What do you do??????

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roxierox1989
roxierox1989 Posts: 16
in Health and Weight Loss
hi I was wondering if everyone follows there exact amounts of fat, protein and carbs......I personally just follow the amount of calories. It wasn't til today when I was looking at the days of food ahead I seem to be over on sodium and protein??? Is it detrimental that you follow all 4 to lose weight????
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  • aa1440
    aa1440 Posts: 956 Member
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    I look at calories, vitamin A and D, Fiber and the last catagory I change from time to time. I work nights so I watch my vitamin D. I guess D and calories are the most important to me.
  • nirvana1
    nirvana1 Posts: 58
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    Hi, personally I do just follow the calories but I do try to take note of the fat content.
  • it_be_asin
    it_be_asin Posts: 562 Member
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    If you are over on protein - the defaults here are pretty low. I'm a vegetarian, eat a diet which could never be construed as low carb high protein, and I go over on protein reasonably easy.

    The sodium is more of a worry though. A lot of sodium comes from processed food. Have you analysed where your sodium comes from and thought of cutting out or down on those foods?
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    Well, it is a intricate web. Most people will only focus on calories which is fine.

    Sodium is what will lead to water retention and water weight. ie. the 1-3 pd change during the day

    Protein doesn't really have any effects, but will help with red blood cells and iron levels. Good to eat while its TOM and you are bleeding to replientish iron. Also will help build muscles in the body.

    Fiber for a woman should not exceed 25mg. Fiber helps with bowel movements and keep you from retaining extra waste in your intestines. So it is always good to aim for 25 mg.

    Vit D & B are used for enegry creation in the body. Also good ones to focus on.

    Hope this helps
  • roxierox1989
    roxierox1989 Posts: 16
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    Yeah I know where's it's from a chicken and bacon sandwich from tesco!!!! Bleeding thing all within calories but over on sodium so I've had a quick look over and changed it to have something else instead :) I keep an eye on fat as well but occasionally I go over on things like vitamin a an protein so this would hinder me to lose weight would it x x
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    Yeah I know where's it's from a chicken and bacon sandwich from tesco!!!! Bleeding thing all within calories but over on sodium so I've had a quick look over and changed it to have something else instead :) I keep an eye on fat as well but occasionally I go over on things like vitamin a an protein so this would hinder me to lose weight would it x x

    Again protein will help build muscles so it might slow down your weight loss only because muscle weighs more then fat, but not enough for you to change your diet. After you lose weight you will want the muscles to form under the skin that is what gives definition behind the skin. ie six pack, love handles, etc... So protein while might slow it down it is definitely very important as statement previously the recommended amount is low on here.

    For your protein intake you can always use a calculated like on : http://www.howmuchprotein.com/daily-protein-intake.php
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    Going over on protein - no problem unless you're way in excess of 150g a day every day. needed for muscle repair and building.
    Vitamins - there are very few vits where an excess is detrimental, an again the amount you're going over would have to be huge, every day.
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
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    I mainly follow calories but I watch my sugar and sodium intake to make sure I don't go over. I almost always go over protein by about 30-50g. I'm vegetarian as well. I hate to go over on sugar and my sodium though. I also don't mind if I go over on fiber.

    Edit: Just to clear some things up, muscle DOES NOT weigh more than fat. It is just more dense so it take less of it to equal a pound. It's like what's heavier? A pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?
  • zenJes
    zenJes Posts: 198 Member
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    Being over on protein is actually a good thing if you are doing lots of exercise because it really helps with muscle developments .. im continually over on protein but i eat very low amounts of fat :D
  • jellerose
    jellerose Posts: 74 Member
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    I adjusted my percentages to reflect my lifestyle change choices. I'm doing a more primal approach so needed higher fat and lower carb. And muscle DOES weigh more than fat ; ). Take a bushel basket filled with each and the muscle will weigh more. Yes, a "pound" of each weighs the same but the volume is different and the same volume of each will have differing weights.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,761 Member
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    Protein doesn't really have any effects,

    I don't quite know what you mean there, but protein comes in 2nd to water in what the body needs.

    Yes protein will build muscle, but it will NOT slow down your weight loss. More lean muscle burns more fat at rest. It also helps in the repair of muscle if you work out alot.

    Protein=VERY IMPORTANT
  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I eat what I want to eat... just within my Calorie budget. I don't pay too much attention to the nutritional info, but then If I see something has 100% of my salt GDS I'd probably avoid it because nothing should have that much salt... and I love salt :tongue:

    It's all about balance... not daily, not even weekly, but just generally ... you wouldn't eat a kilo of cheese every day nor would you eat just bread and nothing else. And it also depends on what kind of exercise you are doing... strength training probably needs more protein than carbs, but I just enjoy life and all it throws at me... just a lot wiser now on portion control :bigsmile:

    This is just my take on things; it doesn't work for everbody.
  • CARNAT22
    CARNAT22 Posts: 764 Member
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    I mainly look at calories but I know most days I am a little over on protein and under on everything else which I can live with!
  • rjaime707
    rjaime707 Posts: 4
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    counting your macros(cho,fats,pro) is crucial in losing weight and building muscle
  • Vhovell
    Vhovell Posts: 286
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    I just keep an eye on my calories and make sure i'm under my fat as much as possible
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    I watch my calories mostly. I use the other values as a guide to fine-tune my diet. At the moment, it seems that I'm not having enough fats so next time I go grocery shopping, I'll buy some nuts!
  • zuchy
    zuchy Posts: 40 Member
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    Nooooo, I never watch all the rest, just the calories (and I've stopped recording them every day now as well...). Really it does boil down to common sense, try to keep everything balanced, make sure you have a good source of healthy protein every day, keep the salt as low as possible, don't be silly with the fat (I stopped using butter, only go with extra virgin olive oil witch I mesure easily), and don't overdo the carbs. Through in some fruit and veggies and Bob's your uncle ;)

    The whole point is to learn and do it by yourself eventually, without having to think of it.
  • splackk
    splackk Posts: 163
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    I keep an eye on calories, carbs, protein, fat, sodium, and calcium content but only look closely at calories, protein and sodium. I have a tendency to go far under protein and calcium if I don't keep an eye on it (though I take additional calcium supplements to boost), and I watch calories and sodium so I can understand my weight fluctuations.
  • Cdcaldwe
    Cdcaldwe Posts: 189 Member
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    I watch calories and fiber. I usually go over on protein everyday. I also take a multi-vitamin to make sure I am getting the nutrients I need.
  • NyxDominique
    NyxDominique Posts: 271 Member
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    Protein doesn't really have any effects,

    I don't quite know what you mean there, but protein comes in 2nd to water in what the body needs.

    Yes protein will build muscle, but it will NOT slow down your weight loss. More lean muscle burns more fat at rest. It also helps in the repair of muscle if you work out alot.

    Protein=VERY IMPORTANT

    I meant Protein doesn't really have any (negative) effects

    Sorry, to be unclear

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