Macros & Calories

elmiller9
elmiller9 Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, please bare with me as I’m still learning. I have recently increased my macros to 150g carbs, 130g protein & 45g fat which in return has bumped my calories up to 1520 (I was on 1200cals). I’ve found it’s taken a lot of planning to get my macros to be in reason to this and still be under my calorie goal. So my question is, should I just focus on my macros and don’t worry if it goes over my calorie goal for the day or should I be trying to do both like I am? (I am currently 60kg) and have already loss 13kg (that was on 1200cals a day). I do want to lose more weight.

Replies

  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    You could balance your macros to within a micro gram for 50 years and if you’re taking in more calories in that 50 years than you expend over that same 50 years you will not lose weight. (clearly I’m using 50 years as an extreme example, to try and illustrate better, I’m not suggesting anyone actually tries to balance their intake using a 50 year balance window! )

    Macros are related to healthy nutrition, calories are what counts for weight loss, weight gain and maintenance.

    Is there a specific reason you’ve set your macros this way? Do you have an idea of how much more weight you wish to lose, and what have you set as a weekly loss rate? It sounds as if you may have been a bit aggressive with your goals if you’re 60kg and were eating as little as 1200.
  • elmiller9
    elmiller9 Posts: 13 Member
    BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »
    You could balance your macros to within a micro gram for 50 years and if you’re taking in more calories in that 50 years than you expend over that same 50 years you will not lose weight. (clearly I’m using 50 years as an extreme example, to try and illustrate better, I’m not suggesting anyone actually tries to balance their intake using a 50 year balance window! )

    Macros are related to healthy nutrition, calories are what counts for weight loss, weight gain and maintenance.

    Is there a specific reason you’ve set your macros this way? Do you have an idea of how much more weight you wish to lose, and what have you set as a weekly loss rate? It sounds as if you may have been a bit aggressive with your goals if you’re 60kg and were eating as little as 1200.

    Ah ok I get you, I’m slowly learning! I started on 73kg at 1200cals (which is low I know) and I loss 13kg. My friend thought that was way too low and said I should really try and aim for this many grams of protein, ect. So from putting that into my settings it gave me a new calorie goal of 1520. So at the moment I’m trying to reach all them grams of each and still be in my calorie goal (I’ve managed to do but its taken a lot of planning ect). I’m not sure on a set number but it wouldn’t be heaps more (maybe 5kg or so)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    edited July 2019
    How much weight do you need to lose to get into the "normal" range in the BMI scale?

    I think 1520 is a good number for weight loss for the average woman, but we really know nothing about you - age/height/weight/daily activity/exercise. If you have only 5kg to lose, stick with the 1520 PLUS eating back some extra calories on the days you do purposeful exercise. That's the way the calculations on this site are designed.

    Macros take practice and take knowledge, they're kind of the Advanced Course, if you want to hit close to them every day. You'll get there. Try not to get stuck on the same foods every day in order to hit them, it's more important to eat a variety of different vegetables, fruits, nuts, fats/oils, and different protein sources. Eating the same thing every day because that makes it easy to balance macros can lead to nutritional deficiencies. I've seen and read many times that people get a set meal plan that doesn't vary because they're worried about macros. Macros are important, but so is variety.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    elmiller9 wrote: »
    Hi guys, please bare with me as I’m still learning. I have recently increased my macros to 150g carbs, 130g protein & 45g fat which in return has bumped my calories up to 1520 (I was on 1200cals). I’ve found it’s taken a lot of planning to get my macros to be in reason to this and still be under my calorie goal. So my question is, should I just focus on my macros and don’t worry if it goes over my calorie goal for the day or should I be trying to do both like I am? (I am currently 60kg) and have already loss 13kg (that was on 1200cals a day). I do want to lose more weight.

    Calories determine weight loss. If your goal is to lose more weight, your primary target should be staying in a calorie deficit.

    Macros are personal preference, and there are minimums required for health. They are also just a guide, there is no reason you must hit them every day. I personally would find it very difficult to hit 130g of protein and stay under 45g of fat on 1500 cals, but that's just me.

    I believe the typical recommendations are 0.6-1g of protein per lb of goal body weight and 0.3g of fat per, just as a minimum goal for good health while in a deficit, going over that is fine, and some people do still prefer to just ignore them. It doesn't affect the weight you will lose directly, but it can affect satiety, compliance, and how you feel while you are losing weight.
  • gvizzle74
    gvizzle74 Posts: 123 Member
    Macros are more important for meeting fitness goals - e.g. if your goal is to increase muscle mass then you'll need a higher protein intake. If your goal is to lose weight, then the caloric deficit is more important and if you hit your macros, that's a nice added benefit.

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