!Help with decision please: Which one should I note down Macros per day, per meal or per each meal ?

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    Macros per Meal (Such as macros of breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks)
    cinalicikler wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    cinalicikler wrote: »
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    For me personally, the only extent to which I even really care about my macros is related to feeling satiated.

    I really only make sure I have the proper amount of calories. Sure, I try to make sure I have fat/carbs/protein in my meal - but I do not care down to the gram/percentage of my daily calories really for those.

    However, I eat two different types of breakfasts on weekends and the one with more protein/fat in it keeps me 'full' for like 2+ additional hours. If being less satiated with a meal would cause one to overeat later in the day (eat in a calorie surplus)....then the macro split matters more. For me, it doesn't lead to me eating more calories in the day, I just change the timing of my meals because I will get hungry earlier than typical.

    Overall, the trend over time is what matters, but if you are a person who wants a certain macro split....doing it by meal will ensure the most accuracy.

    That is actually an interesting approach :open_mouth: I also value the overall trend more but still am a little bit confused regarding to what should I keep track for in the long term and why :sweat_smile: Do you have any reasoning for your emphasis on the macro split and calories? Do you also keep track of your water drinking trends?

    Once you've logged your foods, the calories and macros are there, and you can just look back when you are curious. You could look after every meal and notice how filling or not it was, or check less frequently, for example, if you are struggling, look back and notice you didn't hit your protein goal regularly so make a point of eating more.

    This totally make sense! However I just cannot keep the habbit. Do you have any suggestion on keeping up this regularly?

    If you commit to doing it regularly, and do it, it will become a habit.

    Here's an article on why discipline is so much better than motivation: http://www.wisdomination.com/screw-motivation-what-you-need-is-discipline/

    And one on creating discipline: http://www.wisdomination.com/practical-discipline/

    Note: if a sprinkle of profanity bothers you, you might want to pass on this author.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,615 Member
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    cinalicikler wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    cinalicikler wrote: »
    westrich20940 wrote: »
    For me personally, the only extent to which I even really care about my macros is related to feeling satiated.

    I really only make sure I have the proper amount of calories. Sure, I try to make sure I have fat/carbs/protein in my meal - but I do not care down to the gram/percentage of my daily calories really for those.

    However, I eat two different types of breakfasts on weekends and the one with more protein/fat in it keeps me 'full' for like 2+ additional hours. If being less satiated with a meal would cause one to overeat later in the day (eat in a calorie surplus)....then the macro split matters more. For me, it doesn't lead to me eating more calories in the day, I just change the timing of my meals because I will get hungry earlier than typical.

    Overall, the trend over time is what matters, but if you are a person who wants a certain macro split....doing it by meal will ensure the most accuracy.

    That is actually an interesting approach :open_mouth: I also value the overall trend more but still am a little bit confused regarding to what should I keep track for in the long term and why :sweat_smile: Do you have any reasoning for your emphasis on the macro split and calories? Do you also keep track of your water drinking trends?
    Once you've logged your foods, the calories and macros are there, and you can just look back when you are curious. You could look after every meal and notice how filling or not it was, or check less frequently, for example, if you are struggling, look back and notice you didn't hit your protein goal regularly so make a point of eating more.

    This totally make sense! However I just cannot keep the habbit. Do you have any suggestion on keeping up this regularly?

    You might consider trying to change your mindset from "I just cannot keep the habbit <sic>" to something like "I need to find a way to normalize this habit." What I found is that over time, logging became easier. Like another person pointed out, you can write things down and log later if you're away from your scale. I always carry a pocket notebook and a pen so I can jot anything down. Some people write notes to themselves on their phones; I like pen and paper.

    If you believe that you cannot maintain a habit, you will not maintain the habit. If you believe that you can make it a habit, you're much more likely to.

    That's how you succeed. Ignore that wisdom at your own peril.

  • cinalicikler
    cinalicikler Posts: 30 Member
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    Daily Macros (Or daily avarages such as daily calories, fibers...)
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Posters above me answered this question well. I just want to make sure you know that once the food is logged, so are its calories and macros.

    My biggest problem is finding the foods that I eat in the list. :disappointed: Most of the time, the meals in the restaurants are not available in the list. Moreover, I just cannot go through a list to find each food or try the measure the mass of everything I eat. And I believe when I eat a pasta, there is a huge difference between my plate vs restaurants plate vs my mother's plate... How can even be consistent when keeping track of the food is such difficult? How do you keep track of food or can even find and accurately include the food you eat in you food diaries?

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,674 Member
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    cinalicikler wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Posters above me answered this question well. I just want to make sure you know that once the food is logged, so are its calories and macros.

    My biggest problem is finding the foods that I eat in the list. :disappointed: Most of the time, the meals in the restaurants are not available in the list. Moreover, I just cannot go through a list to find each food or try the measure the mass of everything I eat. And I believe when I eat a pasta, there is a huge difference between my plate vs restaurants plate vs my mother's plate... How can even be consistent when keeping track of the food is such difficult? How do you keep track of food or can even find and accurately include the food you eat in you food diaries?

    Most people find to succeed at losing weight they have to start cooking at home more. If you're eating at restaurants every day, losing weight is going to be a real challenge. You may need to reassess your priorities.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,674 Member
    edited February 2023
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    One more thought. If you're dead set against counting calories, which you seem to be. Calorie counting is just a strategy. There are other strategies you can use like increasing low calorie foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and decreasing higher calorie foods like fatty meats, deserts, pastries, etc. You don't have to count calories to do that, it just helps.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
    edited February 2023
    Options
    Macros per Meal (Such as macros of breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks)
    cinalicikler wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Posters above me answered this question well. I just want to make sure you know that once the food is logged, so are its calories and macros.

    My biggest problem is finding the foods that I eat in the list. :disappointed: Most of the time, the meals in the restaurants are not available in the list. Moreover, I just cannot go through a list to find each food or try the measure the mass of everything I eat. And I believe when I eat a pasta, there is a huge difference between my plate vs restaurants plate vs my mother's plate... How can even be consistent when keeping track of the food is such difficult? How do you keep track of food or can even find and accurately include the food you eat in you food diaries?

    Once you get used to measuring food at your house and your mother's house, estimating how much you eat at a restaurant will be easier. I kept a scale at my mother's so I could weigh foods I ate there. There are numerous advantages to scales, but you could start with measuring cups as a way to start measuring.

    Also, if at a restaurant you eat half, you can bring the other half home and measure it there.

    Please give examples of food you cannot find in the database.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
    edited February 2023
    Options
    Macros per Meal (Such as macros of breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks)
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    One more thought. If you're dead set against counting calories, which you seem to be. Calorie counting is just a strategy. There are other strategies you can use like increasing low calorie foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and decreasing higher calorie foods like fatty meats, deserts, pastries, etc. You don't have to count calories to do that, it just helps.

    Here's a visual that may be helpful:

    f8jar4dv1dmp.png

    (Although I would argue that a 2 oz portion of meat is too small for most people.)

    More information:

    https://www.move.va.gov/docs/NewHandouts/Standard/S06_MakingHealthyFoodChoicesWithAHealthyPlate.pdf
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,615 Member
    Options
    cinalicikler wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Posters above me answered this question well. I just want to make sure you know that once the food is logged, so are its calories and macros.

    My biggest problem is finding the foods that I eat in the list. :disappointed: Most of the time, the meals in the restaurants are not available in the list. Moreover, I just cannot go through a list to find each food or try the measure the mass of everything I eat. And I believe when I eat a pasta, there is a huge difference between my plate vs restaurants plate vs my mother's plate... How can even be consistent when keeping track of the food is such difficult? How do you keep track of food or can even find and accurately include the food you eat in you food diaries?

    The same reason that the MFP database is awesome is the reason it's daunting. It is vast. It also has some things that are just flat out wrong.

    It will take some time at first as you learn how it works and also filtering through the many entries to find the ones that match what YOU are eating. It's an investment of time. It will get easier and simpler. It's an investment that will pay you back with interest.

    Using a food scale is the best way to measure what you are eating. For pasta, you should weigh it before you cook it. One serving is a lot less than what many people think. It would be very easy for me to eat two servings any time I eat pasta. Same with rice. You'll learn. Then, after you get an idea of what that serving looks like AFTER it cooks, you can use your power of estimation when you are away from home. The caveat is that you have to keep doing the weighing at home or your eyeball will go out of calibration.

    Restaurants present their own unique challenges, and they almost always will have more calories than the same dish you make at home. There's a reason they add more oil. Makes people happy. You'll have to make the best choice from the database that you can. Restaurants can be minefields.

    The bottom line is that it's your choice how you manage your diary. However you go about it, be consistent with it, and log everything. Then after several weeks, see if the results you are getting match what you were expecting. If your results are what you expect, you're doing it right. If the results don't match expectations, you'll have to do something different with your diary.

    Yes it takes some time and effort. It takes more at first. It does get easier. It really all depends if you want to make positive changes in your life and how much effort you are willing to invest. Using MFP to monitor what you eat and how much you move is really simple. It is NOT, however, easy.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,940 Member
    edited February 2023
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    I lost most of my weight on MFP eating over 2500 calories per day which for most people here would be a maintenance or weight gain amount. I've been maintaining at around 2900 plus calories a day which for most people here again would be a weight gain amount.

    I still have to make arrangements and work around restaurant meals when I choose to indulge in them.

    Unless I'm eating at my dad's independent living facility where the portions are substantially smaller than a regular restaurant, I have to either cut down the numbers or contents of my other meals or snacks in order to accommodate the minimum 1200 to 2,000 calories that a regular restaurant meal brings to the table.

    Of course if at the restaurant I special order using substitutions such as steam vegetables with no butter, no sauce, non fried foods, reduced pasta or rice substituted with extra vegetables then that meal would probably have the chance to better fit my day.

    You don't have to walk very far to figure out approximate calories for a restaurant meal. Pretty much every food vendor makes Frozen macaroni and cheese or some sort of spaghetti with meat sauce dinner, or even lasagna that are approximately 300-400 calories of minuscule sadness in the frozen meal section of your favorite convenience or grocery store. Not to mention 360 to 500 calorie noodle bowls where you just pour water and wait 3 minutes

    Put ok Google two or three of these on a plate and see if they even come close to the volume of your restaurant meal. And realize that at the restaurant they will add extra oil on top or nicely grated extra cheese on top neither which is zero calories!

    Restaurant meals tend to be tasty and Rich. Reducing calories means either reducing the median caloric content by fluffing it up with lower caloric value items, or reducing portion size, or a combination.

    A combination of higher volume lower calorie choices and fewer restaurant meals certainly worked for me but you will have to figure out your own compromises that will keep you satiated enough and happy enough while lowering your total calories in
  • sbelletti
    sbelletti Posts: 213 Member
    edited February 2023
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    Do you brush your teeth every day? Change clothes every day? Go to work? Do your chores? Eat meals? Those are ALL habits that started with decisions. Over time, the decision becomes less of a conscious choice and simply is "normal routine". The same applies to weighing, counting and logging your food.

    Just like committing to losing weight... Make a commitment to log everything you eat or drink. You'll find that the latter will make the former a lot easier. Good luck!
  • cinalicikler
    cinalicikler Posts: 30 Member
    Options
    Daily Macros (Or daily avarages such as daily calories, fibers...)
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    One more thought. If you're dead set against counting calories, which you seem to be. Calorie counting is just a strategy. There are other strategies you can use like increasing low calorie foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and decreasing higher calorie foods like fatty meats, deserts, pastries, etc. You don't have to count calories to do that, it just helps.

    Here's a visual that may be helpful:

    f8jar4dv1dmp.png

    (Although I would argue that a 2 oz portion of meat is too small for most people.)

    More information:

    https://www.move.va.gov/docs/NewHandouts/Standard/S06_MakingHealthyFoodChoicesWithAHealthyPlate.pdf

    Wow :smiley: Very nice information, thank you!

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