Macros?

frezisha
frezisha Posts: 21 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi everyone! I'm all about trying to get my protein in! But not sure if I'm doing this right! Any tips are welcome!..I'm doing 60% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbs..I want to lose a few pounds, but want to make sure my macros are achieveable? I eat a 1200 cal diet, I'm 5'4 weighing 138 lbs female, currently taking daily hour walks, doing virtual zumba, pushup challenge etc

Replies

  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    Achievable? Sure.
    Optimal? Ehhhhh...not so much.
    What made you pick that particular macro split?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    That is an excessive amount of protein...like by a lot. You would have 720 calories out of 1200 coming from protein so doesn't leave a lot for other nutrition. That would be 180 grams of protein which is well past the point of diminishing returns...you're basically just making really expensive glucose with that much protein.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,176 Member
    I seriously doubt that you need 180g of protein daily, and 27g of fat doesn't seem ideal (0.19g per pound of bodyweight, for a woman?), either.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

    How fast are you trying to lose? 1200 is . . . low. Especially low, if you're exercising and not eating back those calories. (I'm 5'5", 131, so I do have some context.)
  • frezisha
    frezisha Posts: 21 Member
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    Achievable? Sure.
    Optimal? Ehhhhh...not so much.
    What made you pick that particular macro split?

    Hey! I got it from my nutritionist from my previous diet, but I'm def not losing weight like I used to so not sure it's the right macros for me..
  • frezisha
    frezisha Posts: 21 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    That is an excessive amount of protein...like by a lot. You would have 720 calories out of 1200 coming from protein so doesn't leave a lot for other nutrition. That would be 180 grams of protein which is well past the point of diminishing returns...you're basically just making really expensive glucose with that much protein.

    Thank you! That is what I was thinking because after I log in my food I'm already past my fats & carbs & not even near my protein goal..it makes me feel disappointed..so I think it needs adjusting
  • frezisha
    frezisha Posts: 21 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I seriously doubt that you need 180g of protein daily, and 27g of fat doesn't seem ideal (0.19g per pound of bodyweight, for a woman?), either.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

    How fast are you trying to lose? 1200 is . . . low. Especially low, if you're exercising and not eating back those calories. (I'm 5'5", 131, so I do have some context.)

    Hey! Well I'm def not losing as much weight as I used to but maintain around this weight for the past few years. I used to be overweight in my teen years, weighing at my highest 210, but lost weight fast with exercise & eating right. Now past few years (I'm 24) im in the 130's which isn't bad, but any pound that can come off now would be a miracle! lol but yeah I'm thinking my macros might be adjusting..I can never get to all that protein! close but never that much..what macros would you suggest?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,176 Member
    edited May 2020
    frezisha wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I seriously doubt that you need 180g of protein daily, and 27g of fat doesn't seem ideal (0.19g per pound of bodyweight, for a woman?), either.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

    How fast are you trying to lose? 1200 is . . . low. Especially low, if you're exercising and not eating back those calories. (I'm 5'5", 131, so I do have some context.)

    Hey! Well I'm def not losing as much weight as I used to but maintain around this weight for the past few years. I used to be overweight in my teen years, weighing at my highest 210, but lost weight fast with exercise & eating right. Now past few years (I'm 24) im in the 130's which isn't bad, but any pound that can come off now would be a miracle! lol but yeah I'm thinking my macros might be adjusting..I can never get to all that protein! close but never that much..what macros would you suggest?

    Honestly, the MFP defaults are fine, for most people.

    If you're 24, and in the 130s, 1200 calories sounds pretty darned low, to me. (I'd lose way too fast at 1200 net calories, plus eating back all exercise, at about your size, and I'm freakin' 64 years old!)

    Macros are irrelevant for weight loss, especially in the short run. (In the longer run, they could affect satiation or energy level, so indirectly affect weight loss indirectly via calorie compliance or fatigue.) Weight loss is about calories.

    Personally, during weight loss, I shot for 0.6-0.8g protein minimum per pound of healthy goal weight (which is roughly equivalent to 0.8-1g per pound of lean mass, for most people), 0.35-0.45g fat minimum per pound, and didn't worry about carbs. (Some people find they need some certain minimum carb level for energy or satisfaction; some people find that eating higher carbs spikes their appetite - neither of those is me, so I just use them to balance out calories.) Now, in maintenance, I use minimums of 100g for protein and 50g for fats, and still ignore carbs except as a calorie balancer (I do try to get 5+ servings of varied, colorful veggies and fruits daily, ideally much more, for micros & fiber).

    If you want to be more technical, you could consider these (which don't agree with each other completely, just for fun):

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
    https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/

    I'm sure others may have other references they could suggest, with different recommended levels. Almost nothing is going to tell you 180g is necessary, at your size.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    frezisha wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I seriously doubt that you need 180g of protein daily, and 27g of fat doesn't seem ideal (0.19g per pound of bodyweight, for a woman?), either.

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/

    How fast are you trying to lose? 1200 is . . . low. Especially low, if you're exercising and not eating back those calories. (I'm 5'5", 131, so I do have some context.)

    Hey! Well I'm def not losing as much weight as I used to but maintain around this weight for the past few years. I used to be overweight in my teen years, weighing at my highest 210, but lost weight fast with exercise & eating right. Now past few years (I'm 24) im in the 130's which isn't bad, but any pound that can come off now would be a miracle! lol but yeah I'm thinking my macros might be adjusting..I can never get to all that protein! close but never that much..what macros would you suggest?

    Honestly, the MFP defaults are fine, for most people.

    If you're 24, and in the 130s, 1200 calories sounds pretty darned low, to me. (I'd lose way too fast at 1200 net calories, plus eating back all exercise, at about your size, and I'm freakin' 64 years old!)

    Macros are irrelevant for weight loss, especially in the short run. (In the longer run, they could affect satiation or energy level, so indirectly affect weight loss indirectly via calorie compliance or fatigue.) Weight loss is about calories.

    Personally, during weight loss, I shot for 0.6-0.8g protein minimum per pound of healthy goal weight (which is roughly equivalent to 0.8-1g per pound of lean mass, for most people), 0.35-0.45g fat minimum per pound, and didn't worry about carbs. (Some people find they need some certain minimum carb level for energy or satisfaction; some people find that eating higher carbs spikes their appetite - neither of those is me, so I just use them to balance out calories.) Now, in maintenance, I use minimums of 100g for protein and 50g for fats, and still ignore carbs except as a calorie balancer (I do try to get 5+ servings of varied, colorful veggies and fruits daily, ideally much more, for micros & fiber).

    If you want to be more technical, you could consider these (which don't agree with each other completely, just for fun):

    https://examine.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-do-you-need/
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p1
    https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-calculator/

    I'm sure others may have other references they could suggest, with different recommended levels. Almost nothing is going to tell you 180g is necessary, at your size.

    All of this ^

    Also, you are losing slowly because you don't have that much fat to lose. Also, I'm glad you are taking the input on the protein. That was waaaayyyy too high. Way beyond any effective amount and, as others said, could likely crowd out important nutrients.

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