Why the default macros?

4righteousnesssake · April 2016

Hey all. Just wondering why the default macros are set to 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. Everything I've ever heard is that you want low carbs, mid fat and high protein.....so why the high carbs and low protein?

CyberTone · April 2016

The guidelines are for the general user. Any user can customize the Calorie and macronutrient goals.

Please see these articles, and search for other helpful articles, on the MFP Help pages...

- The new ratios still fall within the ranges established by the Institutes of Medicine (IOM) and align with the macronutrient proportion recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010: 45-65% of calories from carbohydrates, 10-35% of calories from protein, and 20-35% of calories from fat.

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1375583-a-message-about-myfitnesspal-s-updated-nutrition-goals

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1599931-nutrition-101-calories

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1599932-nutrition-101-carbohydrates

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1599933-nutrition-101-protein

https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1599939-nutrition-101-fats

kommodevaran · April 2016

Opinions - everybody has one. Some people think protein is most important for nutrition. Others focus on carbs or fat. Or try to avoid either. Humans can thrive on a lot of different diets. The take home message is: Macros aren't really that important, they can nudge you in the direction of a more balanced diet, but your overall intake is what matters. Everything is relative. Without context, it's impossible to know what high and low is. For a balanced diet, you would most likely not choose high protein - but it's up to preference. As I was losing weight, I ate around 20% protein, 40% fat, 40% carbs. I have kept the amounts of fat and protein and upped carbs after hitting maintenance, so protein and fat % are lower and carbs % is higher now.

Yi5hedr3 · April 2016

Read "The Rosedale Diet" - Excellent!

4righteousnesssake · April 2016

kommodevaran wrote: »

Opinions - everybody has one. Some people think protein is most important for nutrition. Others focus on carbs or fat. Or try to avoid either. Humans can thrive on a lot of different diets. The take home message is: Macros aren't really that important, they can nudge you in the direction of a more balanced diet, but your overall intake is what matters. Everything is relative. Without context, it's impossible to know what high and low is. For a balanced diet, you would most likely not choose high protein - but it's up to preference. As I was losing weight, I ate around 20% protein, 40% fat, 40% carbs. I have kept the amounts of fat and protein and upped carbs after hitting maintenance, so protein and fat % are lower and carbs % is higher now.

My thoughts exactly, everybody had opinions. Just was wondering if there was something concrete that I didn't know. lol thanks for the info and experience!

Why the default macros?

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