I'm confused.

distinctlybeautiful
distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
edited November 19 in Food and Nutrition
I've gone 12 grams over protein for the day. I exactly hit the right number of fat grams. I have 48 grams of carbohydrates left for the day. And I still have to eat 655 calories to hit my goal.

Is this just something funny with MFP's system, or is it entirely possible to meet those goals, more or less?

I don't hold strong and fast to MFP's macro recommendations (with the exception of protein), but I'm still curious about this.

Thanks!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
  • KaneNLN
    KaneNLN Posts: 39 Member
    the calories on this thing are bugged, concentrate on the actual macros
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].

    Even if I'm eating things like protein bars (20 grams of protein at only 210 calories) and protein powder (26 grams of protein at only 110 calories) and other high protein foods like yogurt and cottage cheese? I'm a vegetarian if that makes any difference, although I imagine it doesn't.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].

    Also could you please explain your math. Thanks!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].

    Also could you please explain your math. Thanks!

    One gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. So...48 grams of carbs left over is 192 (where the 48x4 came from) calories. Subtract the calories you went over in protein (48), and that means you should have 144 calories to spare. This is why making sure you choose the correct entry is key so you don't throw your calculations off, as there are tons of incorrect entries in the database.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
    KaneNLN wrote: »
    the calories on this thing are bugged, concentrate on the actual macros
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].
    malibu927 wrote: »
    One gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. So...48 grams of carbs left over is 192 (where the 48x4 came from) calories. Subtract the calories you went over in protein (48), and that means you should have 144 calories to spare. This is why making sure you choose the correct entry is key so you don't throw your calculations off, as there are tons of incorrect entries in the database.

    Thanks again for the responses! I just went back and checked all my entries for the day. Every entry I used in MFP's database matched every food's nutritional information label.. that's calories, protein, fat, and carbs. They all matched.

    I repeat, I'm confused!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
    KaneNLN wrote: »
    the calories on this thing are bugged, concentrate on the actual macros
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].
    malibu927 wrote: »
    One gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. So...48 grams of carbs left over is 192 (where the 48x4 came from) calories. Subtract the calories you went over in protein (48), and that means you should have 144 calories to spare. This is why making sure you choose the correct entry is key so you don't throw your calculations off, as there are tons of incorrect entries in the database.

    Thanks again for the responses! I just went back and checked all my entries for the day. Every entry I used in MFP's database matched every food's nutritional information label.. that's calories, protein, fat, and carbs. They all matched.

    I repeat, I'm confused!

    The data base has numerous incorrect entries.

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
    KaneNLN wrote: »
    the calories on this thing are bugged, concentrate on the actual macros
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].
    malibu927 wrote: »
    One gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. So...48 grams of carbs left over is 192 (where the 48x4 came from) calories. Subtract the calories you went over in protein (48), and that means you should have 144 calories to spare. This is why making sure you choose the correct entry is key so you don't throw your calculations off, as there are tons of incorrect entries in the database.

    Thanks again for the responses! I just went back and checked all my entries for the day. Every entry I used in MFP's database matched every food's nutritional information label.. that's calories, protein, fat, and carbs. They all matched.

    I repeat, I'm confused!

    The data base has numerous incorrect entries.

    I think you missed an important sentence in her statements.

    The database was obviously not incorrect in her case, though your point is true in many other cases.

    @distinctlybeautiful - the labels do some rounding too, they are allowed to.

    Using the average values there for fat gram = 9 cal, prot and carb gram = 4 cal - you'll find not all labels add up either.

    You may have gotten a mix for the day that were all off in one direction, and badly.

    Ever seen the bottles of SoBe Lifewater - 0 calories per bottle. But 8 carbs per serving. But alcohol carbs, so I guess in the case of water they don't have to be counted towards calories.
    But Atkins with food can't get by with that - they can list their NET carbs elsewhere, but their calories include all the fiber and alcohol carbs listed.

    You may have several entries like that too, but that's back to the point above the labels math doesn't work out even there.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    RodaRose wrote: »
    distinctlybeautiful wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    one or more of your entries are erroneous and do not have the correct nutritional information.
    KaneNLN wrote: »
    the calories on this thing are bugged, concentrate on the actual macros
    abatonfan wrote: »
    One of your food entries must be off. If you have 48g of carbs left, went over 12g for protein, and satisfied your fat goal, you should have about 144 calories left over [(48x4)-(12x4) = 144].
    malibu927 wrote: »
    One gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. One gram of fat is 9 calories. So...48 grams of carbs left over is 192 (where the 48x4 came from) calories. Subtract the calories you went over in protein (48), and that means you should have 144 calories to spare. This is why making sure you choose the correct entry is key so you don't throw your calculations off, as there are tons of incorrect entries in the database.

    Thanks again for the responses! I just went back and checked all my entries for the day. Every entry I used in MFP's database matched every food's nutritional information label.. that's calories, protein, fat, and carbs. They all matched.

    I repeat, I'm confused!

    The data base has numerous incorrect entries.

    Seriously? I just said I checked all the entries against the nutrition labels, and everything matched.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    I'm NOT confused anymore!

    MFP is off. My daily calorie goal is 1990. MFP says my macros should be 45 grams of fat, 209 grams of carbohydrates, and 104 grams of protein.

    45×9=405
    209×4=836
    104×4=416

    405+836+416=1657

    (And these are macros based on a day where I exercised, which means MFP gave me 100 extra calories.)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Is that via web account or phone app?

    Because indeed, on web account it should be auto-adjusting the % and amounts to always hit 100%.

    I've never paid attention because I have gram protein and fat goal, and overall calorie goal. And since Fitbit adjustments mess up the goals they say to reach, I just memorize my gram numbers to hit, and total calories.

    I just checked and on the MFP goal page at least, the displayed base goal grams and % work out to the stated calorie goal.

    I just checked my daily log, since big adjustment from Fitbit for my big ride.
    Your Daily Goal, which includes exercise adjustment of 2077.

    513 carb + 344 prot = 857 gram x 4 = 3428 cal
    90 fat x 9 = 810 cal
    3428 + 810 = 4238 total eating goal.
    And that's pretty close to the stated 4237 Your Daily Goal

    Now, to the food I have logged so far, it is off - those rounding errors on labels.
    C + P + F = 545 calories according to labels. (yeah, ate dinner at friends, not even going to try to estimate)
    But 551 according to math on the grams of those labels.

    Which means of course that when MFP does math on how much is left - they are wrong.

    So which value are you looking at on the web account?
    Totals - for what you ate and based on nutrition label math.
    Your Daily Goal - math on base calories plus whatever exercise was logged.
    Remaining - potentially bad labels for food eaten subtracted from hopefully better MFP goals based on math.

    Because even with a Fitbit adjustment of 2077 calories that MFP handles just like exercise logged would be handled - the % and grams and calories all work out correctly as expected.
  • distinctlybeautiful
    distinctlybeautiful Posts: 1,041 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Is that via web account or phone app?

    Because indeed, on web account it should be auto-adjusting the % and amounts to always hit 100%.

    I've never paid attention because I have gram protein and fat goal, and overall calorie goal. And since Fitbit adjustments mess up the goals they say to reach, I just memorize my gram numbers to hit, and total calories.

    I just checked and on the MFP goal page at least, the displayed base goal grams and % work out to the stated calorie goal.

    I just checked my daily log, since big adjustment from Fitbit for my big ride.
    Your Daily Goal, which includes exercise adjustment of 2077.

    513 carb + 344 prot = 857 gram x 4 = 3428 cal
    90 fat x 9 = 810 cal
    3428 + 810 = 4238 total eating goal.
    And that's pretty close to the stated 4237 Your Daily Goal

    Now, to the food I have logged so far, it is off - those rounding errors on labels.
    C + P + F = 545 calories according to labels. (yeah, ate dinner at friends, not even going to try to estimate)
    But 551 according to math on the grams of those labels.

    Which means of course that when MFP does math on how much is left - they are wrong.

    So which value are you looking at on the web account?
    Totals - for what you ate and based on nutrition label math.
    Your Daily Goal - math on base calories plus whatever exercise was logged.
    Remaining - potentially bad labels for food eaten subtracted from hopefully better MFP goals based on math.

    Because even with a Fitbit adjustment of 2077 calories that MFP handles just like exercise logged would be handled - the % and grams and calories all work out correctly as expected.

    I use the phone app, but my macros don't add up to the right number of calories even without exercise.

    It's not a big deal. I have a target amount of protein grams that I want to hit each day, and I have a target balance that I want to hit between fats and carbs. So it doesn't bother me that MFP inevitably tells me I'm over my macros. I just have the kind of brain that likes to figure out things like that.
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