Over on all my macros, but not my calories?

XylitolandSorbitol
XylitolandSorbitol Posts: 6 Member
in Food and Nutrition
You can take a look at my food diary, but today I hit my cap on fat, went over on protein, fiber and carbs, and stayed below on sodium and CALORIES. How can I be over/at ALL my macros? Is there something I am not seeing? This is so confusing to me and I hate seeing red numbers under anything but the protein and fiber, could you please help me?

Replies

  • antipholous
    antipholous Posts: 116
    One: Red numbers on carbs or fat isn't bad either. Your body needs a mixture of all three. Fat doesn't become fat any more than protein or carbs do. Carbs are fine, too, as long as they're not refined carbs like white breads or sugar. Even those are fine occasionally. If you "redline" on any macro occasionally it's no big deal. What matters is that over time you're balanced. Any diet that goes "low carb" or "low fat" isn't that good for you health wise. I'd say the same for "low protein," but I've never heard of such a diet.

    Other than that....not sure. A fat gram is 9 calories, protein and carbs are 4. If they're giving you a total that's higher than that and your macros don't add to that total then it's just being funky. Nothing you're doing is wrong.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
    Its because they round to the nearest gram or half gram on labels.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
    Its because they round to the nearest gram or half gram on labels.

    When you eat at sub 1000 calorie levels it's very easy to go over your macronutrients as you have a tighter spread calories. As others have said as well it's based on the relative caloric value of each gram of a macro nutrient; and yes; labels do round up.

    For example one gram of fat in my fish oil is a 9 calories. I take 4 pills a day which should come out to 36 calories but it is rounded up, so I end up at 40.

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