So much confusion/anxiety over macros
pagophagia
Posts: 24 Member
like stated in previous posts I've made, I am kind of a newbie sadly. Anyways, I'm just looking to maintain, I don't really care if I lose per se, and I do work out, lightly, but I am moderately active (cardio/walking). I use a calorie deficit that I'm comfortable with, however, I am almost always over my fats by a couple of grams. Sometimes I am over my carbs (sugars) as well, is this going to set me back? I don't really eat junk food all that much anymore btw.. I try my hardest to avoid it lol. I am always within or just sliiightly over my caloric intake, I never go above drastically. People have told me that if you're just maintaining or mild weight loss, it doesn't matter as long as you're within a caloric range but I'm so sceptical of that for some reason. I just want some explanations on macros I guess, because they give me huge huge anxiety even though I thought I was doing well..
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Replies
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Sometimes I am over my carbs (sugars) as well, is this going to set me back? I don't really eat junk food all that much anymore btw.. I try my hardest to avoid it lol. I am always within or just sliiightly over my caloric intake, I never go above drastically.
Being over on fats and/or carbs is fine. Will it set you back? No. However if you are frequently going over calories your might see little to no loss.
Macros are what make up your calories. The balance that everyone aims for is going to be slightly different. You want a good balance of the 3 for proper nutrition. However the exact ratios will be influenced by your goals, satiety, energy levels, and so on.
You want to make sure you at least meet RDA for Fat and protein for health, but after that you should look at how the combinations impact your energy levels and satiety.
That said don’t stress it. Stress won’t do you any favors. If watching macros is causing you stress than just pay attention to calories. Calories for weight loss. Macros for health and satiety.9 -
Unless you are diabetic or in a stage leading up to it sugar and carbs are not things you need to worry about unless you are eating so much of them they prevent you from getting a healthy amount of fat and protein. You shouldn't, for instance, eat all of your daily calories from a bag of sugar. I mean you could for a few days but, you know, don't do that.
You need to hit your protein goals most of the time and for most people the rest can just fall wherever. I sometimes have to watch and make sure I get enough fat on some days.
Overall calories though are the only thing that impacts energy stores in the body. If you are in abundance you will start to store fat, if you are near equal you will maintain, if you are in a deficit you will lose.
Also, you probably should not think of any food as junk. Almost all food provides nutrition. The food you probably call junk is the food I consider fine in moderation.
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It really doesn't matter, and certainly not worth stressing over. Macro goals are just a general guideline, and people eat healthy diets going from low to high carb, low to high fat. Many of us stuck with the mfp defaults, looking at protein and fat as minimums we try to exceed and let carbs take up what's left.
Don't make things harder than they need to be.
The different macros are just different substances the body uses for different processes in the body. You need minimums of protein and fat for good health.12 -
No need to get yourself worked up or stressed about it. For the large majority of people, macro breakdown is not really important as long as it is in the relative ballpark of enough protein and fats. Here's my macro break down over the last 5 days (percentage)
Carbs Fat Protein
41. 32. 27
54. 27. 19
38. 33. 29
46. 38. 16
31. 46. 23
I have zero stress over those numbers. They will continue to vary. Some days will be higher in some but lower in others. Overall I eat at about my goal, which is what's important to me, and I feel like I always get sufficient macros, even if varied.9 -
I agree with the above.
Here's another possible thing to think about: Being able to count macros is a pretty new thing, at least as a thing regular people can do on an everyday basis. We humans have known about calories and macros for well over a century, but before apps, it wasn't practical to routinely count them. (Trust me; I'm old enough to have been alive for a few decades before the apps made it practical.
).
Somehow, every single one of your ancestors, for centuries and millennia - hundreds and thousands of generations - lived long enough to have offspring, or you wouldn't be here. Many of them lived lots longer, of course; but all of them lived at least that long. And lots of them lived in times with famines, and super limited nutrition, besides!
Obesity, as a common or widespread problem (vs. the rare case here and there) is a pretty recent thing. I think it really began to increase in the 1970s/1980s. (I was already an adult then. ).
If all the people whose genes you now have lived long enough to breed, before even knowing about macros or calories (and often lived much longer than just long enough to have children), and people mostly weren't fat during those times . . . what do you think is the likelihood that you have to hit your macros and calories exactly, every single day, in order to manage your weight, or to be healthy?
I think that likelihood of needing precision is quite low.
Close enough on macros and calories is good enough, I'm pretty sure. Relax. 16 -
It is a very, very rare day when I hit my macro ratios and I have never met my exact calorie target. This has not stopped me from either losing weight, nor has it stopped me from maintaining for over 2 years.4
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Humans thrive on a extremely wide and varied range of macros - there is zero need to try and hit what are generic guidelines down to the last gram. The vast majority of the world's population don't know anything about their macro ratios!!
At maintenance there is also zero need to precisely hit your calorie goal every day - what matters is your average calorie intake over a very extended period of time.
Here's a link to a nice write up about macros but please ease up on yourself. Don't choose to be stressed and unhappy for no good reason.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
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I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)25
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sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
Her doctor, if they understand nutrition, will know that carbohydrates are carbohydrates whether they come from a soda or a vegetable. Different foods have different nutritional value, but macronutrients are macronutrients.18 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
I would respectfully disagree. You don't need a doctor to configure your macro distribution, in fact I'd guess most people who live long & healthy lives don't even know what a macro is. In fact, if you ask your primary care physician what the macro distribution of your diet should be, you'll probably get back a blank stare.
Obviously, if you have a diagnosed medical condition, more precision in your diet might be necessary, so then you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to an RD. But for a healthy person, this is majoring in the minors. If your calories are in line and you don't struggle with hunger or energy, your macros are most likely fine.21 -
pagophagia wrote: »like stated in previous posts I've made, I am kind of a newbie sadly. Anyways, I'm just looking to maintain, I don't really care if I lose per se, and I do work out, lightly, but I am moderately active (cardio/walking). I use a calorie deficit that I'm comfortable with, however, I am almost always over my fats by a couple of grams. Sometimes I am over my carbs (sugars) as well, is this going to set me back? I don't really eat junk food all that much anymore btw.. I try my hardest to avoid it lol. I am always within or just sliiightly over my caloric intake, I never go above drastically. People have told me that if you're just maintaining or mild weight loss, it doesn't matter as long as you're within a caloric range but I'm so sceptical of that for some reason. I just want some explanations on macros I guess, because they give me huge huge anxiety even though I thought I was doing well..
There are millions of healthy, fit people in the world who aren't even aware of what their macros are so I don't know why you would be skeptical. Calories are what matter for weight management. People do a lot of hand wringing over stuff that isn't that important.
I don't log and haven't in years...I'm pretty fit and healthy and I'm only vaguely aware of my macros from the days when I used to log. I've been maintaining going on 6 years.10 -
pagophagia wrote: »like stated in previous posts I've made, I am kind of a newbie sadly. Anyways, I'm just looking to maintain, I don't really care if I lose per se, and I do work out, lightly, but I am moderately active (cardio/walking). I use a calorie deficit that I'm comfortable with, however, I am almost always over my fats by a couple of grams. Sometimes I am over my carbs (sugars) as well, is this going to set me back? I don't really eat junk food all that much anymore btw.. I try my hardest to avoid it lol. I am always within or just sliiightly over my caloric intake, I never go above drastically. People have told me that if you're just maintaining or mild weight loss, it doesn't matter as long as you're within a caloric range but I'm so sceptical of that for some reason. I just want some explanations on macros I guess, because they give me huge huge anxiety even though I thought I was doing well..
Go to a TDEE calculator like this one (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/), and determine your maintenance calories. That will quell your anxiety about going slightly over your calorie target.
My maintenance calories are 2300. I strive to target 1750 calories per day. If I go over my calories, even if it were 300 calories over, I'm still in a 250 calorie deficit for the day. Knowing this saved me a lot of stress.4 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »pagophagia wrote: »like stated in previous posts I've made, I am kind of a newbie sadly. Anyways, I'm just looking to maintain, I don't really care if I lose per se, and I do work out, lightly, but I am moderately active (cardio/walking). I use a calorie deficit that I'm comfortable with, however, I am almost always over my fats by a couple of grams. Sometimes I am over my carbs (sugars) as well, is this going to set me back? I don't really eat junk food all that much anymore btw.. I try my hardest to avoid it lol. I am always within or just sliiightly over my caloric intake, I never go above drastically. People have told me that if you're just maintaining or mild weight loss, it doesn't matter as long as you're within a caloric range but I'm so sceptical of that for some reason. I just want some explanations on macros I guess, because they give me huge huge anxiety even though I thought I was doing well..
There are millions of healthy, fit people in the world who aren't even aware of what their macros are so I don't know why you would be skeptical. Calories are what matter for weight management. People do a lot of hand wringing over stuff that isn't that important.
I don't log and haven't in years...I'm pretty fit and healthy and I'm only vaguely aware of my macros from the days when I used to log. I've been maintaining going on 6 years.
Yep, in the scheme of things macro ratios don't really mean a whole lot for the vast majority of people. Also 6 years into maintenance and I don't track/care about macros. I've still hit all my weight/health goals.
OP-as long as you're keeping your calories in check and are eating a diet that has a good variety of foods then you're going to be fine
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I really think you need to talk with someone about this.
From your other thread......
"Just for reference, I am not looking to lose, I'm looking to maintain my weight, I'm 5'2 and 110lbs.
Backstory: For the past few months I have gotten really bad anxiety over weight gain... and since turning 20 last year I have gotten this fear that I am going to randomly gain weight out of nowhere, even though I rarely do gain. The last time I ever noticed that I was a bit more was when I was going through puberty (even then I wasn't overweight, I just had more meat on my bones), I thinned out for unknown reasons in January of 2017 and stood basically the same ever since. At first, I really hated it but I started to appreciate my small frame a lot more. Now I wanna keep it like that. I used to never count calories either and I would just stay the same, I wish I could go back to that but I'm too afraid....
Anywho, my new thing now is OMAD/1200 cals a day, I eat one meal a day, and then I will have some snacks on the side like vegetables or whole wheat toast/healthy granola bars or something. I have also been working out basically almost every day (usually just cardio and walking), even if its just walking , I will walk a couple or even several miles now. I've been doing OMAD for a while now, but I have also incorporated the 1200 calorie thing fairly recently. Ever since doing that I've noticed that my menstrual cycles have been shorter (they now average on 22-25 days). I know that isn't bad but what is really bugging me is I finished my period literally 9 DAYS AGO and today I check on myself and all of a sudden I'm flowing blood! wtf is going on? Do you think this could be due to overexertion or the diet change? Anybody have anything similar? I'm just really worried. I went to the doctor today and all they did was blood so I just have to wait I guess..
"
You seem to be having some mental anguish over calories and food, I really really think you should try to talk to someone about this. Have you seen your doctor about the periods?11 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
I would respectfully disagree. You don't need a doctor to configure your macro distribution, in fact I'd guess most people who live long & healthy lives don't even know what a macro is. In fact, if you ask your primary care physician what the macro distribution of your diet should be, you'll probably get back a blank stare.
Obviously, if you have a diagnosed medical condition, more precision in your diet might be necessary, so then you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to an RD. But for a healthy person, this is majoring in the minors. If your calories are in line and you don't struggle with hunger or energy, your macros are most likely fine.
If my doctor only had a blank stare to offer when I asked him about specifics of my diet, I would find a new doctor. This community is great to get a lot of different opinions from, what worked for someone, advice and motivation, but you will find differing opinions on every single topic. If someone has questions and wants an expert opinion, then the best bet is to go to an expert like a doctor or dietitian. I've been working with a doctor for a year now, and macros are very important to him and have been important for my success. Our disagreement here only proves my original point, everyone is different.12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
Her doctor, if they understand nutrition, will know that carbohydrates are carbohydrates whether they come from a soda or a vegetable. Different foods have different nutritional value, but macronutrients are macronutrients.
Then I suppose my personal experience means nothing but everyone else's is bible. I know for a fact that if I eat 1200 calories of twinkies my body will respond differently weight and health wise than if I eat 1200 calories of broccoli. If yours doesn't, then it is great to share that experience when someone asks you. It is just as valid for me to share my experience and suggest what helped me finally understand the puzzle of weight loss. Which, surprisingly, was macros and more specifically, different sources within macros. A carb is a carb is a carb is a carb, but how your body processes them and how it effects your body can be extremely different person to person. I am living proof.27 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
I would respectfully disagree. You don't need a doctor to configure your macro distribution, in fact I'd guess most people who live long & healthy lives don't even know what a macro is. In fact, if you ask your primary care physician what the macro distribution of your diet should be, you'll probably get back a blank stare.
Obviously, if you have a diagnosed medical condition, more precision in your diet might be necessary, so then you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to an RD. But for a healthy person, this is majoring in the minors. If your calories are in line and you don't struggle with hunger or energy, your macros are most likely fine.
If my doctor only had a blank stare to offer when I asked him about specifics of my diet, I would find a new doctor. This community is great to get a lot of different opinions from, what worked for someone, advice and motivation, but you will find differing opinions on every single topic. If someone has questions and wants an expert opinion, then the best bet is to go to an expert like a doctor or dietitian. I've been working with a doctor for a year now, and macros are very important to him and have been important for my success. Our disagreement here only proves my original point, everyone is different.
Someone posting a question here is looking for advice from their fellow users, understanding that we are not health professionals.
For people with specialized health needs, an expert probably is the best guide for macronutrient goals. But there is no evidence that the average person needs professional help to do what humans have been doing for thousands of years -- get sufficient protein and fat. That's the baseline for macronutrient needs, to get enough of those two. After that, individuals can tweak according to personal preferences and satiety.
It sounds like your doctor is very passionate about macronutrient goals, but that's not true of every doctor. Fortunately, most of us don't require that kind of guidance from our doctor.11 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
I would respectfully disagree. You don't need a doctor to configure your macro distribution, in fact I'd guess most people who live long & healthy lives don't even know what a macro is. In fact, if you ask your primary care physician what the macro distribution of your diet should be, you'll probably get back a blank stare.
Obviously, if you have a diagnosed medical condition, more precision in your diet might be necessary, so then you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to an RD. But for a healthy person, this is majoring in the minors. If your calories are in line and you don't struggle with hunger or energy, your macros are most likely fine.
If my doctor only had a blank stare to offer when I asked him about specifics of my diet, I would find a new doctor. This community is great to get a lot of different opinions from, what worked for someone, advice and motivation, but you will find differing opinions on every single topic. If someone has questions and wants an expert opinion, then the best bet is to go to an expert like a doctor or dietitian. I've been working with a doctor for a year now, and macros are very important to him and have been important for my success. Our disagreement here only proves my original point, everyone is different.
Is this your primary care physician? Or are you going to a specialist. Most primary care physicians have very little actual education in diet and nutrition, and are often just as vulnerable to jumping on bandwagons. Some doctors do specialize in weight management, and one would hope they are then better educated in diet issues, but most people who have a few lbs to lose aren't going to any sort of nutrition or weight loss specialist. In all seriousness, a primary care doctor or generalist is NOT an expert in diet and nutrition.14 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
I would respectfully disagree. You don't need a doctor to configure your macro distribution, in fact I'd guess most people who live long & healthy lives don't even know what a macro is. In fact, if you ask your primary care physician what the macro distribution of your diet should be, you'll probably get back a blank stare.
Obviously, if you have a diagnosed medical condition, more precision in your diet might be necessary, so then you might want to ask your doctor for a referral to an RD. But for a healthy person, this is majoring in the minors. If your calories are in line and you don't struggle with hunger or energy, your macros are most likely fine.
If my doctor only had a blank stare to offer when I asked him about specifics of my diet, I would find a new doctor. This community is great to get a lot of different opinions from, what worked for someone, advice and motivation, but you will find differing opinions on every single topic. If someone has questions and wants an expert opinion, then the best bet is to go to an expert like a doctor or dietitian. I've been working with a doctor for a year now, and macros are very important to him and have been important for my success. Our disagreement here only proves my original point, everyone is different.
Is this your primary care physician? Or are you going to a specialist. Most primary care physicians have very little actual education in diet and nutrition, and are often just as vulnerable to jumping on bandwagons. Some doctors do specialize in weight management, and one would hope they are then better educated in diet issues, but most people who have a few lbs to lose aren't going to any sort of nutrition or weight loss specialist. In all seriousness, a primary care doctor or generalist is NOT an expert in diet and nutrition.
Most primary care doctors know absolutely nothing about nutrition besides the 1 week course in medical school. (3 of my siblings are MDs and say things like "yeah my metabolism is shot" etc)
(That is not to say some actually do of course)10 -
sammidelvecchio wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »sammidelvecchio wrote: »I believe you should talk to your doctor instead of people on here. Everyone is different, and not all macros are created equal (50 carbs from a Mt. Dew is not the same as 50 carbs from cauliflower, fat from an avocado is not the same as fat from a twinkie)
Her doctor, if they understand nutrition, will know that carbohydrates are carbohydrates whether they come from a soda or a vegetable. Different foods have different nutritional value, but macronutrients are macronutrients.
Then I suppose my personal experience means nothing but everyone else's is bible. I know for a fact that if I eat 1200 calories of twinkies my body will respond differently weight and health wise than if I eat 1200 calories of broccoli. If yours doesn't, then it is great to share that experience when someone asks you. It is just as valid for me to share my experience and suggest what helped me finally understand the puzzle of weight loss. Which, surprisingly, was macros and more specifically, different sources within macros. A carb is a carb is a carb is a carb, but how your body processes them and how it effects your body can be extremely different person to person. I am living proof.
I don’t want to know how my body would respond if I ate 7 1/2 lbs of broccoli in a day!17
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