Macros For Weight Loss

bringingsexyback2007
bringingsexyback2007 Posts: 79 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I know that everyone has different macros depending on their body and goals, but generally, what percentage should be higher when it comes to protein, carbs and fat? Should protein be the highest followed by carbs and then fat? Please help!

Replies

  • ent3rsandman
    ent3rsandman Posts: 170 Member
    edited May 2017
    It doesn't matter what your macro percentages are as long as you're at a caloric deficit. That being said, if you want to maintain muscle and lose fat, you'd want to prioritize protein at around 30 or 35% (which is .8g-1g of protein per lb of bodyweight, at least on my end). After that I'd probably prioritize fat over carbs, but it's really up to you.
  • Rusty740
    Rusty740 Posts: 749 Member
    In general carbs are normally highest at about 40-50% and protein and fats are about the same as each other at about 25% each.

    Generally I find increasing protein at the expense of both carbs and fats has a good effect because protein is much more satiating. I increased protein to 35% (it was hard for me to eat this much protein and still keep fat down) and decrease fat to 20% (sometimes hard to do this too because that's not very high) and carbs were 45%. I found this worked pretty well for weight loss for me and I suspect generally it is a ratio that would have good success for most. I also had good success with a normal ratio of 50C/25F/25P when I was starting out though too, it's just changing the ratios to increase protein helped get the last few lbs off.
  • jlewcinci
    jlewcinci Posts: 3 Member
    So all the things that I have read are dependent on your metabolic rate. If you have a slow metabolism carbs are not usually your friend. Carbs get stored as fats in the body if they are not used. Carbs are like gasoline in your engine. If you eat the right amount you burn them off. If you start eating too many carbs it's like over flowering your gas tank spilling it all over. The carbs get stored (spilt over) as fat.
  • dmzshore
    dmzshore Posts: 1 Member
    .
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited May 2017
    The only way macros affect weight loss in any meaningful way is if a certain macro breakdown helps you stick to your diet better. Purely for weight loss, macros don't matter all that much. For health, a certain minimum of each macro is good enough (0.36 grams per pound of weight for protein and fat 20% of calories). Now for body composition macros matter a lot and you will want to go for >1 gram per kg of weight of protein (too lazy to convert to pound). How you structure that in percentages and how you fill the rest of your macros is up to you and would depend on your goals and preferences.

    ETA: for specific percentages, carbs are usually the highest unless you are following a low carb diet in which case fat is usually the highest. Protein isn't usually the highest because it's the hardest and most expensive macro to consume. For me the breakdown is something like 20%-30% fat, 15%-25% protein, 55% -65% carbs. Note that the lower protein percentage often happens on days when I have a high calorie allowance, so I'm always consuming more than 75 grams - at least that's what I tell myself.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited May 2017
    bringingsexyback2007 wrote: »
    I know that everyone has different macros depending on their body and goals, but generally, what percentage should be higher when it comes to protein, carbs and fat? Should protein be the highest followed by carbs and then fat? Please help!

    Calories are for weight loss or gain.
    Macros are for health, some fitness goals, and satiety. Different macros make different people feel full. Many people view protein and fat goals as minimums to try to exceed and let carbs fall where they may, unless they are specifically doing a low carb diet.

    In other words, there is no one macro breakdown that is best for everyone.

    If you're not sure, start with the MFP default and see how it goes. I only tweaked it to increase my protein a little.
  • Luna3386
    Luna3386 Posts: 888 Member
    How big is your deficit? I find 40c/30p/30f to be sufficient with maintenance but with a big deficit I am eating 30c/40-35p/30-35f. The last thing I want to do is lose muscle. So I lift 3-4 days a week, and eat 35-40% protein. I like more fats because 1) yum and 2) fats help with keeping things moving in the pipes. Mostly my carbs are for fiber reasons.

    But I've only come to the above by tweaking because of how I feel/results. You should see what works best for you.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I have my macros set at 40/30/30 C/P/F . I rarely hit 40% carbs, but i aim to get the 30% of fats and proteins, at least.
  • PinkamenaD8
    PinkamenaD8 Posts: 99 Member
    edited May 2017
    jlewcinci wrote: »
    If you have a slow metabolism carbs are not usually your friend. Carbs get stored as fats in the body if they are not used.

    The same thing applies to fat and proteins they can end in your fat storage if you eat them too much. That's why we use the calorie units to measure how much of energy from them we're taking.

    Metabolism is not just slow or fast for someone. http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

    OP, you should eat according to your fitness goals and eating plans. I do a lot of cardio and I prefer to eat high carbs, if you do weight training as mentioned above 0.8-1g protein/lb of body weight is the adecuate amount. You may find it difficult to keep an high carb diet because is easy to binge on carbs and they may not be as filling as high protein foods like meats.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Satiety is the #1 goal, and fussing with your macros is the only way to figure out what works for you.

    Personally, my goal is fat loss with minimal muscle loss. I tried and tried and tried to eat high protein, but was never really satisfied. Recently I have started eating 90% of my calories from fruits and vegetables, the rest from whole grains,nuts, seed and beans. This is of course is very high carb, but I honestly feel better than I have in along time. It's a lot of food and I'm not constantly hungry.

    I'm not suggesting this for you, just saying that you need to experiment to learn what meets your personal satiety and goals.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    When people say that they want to lose weight, what they really want is to lose fat. All bodies work the same way. We respond to different degrees, that's all. A calorie deficit means that you lose weight, a calorie surplus means that you gain weight. What is different is mostly preferences. Some people need a larger amount of either macronutrient to function optimally, and/or prefer foods that are predominantly this or that macronutrient.

    A person's protein and fat need is pretty constant no matter if he/she wants to lose, gain or maintain weight - the amount will stay the same. But to lose weight, total calories has to be reduced. Most people overeat carbs, maybe fat, but not protein (I guess). So it makes sense to reduce most from carbs during weight loss. This means that the percentage of fat and protein will increase, and the percentage of carbs will decrease. An active indiviual, or someone who needs to put on weight, will benefit from a somewhat higher percentage of carbs. Protein will usually be the smallest macro, unless you are a bodybuilder.

    I love MFP, but using percentages for macros, without any explanations, is not a great idea. It creates great forum activity, though.
  • bringingsexyback2007
    bringingsexyback2007 Posts: 79 Member
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I have my macros set at 40/30/30 C/P/F . I rarely hit 40% carbs, but i aim to get the 30% of fats and proteins, at least.

    Thanks! Are you in maintenance or still losing?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    bringingsexyback2007 wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I have my macros set at 40/30/30 C/P/F . I rarely hit 40% carbs, but i aim to get the 30% of fats and proteins, at least.

    Thanks! Are you in maintenance or still losing?

    I'm kinda in maintenance now, I've got a few lbs left to lose, but in no rush. But I had the same % when i was actively losing. Calories are most important for weight loss, macros/micros for health/satiety.
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