Types of Nutrients to Eat to Lose Weight

caitlynlong95
caitlynlong95 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, i just started using the MyFitness Pal app and it came up with nutrient goals for my weight loss. I'm confused as to why some of my goals are higher than others because I am new to fitness and health. For example, it has my daily goal for saturated fat at 15g whereas the poly and monounsaturated fats are at 0. I always thought saturated fat was bad for you and poly and mono were good for you. Also, it has my carb intake rather high compared to my fat and protein. I was always under the impression that carbs would make you gain weight. I would also like to start weightlifting and gaining muscle so I was surprised that my daily protein goal was so low. Could someone that knows more about health and fitness explain why this might be?

Replies

  • lemonlionheart
    lemonlionheart Posts: 580 Member
    The macronutrient ratios don't have any bearing on weight loss, it's all about calories. The default settings are just a guideline, many people adjust them according to personal preference. You may want to aim for a higher protein goal if you plan on lifting weights. Carbs definitely don't make you gain, but personally I find carbs less filling (plus they make me want to eat more) so I changed my goal to fewer carbs and more protein/fat. If you find the macro goals overwhelming I'd recommend just not worrying about it too much at first and just focus on staying within your calorie goal, then once you have that down you can start playing around with ratios and experimenting with what will keep you satisfied and keep you going for your workouts :)
  • caurinus
    caurinus Posts: 78 Member
    Everyone is different, with different goals and different exercise plans. Carbs don't make you fat, eating more calories than you burn does. But low-fiber, high GI carbs do cause appetite swings so stick with high fiber carbs. Fiber in very high quantities is filling and green veggies have lots of fiber and low calories. High fiber carbs can give you gas but I find its a lot worse with beans than with veggies. Lean protein is also very filling, calorie for calorie.

    If you're gonna be lifting weights while in a calorie deficit, personally I like around 40 % calories from protein (4 calories per gram), 40% calories from fibrous carbs, mostly fruits and veggies (4 cals/g), and 20% calories from fat (9 cals/g).

    But there is a lot of room for flexibility and not much is written in stone. Don't eat less than 20% fat, and while lifting weights the minimum protein should be about 0.8 grams per pound of goal body weight. But if you're new to lifting and in a calorie deficit, that might be low. I know some diet coaches recommend 1.1g to 1.4g per pound of lean body mass. But that requires an accurate body fat measurement which can be tricky. 1g of protein per pound of goal body weight is a pretty good rule of thumb.
  • caurinus
    caurinus Posts: 78 Member
    Oh, by the way, mono fats are really good for you. Saturated fats are ok in moderation. Poly fats and Trans fats are bad for you.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    caurinus wrote: »
    Oh, by the way, mono fats are really good for you. Saturated fats are ok in moderation. Poly fats and Trans fats are bad for you.

    Since omega-3s and omega-6s, which are essential fatty acids, are from polyunsaturated fats, I think labeling polyunsaturated fats "bad for you" is questionable.

    Also, OP, the listing of 0 as the goal for mono and poly unsats is a bit of a glitch in MFP -- it really should say something like NA, because there is no stated RDA for them. Just ignore it.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    You don't need bucketloads of protein. The average diet contains plenty of protein. You're not going to gain much muscle if you're losing weight. MFP sets your protein goal as sufficient to preserve muscle while in a deficit, which should be your goal if you're losing weight.

    Carbs don't make you gain weight. Eating more calories than you burn makes you gain weight.


    I recommend reading the Helpful Posts in the Announcement here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads
  • caurinus
    caurinus Posts: 78 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    Since omega-3s and omega-6s, which are essential fatty acids, are from polyunsaturated fats, I think labeling polyunsaturated fats "bad for you" is questionable.

    Mea culpa. I did a stint on the Paleo diet for a while. While I have managed to remove most of the misinformation spread by those guys from my head, apparently there was still a little bit left. Much of which is debunked by this excellent article:
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2015/04/13/ask-the-expert-concerns-about-canola-oil/
  • kalmf
    kalmf Posts: 351 Member
    I think the confusion is that some of the numbers in the categories represent the goal you want to try to meet (protein, fibre, etc.) while some others represent the maximum that you don't want to exceed (sugar, saturated fat, whatever)
  • caitlynlong95
    caitlynlong95 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks everybody for the helpful comments! That definitely clears up some confusionand takes away the stress of being exact with my macronutrients!

Categories