Worth hiring someone to get macros and calorie intake numbers?
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raven56706
Posts: 918 Member
please bear with me. i know i have asked this before but looking for guidance.
i hired someone for my macro and calorie intake but i feel as if i didnt get anywhere with them and it was almost a waste of money. I am obviously overthinking this but just trying to find the right rhythm and not waste my time.
i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?
any comments would be appreciated.
i hired someone for my macro and calorie intake but i feel as if i didnt get anywhere with them and it was almost a waste of money. I am obviously overthinking this but just trying to find the right rhythm and not waste my time.
i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?
any comments would be appreciated.
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Replies
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https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
There is no reason to overthink this. Unless you have special dietary needs just plug your stats into MFP, enter your food, enter your exercise and go. In a few weeks you can adjust as needed.
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Luckily, you've already found it.8
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For just the calorie target and macro goals? No, MFP's defaults are a good first step which you can tweak to better fit your goals. If you prefer another source, there's plenty of free calculators on the web that use the same formulas based on TDEE or NEAT but let you play with some of the variables more. In any case, calories first for weight management, macros to support your workout goals and help with satiety and personal preference.
You could hire an registered dietitian to build a meal plan to support the calorie target / macro mix you've found that would work, but just asking them to run the numbers would be a waste of money.
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I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t use MFP to manage your macros? If you think you need more protein because of your workouts, consider adding a protein shake within a half hour after working out. I use an organic vegan one that tastes pretty good when I add 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries to it. There are some good Ted Talks on the science of dieting and exercise and the basic takeaways are literally, move more, eat less, and eat organic and Whole Foods as much as you can.5
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raven56706 wrote: »please bear with me. i know i have asked this before but looking for guidance.
i hired someone for my macro and calorie intake but i feel as if i didnt get anywhere with them and it was almost a waste of money. I am obviously overthinking this but just trying to find the right rhythm and not waste my time.
i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?
any comments would be appreciated.
You seem to just keep going around in circles looking for a magic answer. There isn't one. Hit your calories. Hit somewhere around .6 to .8 grams of body weight in protein and .35 grams of fat per body weight. Eat whatever you want for the rest and work out. It isnt anymore complicated than that. I'll PM you with how to pay me since you feel that is important.18 -
raven56706 wrote: »please bear with me. i know i have asked this before but looking for guidance.
i hired someone for my macro and calorie intake but i feel as if i didnt get anywhere with them and it was almost a waste of money. I am obviously overthinking this but just trying to find the right rhythm and not waste my time.
i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?
any comments would be appreciated.
You seem to just keep going around in circles looking for a magic answer. There isn't one. Hit your calories. Hit somewhere around .6 to .8 grams of body weight in protein and .35 grams of fat per body weight. Eat whatever you want for the rest and work out. It isnt anymore complicated than that. I'll PM you with how to pay me since you feel that is important.
who said that paying is important. just looking for guidance because i am obviously overthinking it. No need for the backhand comment4 -
Well if you know you are overthinking it, why keep doing that and posting about it? I think it was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.7
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People overthink things. It’s OK to keep asking if it’s something that’s really on the OP’s mind.5
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Well if you know you are overthinking it, why keep doing that and posting about it? I think it was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
i didnt say i was continuing to do it. Hence why i am asking here. for guidance and some advice. Isn't this what a forum is for?
you dont have to be rude about it sir.3 -
raven56706 wrote: »please bear with me. i know i have asked this before but looking for guidance.
i hired someone for my macro and calorie intake but i feel as if i didnt get anywhere with them and it was almost a waste of money. I am obviously overthinking this but just trying to find the right rhythm and not waste my time.
i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?
any comments would be appreciated.
Maybe it would be easier to help if you could tell us why you think you can't just use the goals MFP gives you?6 -
raven56706 wrote: »Well if you know you are overthinking it, why keep doing that and posting about it? I think it was Einstein who said the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result.
i didnt say i was continuing to do it. Hence why i am asking here. for guidance and some advice. Isn't this what a forum is for?
you dont have to be rude about it sir.
It's hard to read tone over the internet. Not trying to be rude. By you own admission you are overthinking and going around the same circle you've gone around before. The question I would ask, is that productive?
It seems that you already know the answer...2 -
Just learned some interesting info about calories. The calorie measure at current date, isn’t hard and fast. It’s an estimation, and there are factors that affect how many calories an individual body takes in as opposed to excretes as waste based on the gut health/bacterial population. Also, some foods react differently to different bacteria in the gut. Certain foods can also affect the makeup of your gut bacteria, so that whole a calorie is a calorie argument doesn’t really take into account new research about gut health, digestion, and how food affects your gut health. There’s some interesting info out there about gut bacteria being regional based on food intake and when a person changes their region, what they eat changes, which changes their gut bacteria.
None of this is actionable information. While true that the 3500 calorie per pound is just an estimate it is a really good estimate that is going to be workable for everyone trying to lose weight. What role the gut bacteria play and how to use that information for improved health is still mostly unknown.
Weight loss is pretty simple. You burn more than you eat. Things like the thermogenic effect of food and gut bacteria may be interesting but they can be a distraction for a person who is more worried about them than just creating a calorie deficit aka majoring in the minors.11 -
"Worth hiring someone to get macros and calorie intake numbers?"
Unless you are an elite athlete then no, it's not that complicated.
"i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. "
Have you grasped what actually causes the net loss of body fat over time?
(Not being snarky but you have been here a long time and if you haven't got that part straight you will continue to flounder.)
"Is there a good macro or calorie building website that will give me that info and also factoring in my workout intensity?"
MyFitnessPal if you like the way it accounts for your exercise and gives you a varied daily goal.
A TDEE site if you like a same every day calorie goal. Sailrabbit is more comprehensive than some others.
(Again not being snarky but please explain why you think macros are so important for your goals that a simple default ratio, or just setting a protein minimum goal wouldn't work for you?)
Must echo a lot of comments already made that over-complicating is not being helpful to you, both on the eating and the exercise fronts - make a conscious and deliberate effort to fight that impulse and simplify things. Dieting can certainly be hard but it doesn't have to be complicated or precise.9 -
without a doubt. thats why i am such in a cross roads. I get that i have been on MFP for years but i have hit some bad road blocks so looking to see new ways of getting back on track. Havent been good at getting back so thats why i ask for advice.3
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raven56706 wrote: »without a doubt. thats why i am such in a cross roads. I get that i have been on MFP for years but i have hit some bad road blocks so looking to see new ways of getting back on track. Havent been good at getting back so thats why i ask for advice.
So are you saying that used MFPs goals and it didn't work?
What do you consider roadblocks? It's normal to have times where the weight loss just doesn't follow. It's normal to have weeks where you just feel a little weaker than you usually do when you work out. It's normal to have days where you just can't stick to your calorie goal, so you have to allow yourself maintenance calories.
Have you been consistent for months at a time? Is it possible that you keep changing your plan every few weeks because you are impatient?5 -
raven56706 wrote: »without a doubt. thats why i am such in a cross roads. I get that i have been on MFP for years but i have hit some bad road blocks so looking to see new ways of getting back on track. Havent been good at getting back so thats why i ask for advice.
Maybe just set your MyFitnessPal goal to lose 1lb a week, eat back your exercise calories, set a minimum goal for protein (say 0.8g per pound of bodyweight?) and after a month reassess based on results?
Maybe if your goals are simplified your adherence might also be easier?
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I don't see the need to hire someone when there's so much information out there for free. I also have enough data to know that my macro split tends to be a bit higher on fat than MFP recommends. I wondered if that meant I should cut down on it but I don't see the need as I'm hitting my goal of maintenance or the slowest of slow cuts.
Have you actually been following what MFP recommends?2 -
None of this is actionable information.
Aside from completely missing my point, if you hadn’t been so eager to jump on my comment, you would have noticed that I deleted it. It was meant for a different thread and while some of your knowledge is very useful, I noticed that you like to try to disagree, debunk, or just debate people and I’m not into that. I’d prefer to respect other people’s input and just give my own. I’d appreciate it if you’d do the same when it comes to my comments. Thank you.14 -
raven56706 wrote: »without a doubt. thats why i am such in a cross roads. I get that i have been on MFP for years but i have hit some bad road blocks so looking to see new ways of getting back on track. Havent been good at getting back so thats why i ask for advice.
It might help if you gave us all more information to work with.
What is your height, current weight, goal weight? How many calories/day are you actually eating? How many calories has MFP set you and what were the parameters for that (weekly loss rate and activity level)? What did the person you hired give you? How long have you stuck with any single plan of consistent eating and exercising and what was the result? What about MFP hasn't worked for you that makes you think using the guided setup won't help you reach your goal?2 -
"Worth hiring someone to get macros and calorie intake numbers?"
I will say in my case it was worth it - but I am 4'11'' and had some health issues. Being short, MFP thought I should be at 1200 calories; I had BMR tested (was higher than calculator used by MFP). Being pre-diabetes my Dr wanted me on a slightly reduced carb (37%), higher protein/fat than what MFP suggested as well. Working with Dr and dietician we set calories at 1400, with 110 grams of protein and then worked out the other macros. I am curious why you felt that working with the
"i want to burn fat while working out at least an hour a day for 5 days a week. "
If you have a deficit through either reduced calories or in your case increased exercise or both, you will lose fat, but also water and muscle. Adding strength training in can help reduce the amount of muscle loss. There is lots of info on the forums here.
The info at https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/ and links to other sections may be useful if you are working on your own to set targets as an alternative to MFP; it helps with getting overall calorie goals, then sets protein (with strength training), then fat; carbs are what is left that you can program into MFP. It actually is pretty close to what Dr/dietician came up with for me. But is it critical to follow? Probably not.
Now I rarely nail my macros; some days I gain, some I have bigger drops than expected as weight loss is not always a linear function of "reported calories" and "exercise calories" (lots of measurement error there!) Water weight fluctuates a lot for me. The important part is developing a way of eating that is sustainable - some days I have pasta or pizza and go over "recommended" carbs. I am happy with my long term trend and enjoy what I eat!1
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