Staying In The Green Across The Board, It's Tricky

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fjpetruccelli
fjpetruccelli Posts: 46 Member
edited November 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
So I have only been using My Fitness Pal for a few days but I am already noticing a trend, at least one of my macro nutrients is always in the red. On days were my protein, carbs, fat and calories are in the green my sugar and sodium (I don't use salt to cook with or put on afterwards) are in the red. If I keep those nutrients in the green I am falling short of other nutrients. Anyone have any tips for conquering this balancing act? :p

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  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    Every day doesn't have to be perfect. If you're going back and forth between green and red days, you're pretty much already in balance.
  • sonic_corset
    sonic_corset Posts: 15 Member
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    if you share your food diary, we can help to see what foods are causing trouble. might have to make substitutions, which happens a LOT.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Focus on your calories first. Once you have logging down, then look at your macros. It's fine if some of them are red, just not all of them. In fact, many people on here treat their fat and protein numbers as minimums to hit.
  • kenyonhaff
    kenyonhaff Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Try and focus on one element at a time, for a week or so. Sodium reduction, for instance. Or up protein content. It's hard to do everything at once. But when you find out what works it gets easier.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    I don't track sugar. It's a carb, and those are already tracked. Unless you have a medical issue where you need to track sugar, there's no need to. You can change what you track. I switched sugar out for fiber. I don't pay any attention to sodium, either. Again, no medical need.

    Ultimately, the only number that matters, unless there is a medical reason, is calories. Stay green on those and don't worry about the rest too much.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    I look at calories, protein and sodium.
    If I am sticking to my calories and meeting my protein goal the rest of the numbers take care of themselves. I don't stress about everything being green.

    higher sodium sources- bread, cheese, salad dressings, tomato products, condiments, meats particularly processed meats, canned vegetables, olives, pickles, canned soups and broths, spice mixtures http://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments_and_procedures/hic-your-sodium-controlled-diet
    http://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/uz1670
  • fjpetruccelli
    fjpetruccelli Posts: 46 Member
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    sonic_corset wrote: »
    if you share your food diary, we can help to see what foods are causing trouble. might have to make substitutions, which happens a LOT.

    How do I share my food dairy here?
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I mostly focus on the calories and trying to hit protein goal (or go over it, which makes it turn red). I don't worry about the fat or carbs because I tend to do better with more fat. It seems to be working for me so far. I figure I'll tighten up on macros when I get closer to goal if I feel like my loss is going to slow. Seriously just developing the habit of managing to calories is good enough to get started, IMO.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,995 Member
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    I look at calories first, and then protein. Honestly, I don't really pay much attention to the others.
  • fjpetruccelli
    fjpetruccelli Posts: 46 Member
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    Thanks all for your insight :)
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I tried to keep sodium below 1500 each day and succeeded at that stunt. After 5 months of it I started showing symptoms of hyponatremia. After a month of that, I decided to eat more salt. I literally eat a few grains of Himalayan pink salt before bed. I suffer no more with hyponatremia.

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