macro help please

kal900
kal900 Posts: 69 Member
edited November 16 in Food and Nutrition
Hi,
My diary is open so can you have a gander and see where I can improve my nutrients please.
I have another 80lbs to lose, and they have been dropping steadily since jan, but Im scared of hitting a plateau so looking at sustainable carb cycling etc.
I have gym, classes and weights in various quantities 5 days a week.
I dont know if the set ones are correct for me, but if they are I really cant seem to meet them. I eat fresh fruit every day and its knocking my carbs up, but I never seem to get enough protein, despite eating fish, meat and diary.

Any help would be much appreciated,
Kal

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited March 2017
    Are you currently on MFP's preset macros?

    Try pre logging your day and eating larger portions of fish, meat & dairy?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    A plateau is caused by eating at maintenance for at least 4-6 weeks. As long as your logging is as accurate as possible, you shouldn't hit one.
  • kal900
    kal900 Posts: 69 Member
    30 carbs, 35 fats 35 protein.
    i eat a reasonable amount of meat, dairy and fish... if i up it i'll be over my calorie allowance and most evening meals are predominantly heavy protein as far as cals go
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    kal900 wrote: »
    30 carbs, 35 fats 35 protein.
    i eat a reasonable amount of meat, dairy and fish... if i up it i'll be over my calorie allowance and most evening meals are predominantly heavy protein as far as cals go

    Any reason for those macros?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Your macros...how did you arrive at them? The split isn't that important on the daily...just get enough protein. I couldn't hit 35% protein, that's just too much for me...I suspect you don't need that much, either.

    I would not pre-worry about a plateau. As long as you log accurately and stay within calorie goals, you'll be able to figure out what to do.
  • kal900
    kal900 Posts: 69 Member
    i think thats what they set when i first joined up with my nitial weight and goals...

    my logging is as accurate as it can be, I weigh/log everything. Ive even started adding my own foods in because im finding foods in the database are not always correct.

    i know im sounding ocd, but its my way of staying focused... i have anxiety issues regarding my body since i hsd massive p.es, so i need to know what im doing
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    kal900 wrote: »
    i think thats what they set when i first joined up with my nitial weight and goals...

    my logging is as accurate as it can be, I weigh/log everything. Ive even started adding my own foods in because im finding foods in the database are not always correct.

    i know im sounding ocd, but its my way of staying focused... i have anxiety issues regarding my body since i hsd massive p.es, so i need to know what im doing

    You had to have changed it...the default macros are 50C/30F/20P

    If you're weighing everything, then you don't have to worry about a plateau. If it should happen, you'll just need to adjust your calories a bit lower.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    edited March 2017
    Well, the default goals in MFP are 50% Carbs/ 30% Fat/ 20% Protein - so as you can see, there is probably a reason why you're having trouble hitting 35% Protein, and why a couple pieces of fruitputs you over on carbs. 35% protein is quite high.

    As far as worrying and anxiety, I try to live in the present. If I'm living in the "what if" it always causes anxiety.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    edited March 2017
    So go to MY HOME>Goals - you'll see what you've set as your macros. You can leave them as you have them or edit them or you can click "View Guided setup" and let the site recalibrate to the defaults.

  • allyphoe
    allyphoe Posts: 618 Member
    Okay, in the last 62 days, you've logged an average of:
    1,269 total calories consumed
    122g carb (38%)
    46g fat (33%)
    65g protein (20%)
    (Does not add to 100%, so about 8% of your calories are from foods with no macros assigned, or which contain rounding error)
    18g fiber
    73 minutes of exercise averaged across all days; 108 minutes of exercise averaged across days with exercise, at an average of 8.2 calories burned per minute.

    Min calories consumed: 510 (6 days < 1,000, which is ~10%)
    Max calories consumed: 1,735

    There are a couple of logging issues throughout January, so if I look just at February and March:
    1,2879 total calories consumed
    125g carb (39%)
    50g fat (35%)
    66g protein (21%)
    (Does not add to 100%, so about 6% of your calories are from foods with no macros assigned, or which contain rounding error)
    19g fiber
    99 minutes of exercise averaged across all days; 121 minutes of exercise averaged across days with exercise, at an average of 8.3 calories burned per minute.

    Min calories consumed: 510 (4 days < 1,000, which is ~13%)
    Max calories consumed: 1,713

    Your macros are fine. You could stand to increase your protein, and the way you do that is by choosing additional protein-rich foods even when you'd rather have something else. You're logging a lot of "exercise" that you probably shouldn't, so it's just as well that you aren't eating those calories back. ("Walked into town. Couple of hours of charity shop perusing" did not burn 645 calories above what you'd have burned engaging in normal activity.) You're not logging any of your alcohol. There are multiple days where it's clear you aren't logging contemporaneously, but rather are making quick notes with no quantities and then going back later and filling stuff in - or not filling stuff in. The "exercise" and logging errors are what makes me not suspect you're undereating, because the numbers in and of themselves scream undereating.

    If you find yourself hitting a plateau, I'd suggest trying to improve your logging, rather than chasing after more-ideal macros.
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