Feeling Crazy

So....do you all use the macros that MFP determines? The reason I ask is because someone told me that the Carb macros are set too high and then I read that you should eat a gram of protein for each pound of weight....that's not what MFP gives you.

But here's the thing.... When I reduced the carbs and eat more protein, I feel crazy. Like I want to lash out.... So is that because I'm not eating enough carbs?

I just reset to the MFP defaults and I'm over 39 grams of protein and under 89 grams of carbs.

I don't know what to believe anymore. But I do know I feel crazy and I need to figure it out....

Please help....I guess from people who care about macros. I'm trying to figure out what is best to make me feel better....more energy AND lose weight.

I eat back my calories burned through exercise with the base at 1200. I work out HIIT 5 or 6 days a week.

Replies

  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    A gram of protein for each pound of weight is a lot. I think the original recommendation was 1 gram of protein for each kg of weight. I weight 160lbs, 160 g of protein is a PIA, but 72 isn't bad at all.

    That being said, if you can stick to your diet better with high carbs, go for it. It's all about personal satiety. That being said 1200 might just be too low for you. It is for most people unless you are about 5ft tall.
  • Marcie9278
    Marcie9278 Posts: 64 Member
    Thank you!! I looked it up and you are so right.
    The DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound. This amounts to: 56 grams per day for the average sedentary man. 46 grams per day for the average sedentary woman.

    So here's my next question....how does MFP determine how much carbs, fat, and protein you should have? I'm sure there is an article somewhere. Can someone point me in the direction of it?
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
    USDA...dept of agricultural sets guidelines Here is a nice reference table by sex/age
    http://www.nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/media/Files/Activity Files/Nutrition/DRI-Tables/8_Macronutrient Summary.pdf?la=en
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    edited November 2017
    A gram of protein for each pound of weight is a lot. I think the original recommendation was 1 gram of protein for each kg of weight. I weight 160lbs, 160 g of protein is a PIA, but 72 isn't bad at all.

    That being said, if you can stick to your diet better with high carbs, go for it. It's all about personal satiety. That being said 1200 might just be too low for you. It is for most people unless you are about 5ft tall.

    Optimal protein during weight loss is 1.5 - 2.2g/kg of weight. Higher end tends to be for those who are active or lean. A good goal is around 1g per lb of ideal weight.

    OP, if you are reducing carbs, you are also depleting glycogen and water which can cause imbalances in electrolytes. This can cause mood swings. If you are cutting carbs, increase sodium to bw between 3000 and 5000mg.
  • Marcie9278
    Marcie9278 Posts: 64 Member
    @psuLemon So it is 1 gram per pound? So if I wanted to be 130...I would eat 130 grams of protein? So confused.....
  • Marcie9278
    Marcie9278 Posts: 64 Member
    @dwilliamca MFP uses those guidelines?
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    A gram of protein for each pound of weight is a lot. I think the original recommendation was 1 gram of protein for each kg of weight. I weight 160lbs, 160 g of protein is a PIA, but 72 isn't bad at all.

    That being said, if you can stick to your diet better with high carbs, go for it. It's all about personal satiety. That being said 1200 might just be too low for you. It is for most people unless you are about 5ft tall.

    Optimal protein during weight loss is 1.5 - 2.2g/kg of weight. Higher end tends to be for those who are active or lean. A good goal is around 1g per lb of ideal weight.

    OP, if you are reducing carbs, you are also depleting glycogen and water which can cause imbalances in electrolytes. This can cause mood swings. If you are cutting carbs, increase sodium to bw between 3000 and 5000mg.

    Where do those numbers come from? I've always been curious. And what is ideal weight? Middle of bmi?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    @psuLemon So it is 1 gram per pound? So if I wanted to be 130...I would eat 130 grams of protein? So confused.....

    If your goal is 130, aim for 110 to 130g. If you dont hit that always dont worry too much..

    The data itself comes from several meta analyses, similar to the one below.

    http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/apnm-2015-0549


    The quick way to do it was what i explained (~1g per lb of ideal weight) because its hard to know exactly your body fat % without a dexa scan.

    Side note: i would consider replacing some of the HIIT style workouts with some resistance training.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    Shellz31 wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    A gram of protein for each pound of weight is a lot. I think the original recommendation was 1 gram of protein for each kg of weight. I weight 160lbs, 160 g of protein is a PIA, but 72 isn't bad at all.

    That being said, if you can stick to your diet better with high carbs, go for it. It's all about personal satiety. That being said 1200 might just be too low for you. It is for most people unless you are about 5ft tall.

    Optimal protein during weight loss is 1.5 - 2.2g/kg of weight. Higher end tends to be for those who are active or lean. A good goal is around 1g per lb of ideal weight.

    OP, if you are reducing carbs, you are also depleting glycogen and water which can cause imbalances in electrolytes. This can cause mood swings. If you are cutting carbs, increase sodium to bw between 3000 and 5000mg.

    Where do those numbers come from? I've always been curious. And what is ideal weight? Middle of bmi?

    Ideal weight or goal weight in reality is the approximation of where you want to be. What is key is dont get overly hung up on the exact number. There is a reason there is a range.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,950 Member
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    @psuLemon So it is 1 gram per pound? So if I wanted to be 130...I would eat 130 grams of protein? So confused.....

    If your goal is 130, aim for 110 to 130g. If you dont hit that always dont worry too much..

    The data itself comes from several meta analyses, similar to the one below.

    http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/apnm-2015-0549


    The quick way to do it was what i explained (~1g per lb of ideal weight) because its hard to know exactly your body fat % without a dexa scan.

    Side note: i would consider replacing some of the HIIT style workouts with some resistance training.

    From the meta analysis you cite:
    The caloric values of the RDAs for protein and carbohydrate
    plus the recommended minimal fat intake sum to only about 40%
    of total caloric expenditure (Institute of Medicine 2005). Thus, the
    complete diet can be thought of as consisting of 2 components: a
    minimal intake for protein, carbohydrates, and fat and the flexible
    intake that comprises the difference between the caloric values
    of the RDAs or minimal intake and total caloric intake. If just
    10% of the flexible intake is protein, this would correspond to
    0.7 g/(kg·day), added to the RDA of 0.8 g/(kg·day), for a total of
    1.5 g/(kg·day). If 20% of the flexible intake comprises protein, this
    would correspond to 1.4 g/(kg·day), or a total protein intake of
    2.2 g/(kg·day). These values represent conservative estimates of
    the optimal contribution of protein to the flexible intake of dietary
    calories, and fall well within the range of dietary protein
    intakes recommended by the AMDRs and the USDA Dietary Guidelines.
    There are no known adverse effects of this level of protein
    intake in normal individuals (Institute of Medicine 2005; Phillips
    et al. 2016). Therefore, we propose that in practice, 1.5–2.2 g/(kg·day)
    constitutes a reasonable recommendation for the amount of protein
    that should be eaten by adults as part of a complete diet.


    I'm not seeing any real justification for why some particular portion of your "flexible" intake should be protein, other than eating more won't hurt you. At 2 g/kg/d, I would be be consuming 38% of my goal calories in deficit as protein, and thus violating the justification in the above paragraph that 10% or 20% of flexible intake is good because it is well within "well within the range of dietary protein intakes recommended by the AMDRs and the USDA Dietary Guidelines." (Earlier in the article it states that "The current AMDR for protein is 10% to 35% of total energy for adults.")
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,373 MFP Moderator
    edited November 2017
    psuLemon wrote: »
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    @psuLemon So it is 1 gram per pound? So if I wanted to be 130...I would eat 130 grams of protein? So confused.....

    If your goal is 130, aim for 110 to 130g. If you dont hit that always dont worry too much..

    The data itself comes from several meta analyses, similar to the one below.

    http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/apnm-2015-0549


    The quick way to do it was what i explained (~1g per lb of ideal weight) because its hard to know exactly your body fat % without a dexa scan.

    Side note: i would consider replacing some of the HIIT style workouts with some resistance training.

    From the meta analysis you cite:
    The caloric values of the RDAs for protein and carbohydrate
    plus the recommended minimal fat intake sum to only about 40%
    of total caloric expenditure (Institute of Medicine 2005). Thus, the
    complete diet can be thought of as consisting of 2 components: a
    minimal intake for protein, carbohydrates, and fat and the flexible
    intake that comprises the difference between the caloric values
    of the RDAs or minimal intake and total caloric intake. If just
    10% of the flexible intake is protein, this would correspond to
    0.7 g/(kg·day), added to the RDA of 0.8 g/(kg·day), for a total of
    1.5 g/(kg·day). If 20% of the flexible intake comprises protein, this
    would correspond to 1.4 g/(kg·day), or a total protein intake of
    2.2 g/(kg·day). These values represent conservative estimates of
    the optimal contribution of protein to the flexible intake of dietary
    calories, and fall well within the range of dietary protein
    intakes recommended by the AMDRs and the USDA Dietary Guidelines.
    There are no known adverse effects of this level of protein
    intake in normal individuals (Institute of Medicine 2005; Phillips
    et al. 2016). Therefore, we propose that in practice, 1.5–2.2 g/(kg·day)
    constitutes a reasonable recommendation for the amount of protein
    that should be eaten by adults as part of a complete diet.


    I'm not seeing any real justification for why some particular portion of your "flexible" intake should be protein, other than eating more won't hurt you. At 2 g/kg/d, I would be be consuming 38% of my goal calories in deficit as protein, and thus violating the justification in the above paragraph that 10% or 20% of flexible intake is good because it is well within "well within the range of dietary protein intakes recommended by the AMDRs and the USDA Dietary Guidelines." (Earlier in the article it states that "The current AMDR for protein is 10% to 35% of total energy for adults.")

    The percentages are generally meanless. If you look at the last line it clearly states it by grams. And if you really want, i have like 10 different links and multiple videos on protein intakes and optimizing protein while losing weight.


    While the below video is mainly about carbs vs fat, it does discuss how to optimize protein intake.

    https://youtu.be/zcur7eMI-cg



    If anyone would like more, please let me know.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    I just used the default macros (50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein) and I have always felt fine. I don't perfectly hit the numbers all the time though and it is still fine.
    Why not just try the default settings for a week or two and see how you feel. Fiddle with different amounts later if you think you need to.
  • purplebobkat
    purplebobkat Posts: 68 Member
    Whatever makes you feel best is the right way for you.

    Diet is an individual thing.

    If you feel bad on what you're doing change it till you feel good. But try to add good whole foods rather than processed foods. E. G to up your carbs add more veg rather than pasta/bread/crisps.
  • jagilmour
    jagilmour Posts: 13 Member
    It's all down to what suits you, at the end of the day CICO is what leads to weight loss. For me decreasing carbs and increasing protein, makes me feel fuller on 1200cals. I don't get mood swings, but carbs don't leave me feeling full for as long as protein, others find the reverse to work for them.
  • Marcie9278
    Marcie9278 Posts: 64 Member
    Thank you everyone. It's a journey for sure. I'm already feeling better today after upping my carbs yesterday evening, and eating some toast this morning with my eggs, guacamole, and butter. Just going to do what MFP says for a little while and see what happens. At the end of the day, I just want to feel good.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. It's a journey for sure. I'm already feeling better today after upping my carbs yesterday evening, and eating some toast this morning with my eggs, guacamole, and butter. Just going to do what MFP says for a little while and see what happens. At the end of the day, I just want to feel good.

    Low carb/keto is such a big fad right now but the fact is many people function better on higher carbs. It took me a while to figure out that I'm one of those people. It sounds like you might be as well. If that's what you need to do to feel better and make it easier to reach your goals there's absolutely nothing wrong about doing it that way.

    Pop back in and let us know how it's working for you. I'm always interested in hearing other's experiences with bucking the current low carb trend.
  • Marcie9278
    Marcie9278 Posts: 64 Member
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. It's a journey for sure. I'm already feeling better today after upping my carbs yesterday evening, and eating some toast this morning with my eggs, guacamole, and butter. Just going to do what MFP says for a little while and see what happens. At the end of the day, I just want to feel good.

    Low carb/keto is such a big fad right now but the fact is many people function better on higher carbs. It took me a while to figure out that I'm one of those people. It sounds like you might be as well. If that's what you need to do to feel better and make it easier to reach your goals there's absolutely nothing wrong about doing it that way.

    Pop back in and let us know how it's working for you. I'm always interested in hearing other's experiences with bucking the current low carb trend.

    I know it @ladyhusker39 ....the low carb trend is definitely wild right now, but the research makes sense. And I really do feel like it may have something to do with my tummy blubber. But carbs are life... My parents are Portuguese and live on bread, potatoes, rice, beans, etc. So, I'm pretty sure my need for carb is genetic too.

    I started another thread about exogenous ketones because I'm drinking those too to see if it makes a difference at all...... I guess we shall see.
  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    Marcie9278 wrote: »
    Thank you everyone. It's a journey for sure. I'm already feeling better today after upping my carbs yesterday evening, and eating some toast this morning with my eggs, guacamole, and butter. Just going to do what MFP says for a little while and see what happens. At the end of the day, I just want to feel good.

    Low carb/keto is such a big fad right now but the fact is many people function better on higher carbs. It took me a while to figure out that I'm one of those people. It sounds like you might be as well. If that's what you need to do to feel better and make it easier to reach your goals there's absolutely nothing wrong about doing it that way.

    Pop back in and let us know how it's working for you. I'm always interested in hearing other's experiences with bucking the current low carb trend.

    I know it @ladyhusker39 ....the low carb trend is definitely wild right now, but the research makes sense. And I really do feel like it may have something to do with my tummy blubber. But carbs are life... My parents are Portuguese and live on bread, potatoes, rice, beans, etc. So, I'm pretty sure my need for carb is genetic too.

    I started another thread about exogenous ketones because I'm drinking those too to see if it makes a difference at all...... I guess we shall see.

    If so it would only be to the extent that you've been overeating. It might be causing a little bloating as well.