so confused about macros
MrsGolfie77
Posts: 9 Member
Hello! I have always been at a healthy weight but due to a recent surgery, I gained about 30 pounds and now cleared for physical activity I am having a heck of a time taking it off. When I was younger, I simply stopped having desserts and stayed away from any and all fats and the pounds fell off. Now, that doesn't seem to work at all. I am close to 40 and thinking maybe something in my body has changed? Now, jumping back into the game, I see everything as far as how to loose weight. It used to be low fat, 1500 calories. But now, I have seen everything from the "whole food " movement where eating plenty of fat is good, eat only fats and protein and less than 50g of carbs, to eat protein and low fat or even all carbs and little protein! Everyone I talk to has a different take. I am an avid exerciser so I know that my diet is the reason I'm not seeing the weight come off. Help! suggestions? I miss fitting into my old clothes!
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Replies
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What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.0 -
This is what I do- my macros are 40%carbs-30%fat-30% protein.
Carbs don't cause people to get fat or prevent them from losing weight. A calorie surplus does. Carbs are nothing to fear ( unless you have medical condition)
Weight loss comes down to a calorie deficit. It makes no difference what foods you pick when it comes to weight loss. All you need is a calorie deficit. Don't get hung up on the low carb, paleo, whole foods, fats will make you fat, and so on. There's so many weight loss myths around that its ridiculous.
Calories in / calories out. Eat less then you burn and you'll lose weight.0 -
Eat enough protein.
Eat enough oil: http://www.pennmedicine.org/health_info/nutrition/how_much.html
Eat carbs or don't eat them -- it does not matter.
As long as you are at a calorie deficit, you will lose weight.0 -
Calorie deficit is just half the battle. If you don't pay attention to macros you'll get horrible food cravings and won't sustain your diet. Don't listen to people telling you it's ALL about the calories. If weight loss was that easy, everyone would be in shape. You want your weight loss to come in the form of fat, not water and muscle. Eat lots of lean protein and veggies. It's almost impossible to go over on calories with veggies however they will keep you full.JanetYellen wrote: »What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.
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muscleandbeard wrote: »
Calorie deficit is just half the battle. If you don't pay attention to macros you'll get horrible food cravings and won't sustain your diet. Don't listen to people telling you it's ALL about the calories. If weight loss was that easy, everyone would be in shape. You want your weight loss to come in the form of fat, not water and muscle. Eat lots of lean protein and veggies. It's almost impossible to go over on calories with veggies however they will keep you full.JanetYellen wrote: »What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.
Well, from a contrary perspective, I would find a diet of veggies and lean meat almost impossible to stick to, but just eating food I like and managing portions has been pretty easy with planning. No real cravings to speak of, because I can just work the food I want into the next day's meal if I choose.0 -
rankinsect wrote: »muscleandbeard wrote: »
Calorie deficit is just half the battle. If you don't pay attention to macros you'll get horrible food cravings and won't sustain your diet. Don't listen to people telling you it's ALL about the calories. If weight loss was that easy, everyone would be in shape. You want your weight loss to come in the form of fat, not water and muscle. Eat lots of lean protein and veggies. It's almost impossible to go over on calories with veggies however they will keep you full.JanetYellen wrote: »What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.
Well, from a contrary perspective, I would find a diet of veggies and lean meat almost impossible to stick to, but just eating food I like and managing portions has been pretty easy with planning. No real cravings to speak of, because I can just work the food I want into the next day's meal if I choose.
What about your results? Have you done well with maintaining muscle? I can eat 1200 cals a day and will probably lose over 20lbs in less than a month at my weight but it won't be all fat for sure.0 -
Pick a macro ratio (you'll find plenty of justification for any of them - it's like a religious argument) and run with it. Pay attention and see what happens. Change it up at some point and hope for better results.
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You're older and even MORE carb sensitive. Keep carbs under 100 grams/day max. Lower Leptin, eat ratio of 20/20/60. All good.0
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Hey thanks, everyone! The whole thing about the calorie deficit argument is, what about fat? You can eat 1200 calories with 50 grams of fat or 15. That's I guess why I'm looking for Macros.... Thank you all for your thoughts and feedback0
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yellowprincess wrote: »Hey thanks, everyone! The whole thing about the calorie deficit argument is, what about fat? You can eat 1200 calories with 50 grams of fat or 15. That's I guess why I'm looking for Macros....
Alright, I'll give one actual suggestion - and this is just my opinion and I'm not gonna cite anything. But I think a good starting place is a ratio that's about even: one of those 30/30/40 setups (which is which? don't worry about it). That's what the whole "Zone Diet" thing's about.
It'll give you a place to work from where you're getting plenty of everything and you'll be thinking in terms of macros on a daily basis. From there, even better, you can move on to a weekly context and cycling things around depending on your activity. But that's more advanced, don't sweat that stuff now. It's just what you're working towards.
Good luck. Report back with your progress, eh.
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muscleandbeard wrote: »rankinsect wrote: »muscleandbeard wrote: »
Calorie deficit is just half the battle. If you don't pay attention to macros you'll get horrible food cravings and won't sustain your diet. Don't listen to people telling you it's ALL about the calories. If weight loss was that easy, everyone would be in shape. You want your weight loss to come in the form of fat, not water and muscle. Eat lots of lean protein and veggies. It's almost impossible to go over on calories with veggies however they will keep you full.JanetYellen wrote: »What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.
Well, from a contrary perspective, I would find a diet of veggies and lean meat almost impossible to stick to, but just eating food I like and managing portions has been pretty easy with planning. No real cravings to speak of, because I can just work the food I want into the next day's meal if I choose.
What about your results? Have you done well with maintaining muscle? I can eat 1200 cals a day and will probably lose over 20lbs in less than a month at my weight but it won't be all fat for sure.
A male eating 1200 cals? That's way too low, IMO.
I don't have my macros in line with the goals... All my weight loss (not a lot of pounds, but rather the pesky "last 20") came from counting calories. I never measured or understood how calories worked or the breakdowns. It wasn't until I started logging that I started learning.
Yes - lean meats and veggies give you a lot of volume for calories - so they're great for maintaining satiety, but if the OP is anything like me, she NEEEEEDs those treats too.
OP - my suggestion, keep it simple to start. Identify a decent deficit (I usually recommend 0.5 to 1 lb / week), and track your calories. Use a scale to get a better understanding of what a serving size is... (for example - I WAY underestimated cereal, ice cream, and cheese).
As you become more comfortable with measuring your food and tracking calories, you'll naturally tweak what you eat. You'll become aware of what things "cost" in terms of your calorie "budget", and then you'll adjust the things you pick to eat. It's actually quite natural and easy - if you let it be that.
Once you're a pro at logging, that's when I recommend starting to look at your macros (if you're high on carbs and get hungry, then have something that's heavier in protein as a snack).
You don't have to run a marathon the first time you lace your shoes. Train your habits, and you'll be running far in no time.0 -
Great discussions here. I've been trying to understand the whole macro thing for a while now too.0
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yellowprincess wrote: »Hello! I have always been at a healthy weight but due to a recent surgery, I gained about 30 pounds and now cleared for physical activity I am having a heck of a time taking it off. When I was younger, I simply stopped having desserts and stayed away from any and all fats and the pounds fell off. Now, that doesn't seem to work at all. I am close to 40 and thinking maybe something in my body has changed? Now, jumping back into the game, I see everything as far as how to loose weight. It used to be low fat, 1500 calories. But now, I have seen everything from the "whole food " movement where eating plenty of fat is good, eat only fats and protein and less than 50g of carbs, to eat protein and low fat or even all carbs and little protein! Everyone I talk to has a different take. I am an avid exerciser so I know that my diet is the reason I'm not seeing the weight come off. Help! suggestions? I miss fitting into my old clothes!
as a general rule of thumb your macros should be the following:
.6 to .85 grams of protein per pound of body weight; .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight; and fill in rest with carbs.
However, as you have about 30 pounds to lose I would really just focus on getting in, and staying in, a calorie deficit and keep your protein intake up to minimize muscle loss.
When you lose abut 15-20 pounds you can focus more on body recomp and macro adherence.
I woudl also suggest a beginner lifting program like strong lifts or all pro beginner routine, but that assumes that you are cleared to be "active" by your doctor due to your surgery.0 -
You have to eat what feels good for your body. Sometimes, you may need more carbs, or protein, or fat one day or another. Does it really matter to stick to the same percentages as long as your body is getting what it needs? It's all about nutrient density. Eat healthy, exercise some and keep a deficit. Make sure you're logging accurately or creating enough of a deficit to counter any inaccuracies and watch the number on the scale slowly creep down.0
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This thread explains it well:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets#latest0 -
As far as weight loss, its CICO.
In my opinion (and that is ALL it is...my opinion), macros start to matter when you want to mess with body composition, not just poundage. I shoot for between 80-140 grams of protein a day, but that's only because I'm lifting and trying to add muscle. The whole low fat high fat low carb bla bla bla stuff is just that, (in my opinion) bla bla bla.
Eat whatever you want, just less of it. If you want to retain muscle and have a cut or muscular look, you may want to do research into how much protein you want depending on your body weight.0 -
Thanks, everyone! I think I will start with the MFP pre-sets and then tweak like you all suggested. I will report back! PS Great article Carlos_4210
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keto is just the latest trend...all diets come and go. there are actually ligitimate medical reasons to do keto, but it certainly isn't necessary to be a healthy and fit individual and the vast majority of people I know who are athletes and/or just really physically fit eat plenty of carbs.
your macros ratios are going to be very individual to you and your goals. a body builder is going to have a different ratios that is optimal for him or her than, say, a body builder.
just start with the basics...calories first and foremost...learn how to get those under control and then you can start worrying about your macro ratios and what works best for you from a health, composition, and performance perspective.0 -
muscleandbeard wrote: »rankinsect wrote: »muscleandbeard wrote: »
Calorie deficit is just half the battle. If you don't pay attention to macros you'll get horrible food cravings and won't sustain your diet. Don't listen to people telling you it's ALL about the calories. If weight loss was that easy, everyone would be in shape. You want your weight loss to come in the form of fat, not water and muscle. Eat lots of lean protein and veggies. It's almost impossible to go over on calories with veggies however they will keep you full.JanetYellen wrote: »What turned this around for me was getting a food scale. Consider it.
It's all about calories. No matter what way of eating you choose. Lower your daily calories?
I like high good carbs, high fiber, and protein to 68gs a day. A mix keeps it easy for me.
Well, from a contrary perspective, I would find a diet of veggies and lean meat almost impossible to stick to, but just eating food I like and managing portions has been pretty easy with planning. No real cravings to speak of, because I can just work the food I want into the next day's meal if I choose.
What about your results? Have you done well with maintaining muscle? I can eat 1200 cals a day and will probably lose over 20lbs in less than a month at my weight but it won't be all fat for sure.
Strength training has kept any muscle loss to low levels. I definitely also eat my protein, even if I have to take bars or shakes to make up for meals that are mainly carbs.
As to results - hovering around the -75 lb mark these past few days and about six months in by now. I'm eating an average of around 1900 per day (more on workout days, less on other days). I could eat less, but so far I've been sticking to my target of about 1% body weight per week, as faster rates of loss tend to cause more muscle mass loss.0
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