Guidance on Setting Nutritional Goals

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nancykadolph
nancykadolph Posts: 41 Member
in Getting Started
I'm fairly new to MFP and could use some guidance on setting my nutritional goals. I'm 63, diabetic, and need to lose about 40 pounds. I've been eating between 1,000 and 1,200 calories per day for about a month. I currently have my nutritional goals set at 30% carbs, 30% protein, and 40% fat. I have no idea if this is well balanced or should be adjusted. Any suggestions?

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  • closedhisaccount
    closedhisaccount Posts: 17 Member
    edited August 2020
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    Not knowing your height and current weight, it would be hard to give you any worthy advice to where you should start...You might want to talk to your doctor or a dietician....One thing that I can say is that 1,000-1,200 calories isn't much....As far as macros, it all depends on a lot of things, especially taking into consideration that you are a diabetic. Again, it might be best to talk with your doctor, instead of asking people on a weight loss discussion board. If you'd like a motivational friend, feel freed to add me. I'm just down the 60 Freeway away from you. ;) [Note: For what it's worth, my macros are set at 50% carbs, 25% fat, 25% protein, and I do that as a wannabe athlete].
  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 909 Member
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    how tall are you, and are you type 1 or type 2 or ?

    btw, do you eat full breakfast, lunch and dinner or do you eat more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day? oh, are you currently on medication of some sort for your diabetes?
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
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    1000 to 1200 calories is the minimum amount of calories you should be eating and that’s if you are sedentary....I would eat around 1400 at least if you are getting some exercise every day....good luck
  • nancykadolph
    nancykadolph Posts: 41 Member
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    I'm 5' 4'', weigh 187 pounds and am a type 2 diabetic. I have kidney damage from a bone marrow transplant 6 years ago, so I can't take metformin. I use Humalog if my BG is over 150 and take 6 units of Lantus at bedtime. For the last few weeks, I've been consistently under 150 so I haven't had to use the fast acting insulin. I have a fit bit and usually get in 10,000 steps a day. I also play golf when it isn't over 95 degrees. I'm afraid to eat over 1200 calories because I'm barely losing weight as it is. I generally eat 3 smallish meals and a healthy snack plus a Premiere protein shake to help get my protein in without many carbs and fat. I worry that I may be eating too much fat and not enough protein, but I have a hard time getting all that protein down.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Well, weight loss is a slow process, so you won’t see a huge weight loss right away.

    That said, if there are foods high in protein low in fat and carbs that you like, try to eat more of those. For me, that’s cottage cheese. I have 2 servings of cottage cheese and a yogurt for lunch every weekday.

    Do you have a food scale and are you weighing your foods??
  • nancykadolph
    nancykadolph Posts: 41 Member
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    Dogmom1978 ... yes I am weighing my portions. I have a hard time finding foods that are high in protein and low in fat and carbs. That's why I depend on the Premiere protein shakes to fill that bill. The peaches and cream flavor is delicious.
  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
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    Well, like I said cottage cheese is high in protein and low in fat and carbs if you like it. Chicken is another good option for high protein, low fat. I struggle to get enough protein (and fat) and have a tendency to carb load (mostly through fruits although I do like cookies or ice cream for dessert). I use optimum nutrition whey French vanilla or double chocolate to help hit my protein goals.

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,117 Member
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    If you need inspiration for protein, here's an interesting thread:
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also/p1
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,052 Member
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    OP, your percentages look fine to me, but honestly, I personally do not find the percentages very helpful. I have a calorie maximum goal and macronutrient minimum goals. I try to be over (in grams) on my macros every day. (I don't worry if I miss a day here or there so long as my weekly averages are around the minimums.)

    Here is the general rule of thumb on macro minimums while deficit eating:
    Protein- 1g per 1lb lean mass (If you don't know your body fat vs lean mass %, use 80% of GW)
    Fat- 0.35g per 1lb body weight
    Carb- no minimum, however fiber minimum is 20-25g for women.


  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,052 Member
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    For your stat's, sedentary TDEE is around 1650 cal/day. The math suggests you would be losing at 1 lb/wk for the last month. Which, by the way, is an excellent rate of loss. I would be super happy with that rate of loss if I were you. So, how much have you actually lost in the last month? Maybe changing your expectation would be more helpful than changing how you're eating.
  • closedhisaccount
    closedhisaccount Posts: 17 Member
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    nancykadolph wrote: »
    Dogmom1978 ... yes I am weighing my portions. I have a hard time finding foods that are high in protein and low in fat and carbs. That's why I depend on the Premiere protein shakes to fill that bill. The peaches and cream flavor is delicious.

    If you like fish, it's hard to beat cod....Protein + 0-1 g of fat!
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
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    My target, which my endocrinologist thought was fine, is 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. I, too am in my 60s and Type II diabetic. Although those are my target, I'm usually under a bit on carbs, under a good deal on protein, and over and equivalent amount on fats. I'm trying to up protein-rich snacks while limiting fats closer to the 30% but I'm nowhere near it.

    Meanwhile, in 3 months I lost about 22 pounds started smallish amounts of exercise and my H1c went from 9 to 6.5 making my endocrinologist happy. She sent me away for 5 months with the recommendation that I continue to be compliant.
  • nancykadolph
    nancykadolph Posts: 41 Member
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    Thanks everyone for your great advice. Of course I'm anxious for my weight to just disappear, but I know at this point it's going to be slow. I was hoping for 2 pounds a week (like I could do when I was younger), but I'm thinking it'll be more like 1 pound a week (maybe). *sigh* That means it'll take about 40 weeks to get to my goal weight. This requires me to be really strict with my eating and I'm not sure I can do that for 40 weeks (especially with the holidays approaching). I guess all I can do is deal with one minute, one hour, one day at a time and try not to get overwhelmed. Thanks again for your support!!

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