Yet another question about macros

swimmermama
swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
edited February 2016 in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
I have a question about macros. I'm 5'8" and about 115 pounds, eating about 2250-2500 calories a day. I am doing the 5x5 program trying to gain weight and strength. I have seen people suggest about 1g of protein per pound and I've seen people suggest about 25% of calories from protein. These result in very different amounts of protein for me.; with the percentage being higher. I usually get about 130 grams of protein a day because I LOVE it. I could live on eggs, Greek yogurt, meat, and protein bars :-)

So, which would you suggest I follow? The 1 gram per pound or the percentage suggestion?

I also have days that I somehow meet all my macro requirements and still have a good number of calories left. Is that weird?

Replies

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    130 g/day is fine. Eating 30% would result in a larger amount for you. Which would be fine - you'd hit the > 1g/lb bw reco...

    30% is a general guideline - for me, in a cut, it is insufficient to reach 1g/lb of BW.

    Also, really check the entries on mfp - some of the macro entries aren't valid.
  • mixa4u
    mixa4u Posts: 62 Member
    eat you protein/ fats then fill rest with carbs until 2500cals or more.
  • JayDam1
    JayDam1 Posts: 37 Member
    mixa4u wrote: »
    eat you protein/ fats then fill rest with carbs until 2500cals or more.

    ^this

    Shoot for your protein numbers to be 1-1.5 grams per lbs of LEAN body mass. Then ensure a proper amount of fat intake since it is instrumental in many functions. Finally, add carbs to meet your goal, taking in an adequate amount of carbs as fiber.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
    JayDam1 wrote: »
    mixa4u wrote: »
    eat you protein/ fats then fill rest with carbs until 2500cals or more.

    ^this

    Shoot for your protein numbers to be 1-1.5 grams per lbs of LEAN body mass. Then ensure a proper amount of fat intake since it is instrumental in many functions. Finally, add carbs to meet your goal, taking in an adequate amount of carbs as fiber.

    So, I'm eating way too much protein, huh? Any idea whether I should do about 25% fat or a aim for a certain gram amount? It seems like those of us who are slim and eat lots of calories have a big difference between percentages and a certain number of grams per pound of body weight.
  • JayDam1
    JayDam1 Posts: 37 Member
    swimmermama wrote: »
    So, I'm eating way too much protein, huh? Any idea whether I should do about 25% fat or a aim for a certain gram amount? It seems like those of us who are slim and eat lots of calories have a big difference between percentages and a certain number of grams per pound of body weight.

    I don't deal with percentages. I calculate exact macros related to body mass. Do you know what your body fat percentage is?

    It doesn't sound like you are getting too much protein. You say you average about 130g/day. That would 1.5g/lb if your lean body mass is 87 lbs.
  • rippedhippie
    rippedhippie Posts: 24 Member
    .75 to 1 gram is good for a average person working out moderately. If your building muscle you will need much more. Normally I eat 50% carbs 30% protein and 20% fat. When bulking I eat 40% carbs 40% protein ad 20% fat.

    I'm 5 10 and weight 167 lbs.

    I'm in agreement with JayDam1.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
    JayDam1 wrote: »
    swimmermama wrote: »
    So, I'm eating way too much protein, huh? Any idea whether I should do about 25% fat or a aim for a certain gram amount? It seems like those of us who are slim and eat lots of calories have a big difference between percentages and a certain number of grams per pound of body weight.

    I don't deal with percentages. I calculate exact macros related to body mass. Do you know what your body fat percentage is?

    It doesn't sound like you are getting too much protein. You say you average about 130g/day. That would 1.5g/lb if your lean body mass is 87 lbs.

    Thank you so much for your input! I have tried a couple of those electronic body scanner things (one at the pharmacy and one on my scale at home) and they generally give me a body fat percentage between 14 and 18%. Don't know how accurate they are, but they almost always give me a number in that range...
  • JayDam1
    JayDam1 Posts: 37 Member
    Impedance body fat measurement can vary depending on a lot of variables, but its fine in general.

    So, if you take the average of 16%, you have about 18.5lbs of fat.

    Leaves about 96.5lbs of lean mass.

    With 130g of protein a day, it means you are taking in about 1.3g per lb of lean mass. You are right in there where you should be with your protein intake.
  • swimmermama
    swimmermama Posts: 526 Member
    JayDam1 wrote: »
    Impedance body fat measurement can vary depending on a lot of variables, but its fine in general.

    So, if you take the average of 16%, you have about 18.5lbs of fat.

    Leaves about 96.5lbs of lean mass.

    With 130g of protein a day, it means you are taking in about 1.3g per lb of lean mass. You are right in there where you should be with your protein intake.

    Great! And I've read about .5 grams of fat per pound, which is about 50 grams a day. And the rest is carbs! I think I'm set now. Thank you so very much!
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    You really need between .7 and .8 grams per pound of LEAN BODY MASS, per day. You need to figure your percent body fat to come up with your lean mass. You are probably eating too much protein currently.

Categories