Newbie

Hi! I feel this, I am also tired of being tired! Feel free to add me as a friend if you want to keep each other accountable! Best advice I've gotten that's been working for me is focusing on more whole foods. By doing so you'll automatically reduce intake of a lot of processed crap ingredients that we just don't need as well as added sugars. It can make a big dent in your caloric intake/macro count!

Humans are adaptive omnivores, so you don't need to perfect everything instantly, especially if you haven't been formally diagnosed with some deficiency or nutrition-relevant health condition. Also, you don't (ever) have to hit macro/micro goals exactly: Pretty close on average over a small number of days is fine.

If weight loss is among your more important goals, focus on calories first. Figure out how to stay full and happy most of the time at a sensibly moderate calorie deficit. Yeah, eating more so-called "whole foods" is more filling for most people. Beyond that, different things are filling for different people, so pay attention to which days you feel more full or hungry, notice patterns in eating that may contribute to that (or changes in sleep, stress, etc., since those influence appetite). Experiment with your theories about what keeps you mostly full, and dial in reasonable satiation at your reduced calories.

In general, think in terms of solving nutrition "problems" via changes in routine habits, more than by daily obsessive attention to each individual thing. The majority of our days will determine the majority of our results, not that one rare day when we eat too much cake or work out for 5 hours.

The MFP default macros aren't a terrible place to start, honestly. Log your food, notice how you're doing in those terms. If persistently low on protein, work on that first. This may help:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10247171/carbs-and-fats-are-cheap-heres-a-guide-to-getting-your-proteins-worth-fiber-also

I'd go with fats as 2nd most important. Both protein and fats are "essential nutrients" in that our bodies can't make some of their essential subcomponents out of any other intake, so we have to eat some. (More people get enough fat without working at it, which is why I put that second in priority.) Again, look at routine, repeatable patterns in your eating - your habits - and make the changes via habits, not daily twiddling.

Carbs aren't an essential nutrient in that same sense: Our bodies can manufacture carb-equivalents out of other food intake if necessary. If you find that carbs spike your appetite, eat fewer carbs. If you find that too-low carbs tank your energy level, eat more carbs. (Going back to paragraph 2, the whole foods thing, focus on getting carbs from fruit, veggies, whole grains, no-sugar-added dairy foods, vs. baked goods or candy. It's not that you can never eat baked goods or candy, rather that I'm talking about what's at the core of your routine daily eating. A cookie now and then won't kill you, unless you can't moderate cookies. .)

When it comes to micronutrients and fiber, I find that if I make it a point to get lots (LOTS!) of varied, colorful veggies and fruit, my micros and fiber fall into place quite nicely without detailed attention. YMMV.

Overthinking this stuff can be a trap. Common sense applies. Don't let the blogosphere sell you on silly stuff, especially things that tell you that you need someone's high cost special eating program or supplements in order to thrive. It's not true.

Personally, I did this in order to lose weight at age 59-60 (and maintain a healthy weight for about 8 years since, after 30 years before that of overweight/obesity):

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

It's a "gradually remodel your eating" kind of approach. It won't be perfect for everyone - no one thing is - but it's an option to consider. You can modify some of the details as you learn more about nutrition.

Don't feel that you need to fix everything all at once, or fail. Weight management and nutrition aren't like a magic spell in which every syllable needs to be perfect, or mayhem results. "Pretty good on average" works fine.

Best wishes!

Hi,
I feel what works for me is to be observant of counting everything I eat. I mean every calorie. Sometimes I get discouraged and think eh it was just some Ritz crackers etc but now I count everything. that seems to help me. Also walking an hour a day = gives me 200 calories. Biking an hour gives me 400 calories. I always hated math but this is really just that. This is working so far for me, lost 20 need another 20 to reach my goal.
Ed