.

Promoting balance in your macros I highly doubt is bad information and of course in order to build muscle (man or woman) you need to lift heavy and lift heavy consistently again this isn't a post about gaining muscle mass if it were I would've gotten into specifics. I used and rieterated generalized norms and minimums that the app also uses but my use of it and my knowledge on it is "questionable".

This post is about BALANCE is love to get into Kinesiology and Biomechanics with you guys no problem but don't see it being helpful to the average client who is already overwhelmed with simply counting calories and moving more.

If this post does nothing more than make people research what this is all about I feel like it is successful!

EvanKeel wrote: »

I stated that I was a personal trainer because that does give some validity to my posts and I have studied on it. The spectrum is so vast and there are many personal trainers that are completely out of wack with their knowledge of nutrition those are some of the downfalls of our industry.

Yeah, I get that's probably why you stated it, but that concept is fallacious for reasons you point out in the subsequent sentence. Additionally, perfectly competent trainers will tend to disagree on topics. So, the fact that they're both trainers is, and should be, irrelevant.

Any information presented should be able to stand on its own merits, which will no doubt get discussed at length.

Agree with that one! I feel sometimes people don't get taken seriously if they don't state who they are what they do and where they come from.

I finally realized that while Instagram and Twitter and all those other social mediums are great not everyone on there is interested in fitness and nutrition where as here on MFP anyone using it is actually trying to learn more or using it as a helping tool whether you are trying to bulk up or loose weight or maintain we are all like minded individuals interested in what we put in our bodies. That drove me to get on here and get more active in the community!