Calories or macros?
fitplundy
Posts: 47 Member
I know sometimes I’ll have all of my macros filled but still have extra calories. So which one should I focus on more? Calories in vs out or macros like carbs ?
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Replies
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Calories for weight loss (gain/maintenance), macros for nutrition, satiety, and body composition14
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Just making sure you get enough protein to help maintain as much muscle as possible, when combined with a progressive lifting program5 -
Macros make up the calories - carbs and protein are 4 cals per gram, fat is 9 cals per gram.
If your grams of macros are filled but your calories are off, you're using entries with incorrect. Going by percentages is kind of irrelevant as you can have the correct percentage breakdown at any calorie amount.4 -
Calories on a day to day basis.
Macros are more about how you want to structure your calories and people use them differently. For example, some just try to reach their protein (or exceed it) and let the other macros (fat and carbs) fall as they may. Some try to hit fat and protein (or go over) and keep carbs at or under. Some watch the macros for a while and see which ones are consistent with them feeling not hungry at their calories and then modify them to fit the combination that is most filling or satisfying.
Personally, I only really cared about hitting or exceeding my protein, but if I didn't on an individual day I wouldn't go over my calories, I'd just see what happened and learn from it (or if it was because it was a weird day, eh).
If you have the idea that staying at your calories but going over individual macros can prevent weight loss, that's not the case. Weight loss is about calories (and you don't need to stay under macros, you might be better off exceeding them in some cases). In general your macros SHOULD total your calories, of course. But I think you are talking about "I'm at 80 g protein and that's my goal, must I stop eating" and if that's so, the answer is definitely not.3 -
I know sometimes I’ll have all of my macros filled but still have extra calories. So which one should I focus on more? Calories in vs out or macros like carbs ?
You get to pick which macros are most important for you, personally. I keep my fat and protein minimums in mind and let the rest of my calories come from whatever I feel like that day, but others will treat their macros differently. It's all about your own priorities.2 -
I know sometimes I’ll have all of my macros filled but still have extra calories. So which one should I focus on more? Calories in vs out or macros like carbs ?
Multiply out your macros to get their calorie equivalents.
1 g fat = 9 calories
1 g protein = 4 calories
1 g carb = 4 calories
Every single day, there is a variance between the calorie total in my log and the calorie equivalent of my stated macro totals. The calorie total is always lower than the multiplied out total, sometimes only slightly but sometimes by as much as 100 calories. That's why I go by my macros and not by calories.0 -
When someone's goal is to simply drop scale weight, macros can be, by in large, ignored. When someone's goal is to get/be lean, macros have to be at least reasonable. To some extent, one's ability to "ignore" macros depends on their normal eating tendencies. Someone who tends to eat a reasonable balanced diet with decent protein intake probably doesn't need to worry about (focus on) macros as much as someone who tends towards higher fat/carb intake.1
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Both. You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
People in a calorie deficit should be getting adequate protein to ensure they maintain muscle stores, so a focus on that is important. A minimal amount of fat is also needed (or more) for hormone regulation and micronutrient absorption. Dieters also find that different balances of macronutrients affect their satiety, so paying attention to macros becomes important in this regard as well.
Macros can also become important depending on your exercise/training.3 -
Sometimes the calories and macros are off because the manifacturer is allowed to put an estimate that is up to 10% off for the different markers. Also, sometimes the number provided is net carbs and sometimes total carbs. Stick to one method and make sure your protein is met and you'll be golden
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If I hit my protein and still have calories left, yeah WINE!7
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Health concerns also play a role. Diabetics may need to take in fewer carbs to deal with not producing enough insulin or having insulin resistance.
As much as we would like to have a one-size fits all answer, life is more complex
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tbright1965 wrote: »Health concerns also play a role. Diabetics may need to take in fewer carbs to deal with not producing enough insulin or having insulin resistance.
As much as we would like to have a one-size fits all answer, life is more complex
Luckily OP didn't mention being diabetic, so we don't need to worry about that in this thread.
OP, if your goal is to lose weight, calories are king, so focus on those first. Next comes macros, they can affect satiety and there are minimums you need for health and some fitness goals.
Many here look at the MFP default protein and fat goals as minimums to exceed and let carbs fall where they may. I have found getting my protein and fiber is really important to keep me from getting hungry, so I just focus on those.
Many of the database entries are user entered, and if a user isn't concerned with macros the macros may be off on that entry. There is also sometimes a small bit of rounding in the manufacturer's numbers. So it's normal to be slightly off macros to calories. If it's way off, you have a wonky entry you will want to find and stop using.4 -
tbright1965 wrote: »Health concerns also play a role. Diabetics may need to take in fewer carbs to deal with not producing enough insulin or having insulin resistance.
As much as we would like to have a one-size fits all answer, life is more complex
Luckily OP didn't mention being diabetic, so we don't need to worry about that in this thread.
OP, if your goal is to lose weight, calories are king, so focus on those first. Next comes macros, they can affect satiety and there are minimums you need for health and some fitness goals.
Many here look at the MFP default protein and fat goals as minimums to exceed and let carbs fall where they may. I have found getting my protein and fiber is really important to keep me from getting hungry, so I just focus on those.
Many of the database entries are user entered, and if a user isn't concerned with macros the macros may be off on that entry. There is also sometimes a small bit of rounding in the manufacturer's numbers. So it's normal to be slightly off macros to calories. If it's way off, you have a wonky entry you will want to find and stop using.
Meanwhile, I'm disassembling and weighing my Gyro yesterday to see how much meat, pita, and tzatziki sauce (on the side) I can put together for a ~ 500 calorie meal. Turns out, 195g (total) of the 390g of ingredients total.
That kept me under my prescribed 60g/meal of carbs target at 44g of carbs.
I'm prescribed a diet that is 40% carbs and 30% each fats and proteins, and try to find as accurate as possible information, or I'm paying the price of a high blood glucose reading...
The good news is I have enough gyro components for another ~500 calorie gyro. And to think, before this, I'd have ordered the even larger gyro and eaten it's 1000-1200 (as I wouldn't get the tzatziki on the side) in one sitting. Ouch.
Now back to your regularly scheduled thread...
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I'm trying to lose weight so right now I'm just focusing on my calories but trying to hit the protein goal. When I get better at the calorie counting and see some changes I plan to focus on the macros more in the hopes I can balance my foods better.3
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I'm trying to lose weight so right now I'm just focusing on my calories but trying to hit the protein goal. When I get better at the calorie counting and see some changes I plan to focus on the macros more in the hopes I can balance my foods better.
Good job. There's nothing wrong about starting out with the basics and tuning it up as you go. You're on the right track. It's a much better and more effective approach than the "paralysis by analysis" that is so common. :thumbsup:1 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »If I hit my protein and still have calories left, yeah WINE!
You... I like you. Of course, beer is my kryptonite. If I hit my protein and workout goals on Friday, bring on the IPA!1
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