Macros vs. Calories

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  • Wingsont84
    Wingsont84 Posts: 335 Member
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    I like to play with macros , but been told to just about calories intake, which I have been doing.
    I keep my fat high or carbs high, finding I lose more when fat is higher, protein is on lower side. Still working on a prefect diet
  • Skeevas
    Skeevas Posts: 6 Member
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    RAinWA wrote: »
    Skeevas wrote: »
    Thanks for your replies guys ! It’s so confusing but I’m starting to understand more...

    My macros have been set by my PT. 160g carbs, 50g fat and 200g protein. I never ever reach 200g even with shakes. I usually get about 120g protein daily, which I hope is sufficient !!

    My main goal is to just get fit and healthy and strong, which I guess includes building muscle.

    The only reason I can think of that your PT would set the protein so high is if they were selling you the shakes.

    Then again, I tend to be cynical.

    She is definitely not selling me shakes !! I’m really surprised at the response to the whole 200g of protein thing - I definitely thought it was too much.

    How about if someone’s super overweight ? So someone that weighed 300 pounds would be fine with 200g protein for instance ?
  • Skeevas
    Skeevas Posts: 6 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Wingsont84 wrote: »
    I like to play with macros , but been told to just about calories intake, which I have been doing.
    I keep my fat high or carbs high, finding I lose more when fat is higher, protein is on lower side. Still working on a prefect diet

    There is no "perfect diet", just as there is no "perfect workout routine".

    Too many people get hung up on minor, inconsequential details and let "perfect" get in the way of "good enough". There's certainly nothing wrong with aiming to eat a balanced, varied diet and refining your choices as you go, based upon satiety, personal preference, etc. - but it's not worth obsessing over making one's diet "perfect", IMO.

    My approach to food before macros was healthier than it is now I’ve been tracking... I’ve become less focused on fuelling my body with good food and more focused on making it work with my macros. I need to find the balance and do both !

  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Skeevas wrote: »
    RAinWA wrote: »
    Skeevas wrote: »
    Thanks for your replies guys ! It’s so confusing but I’m starting to understand more...

    My macros have been set by my PT. 160g carbs, 50g fat and 200g protein. I never ever reach 200g even with shakes. I usually get about 120g protein daily, which I hope is sufficient !!

    My main goal is to just get fit and healthy and strong, which I guess includes building muscle.

    The only reason I can think of that your PT would set the protein so high is if they were selling you the shakes.

    Then again, I tend to be cynical.

    She is definitely not selling me shakes !! I’m really surprised at the response to the whole 200g of protein thing - I definitely thought it was too much.

    How about if someone’s super overweight ? So someone that weighed 300 pounds would be fine with 200g protein for instance ?

    super overweight people need even less protein since they have so much fat stores to live off so the deficit will not cut into their muscle tissue, easy way is to just do 0.8-1 gram per lb goal weight.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    edited January 2018
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    Skeevas wrote: »
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Wingsont84 wrote: »
    I like to play with macros , but been told to just about calories intake, which I have been doing.
    I keep my fat high or carbs high, finding I lose more when fat is higher, protein is on lower side. Still working on a prefect diet

    There is no "perfect diet", just as there is no "perfect workout routine".

    Too many people get hung up on minor, inconsequential details and let "perfect" get in the way of "good enough". There's certainly nothing wrong with aiming to eat a balanced, varied diet and refining your choices as you go, based upon satiety, personal preference, etc. - but it's not worth obsessing over making one's diet "perfect", IMO.

    My approach to food before macros was healthier than it is now I’ve been tracking... I’ve become less focused on fuelling my body with good food and more focused on making it work with my macros. I need to find the balance and do both !

    I focus on hitting or exceeding my protein goal (which is nowhere near 200g, btw, and I'm 6'6" and 200 lbs), and let carbs and fat fall where they fall. I never have a problem getting enough fat so that's not an issue, and I don't care where my carbs end up. Obsessing over hitting your macro goals to the gram is a waste of time and effort IMO.

    I also don't consider any individual food as "good" or "bad". Rather, I look at how they fit into the context of my overall diet in the appropriate amount.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    Skeevas wrote: »
    RAinWA wrote: »
    Skeevas wrote: »
    Thanks for your replies guys ! It’s so confusing but I’m starting to understand more...

    My macros have been set by my PT. 160g carbs, 50g fat and 200g protein. I never ever reach 200g even with shakes. I usually get about 120g protein daily, which I hope is sufficient !!

    My main goal is to just get fit and healthy and strong, which I guess includes building muscle.

    The only reason I can think of that your PT would set the protein so high is if they were selling you the shakes.

    Then again, I tend to be cynical.

    She is definitely not selling me shakes !! I’m really surprised at the response to the whole 200g of protein thing - I definitely thought it was too much.

    How about if someone’s super overweight ? So someone that weighed 300 pounds would be fine with 200g protein for instance ?

    Glad to hear she's not selling you stuff! It happens. I actually interviewed a PT who told me I had lost all my weight wrong (125+) and needed about $300 a month in supplements which he would, of course, sell me. Needless to say, I did not hire that PT.

    I always figured .8 grams of protein per pound of goal weight, which could be wrong but it works for me.

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