Calories vs Fat vs Sodium, etc

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leslielightfoot
leslielightfoot Posts: 34 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I`ve always been on diets before that monitor one thing or the other. Ie = i had a lot of success many years ago with WW`s fat and fibre plan. (i think i only was allowed 20 fat grams a day, so no wonder).

With MFP, I have my diary set to tell me how much calories, fat, sugar, sodium, protein etc I`m having per day.
It has me a bit obsessive and confused at times. What is most important. For example: is it okay to be over by a few in fat grams if you are under in calories.

At the moment I`m trying to eat balancing all these things out and lets face it, some days it doesn`t work. My sugar is over often bc I am eating fruits now instead of processed treats. My fat is over sometimes but I am eating healthy fats like cheese, olive oil, avocado, etc.

Should I pay mostly attention to CALORIES and SUGAR *processed sugar, or is it a balancing act that I need to figure out to continue to lose weight.

Replies

  • gurganuss
    gurganuss Posts: 78 Member
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    I try to watch my calories and my carbohydrates. My biggest issue is when I eat too much sodium I can see it on the scale and I can feel it because I cannot get my wrong off my finger because of water.
  • littlelily613
    littlelily613 Posts: 769 Member
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    I don't know what it means for your health if you are consistently over in fat (if anyone knows this, though, I would LOVE to hear it), but I am often over by 10 grams or so in fat, and I still lose weight regularly. I also have a bit of trouble sometimes with my sodium intake, but I still lose.
  • athensguy
    athensguy Posts: 550
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    I watch calories and sodium. I also want protein to be at least 10% of calories and fat to be less than 25%.
  • samcee
    samcee Posts: 307
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    I mainly watch my carbs, calories and fibre. Making sure I don't go over cals and carbs but eating enough fiber. I know what you mean as it does get kind of complicated but if you're eating plenty of fresh veg and meat and staying away from processed food than you can't go wrong.
  • umyron
    umyron Posts: 24 Member
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    I`ve always been on diets before that monitor one thing or the other. Ie = i had a lot of success many years ago with WW`s fat and fibre plan. (i think i only was allowed 20 fat grams a day, so no wonder).

    With MFP, I have my diary set to tell me how much calories, fat, sugar, sodium, protein etc I`m having per day.
    It has me a bit obsessive and confused at times. What is most important. For example: is it okay to be over by a few in fat grams if you are under in calories.

    At the moment I`m trying to eat balancing all these things out and lets face it, some days it doesn`t work. My sugar is over often bc I am eating fruits now instead of processed treats. My fat is over sometimes but I am eating healthy fats like cheese, olive oil, avocado, etc.

    Should I pay mostly attention to CALORIES and SUGAR *processed sugar, or is it a balancing act that I need to figure out to continue to lose weight.

    Basically, at the end of the day, it's all about calories in vs. calories out
    However, to maintain good health, you need to have minimum macros

    Make sure you get at least the following:
    Protein: between 0.6 to 1 gram per pound to support muscle sparing/muscle building, yes, even for girls
    Fat: 0.45 to 1g per pound, to support healthy hormones and health. Fats are EXTREMELY important
    Carbs: The difference

    Whatever doesn't fit into protein and fat, you can fill the rest of your caloric requirements with carbs
  • leslielightfoot
    leslielightfoot Posts: 34 Member
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    thanks for the advice. Much appreciated.

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