Carbs fats and calories

charns89
charns89 Posts: 13 Member
edited December 3 in Introduce Yourself
Hey so im new to all this and so far im doing alright but want to make sure im doing this correctly. I work out 4 times a week mostly cardio and i work on my feet 8 hrs a day as well. My calorie counter is set at 1200 usually 1400-1500 when i work out. Im not sure on how much carbs i should have and fats iv set it pretty low. Any help would be awesome.

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited September 2016
    Fats are important to have at about .35 grams per pound of body weight, protein is good around .8g per pound of body weight, the rest in carbs. This insures you are getting adequate fat for hormone function and absorbing micronutrients, and enough protein for muscle maintenance and satiety.
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    I just changed it and i wasnt far off thanks for the info. I need to be getting more protien into my diet
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    I just changed it and i wasnt far off thanks for the info. I need to be getting more protien into my diet

    Oh nice! I find that hitting a higher volume, protein filled "first meal" helps. For me that is a protein bar because I'm lazy.

    What are your stats? Sometimes that .8 can be more difficult depending on starting weight.
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    What do you mean by what are my stats?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    What do you mean by what are my stats?

    Height...weight..activity level?
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    Hight 150cms weight 61.2kgs and very active. Gym 3 days a week volley 1 day a week and i work on my feet 8 hrs a day
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    Hight 150cms weight 61.2kgs and very active. Gym 3 days a week volley 1 day a week and i work on my feet 8 hrs a day

    Ugh. Converting.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Oh yeah. The protein shouldn't be that hard to get for your weight.
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    Hey fat is 40 % carbs and protien is 35%
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited September 2016
    charns89 wrote: »
    Hey fat is 40 % carbs and protien is 35%

    lol too many maths for me. Naming grams is more accurate for you, and easier for others as well.

    Anyway, calories are king. If you are comfortable starting to watch macros as well that is great, you can really benefit.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,337 Member
    Your calorie goal seems extremely low for someone who is very active. Is it the one given to you by Myfitnesspal?
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    rileysowner wrote: »
    Your calorie goal seems extremely low for someone who is very active. Is it the one given to you by Myfitnesspal?

    She is pretty short. And not very heavy.

    OP, what is your job?
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,337 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    Your calorie goal seems extremely low for someone who is very active. Is it the one given to you by Myfitnesspal?

    She is pretty short. And not very heavy.

    OP, what is your job?

    She is also on her feet all day.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    rileysowner wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    Your calorie goal seems extremely low for someone who is very active. Is it the one given to you by Myfitnesspal?

    She is pretty short. And not very heavy.

    OP, what is your job?

    She is also on her feet all day.

    Yes, we will see what her job is. I am also on my feet all day but am a teacher...lightly active.
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    Im a child care educator so keep moving alot. My calorie level is low but when i exercise it goes up so calories i burn get added on
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    Im a child care educator so keep moving alot. My calorie level is low but when i exercise it goes up so calories i burn get added on

    Exactly. Eat your exercise calories back. I was an early childhood educator, now an elementary school teacher, and live in NYC with a decent amount of walking. Sometimes that job feels a little more active than it actually is. At the end of the day I get about 10-12k steps and that's with a couple miles walking through the city as well.
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    Why do i need to eat the calories i burn though. I have a good meal plan that keeps me at 1200 calories a day and im sustained with enetgy as well
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    Why do i need to eat the calories i burn though. I have a good meal plan that keeps me at 1200 calories a day and im sustained with enetgy as well

    Well, My Fitness Pal gives you calories based on NEAT, that's the amount of calories you burn not including exercise. So if you eat the calories back, you're still in a deficit and should lose around the projected amount. Also because 1200 calories is on the low side and can be a little tricky to hit micro and macro nutrient levels for some. If you can lose weight eating 1400 calories...why not?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    How much weight are you trying to lose OP? What rate of loss did you select?

    Going for the lowest cal goal, the biggest deficit, not eating back exercise cals... That all sounds good at first, thinking you'll lose weight faster. However, there can be many adverse effects of taking too aggressive of an approach.

    That low of a calorie goal can be unsustainable, some people find it sets them up to binge or to just give up altogether. Eating more calories often leaves a little room for treats which can make the whole process easier to stick with.
    It may not provide you adequate calories for energy especially with an active lifestyle, and it can be difficult to get in adequate nutrition on lower cal goals.
    Too low of a calorie goal, especially if you are working out too, can result in loss of lean body mass (the dreaded skinny fat look), fatigue, loss of hair, sallow skin, brittle nails, etc.

    For what it's worth I'm 5'2 and lost my weight eating between 1600-1900 cals. If you can lose weight eating more, why would you not want to?
  • charns89
    charns89 Posts: 13 Member
    I dont know how to reset my goals. Iv put lightly active 3 work outs a wrek at 45mins and loss 1 kg a week but it still comes up with 1200 calories. Do i add work outs or is that already calculated into it. So if i do more than the 3 days i add that only
  • hydrostation
    hydrostation Posts: 37 Member
    I personally keep my fats between 20-30 percent of my total calorie intake. For me, keeping my fats low has been the biggest challenge so far, but since less calories come from carbs and protein, it's easier to stay fuller like that throughout the day.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    charns89 wrote: »
    I dont know how to reset my goals. Iv put lightly active 3 work outs a wrek at 45mins and loss 1 kg a week but it still comes up with 1200 calories. Do i add work outs or is that already calculated into it. So if i do more than the 3 days i add that only

    How much weight are you trying to lose? What rate of loss did you select? The calorie targets are a basic math problem. If you select lose 1 lb/week, MFP will subtract 500 cals from what it believes your non exercise maintenance calories are. If you select 2 lbs/week, it will subtract 1000. That said, 1200 is the lowest calorie goal MFP will provide for women, so if it thinks your maintenance cals are 1800 for example, and you select 2 lbs/week, it can't go lower than 1200 (nor should you!).

    MFP is a NEAT program meaning it calculates a calorie goal based on your day to day activities excluding any exercise. That means if you do exercise, and burn 200-300 cals through that workout for example, then yes you should be eating at least some of those back. A lot of people eat back about half the calories at first since exercise burns can sometimes be inflated.

    Have you taken some time to read the stickied "most helpful posts" threads at the top of each forum section? I think you'll find a lot of helpful info in there about weight loss, how to best use this site, etc.
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