Tips for getting right Macro percentages?

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robintamara
robintamara Posts: 14 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone. I've just started getting super into counting everything and I'm trying to get my macro levels to 50% carb, 30% protein, and 20% fat. (These are just the numbers that my personal trainer recommended and I trust her judgment completely.)

Anyone have any tips with macro levels and getting them right? I don't think I can plan my meals out every day, it's just not realistic with my life right now. What I've been doing so far is eating and guessing for breakfast and lunch and then for dinner/afternoon snacks I adjust accordingly. Just trying to see if people have tricks or anything.

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  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    You're never going to hit your macros on the dot every time... there's always going to be variance.
    • 0.6-0.8g of protein per lb of body mass
    • 0.4-0.45g of fat per lb of body mass
    • fill rest of calories with carbs
  • lulucitron
    lulucitron Posts: 366 Member
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    I tweak mine toward the end of the day. I usually have around the range of 45 carbs, 30 protein and 25 fat. If I have more fat than protein, for eg, then I'll snack on some greek yogurt to up my protein and keep my fats lower by ratio.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    you're never going to hit them bang on, nor is it necessary...they're great to be generally aware of in RE to balancing out your diet, getting adequate protein and fat, etc...and they can be relevant to fitness performance and recovery...but really, people get a bit over the top obsessed with macros when in reality, they're really not all that relevant.
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited September 2015
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    ^ Macros are relevant from a nutritonal standpoint. There are minimums for protein and fat.

    Also, hitting Macros targets is relevant when it comes to attaining an ideal body composition in active individuals.
  • robintamara
    robintamara Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks for the comments everyone. While some people probably do super super focus on them too much, I'm trying to be aware. So far I'm learning that my fat intake is too high for my composition goals. Even though they're all good fats (avocado, natural peanut butter), if I can just up my protein I think that will help a lot. @lulucitron thanks for the Greek yogurt suggestion. That would help a ton. I'm not the biggest fan of it but I'm starting to like it more
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    robintamara wrote: »
    Thanks for the comments everyone. While some people probably do super super focus on them too much, I'm trying to be aware. So far I'm learning that my fat intake is too high for my composition goals. Even though they're all good fats (avocado, natural peanut butter), if I can just up my protein I think that will help a lot. @lulucitron thanks for the Greek yogurt suggestion. That would help a ton. I'm not the biggest fan of it but I'm starting to like it more
    It is ok to go over fat. If you want more protein you can eat more leafy greens.
  • robintamara
    robintamara Posts: 14 Member
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    Which leafy greens have protein?! I try to eat more spinach, but I don't remember it having protein
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    Edamame has a good amount of protein as well as a lot of nutrients - that stuff is a nutritional powerhouse - but it's not leafy. It is green, though. :)
  • robintamara
    robintamara Posts: 14 Member
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    @Kalikel awesome idea, thanks!
  • becknomad
    becknomad Posts: 63 Member
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    What do you mean by composition goals? Your fat percentage? I'm trying to figure out these macro ratios - does it only matter if you are in to lifting? Thanks I'm new. :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    robintamara wrote: »
    Which leafy greens have protein?! I try to eat more spinach, but I don't remember it having protein
    Spinach, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Arugula, Bok Choy, Kale.

  • jessmcd1986
    jessmcd1986 Posts: 20 Member
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    I work on macros, but I plan my meals on a sunday, prep all my food that day too, as I find it is easier for me to not indulge and work everything out beforehand. Although weekends I fail miserably, as I do not eat enough during the day, so end up eating two meals worth of food for dinner! As for protein, I second the greek yogurt option. I also use protein powder to help increase my protein (I lift, so I have higher protein goals)
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
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    From a health standpoint, "eat a varied diet" is all the macro advice we need. I suppose we're all wired differently, but I would find it maddening to turn dinner into a macro algebra problem
  • robintamara
    robintamara Posts: 14 Member
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    becknomad wrote: »
    What do you mean by composition goals? Your fat percentage? I'm trying to figure out these macro ratios - does it only matter if you are in to lifting? Thanks I'm new. :)

    @becknomad macro percentages are taking all the food you eat per day and categorizing it into percentages based on your macronutrients. Everything we eat has either carbohydrates, protein, or fat. There are healthy and unhealthy versions of all of them. So based on my goals and "physique" goals, my trainer recommended 30% of my food should come from protein, 20% should come from (healthy) fats, and 50% of my food should come from (mostly complex) carbs. These percentages change depending on people's goals. "You are what you eat!" So I want a lean, but also strong physique and these numbers can help me get there. It could also be 50, 25, 25... it can vary for sure. For me, it's a good way to see how I'm doing.
    I like the preciseness of it and I measure everything because then I know exactly where I can improve and how. For me, it's like a little puzzle and I try to keep it as fun and positive as possible!

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