MACROS %

Choosing the macros is highly personal. One person may want to cut out carbs completely; a bodybuilder looking to gain muscle is likely to have more protein than a sedentary office worker.

The main reason to adjust macros is for how well it helps you stick to your calorie budget. CALORIES will determine weight loss; MACROS will determine how easy it is to stick to your calories. If you feel full after a meal, you're less likely to snack before the next meal. For some people, high protein makes them feel full; others prefer more fat; still others prefer more carbs. So how do you choose which is right for YOU?

Unless you have a particular reason to change things, it may be simplest to stick with the default MFP settings to begin. Monitor how well you are able to stick to the daily calories, if you feel hungry all the time or feel full after a meal. After about a month, take a look at what worked well and what didn't. If you're always hungry on Monday but less so on Sunday, ask yourself why. Might be from being more active, maybe from lack of sleep, or may be from different types of food being eaten. If you feel more full after a high-protein meal, maybe for you protein will be the key toward successfully controlling your appetite and should be raised SLIGHTLY (increase by 5-10% at a time, then spend another month to reassess).

nossmf wrote: »

Choosing the macros is highly personal. One person may want to cut out carbs completely; a bodybuilder looking to gain muscle is likely to have more protein than a sedentary office worker.

The main reason to adjust macros is for how well it helps you stick to your calorie budget. CALORIES will determine weight loss; MACROS will determine how easy it is to stick to your calories. If you feel full after a meal, you're less likely to snack before the next meal. For some people, high protein makes them feel full; others prefer more fat; still others prefer more carbs. So how do you choose which is right for YOU?

Unless you have a particular reason to change things, it may be simplest to stick with the default MFP settings to begin. Monitor how well you are able to stick to the daily calories, if you feel hungry all the time or feel full after a meal. After about a month, take a look at what worked well and what didn't. If you're always hungry on Monday but less so on Sunday, ask yourself why. Might be from being more active, maybe from lack of sleep, or may be from different types of food being eaten. If you feel more full after a high-protein meal, maybe for you protein will be the key toward successfully controlling your appetite and should be raised SLIGHTLY (increase by 5-10% at a time, then spend another month to reassess).

Since you're female, and the posters who responded are male, I'm just chiming in to say I'm female and agree with both, and the above is essentially what I would have said.

I'll just add that keto and vegan have very different macros, yet both work well for some people. Personally, I prefer closer to the default MFP macros.