Should I stop tracking macros?
kalincombs
Posts: 23 Member
Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
3
Replies
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I don't think your protein goal is excessive, especially for someone in a deficit, and hitting that without using powders/supplements wouldn't be difficult as a vegetarian.
Avocado and nuts aren't high protein foods. Perhaps look in to different sources of vegetarian protein - eggs/whites, low fat dairy, tofu/tempeh, seitan, beans/legumes/quinoa.12 -
Macros are personal preference. If the ones you've chosen are too difficult, change them. The typical advice here is to aim for 0.6 - 0.8 grams protein per pound if body weight, so if 111 is more than that, take a few % away from protein and add it to one of the other two.
There are several threads in the Food & Nutrition forum about getting enough protein in general, and getting more protein as a vegetarian. Maybe you can get some ideas there.
Health encompasses several different factors, including psychological and emotional health. If the way you are trying to eat makes you feel bad, it's not healthy for you!
9 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
12 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I find the warning signs of orthorexia in response to this post to be completely ridiculous and uncalled for.28 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I find the warning signs of orthorexia in response to this post to be completely ridiculous and uncalled for.
Why?
The OP says she is frustrated, disappointed, worrying, and that doing this is difficult. It's obviously impacting on her life.
Kind regards.5 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I find the warning signs of orthorexia in response to this post to be completely ridiculous and uncalled for.
Why?
The OP says she is frustrated, disappointed, worrying, and that doing this is difficult. It's obviously impacting on her life.
Kind regards.
To be honest a lot of people come in here feeling those things, it doesn't automatically mean there's an ED. Lots of people lean to clean eating, it's trendy right now and it's being sold as 'better'.
OP, I echo what someone else said upthread to play around with your macros a bit and explore other sources of protein. Especially when you get into exercise that's going to help you tone you're going to need the protein.6 -
What sources of protein have you tried? You did say vegetarian not vegan. Is yogurt an option?2
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Lentil, beans and the likes have quite some protein. Quite honestly though, MFP gives me about half your protein and I hardly ever hit that as an omnivore. Why? Because I feel most satiated when I eat certain carbs. Plus too much protein causes reflux for me. But I don't have a specific muscle aim but just want to lose the last bit of vanity weight.3
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Lentil, beans and the likes have quite some protein. Quite honestly though, MFP gives me about half your protein and I hardly ever hit that as an omnivore. Why? Because I feel most satiated when I eat certain carbs. Plus too much protein causes reflux for me. But I don't have a specific muscle aim but just want to lose the last bit of vanity weight.
Vanity = how you look, not a number on the scale. Maintaining muscle will probably give you a better end look than just focusing on a number. Eating sufficient protein helps you retain muscle...5 -
As I see it, you are displaying a healthy (and rare) skepticism toward "broscience" and want support to pursue a healthier and more relaxed relationship with food. I want to offer support and validation for that choice
I think you should eat in a way that feels natural for you and makes you feel good. But aiming for a too aggressive weightloss goal makes that impossible. If you just have a few more pounds to lose, pick the lowest weekly rate. It will come off, but slowly.
Most likely you dont have to track macros at all. You can track macros if you want to, or feel the need, but you should set them in accordance to your needs and preferences, not just use a cookiecutter setup.5 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »Lentil, beans and the likes have quite some protein. Quite honestly though, MFP gives me about half your protein and I hardly ever hit that as an omnivore. Why? Because I feel most satiated when I eat certain carbs. Plus too much protein causes reflux for me. But I don't have a specific muscle aim but just want to lose the last bit of vanity weight.
Vanity = how you look, not a number on the scale. Maintaining muscle will probably give you a better end look than just focusing on a number. Eating sufficient protein helps you retain muscle...
That's true. but like I say: too much protein makes me sick. Lean meat and dairy is worst, but really, anything high in protein doesn't work for me.
And well, vanity weight.. I gained some weight back due to depression caused by several very bad events (mom died of cancer, husband left me were the worst). getting rid of that helps me deal with that dark period.5 -
The way mfp is set up you can customize your macro goals . You still want to get adequate protein and fat.
So if you see a dietician consult that person for a smaller protein goal and that still meets your body's needs. Or ask your dr if your dr is up on nutrition.
Do some research on the net to find out what is a safe but more than adequate macro goal(s) for a vegetarian/vegan. And combining proteins is a good thing. For instance combining brown rice and beans.
It makes sense that not everyone's bodies are going to need the exact same macros. But you still need enough macros to stay healthy, the trick will be to find the levels that work for you. Just a suggestion would be to go slowly when you make such changes.
Google around for info and suggestions on protein needs for vegans/vegetarians. Keep a log on your changes and how you feel physically and mentally.1 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
So what kind f vegetarian are you? (vegan, Ovo-Lacto, Ovo, Lacto)
How long have you been a vegetarian?2 -
Nutrition is important, and macros are a good place to start. Macro requirements are the same for vegans/vegetarians as they are for anyone else.
As a 5'5" vegetarian, goal weight 120, I strive for 100g protein and around 55g fat, using the common guidelines of 0.6-0.8g protein/0.35-0.45g fat per pound of healthy goal weight, letting carbs fall where they may. I also shoot for at least 5, preferably 10+, servings of varied, colorful fruit/veg for well-rounded micros.
I can get to that protein level without protein powder, bars, or fake meat (nothing wrong with those IMO, I just don't find them tasty). However, I'm currently on a bit higher calorie level than you are (1850), so did get a bit less protein while in a deeper deficit. Because I'm ovo-lacto, I do use a good bit of dairy (not that many eggs), but I think I could do it with all plants using more soy foods, etc.
The best advice I have is two things:
1. Take a hard look at your food diary day by day. Are there foods contributing a lot of calories, but very little protein? If so, try to reduce or eliminate those, replacing them with other foods you enjoy that have more protein. Consider chickpea or lentil pasta vs. regular; prefer quinoa over rice: That sort of thing.
2. Try to choose foods in every category that have a little protein over those that have none. These small amounts through the day add up. There are vegetables with protein (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, etc.) and even fruit (guavas). For snacks, have dry-roasted soybeans or crispy chickpeas.
If you eat dairy, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are useful. If not, legumes, soy foods (tofu, tempeh, miso, etc.) , seitan can be helpful.
Best wishes!7 -
P.S. I found the thread below very helpful. It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency - most protein for fewest calories. Scroll past the mostly meaty fishy things near the top, and you'll find plant foods. It's a good way to identify ones you like that have a bit more protein.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also4 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I find the warning signs of orthorexia in response to this post to be completely ridiculous and uncalled for.
Why?
The OP says she is frustrated, disappointed, worrying, and that doing this is difficult. It's obviously impacting on her life.
Kind regards.
So someone has questions and concerns about something important to them...send them on an ED google spree. Great idea.5 -
kalincombs wrote: »It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
Tracking macros can be useful (or not) in finding a sustainable, healthy diet. But one part of it is picking the macros that are right for you -- it's not one-size-fits-all, and definitely not what some website says (specifically the IIFYM website, which just applies some percentages that are often higher protein than necessary).
Some things to think about is how you like to eat and what you consider healthy.
Protein is usually the most important when losing weight -- losing weight makes muscle loss a risk, so to maintain as much muscle as possible you will want to do some kind of strength exercise and also eat around .65-.85 g of protein (or more) per lb of a healthy goal weight (or current weight if you are already in the healthy range). For me this is like 80-100 g, but I'm only 5'3.
Beyond that, fat and carbs are really personally preference -- what feels good, what tends to help you make healthy choices and have a balanced meal? Are you someone who on your own would just eat all fruit and starches (which can be healthful choices, but require some balance from fat or protein)? Or are you someone who has been trained to be suspicious of carbs (even fruit, legumes) -- assuming this is not you, it's an example. In these cases, macros can provide structure.
Different macros also might help if you have specific training goals, but that's more a matter of adjustment and the specific training needs.
I would not make yourself miserable trying to hit IIFYM macros (the website, it's not official or anything), and I'd focus on using macros as a tool to help with making healthy choices if it's useful for you.
I've found that a LOT of the people who benefit from macros are in one of two groups:
(1) Brand new to thinking about their diet and structure and have no clue where to start. This isn't you, it seems.
(2) Tends to the high-stress when it comes to diet and worrying about food choice (is it okay to have some chocolate?). Here, macros help people realize that there's not actually much meaningful difference between a potato or sweet potato, chicken or pork chop, so on, and that you can fit in more indulgent foods in an overall healthy diet. This might be you (or not, we have no idea), but it should be used to decrease stress, not increase it.
Hope that helps some.4 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!6 -
What sources of protein have you tried? You did say vegetarian not vegan. Is yogurt an option?
Yes, I have a yogurt about every day. And I eat eggs as well. Eating beans, lentils, yogurt, peanut butter, walnuts, protein powder/bars, and tons of eggs is how i usually hit my protein goal.1 -
kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
So what kind f vegetarian are you? (vegan, Ovo-Lacto, Ovo, Lacto)
How long have you been a vegetarian?
I've been veggie for a little over a year. I am technically a pure vegetarian, but often an accidental vegan. I just prefer real fruits, veggies, and nuts to dairy and such. Though lately I have been eating tons of eggs and yogurt to meet my protein goals.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
Tracking macros can be useful (or not) in finding a sustainable, healthy diet. But one part of it is picking the macros that are right for you -- it's not one-size-fits-all, and definitely not what some website says (specifically the IIFYM website, which just applies some percentages that are often higher protein than necessary).
Some things to think about is how you like to eat and what you consider healthy.
Protein is usually the most important when losing weight -- losing weight makes muscle loss a risk, so to maintain as much muscle as possible you will want to do some kind of strength exercise and also eat around .65-.85 g of protein (or more) per lb of a healthy goal weight (or current weight if you are already in the healthy range). For me this is like 80-100 g, but I'm only 5'3.
Beyond that, fat and carbs are really personally preference -- what feels good, what tends to help you make healthy choices and have a balanced meal? Are you someone who on your own would just eat all fruit and starches (which can be healthful choices, but require some balance from fat or protein)? Or are you someone who has been trained to be suspicious of carbs (even fruit, legumes) -- assuming this is not you, it's an example. In these cases, macros can provide structure.
Different macros also might help if you have specific training goals, but that's more a matter of adjustment and the specific training needs.
I would not make yourself miserable trying to hit IIFYM macros (the website, it's not official or anything), and I'd focus on using macros as a tool to help with making healthy choices if it's useful for you.
I've found that a LOT of the people who benefit from macros are in one of two groups:
(1) Brand new to thinking about their diet and structure and have no clue where to start. This isn't you, it seems.
(2) Tends to the high-stress when it comes to diet and worrying about food choice (is it okay to have some chocolate?). Here, macros help people realize that there's not actually much meaningful difference between a potato or sweet potato, chicken or pork chop, so on, and that you can fit in more indulgent foods in an overall healthy diet. This might be you (or not, we have no idea), but it should be used to decrease stress, not increase it.
Hope that helps some.
Very very helpful. Thanks!1 -
Nutrition is important, and macros are a good place to start. Macro requirements are the same for vegans/vegetarians as they are for anyone else.
As a 5'5" vegetarian, goal weight 120, I strive for 100g protein and around 55g fat, using the common guidelines of 0.6-0.8g protein/0.35-0.45g fat per pound of healthy goal weight, letting carbs fall where they may. I also shoot for at least 5, preferably 10+, servings of varied, colorful fruit/veg for well-rounded micros.
I can get to that protein level without protein powder, bars, or fake meat (nothing wrong with those IMO, I just don't find them tasty). However, I'm currently on a bit higher calorie level than you are (1850), so did get a bit less protein while in a deeper deficit. Because I'm ovo-lacto, I do use a good bit of dairy (not that many eggs), but I think I could do it with all plants using more soy foods, etc.
The best advice I have is two things:
1. Take a hard look at your food diary day by day. Are there foods contributing a lot of calories, but very little protein? If so, try to reduce or eliminate those, replacing them with other foods you enjoy that have more protein. Consider chickpea or lentil pasta vs. regular; prefer quinoa over rice: That sort of thing.
2. Try to choose foods in every category that have a little protein over those that have none. These small amounts through the day add up. There are vegetables with protein (broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, etc.) and even fruit (guavas). For snacks, have dry-roasted soybeans or crispy chickpeas.
If you eat dairy, Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are useful. If not, legumes, soy foods (tofu, tempeh, miso, etc.) , seitan can be helpful.
Best wishes!
Thank you, very helpful! Its comforting and motivating to find another vegetarian on here with a similar goals as me who makes it work!1 -
P.S. I found the thread below very helpful. It links to a spreadsheet that lists many, many foods in order by protein efficiency - most protein for fewest calories. Scroll past the mostly meaty fishy things near the top, and you'll find plant foods. It's a good way to identify ones you like that have a bit more protein.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also
Awesome link! Thanks so much!
1 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.5 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.
My end goal and biggest motivator is to have my best body ever by spring break. I'm just looking to lose what's left of my love handles, some lower belly, and some thigh fat. I also want to have a bigger, more rounded butt and tone my stomach/legs a bit if possible. That's why 123 is flexible. I've been in the 120s before and that's when I was most confident about my body. That was about 2 years ago, and since then I gained about 18 pounds (I've lost 6 already) and may have grown about an inch so I'm not sure where that leaves me if I'm looking to feel as good as I used to. I'm doing this more for how I look in the mirror than what the scale says, but tracking weight has been a great way to confirm my progress.0 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.
My end goal and biggest motivator is to have my best body ever by spring break. I'm just looking to lose what's left of my love handles, some lower belly, and some thigh fat. I also want to have a bigger, more rounded butt and tone my stomach/legs a bit if possible. That's why 123 is flexible. I've been in the 120s before and that's when I was most confident about my body. That was about 2 years ago, and since then I gained about 18 pounds (I've lost 6 already) and may have grown about an inch so I'm not sure where that leaves me if I'm looking to feel as good as I used to. I'm doing this more for how I look in the mirror than what the scale says, but tracking weight has been a great way to confirm my progress.
Are you following a lifting program?
I would say take the weight loss very slow right now.. and re-evaluate after 5lbs.2 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.
My end goal and biggest motivator is to have my best body ever by spring break. I'm just looking to lose what's left of my love handles, some lower belly, and some thigh fat. I also want to have a bigger, more rounded butt and tone my stomach/legs a bit if possible. That's why 123 is flexible. I've been in the 120s before and that's when I was most confident about my body. That was about 2 years ago, and since then I gained about 18 pounds (I've lost 6 already) and may have grown about an inch so I'm not sure where that leaves me if I'm looking to feel as good as I used to. I'm doing this more for how I look in the mirror than what the scale says, but tracking weight has been a great way to confirm my progress.
Are you following a lifting program?
I would say take the weight loss very slow right now.. and re-evaluate after 5lbs.
I'm not following any program, just testing the waters right now with about 15-30 minutes of bodyweight exercises about 5 times a week.0 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.
My end goal and biggest motivator is to have my best body ever by spring break. I'm just looking to lose what's left of my love handles, some lower belly, and some thigh fat. I also want to have a bigger, more rounded butt and tone my stomach/legs a bit if possible. That's why 123 is flexible. I've been in the 120s before and that's when I was most confident about my body. That was about 2 years ago, and since then I gained about 18 pounds (I've lost 6 already) and may have grown about an inch so I'm not sure where that leaves me if I'm looking to feel as good as I used to. I'm doing this more for how I look in the mirror than what the scale says, but tracking weight has been a great way to confirm my progress.
Are you following a lifting program?
I would say take the weight loss very slow right now.. and re-evaluate after 5lbs.
I'm not following any program, just testing the waters right now with about 15-30 minutes of bodyweight exercises about 5 times a week.
That is, in addition to about 45 minutes of cardio.0 -
kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »kalincombs wrote: »Hey guys, I need some advice! So for about 3 weeks now, I have been using MFP to track my macros, but lately I'm starting to consider other methods of healthy eating.
It seems like everyone in the health and nutrition world tracks macros these days, so when I jumped back into healthy eating recently, I figured I'd give it a try. I calculated my numbers on IIFYM and got 111 protein, 56 fat, and 137 carbs. These numbers have proven very difficult to stick to. As a vegetarian, I very rarely can manage to hit my protein goal for the day. When I do, its because I'm forcing myself to incorporate excessive amounts of protein powder and protein bars, which is expensive, unnatural, and just not fun. I often go over on my fat macros as well, because many vegetarian things that are high protein are also high fat, such as avocados and nuts. Day by day, falling short of my goals leaves me frustrated and disappointed. The high amounts of protein also leave my stomach feeling bloated and gross.
As someone who has been very interested in health and fitness my whole life, I have always cared about the foods that I put into my body. I know the choices I am making are healthy, and yet when I plug them into MFP I fall short of my goals and am disappointed nearly every day. So, I ask your advice--should I stop tracking macros (but still count calories) and just continue eating a diet whole, natural, unprocessed foods? I want to lose about 5 more pounds before April and get a bit toned on my legs, butt, and stomach. So is it better for me to just tough it out and continue doing something that always leaves me feeling bad or should I just stop worrying?
Firstly, how tall are you and how much do you weigh? If you're only 5 lbs away from a mid-low BMI, 5 lbs in a month is going to be very hard and AFAIK not fuel any exercise you do and leave you starving.
If that's you, read the thread, "relatively light people trying to get leaner":
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner
Secondly, and I'm not saying the following is you, have you heard of Orthorexia?
It's an unhealthy obsession with clean eating / "healthy eating". Not saying this is you, but here's some info.
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/learn/by-eating-disorder/other/orthorexia
WARNING SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF ORTHOREXIA- Compulsive checking of ingredient lists and nutritional labels
- An increase in concern about the health of ingredients
- Cutting out an increasing number of food groups (all sugar, all carbs, all dairy, all meat, all animal products)
- An inability to eat anything but a narrow group of foods that are deemed ‘healthy’ or ‘pure’
- Unusual interest in the health of what others are eating
- Spending hours per day thinking about what food might be served at upcoming events
- Showing high levels of distress when ‘safe’ or ‘healthy’ foods aren’t available
- Obsessive following of food and ‘healthy lifestyle’ blogs on Twitter and Instagram
- Body image concerns may or may not be present
Just posting this in case you have other traits listed that might mean your food choices impact negatively on your life.
I'm not trying to diagnose you. Only you can know the answer.
I certainly don't think Orthorexia sounds like me, I have always had a pretty healthy relationship with food.
I am 5'7" with GW: approx 123, CW: 132. I know I can't make that happen in a month, but I am trying to make as much progress as I can before then. I have a normal BMI so, yes, progress has been slow. And yes, I've read that article, but thank you for the recommendation!
What are your goals? I just ask because sometimes more weight loss, especially so close to the lower end may not be what will really get you there. If you want more definition and a leaner appearance and you are not close to that right now you may want to consider eating at maintenance and recomping to build some muscle. If you still want to lose a few lbs that is fine, but if you start to get close to your goal and still not happy, the issue will likely be lack of muscle base and no amount of weight loss will help that.
My end goal and biggest motivator is to have my best body ever by spring break. I'm just looking to lose what's left of my love handles, some lower belly, and some thigh fat. I also want to have a bigger, more rounded butt and tone my stomach/legs a bit if possible. That's why 123 is flexible. I've been in the 120s before and that's when I was most confident about my body. That was about 2 years ago, and since then I gained about 18 pounds (I've lost 6 already) and may have grown about an inch so I'm not sure where that leaves me if I'm looking to feel as good as I used to. I'm doing this more for how I look in the mirror than what the scale says, but tracking weight has been a great way to confirm my progress.
Are you following a lifting program?
I would say take the weight loss very slow right now.. and re-evaluate after 5lbs.
I'm not following any program, just testing the waters right now with about 15-30 minutes of bodyweight exercises about 5 times a week.
Ok well based on your goals that you indicated you may want to look into an established program, something like Strong Curves has a focus on the lower body and glutes. Also if you want larger glutes, losing more weight typically will not get you there, but you can shape and define what you already have. I am the same height as you and got down to 121 and still wasn't happy.. I lost all my glutes because I didn't have enough muscle to begin with and I wasn't following proper programming to maintain what little I had. Just something to think about!2 -
kalincombs wrote: »What sources of protein have you tried? You did say vegetarian not vegan. Is yogurt an option?
Yes, I have a yogurt about every day. And I eat eggs as well. Eating beans, lentils, yogurt, peanut butter, walnuts, protein powder/bars, and tons of eggs is how i usually hit my protein goal.
a) Listen to @sardelsa
b) If you can eat yogurt and eggs...
Hello Brunch example!
200 Cal, 36g P, 350g 0% Greek Yogurt (Liberté or Oikos)
70 Cal , 8g P, 100g 0% Yoplait or other flavoured sucralose sweetened yogurt
2 Cal, 0g P, 1g Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa mixed in to balance the sweetness, and 'cause: chocolate.
56 Cal, 5g P, 15g Kellogg's Special K Protein Cereal sprinkled on top of your yogurt
6 Cal, 1g P, 24oz Brewed Filtered Coffee
35 Cal, 2g P, 70g 2% Milk
50 Cal, 4g protein for 170g Broccoli Slaw
23 Cal, 0.5g protein for 55g onions
78 Cal, 17g protein for 162g egg whites
72 Cal, 6g protein for 50g egg
Leaves you almost a full 1g of fat in the form of spray (8 Cal) to hit 600 Cal with 78+g of protein including rounding.2
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