New need help please

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gerbradaisy44
gerbradaisy44 Posts: 43 Member
in Getting Started
Hello,

I need help. I need to know after mfp has calculated my calories i should eat a day and I set my goal of losing 1 lb per week and I exercise for the day how can I tell what macros I need to hit? If I don't exercise I can tell but when I exercise it keeps giving me me more calories to eat and adding to my macros. Before my work out I tracked all my food for the day and almost hit my macros. I have my fitbit hooked up to the app and worked out 40min. Mpg have me almost 400 more calories to eat. I read on here if you are not hungrey you don't need to eat them. I don't mind using some of them but now it looks like my macros are way off. Please help me.

I'm 5feet 5 inches tall, 31, weight 168lbs and female.

Replies

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Don't stress out too much about macros, they are personal preference. The key is getting your calories right. Even people who focus on macros just use them as a general guideline.

    You should eat at least some of your exercise calories, that is how MFP is designed to work.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Macros contain the calories you eat. Protein and Carbs have 4 calories/gram, and fat contains 9 calories/gram. So as you earn extra calories by working out, your macros have to increase as well, since that is where calories come from. If you look in the MFP goals section you select a percentage for macros, not a specific number of grams. So if you have your protein set to 25%, MFP will suggest you eat however many grams of protein makes up 25% of your daily calorie goal.

    Unless you have a specific reason to stick to a particular macro number it is probably not worth getting too wrapped up in macros. If you do need to stick to a specific number let us know, I am sure people can help you figure out good ways to do it.

    ~Best wishes
  • sosteach
    sosteach Posts: 260 Member
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    If you really want to know your macros just check before you add your exercise.
  • gerbradaisy44
    gerbradaisy44 Posts: 43 Member
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    The problem is I hooked up my fit bit so if I do cardio it automatically updates and gives me more calories. I have lost 44lbs on weight watchers since having my baby 2 years ago. My goal now is to change it up and try some thing new since I haven't lost anything for 6 months. I read counting macros would help me loose weight. I am intrested in what other people do with their macros.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,136 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Macros are an individual thing for satiety and nutrition, not for weight loss. Some people prefer low carb/moderate protein/high fat, some prefer high carb/moderate protein/low fat, etc, etc. Ideally whilst you're losing weight you want to make sure you're getting adequate protein and fat then make the rest of your diet up in carbs.

    Calories are what you want to concentrate on, if you're not losing weight and are not eating back exercise calories currently then you are likely not logging accurately and actually eating at maintenance.

    See below the pyramid of nutritional importance...

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  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I just observe them over time. Macros are made up of calories and calories are all that count for weight loss. Macros make a difference for satiety, energy levels, health, specific fitness goals, and possibly stuff I'm leaving out. But it varies from person to person. I see a lot of people on these forums talking about how reducing carbs and increasing fat and protein keeps them feeling fuller longer.

    For me personally, I try to hit my protein target (and iron RDA, but iron is a micro not a macro so not really relevant here) and let everything else fall where it falls. And in general, it falls with me meeting or slightly exceeding my carbs and coming in at around 50-60% of my fat target. So, not low fat, but lower. And I feel full, the doctor has been congratulating me on my bloodwork, and I've got enough energy for 2 hours or more of walking daily, plus strength training 3x/week. You might find that you need a different macro split and that's perfectly okay, so long as your body is getting all its nutrients.

    PS: When you get calories from exercise you're supposed to eat them back. Most of us eat a portion of them back because MFP can overestimate exercise burns. But the calorie goal MFP gives you doesn't include purposeful exercise, so if you add it in, you may end up with too aggressive a deficit if you don't eat back.
  • AlexYachiru
    AlexYachiru Posts: 79 Member
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    You can add me

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