WEIGHT LOSS - low cal? low fat? high protein?

Weight loss happens when you maintain a calorie deficit. Eat the amount of calories MFP gives you and log your exercise and eat a portion of those back. Macros(fat, protein, and carbs) are a personal choice and it can take time for you to decide what works best for you but make sure you are eating enough protein.

The calorie deficit is what is going to give you the weight loss. Low carb, low fat, etc...are generally just strategies for achieving that calorie deficit. Protein is the one macro you should keep an eye on, though, to ensure you are getting enough during the weight loss phase.

As everyone else said, if all you care about is losing weight, don't worry about the ratio of fats, proteins, and carbs. Your macros have zero effect on your weight loss and only affect how hungry you are, so go with whatever ratio makes you feel full or suits your cravings.

When it comes to nutrition though, a good rule of thumb is that when you use MFP's recommendations, think of the protein and fat numbers as minimums. If you go over, that's totally fine and sometimes (especially for protein) really good. Carbs will be whatever is left and fits your calories. The reason for this is that protein is really important for maintaining your muscles while you're losing weight. Fats are important for helping your body absorb vitamins. (And if you're eating less than you normally eat, you're probably consuming fewer vitamins than usual, so fat becomes even more important.)

Another tip is that fat is the most calorie-dense of the three macros (one gram of fat has more calories than one gram of protein or one gram of carbs.) So while getting enough fat is really important, going very far over your fat goal can make it harder to reach your calorie goal. So for me, I try to mostly focus on foods extremely high in protein and then have one little something with a good amount of fat every day and it usually gives me a good macro balance.

(But yeah, long story short, for weight loss you only have to worry about calories. The rest is just for health.)

mcmasters06 wrote: »

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

When you first start out, sometimes doing something new helps you to not feel as hungry as you should but this will most likely wear off.

Eating below your calorie goal every once and awhile is fine, doing it all the time is noy. Your body needs fuel to do all the things that keep you alive and healthy every day.

How are you determining portion sizes. 1500 calories is not "so much food". If you aren't using a food scale, you are prob eating more than you think - it's really common. Make sure you are logging everything, double check the entries you are using in the database are accurate, and use a food scale for as much as you can.

The short answer is, it's okay for a short time here in the beginning, but not something you want to do long term. :drinker:

mcmasters06 wrote: »

I'm new to all this my dr and this app say 1800 cal a day. I usually only get about 1500 at most, good or bad? That just seems like so much food, plus this adds cal when I do my daily steps.

I'm sure you were eating way more than 1800 calories before you started MFP, so it's really not a lot. If you are weighing your food, eating back half your step calories and are honest with your daily activity level setting then you really should be eating 1800 calories a day. As you get closer and closer to your goal weight you're going to have to adjust your daily calories anyways, so might as well start with 1800 and adjust down slowly. There is a saying here that loosely goes; she who eats more and still loses is the real winner.

As everyone says, it's Calories In / Calories Out that causes the weight loss.

I would also submit for argument that every "body" processes calories differently and while some people can reduce what they eat without an effect and not experience the "hangrys", I am not one of those people.

When I first started this journey back in November, I really tried to keep eating the same way, and just reduce calories and I was not at all happy. I was pissed off and ravenous.

I am also a maximize the reward with the least amount of pain kind of girl. The way of eating that does this for me is Paleo / Keto which restricts sugar and carbs while relying heavily on fats and protein for satiety.

See this website for a list: http://paleoiq.com/best-paleo-diet-blogs/

I am more or less able to keep to my 1400 calories (recommended for my height, weight and weight loss goal) in 3 meals a day with 1 snack on 45% protein, 40% fat and 15% carbs / sugar. I am compliant within 150 calories almost all of the time and at / below 1400 calories the rest of the time.

Fiber (all kinds) are my friends (I try to get as much as 30 grams of fiber every day) and I use it a lot in smoothies and drinks to keep me feeling full without stopping me up. Somethings to note:

• Konjac /Glucomannan makes a great low carb noodle and also fills you up very nicely -- I can go all day on a smoothie -- and reduces bowel motility. (Trust me!)
• Psyllium seed husk kind of fills you up and increases bowel motility.
• Brown rice bran definitely fills you up and increases bowel motility.

Learn to add fiber to enhance your food experience and ensure that you are regular.

Good luck in figuring all of this out - it can be kind of fun once you get the hang of it.

msima1002 wrote: »

Thanks everyone! Ill focus on simply staying under my calory goal, then ill make some changes in my macros to minimize the starving feeling

Ya, I stay fuller longer by raising protein and fiber and reducing carbs. (My fat stayed the same - lots of it.) However, I have vegan friends who do great on way more carbs and less protein than I do.

Also, some people try to lose too fast - what's your weekly weight loss goal? With 50 pounds to lose, 2 pounds per week would be too aggressive and 1.5 would be pushing it.