macro ratios that work best for you?
B28Elliott
Posts: 39 Member
I started working with a friend who is a trainer..he suggested 25f 25c and 50p
I tried it for a few weeks and I just about died..I wasn't sure if I just wasn't used to esting so strictly or if it wasn't the right macro ratios for me! it seemed like I was honestly doing better with more carb intake. I did lose 6 pounds in the 4 weeks, but with it being so strict it made eating healthy not so enjoyable.
I would be happy with 15 more pounds to be gone:)
anyways.. just wondering what some of your personal macro ratios are... thanks in advance:)
I tried it for a few weeks and I just about died..I wasn't sure if I just wasn't used to esting so strictly or if it wasn't the right macro ratios for me! it seemed like I was honestly doing better with more carb intake. I did lose 6 pounds in the 4 weeks, but with it being so strict it made eating healthy not so enjoyable.
I would be happy with 15 more pounds to be gone:)
anyways.. just wondering what some of your personal macro ratios are... thanks in advance:)
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Replies
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Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.4
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MFP's default of 50%C-20%P-30%F has worked well for me.
Another popular macro distribution is the Zone one of 40%C-30%P-30%F.2 -
Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on0 -
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B28Elliott wrote: »Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on
Yes to lose weight calories are what is the key...staying in a calorie deficit guarantees weight loss not staying in a macro ratio.
Those are for body composition....and they are quite personal actually.
I prefer a 45/30/25 ratio for myself but may change it to 40/30/30 this year to see how it works as I find my fat intake is about 30% anyway.1 -
B28Elliott wrote: »Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on
Calorie are by far the most important. Yes.1 -
B28Elliott wrote: »Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on
Yes to lose weight calories are what is the key...staying in a calorie deficit guarantees weight loss not staying in a macro ratio.
Those are for body composition....and they are quite personal actually.
I prefer a 45/30/25 ratio for myself but may change it to 40/30/30 this year to see how it works as I find my fat intake is about 30% anyway.
great..I'll focus more on my calories then! thank you0 -
Someone should post the pyramid.0
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well there are so many different articles,"diet plans",and fitness gurus telling you all different stuff so I always get confused as to which direction I need to go with my clean eating...
I've been trying to eliminate alot of processed foods and eating as healthy as possible (after xmas holidays course..blah)
I also want to make sure I get enough protein in me but enough of the healthy fats and carbs to keep me satisfied.
....I'll focus on my calories more and not stress over it as long as I am eating clean I guess:)0 -
I've got MFP set with 25%p, which give me around 105g so I just make sure to hit 100g. Well above any recommended minimum but below the numbers I see on body builder sites. If I went by them I'd be needing close to double that and I don't see that happening. On days that I'm below, I'll grab a protein shake but I try to get it all from food.
Focus on calories for weight loss but be sure to get enough protein and good fats.1 -
Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
I also endorse this response but you could drop protein to 0.8g/lb of lbm if needed.1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »I've got MFP set with 25%p, which give me around 105g so I just make sure to hit 100g. Well above any recommended minimum but below the numbers I see on body builder sites. If I went by them I'd be needing close to double that and I don't see that happening. On days that I'm below, I'll grab a protein shake but I try to get it all from food.
Focus on calories for weight loss but be sure to get enough protein and good fats.
got it..thankkkkk yeww0 -
Definitely focus on calories overall. Are you active, do you exercise or lift?0
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CasperNaegle wrote: »Definitely focus on calories overall. Are you active, do you exercise or lift?
I am active!! which is why I think the low carb was to hard for me! mon-sat and I take Sundays off.0 -
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not to get confusing, but yes if your goal is strictly weight loss then focus more on calorie. but if you would like body re-composition then macros are more/equally as important. the macros he gave you is not nearly enough food unless maybe you are very sedentary? the suggested breakdowns here that others have posted are more manageable. i like to keep my fat around 50g and my carbs close to 200g and this seems to give me enough to enjoy eating and have a lot of options in my diet, and i have around 158 grams of protein. i am a body builder so i lift and cardio frequently. i just wanted to make sure you knew that eating strictly in terms of calories you will see your body shrink but not much as far as shape change if that is your goal to be more firm as you workout and change your eating. Good luck and great question!0
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not to get confusing, but yes if your goal is strictly weight loss then focus more on calorie. but if you would like body re-composition then macros are more/equally as important. the macros he gave you is not nearly enough food unless maybe you are very sedentary? the suggested breakdowns here that others have posted are more manageable. i like to keep my fat around 50g and my carbs close to 200g and this seems to give me enough to enjoy eating and have a lot of options in my diet, and i have around 158 grams of protein. i am a body builder so i lift and cardio frequently. i just wanted to make sure you knew that eating strictly in terms of calories you will see your body shrink but not much as far as shape change if that is your goal to be more firm as you workout and change your eating. Good luck and great question!
You seem to be confused, those are percentages, not grams.0 -
B28Elliott wrote: »well there are so many different articles,"diet plans",and fitness gurus telling you all different stuff so I always get confused as to which direction I need to go with my clean eating...
I've been trying to eliminate alot of processed foods and eating as healthy as possible (after xmas holidays course..blah)
I also want to make sure I get enough protein in me but enough of the healthy fats and carbs to keep me satisfied.
....I'll focus on my calories more and not stress over it as long as I am eating clean I guess:)
And there are some of the other confusing things you don't have to worry about.
What you should think about though, just to to sum up what others have mentioned already:
Get in adequate calories.
Get in adequate amounts of fat and protein.
Eat an overall healthy diet.
Eat food you like in a schedule that fits your lifestyle.
Not that complicated.0 -
yeah..thanks for that sum up0
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I do 40p/40c/20f2
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CasperNaegle wrote: »I do 40p/40c/20f
yeah ill be going with something like this while focusing on the calories....other stuff was depressing lol0 -
Calories will be the main control of weight loss. Macros can be adjusted to hit health or activity/lifestyle goals.
My macros are 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fat. About.
There is no minimum for carbs. You could go for zero if you wished. Below 100-150g is usually considered low carb. That's often up to 25-30% of a person's macros. Up to around 40-50% is moderate.
Protein has a minimum. .8g/lb is a good goal. I think it usually works out to about 10% of your macros as a minimum. Most people eat more, especially if lifting. I am guessing that no one will ever NEED more than 30-35%. Beyond that it is probably a personal preference.
Fat has a minimum too. Usually 5-10%. This can be increased according to a person's goals and preferences.1 -
I am not nearly as active as you and happy with 20 carb, 40 fat/protein. sounds like your body is craving more carbs...1
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B28Elliott wrote: »Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on
A calorie is a unit of energy. When you consume energy that is roughly equivalent to expenditure, you maintain...when you consume energy in excess, that surplus energy is stored as body fat...when you consume less energy than you expend, you burn body fat (stored energy) to make up for the deficiency...
Calories are overwhelmingly what matters to weight loss. Macros have more to do with your nutritional profile, performance, composition, etc.1 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »B28Elliott wrote: »Best thing to do is calculate how much protein you need. (1gr per pound of lean mass) and then calculate how much fat you need. (.4gr per pound of weight). Then fill in the rest with carbs and try to stay relatively close to those numbers. Macro breakdown isn't all that important.
so are you saying calories are more important?
tad lost on which one to focus more on
A calorie is a unit of energy. When you consume energy that is roughly equivalent to expenditure, you maintain...when you consume energy in excess, that surplus energy is stored as body fat...when you consume less energy than you expend, you burn body fat (stored energy) to make up for the deficiency...
Calories are overwhelmingly what matters to weight loss. Macros have more to do with your nutritional profile, performance, composition, etc.
thanks you for explaining it, I actually understood that ha! thanks again0 -
I am at a place where I need some help. I've lost 60 pounds and can confirm that calories were the way but I totally did it with not enough calories and am paying the price w/malnutrition now. I thought that if I just cut down to 1000 calories a day since I'm sedentary I'd get the weight off fast and then get into exercise to firm up. I did that for about 7 months. Well, I am about 15 pounds from my goal but have lost muscle and 3/4 of my hair started falling out overnight about 2 months ago. My doctor told me to increase to at least 1500 calories a day and if exercising that day, 1800 and eat the fat I'd avoided. I've been doing that for about a month now and am feeling better. He also said the way I did it with the restricting of calories like that has made me smaller (yeah) but a smaller FAT person because I lost muscle. I've been so big all my adult life so smaller is nice but malnutrition, lousy looking thin hair and nails, dry skin and a just a smaller fat person is a pretty high price for this change. A friend is a trainer and has given me a core workout to get stronger in my torso and legs plus cardio and suggests THEN I get into more of a traditional exercise program. He said 1800 calories EVERY day...I feel I'd gain weight on that so I'm doing what the doctor suggested. He says 6 weeks of this and we'll talk!
I'm not sure I know what micro-nutrients are, just carbs, fats and protein? Yesterday I had 87 g carbs, 63 g fats, 129 g protein in 1453 calories, sedentary day. Does that make sense for rebuilding my health while slowly losing about 15 more pounds?
Thanks for the topic B28Elliott!1 -
DianeRippere wrote: »I am at a place where I need some help. I've lost 60 pounds and can confirm that calories were the way but I totally did it with not enough calories and am paying the price w/malnutrition now. I thought that if I just cut down to 1000 calories a day since I'm sedentary I'd get the weight off fast and then get into exercise to firm up. I did that for about 7 months. Well, I am about 15 pounds from my goal but have lost muscle and 3/4 of my hair started falling out overnight about 2 months ago. My doctor told me to increase to at least 1500 calories a day and if exercising that day, 1800 and eat the fat I'd avoided. I've been doing that for about a month now and am feeling better. He also said the way I did it with the restricting of calories like that has made me smaller (yeah) but a smaller FAT person because I lost muscle. I've been so big all my adult life so smaller is nice but malnutrition, lousy looking thin hair and nails, dry skin and a just a smaller fat person is a pretty high price for this change. A friend is a trainer and has given me a core workout to get stronger in my torso and legs plus cardio and suggests THEN I get into more of a traditional exercise program. He said 1800 calories EVERY day...I feel I'd gain weight on that so I'm doing what the doctor suggested. He says 6 weeks of this and we'll talk!
I'm not sure I know what micro-nutrients are, just carbs, fats and protein? Yesterday I had 87 g carbs, 63 g fats, 129 g protein in 1453 calories, sedentary day. Does that make sense for rebuilding my health while slowly losing about 15 more pounds?
Thanks for the topic B28Elliott!
Not sure if you are willing to do this, but would you be kind enough to start a new thread outlining just what you posted? I think it is a great lesson for those who come here wanting to do extremely low calorie diets to show just why they are so wrong.
Protein, fat and carbs are you MACRO nutrients. And what you posted sounds pretty good. I'd be more concerned with rebuilding your health and put the weight loss on hold if needed.
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I am a big fan of If It fits your macros... I use the calculator on that website to set my percentages for Macros0
Hope you smash your targets 
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