can anyone direct me to a macro food plan site?

ehhh eat this much is mediocre at best - I gave up on it when I asked for a 500cal dinner and it gave me a salmon recipe that had no sides or anything associated with it

my advice - start simple and focus on one of the macros (protein is the easiest for me) and figure out what you can use to fit your goals (chicken, pork, shrimp etc) - play around with different qualtities - I recommend these because they are high in protein/low-no fat - once you are comfortable with that; focus on fats - carbs are the easiest to manipulate/fill in for me - fruits/veggies etc

qckfox wrote: »

"Macros aren't that important for weight loss"

I maybe misunderstood the whole concept I follow a guy on youtube saying he lost 100 pounds doing "flexible dieting" which I thought was another term for counting macros

Flexible dieting normally means focusing on eating a healthy diet but fitting in things that are less nutrient dense in moderation -- basically tailoring what you eat to your specific needs and preferences. Macros are often part of that, as getting adequate protein helps with satiety and muscle maintenance, and focusing on amounts of carbs and fats can also help provide structure and ensure that you eat a balanced diet. Personally I think of flexible dieting as not particularly macro-focused, though, except possibly protein. It might involve looking at macros, but it could be more casual (I personally think that the source of the carbs and fat is more important than hitting a specific number of either, although some may find there are fitness benefits, I dunno).

this youtube bloke recommended counting macros but I have found very little info about macros on the internet, weirdly - except the mathematics about carbs fats and proteins - little or nothing about what that means in terms of which foods to eat in order to do it

You basically need to learn it from practice, it becomes easy. Protein is (of course) going to come from meats, eggs and dairy, legumes, and a little from nuts and seeds, grains, green veg. You get a sense of how much you need to eat to hit whatever your daily or meal protein goal is. Carbs are largely plant food, from vegetables (which are mostly carbs but still pretty low carb, because they are low cal), starches, and then, of course, sugar (whether from fruit/veg/dairy or added). Again, you get a sense of how many different foods will add, after a while. Fat, obviously, can be added (oils, butter), is in foods containing those, is naturally high in fattier meats, eggs, and nuts and seeds, as well as a few things like avocados, olives.

What made sense to me was to focus on including building meals around protein, vegetables, and a source of carbs (starch or fruit), and then to cook with fat and use it as accent (and to get it to some extent with my protein). That gave me macros not much off what I was looking for when I was doing 40-30-30, and if it's off you can adjust by increasing protein sources and decreasing fat or carb sources or whatever the issue is.

Doesn't matter for fat loss, though, so long as you get enough protein (around .8 g/lb of goal weight can be helpful in maintaining muscle mass when losing weight) and are satiated, but sometimes focusing on macros can help with these things or help you see what works best for you or help provide a structure for a nutrient-rich diet.

It also helps counter the idea that you can never eat imperfectly or fit in less nutrient dense foods. If within a healthy overall structure (which this would be), why not? But it doesn't mean that if you aim for 183 g of carbs it makes no difference (for nutrition) whether they mostly come from vegetables, fruit, whole food starches and legumes or, instead, soda and candy (not that most people would dream of eating just soda and candy as a carb source, obv).