Macros

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ee2368
ee2368 Posts: 86 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! What macro percentages have been helpful for you for weight loss?

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  • ee2368
    ee2368 Posts: 86 Member
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    I think you misunderstood my question. I’m not talking about adjusting macros instead of creating a calorie deficit. I’m talking about adjusting them alongside a calorie deficit. I’ve read many articles that have differing information on macro distribution, so I’m just wanting more clarification.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Macros are personal preference. Different people are better satiated by different macros. People who do well on LCHF or keto are most likely best satiated by fat. I can easily over eat fat, and stay fuller on a lower amount of calories with a bit higher protein and fiber. Paying attention to your food log and how you feel is probably the best way to figure it out.

    Lots of us started out using the mfp defaults, looking at protein and fat as minimums and letting carbs fall where they may.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ee2368 wrote: »
    I think you misunderstood my question. I’m not talking about adjusting macros instead of creating a calorie deficit. I’m talking about adjusting them alongside a calorie deficit. I’ve read many articles that have differing information on macro distribution, so I’m just wanting more clarification.

    Mine are set as 45% carbs, 30% fat, 25% protein.

    That covers 0.8g per lb of bodyweight for protein, and a good amount of fat for satiety.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    Macros are personal preference. Different people are better satiated by different macros. People who do well on LCHF or keto are most likely best satiated by fat. I can easily over eat fat, and stay fuller on a lower amount of calories with a bit higher protein and fiber. Paying attention to your food log and how you feel is probably the best way to figure it out.

    Lots of us started out using the mfp defaults, looking at protein and fat as minimums and letting carbs fall where they may.

    This. I lost most of my weight doing 40% carbs, 30% each fat and protein, but have experimented with different things and now don't pay attention to anything besides calories and protein (and other things related to nutrition, of course).

    I don't find fat especially satiating (a meal that's very high fat and lower protein and fiber won't satisfy me for long, I find lowfat dairy as satiating as full fat for the same volume), but I do find that being able to include higher fat foods like chicken with skin, cheese, whole eggs, olive oil, olives, nuts and seeds, etc., tends to make me feel more overall satisfied with my meals -- probably just because it feels more luxurious. (For me this doesn't require super high fat at all, though.)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,359 Member
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    +1 to macros are about nutrition/satiation/health, not weight loss per se, and the satiation part is uber-individual.

    That said, a lot of folks around here who want to be more structured about it think in terms of amounts of each macro per pound or kilogram of healthy goal weight or lean body mass (different g/lb or g/kg depending whether GW or LBM, probably), then set their percents to get close to that.

    This is a commonly-referenced MFP-sourced recommendation:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    Personally (at 5'5", mid-130s pounds, age 63, active, in maintenance), I aim daily for 100g protein minimum, 50g-ish of fats (prioritizing higher MUFA/PUFA sources like nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, etc.), 5+ (ideally 10+) servings of veggies/fruit for fiber and micronutrients, hitting my calorie target most of the time, and I just let carbs where they fall. (I find protein and volume (veggies, mostly) satiating, personally. I'm also ovo-lacto vegetarian, if that matters - I don't think it does.)

    I'm set at 50%C, 30%F, 20%P, which translates to 231gC, 62gF, 93gP at my pre-exercise calorie target, but I ignore that in practice and eat to the 100gP/50gF minimums.

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