Macros help!
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latyciamoya
Posts: 12 Member
I am 5'4 160lbs 26 years old.
female
new to macros
I read an article that (if I'm determining my body type properly), said to have the least amount of carbs. but the my fitness pal app seems to be recommending I have 50% carbs...unless this is a default setting but I would think it would be based on the info I have imputed. I don't want to start eating that many carbs as I've lost 45lbs with trying to somewhat limit carbs..although still eating them and no idea how much really just sure it's not 50%..... help please?!
female
new to macros
I read an article that (if I'm determining my body type properly), said to have the least amount of carbs. but the my fitness pal app seems to be recommending I have 50% carbs...unless this is a default setting but I would think it would be based on the info I have imputed. I don't want to start eating that many carbs as I've lost 45lbs with trying to somewhat limit carbs..although still eating them and no idea how much really just sure it's not 50%..... help please?!
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Replies
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I personally try to hit my protein goal, then let the rest fall wherever. Playing with macros is mostly meant to aid you get the important nutrients in (namely protein) and help you figure out a distribution that makes dieting easier for you. My carbs actually hover between 40% and 70% depending on my calorie allowance and I have lost 100 pounds so far without having to overcomplicate things.
Dieting for body type is not a real thing, so don't worry about that article's recommendations. Eat the way you are comfortable eating, and as long as you are within your calorie budget your weight loss should be fine. Note if you decide to eat more carbs you may see some water weight gain. This is not a real gain and will only cause a temporary stall before you continue losing. Don't panic if this happens.4 -
latyciamoya wrote: »I am 5'4 160lbs 26 years old.
female
new to macros
I read an article that (if I'm determining my body type properly), said to have the least amount of carbs. but the my fitness pal app seems to be recommending I have 50% carbs...unless this is a default setting but I would think it would be based on the info I have imputed. I don't want to start eating that many carbs as I've lost 45lbs with trying to somewhat limit carbs..although still eating them and no idea how much really just sure it's not 50%..... help please?!
Ignore article ...body types are made up..so are blood types etc
If low carb suits you then fine. You can adjust the preset percentages on MFP to suit your diet best...they are generic
Personally I aim for minimum 60g fat and 100g protein daily my carbs fall where they will...generally 50-60% of my diet is carbs (I've been at goal for nearly 2 years)4 -
Saying that everyone should do carbs as the least macro is not right. Everyone has a different metabolism. It's going to depend more on how many calories you need to maintain weight. Here is the general breakdown of what I use (for someone that is not really overweight)
Protein: 0.8-1.2 g/lb of bodyweight
Fat: ~20-30% of daily calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories
Naturally, if you're at a low calorie intake, then the carbs will be less. I'm sitting at 2417 cal/day goal with a goal of 268 g of carbs/day (~45%). My friend Dave maintains weight at 3400 cal/day and probably is in the ~60% range for carbs. It's more complicated than what that article makes it sound like.
I think that you should do something that you can sustain and make progress on. I also think that you should eat as many calories as possible while making progress towards your goal. If you're at a weight you're happy with, then I would suggest you SLOWLY get your calories up over time with a reverse diet. This sets you up for better long-term success3 -
Here, this will help. Hit me up if you have more questions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T05SZ5JcwA0 -
I don't know what "body types" you were reading about, but in most cases, they don't relate to diet/macros unless:
> diabetic "type" - tends to do better LCHF
> endurance athlete "type" - tends to prefer HCLF
There are rule of thumb minimums for protein (varies depending on goal/activity) and for fat. It's smart to track fiber and get a minimum of that, too. It's more meaningful to hit your macro/micronutrient minimums in grams than to worry over percentages.2 -
I've been trying to hit my macros now too. After 12 steady weeks I feel like I'm in a good food and exercise routine and to start focusing on the macros. I find it really easy to hit protein and fat but always fall short on the carbs.0
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Protein: 0.8-1.2 g/lb of bodyweight
Fat: ~20-30% of daily calories
Carbs: the rest of your calories
Protein is variable. I usually see:
0.8-1.2 g/lb LBM, not total body weight for muscle sparing in a deficit
Eating in a surplus, muscle sparing isn't an issue, so much less protein is ok . I often see 1g/kg bodyweight.
Bulking is surplus eating, but slightly more protein can help.
It depends on goals and activities.
Also for fat, I generally see 0.35g/lb body weight.
For fiber, 20-25g for women & 25-30g for men.2 -
I've been focusing on hitting macros instead of worrying about calories in vs. calories out over the last 6 weeks. It's been a game changer, once I got over seeing higher calorie numbers. I too focus on hitting my protein macros which is 120g and work to keep my fat macro within a couple digits of the 66g I'm given. I worry less about the carb macro - most of my carbs come from fruits and veggies for one, but I've learned I don't have to be afraid of carbs - they're fueling my body and helping me keep my energy level up for all the heavy lifting and fitness classes I'm taking and teaching.
Macros really depend on personal goals, but I'm such a fan. My scale hasn't really changed in 6 weeks, but I just did a body scan on Saturday and I've lost 4lbs of fat and gained 2lbs of muscle in 6 weeks - losing 2% of body fat and seeing my body recomposing? I'll take it and keep eating all the things!2 -
Sounds like you were told you're an endomorph - me too! While controversial, I do think there's something to the body types thing actually. There has to be some explanation for why certain people are thin no matter what or how much they eat and then there's us who just look at food and gain weight!
The way you should calculate your macros is to set your protein first- base this on your height, weight, activity level, and wether or not you lift weights. Then determine your calories, calorie deficit, then fats, then whatever is left is your carbs.
MFP gives automatically set macros, I think only the calories are determined by the info you input. I'd suggest using a different source to calculate your macros and then manually set them in MFP (you can do this from the "goals" menu).
Macros are important, but if it's too confusing then just make sure you hit your protein goal and your calorie goal and you should be fine.1 -
FYI my macros are set to 30% protein, 30% fat, and 40% carbs.
That doesn't mean that's necessarily the correct percentages for you though, it really needs to be calculated to fit your specific stats & goals.0 -
thank you all. this is definitely getting a bit confusing but I'm seeing that I should focus on hitting my protein and fat and let the carbs fall where they fall which is fine I just need to figure out how much protein and fat I should have...I can try and work in grams but I've always found percentages easier for myself for some reason. and yes the article was talking about endomorph and whatever the other ones were called... I would say that my natural body is fairly "strong" I do have nice "broad" shoulders and used to be very lean as a teenager and younger. just got soft as I got older and had kids/ate poorly. I believe mfp was set to 50% carbs
30% fat
20% protein.. so maybe it was custom? I'll try googling more about how much I should have.0 -
I have mine set to 30% carbs, 35% protein & fat. I just need to keep my carbs around 100-125g a day. If I have too many carbs, I feel bad carb cravings. But you should do what's best for you.0
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I had a hard time with googling and using macros calculators I suppose I'll just try this out and see how it goes..I hope I don't gain fat.0
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latyciamoya wrote: »thank you all. this is definitely getting a bit confusing but I'm seeing that I should focus on hitting my protein and fat and let the carbs fall where they fall which is fine I just need to figure out how much protein and fat I should have...I can try and work in grams but I've always found percentages easier for myself for some reason. and yes the article was talking about endomorph and whatever the other ones were called... I would say that my natural body is fairly "strong" I do have nice "broad" shoulders and used to be very lean as a teenager and younger. just got soft as I got older and had kids/ate poorly. I believe mfp was set to 50% carbs
30% fat
20% protein.. so maybe it was custom? I'll try googling more about how much I should have.
Nobody's linked it yet? Great explanation here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p12 -
thank you. so according to that link, MFP has obviously determined the macros I should consume based on my stats and activity level I imputed. if I'm understanding correctly. so I think I will definitely try and follow it, as it is, and see how it goes!0
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gah day 1 is a bust. over on EVERYTHING except protein. I thought I was doing good but I guess not! this is harder than I thought but I'm determined to figure it out..0
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Don't feel bad. I was over on carbs and calories yesterday.1
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it's tough I felt so tired and hungry yesterday evening I was out of it. I had some tea which helped but then had a couple vodka sodas lol0
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LOL, gotta cut the vodka, you won't get results how you like. Been there, done that0
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hey its better than beer right0
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