Hypthetical Question

sceck
sceck Posts: 219
edited September 29 in Food and Nutrition
Just wondering...if I meet my calories, but exceed a category (such as fats or sugars), how does that affect the overall day? For example, if I have something like fettucini alfredo (cream, pasta), maybe even Italian bread, BUT I stay within calories, how does that work? I guess I'm wondering how the profile works, or if it really matters at all if within a calorie range. Any thoughts?

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I think as long as you don't do it everyday, going over in one macronutrient (I just learned that they were called this) or the other occasionally isn't a big deal.
  • HayleeWho
    HayleeWho Posts: 14
    I don't think it will. Unless it's a dramatic amount. You will be fine, just as long as you're not going over it every day!
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
    I know when I go over in sodium I need to drink more water the next day, otherwise I'll retain weight that week.

    I know when I go over in protein I feel much fuller for much longer, and agree with a lot of posters here that MFP's protein calc is a little low, but haven't yet tweaked mine using the tools.

    I know when I go over in sugar and fat I feel yuck and sluggish (especially when I crash from my sugar high!) and don't really want to do it again for a few days.

    I know that I'm now listening to my body, and that is the greatest thing I have learned!! I've also started craving stir-fry veg instead of chocolate. I go crazy if I don't eat vegies in some form in most meals. This was NEVER the case before I started here - I could honestly go for days eating only yellow fried food and not seeing a vegetable.
  • junipuni
    junipuni Posts: 264 Member
    There are so many variables. Is it an everyday thing? Just one day? Also, it can be different for every person. I have been spot on for everything but carbs and not losing weight. My calories were always where they should be as well as my fiber, sodium, water, etc. But for some people they can merely watch their calories and lose weight just fine. I'm not finding that to be true for me.

    Good luck!
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    There's no fast answer on the perfect proportions / ratio for everyone, and MFP default flies right down the middle on the recommendation for carbs and adds most of the difference to protein. They are at the low end on fat, so if you're close, you're probably doing fine.

    Some people have trainers or nutritionists that calibrate those ratios to a specific need, so if you have questions on where you should be, having a professional take a look at the ratio and adapt it to your situation isn't a bad idea.
  • Artemis_Acorn
    Artemis_Acorn Posts: 836 Member
    Duplicate post - sorry
  • sittingduck180
    sittingduck180 Posts: 64
    Calories are calories and that is what will lose or gain weight for you - nutrients are there for you to tweak until you feel better. So while a chocolate milkshake would be within my calories, I've come to learn I'll feel really crappy afterwards. Same for pizza, but pizza's worth it to me :-).
  • Slimntrim90
    Slimntrim90 Posts: 41
    I avoid alfredo like the plague, lol. Remember, fat has more calories than either protein or carbs per gram. You can earn extra calories with exercise, but not specifically fat's or protein or carbs.:ohwell:
  • ziggy55311
    ziggy55311 Posts: 20
    Consuming more refined carbohydrates will make you more insulin resistant which will make you stuggle with weight in the long run.
  • karenkwalker
    karenkwalker Posts: 155 Member
    My problem is if I eat something like a pasta like that - then I get all triggered up and have days of trying to get back on track. So I am avoiding eating like that in general. It's impossible it seems to eat anything that doesn't negatively affect one of the macronutrients. If it's high sodium usually lower in sugar and vice versa - so I think it's just about balancing it as much as you can while staying within your calories.
  • portexploit
    portexploit Posts: 378 Member
    There are 1 thing that makes people fat, that's insulin, insulin is raised by eating too many carbs or too many calories. Insulin is released to clear the blood of glucose(blood sugar) it gets stored in the muscle, once the muscle is full from eating to many carbs or lack of exercise the excess carbs will be turned in to fat.

    Protein has the opposite effect, it liberates fat from the body, it also is used to rebuild and repair the body. The amino acids are used by the body for growth or repair.

    Yes fat has more calories than protein and carbs as someone said, so what? Fat has a ton of positive uses in the body, most of our biological hormones are made from fat. I was watching a documantry the other day, they where saying low fat diets lead to depression. Fat keeps you full, and not hungry, it also tells your body "we have fat in the body, so we need to liberate some fat for energy." there are a ton of benefits to eat fat.
  • sceck
    sceck Posts: 219
    Thanks everyone for your input. That really was just hypothetical, but I really liked the answers that told me how their bodies "felt", regardless of being within calories. I'm finding I really need to drink more water. I'm starting to fall into old bad habits of not eating breakfast, not drinking water. I'm way under calories now, but when I ate throughout the day I had more energy. And, I think I'm seeing the fat around the middle returning. Tell me I'm crazy, but my inches around the belly reduced when I ate more!
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