Macro failure

KristaMac88
KristaMac88 Posts: 163 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition

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So when i first started, i was doing keto, I constantly went over my carbs before hitting anything else, or i was starving. So i switched to low carb, to try and master that first..upped my carbs. And now the last few days have constantly been going over on fats. By alot. As well as calories. Thats the only option mfp gives me for macros when i chose the low carb med fat diet. And i want to keep my carbs as close to 50 as possible. Why is this so hard for me?? Does anyone else find this all so confusing and frustrating?? If im not on keto's 20g carb diet, is it bad for me to have my fats at 100g per day?? (this is my whole day pre planned out and programmed)

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Here's the thread from the stickies about macros:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    You don't need low carb or macros to lose weight. I do about 40% of my calories carbs and lose weight consistently. You may be better off just focusing on calories unless there is a medical reason.

    But if you want to get more protein and less fat, one area I'd suggest taking a look at is your ground beef hamburger patties. Those look to be pretty high fat content for ground beef. Look at getting a leaner beef like 90/10 and you will get more protein and less fat. For 90/10, 6 ounces cooked is around 22g fat and 48g protein.
  • KristaMac88
    KristaMac88 Posts: 163 Member
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    If you don't like keto or low-carb, why do it? It's just another way of eating and restricting calories. Some diets restrict fats, some diets restrict carbs, etc...in the end, the only thing that really matters is going to be your overall calorie consumption. What satiates you? What do you enjoy eating? If it's not something that is sustainable, you'll just gain all the weight back as soon as you stop eating that particular way.

    I personally eat WAY more than 50g of carbs per day and have been losing consistently...

    I like how much less bloated i look and feel eating less carbs. And its been the only things that has made the scales drop even when i was just counting calories before and staying in my goal mfp provided. I cant go with what i enjoy eating...because that pizza and chocolate aha i usually go over in carbs. I really am doing between 50& 100grams. But if I aim for 50, ill usally end up around 60. And if i neeeed a treat, can usually fit it in still under 100. I just cant seem to figure out how people have them all balance out and hit all their macros&cals and not go way over one. It just seems like crazy science to me aha
  • KristaMac88
    KristaMac88 Posts: 163 Member
    MikePTY wrote: »
    You don't need low carb or macros to lose weight. I do about 40% of my calories carbs and lose weight consistently. You may be better off just focusing on calories unless there is a medical reason.

    But if you want to get more protein and less fat, one area I'd suggest taking a look at is your ground beef hamburger patties. Those look to be pretty high fat content for ground beef. Look at getting a leaner beef like 90/10 and you will get more protein and less fat. For 90/10, 6 ounces cooked is around 22g fat and 48g protein.

    I agree, I dont eat that on a regular basis and didnt have a choice on what kind of beef. We went out for lunch today at work, and it was a large hamburger.. i got it with no bun, but seemed to be the lowest carb friendly thing on the menu. For all i know i logged it wrong, but being from a restaurant there was no way of knowing the true info, just how many oz.
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    KristaMac88 wrote: »

    I like how much less bloated i look and feel eating less carbs. And its been the only things that has made the scales drop even when i was just counting calories before and staying in my goal mfp provided. I cant go with what i enjoy eating...because that pizza and chocolate aha i usually go over in carbs. I really am doing between 50& 100grams. But if I aim for 50, ill usally end up around 60. And if i neeeed a treat, can usually fit it in still under 100. I just cant seem to figure out how people have them all balance out and hit all their macros&cals and not go way over one. It just seems like crazy science to me aha

    Gotcha. Have you considered a carb-cycling WOE? For example, say 5 days/week set your carb goal for 60g and then 2 days/week (consecutive if you want your higher-carb days to be the weekends, or if you have 2 particularly rough workout days you could do them on non-consecutive days), set your carbs to say 100-120g and just adjust your other macros up/down accordingly to keep your overall calories in check?

    FWIW, unless you're absolutely insisting on being in ketosis, there's no reason that you 100% HAVE to "hit the nail on the head" in terms of, if you set your carbs at 50 but oh no you eat 60...not a big deal. I personally (and this is just me, so take it with a grain of salt) consider my carbs and protein to be +/- 10g per day and my fats to be +/- 5g per day. It means a little more flexibility and a lot less beating myself up if I am not dead-on target each day.
  • KristaMac88
    KristaMac88 Posts: 163 Member
    True! Im totally okay with some adjustment. I am typically "50 - 100g carb diet", i just know i always go over whether it be carbs or cals or whatever. So if i aim for 50, ill prob end up at 60. And then on weekends allow myself to to 100. I use to only count calories. Then tried cutting out carbs because i was eating ALOT of muffins- pizza - junk food so figured id do a total switch since nothing else was working. And it did drop 13lbs. and the higher carb allowance makes it easier to plan suppers at home that we all enjoy eating and not getting sick of. But now that my carbs are a bit higher..i wasnt sure if going THAT far over my fats would just end up putting fat back on.
  • tmpecus78
    tmpecus78 Posts: 1,206 Member
    Another thing I wanted to add is that if you are trying to loose weight, one of the most important things you can do is try to be consistent with your eating. I don't mean eat the same things day in and day out, but be consistent in the marcos you are consuming. If some days you are eating 50-60 grams carbs and others 100+ grams, and then you grams of fat intake are also fluctuating day-to-day, it will be almost impossible to track progress.
  • Smacfit_
    Smacfit_ Posts: 101 Member
    I am doing the "if it fits your macros IIFYM" thing, got my macros free on the website and put it in MFP custom. The calculation considers your exercise cals so u dont have to eat them back, way easier for me!!! Anyway, re: carbs. I have tried all low carb and was only happy with being on a plan when I started IIFYM. The carbs are generous (120g for me) and find it so easy. Losing weight steadily eating whole wheat pasta, pita bread, oatmeal....all the things I love! Rarely go over cals cause I'm satisfied. Worth looking at switching your approach if u are finding low carb difficult.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,083 Member
    KristaMac88 wrote: »
    True! Im totally okay with some adjustment. I am typically "50 - 100g carb diet", i just know i always go over whether it be carbs or cals or whatever. So if i aim for 50, ill prob end up at 60. And then on weekends allow myself to to 100. I use to only count calories. Then tried cutting out carbs because i was eating ALOT of muffins- pizza - junk food so figured id do a total switch since nothing else was working. And it did drop 13lbs. and the higher carb allowance makes it easier to plan suppers at home that we all enjoy eating and not getting sick of. But now that my carbs are a bit higher..i wasnt sure if going THAT far over my fats would just end up putting fat back on.

    There are only 3 macros, carbs, fats, and protein. Well, unless you count alcohol, which sort of behaves like a macro (it has calories, but isn't any of the other macros).

    So, if you eat fewer carbs, but you're trying to get close to a sensible calorie goal, you're going to need to eat more fats, or more protein (I don't recommend the "make up calories via alcohol diet", which has certain negative health implications ;) , so we'll leave that out of the post hereafter, but it's an option, within reason.).

    You need a certain minimum of protein every day, and a certain minimum of fats, because those are essential nutrients. Your body can't manufacture either of those from the other macros. People argue about what those minimums are, but quite a few of us around here think something around 0.8g protein minimum daily per pound of health goal weight is reasonable (more than USDA/WHO minimums for good reasons), and something around 0.35-0.45g fats minimum daily per pound of healthy goal weight.

    After you hit those minimums, where you get the other calories you need is pure preference. You can have more protein, you can have more fats, or you can have carbs. For a healthy person without special medical conditions, it's not usually a problem to get extra protein or fats or carbs, whichever you prefer. (Among other examples, diabetics shouldn't get "too much" carbs; people with kidney disease shouldn't get "too much" protein; people with gallbladder problems shouldn't get "too much" fats. Those would be example medical conditions.)

    There's no dramatic difference that says calories from fat (or carbs, for that matter) result in more body fat (while in a calorie deficit) vs. calories from protein. There's stuff about TEF, but it's a minor, minor percentage: Not worth considering in the context of a well-rounded, nutritious diet.

    You've already decided you don't want carbs. So it's gotta be extra fats or extra protein. Fats is the usual answer, but it's your call. Sometimes people decide based on which one(s) make them have more or fewer food cravings/appetite; or which one(s) keep them satiated; or which one(s) give them best energy; or which one(s) taste best. Your call.

    It's the calories that count for weight loss. Enough protein and fats (plus veggies/fruits for micronutrients and fiber) count for nutrition. After that, it's preference.
  • KristaMac88
    KristaMac88 Posts: 163 Member
    okay..aha i guess that makes sense. Thank you..
  • katedid322
    katedid322 Posts: 3 Member
    I am trying to do this IIFYM and I can hit my carbs and fats fine but my protein is so hard to hit any suggestions? And if you are doing the program are you losing weight and did you gain at first?
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,055 Member
    katedid322 wrote: »
    I am trying to do this IIFYM and I can hit my carbs and fats fine but my protein is so hard to hit any suggestions? And if you are doing the program are you losing weight and did you gain at first?

    Protein seems to be the one most people struggle with so focus on that first. If you are an omnivore, simply eat more meat. Plain Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are good sources of protein with not a lot of calories.

    You can gain, lose, or maintain with IIFYM. To lose, you need to create a calorie deficit. If you recently started a new exercise program, you could be retaining water from that, which could mask fat loss. Lots of other reasons people retain water as well.
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