Do you guys & gals track Macros?

[OconeeDawg]

I use MyFitnessPal and found out years ago that as long as I hit 200g of protein, 40g of fat, and then make up the rest of my calories with carbs, I feel great. I'm curious—do any of you count calories? I'm currently staying around 1800 calories a day.

6f 262 as of this morning

 

[raw_oyster_eater]

I use MyFitnessPal and found out years ago that as long as I hit 200g of protein, 40g of fat, and then make up the rest of my calories with carbs, I feel great. I'm curious—do any of you count calories? I'm currently staying around 1800 calories a day.

6f 262 as of this morning

yes, 500 calories a day whether i need them or not. actually some days i fast and don't eat anything.

i don't see how anyone can get in 200g protein a day and still lose weight. i can't.

 

[OconeeDawg]

yes, 500 calories a day whether i need them or not. actually some days i fast and don't eat anything.

i don't see how anyone can get in 200g protein a day and still lose weight. i can't.

You should shoot for 1 gram per lb of your goal weight for protein to protect muscle loss. Strength training is important also

 

[Tomes]

Oooh predicting this is going to become the next big thread with lots of strong opinions on all sides.

yes, 500 calories a day whether i need them or not. actually some days i fast and don't eat anything.

i don't see how anyone can get in 200g protein a day and still lose weight. i can't.

You should shoot for 1 gram per lb of your goal weight for protein to protect muscle loss. Strength training is important also

FWIW (1) - you can 100% eat 200 g of protein and lose weight - that's literally only 800 calories. Is it necessary? Most studies show you max out benefits at 0.7-0.8g per pound, and that's if you're trying to maximize muscle gain, which is incongruous with weight loss. It is critical to get sufficient protein to preserve / build muscle, but there is IMO an over-emphasis on protein in our "more is better" American culture. Carbs and fat are important too (unless you have a medical reason to minimize carbs), and too much protein crowds them out, and has diminishing returns.

FWIW (2) - as i've said on other threads, 500 calories is insanely low, obviously you can do as you wish but it is absolutely not necessary to eat that little to lose weight, and obviously completely unsustainable long term.

And to answer the actual question - I loosely track, I aim for 1200-1500 calories when aiming to lose ~0.5-1lb/week, and I aim for 80g of protein minimum. I'm female and already fairly lean, and also active (I won't do my whole spiel as to why I'm using GLP-1s, but the short version is I lost 70 pounds before these existed and am addressing some long-term hunger signaling / hormonal impacts of that weight loss and maintenance). I don't track anything else, except for occasionally i'll put it into MFP to check on vitamin / minerals and decide if I want to change my supplements.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

I use MyFitnessPal and found out years ago that as long as I hit 200g of protein, 40g of fat, and then make up the rest of my calories with carbs, I feel great. I'm curious—do any of you count calories? I'm currently staying around 1800 calories a day.

6f 262 as of this morning

I used to track macros. I used to do Keto so I was super anal about my macros... and it worked amazingly well for me and gave me crazy energy, but after my ovaries got removed and I got thrown into early menopause it wasn't effective anymore and my body really did not like it. Trying Keto this last time did jack shit even though I was doing it healthy (not just surviving on bacon and cheese ) and was one of the factors for me to go the GLP route. Now I mostly just focus on calories and making sure I get enough protein.

 

[MrsRoper_1977]

I use MyFitnessPal and found out years ago that as long as I hit 200g of protein, 40g of fat, and then make up the rest of my calories with carbs, I feel great. I'm curious—do any of you count calories? I'm currently staying around 1800 calories a day.

6f 262 as of this morning

No. I do try to eat high protein, so try to be mindful of it. I avoid sugar and snacking, and with the exception of one morning coffee with cream I don’t drink my calories.

 

[OconeeDawg]

I used to track macros. I used to do Keto so I was super anal about my macros... and it worked amazingly well for me and gave me crazy energy, but after my ovaries got removed and I got thrown into early menopause it wasn't effective anymore and my body really did not like it. Trying Keto this last time did jack shit even though I was doing it healthy (not just surviving on bacon and cheese ) and was one of the factors for me to go the GLP route. Now I mostly just focus on calories and making sure I get enough prot

Oooh predicting this is going to become the next big thread with lots of strong opinions on all sides.




FWIW (1) - you can 100% eat 200 g of protein and lose weight - that's literally only 800 calories. Is it necessary? Most studies show you max out benefits at 0.7-0.8g per pound, and that's if you're trying to maximize muscle gain, which is incongruous with weight loss. It is critical to get sufficient protein to preserve / build muscle, but there is IMO an over-emphasis on protein in our "more is better" American culture. Carbs and fat are important too (unless you have a medical reason to minimize carbs), and too much protein crowds them out, and has diminishing returns.

FWIW (2) - as i've said on other threads, 500 calories is insanely low, obviously you can do as you wish but it is absolutely not necessary to eat that little to lose weight, and obviously completely unsustainable long term.

And to answer the actual question - I loosely track, I aim for 1200-1500 calories when aiming to lose ~0.5-1lb/week, and I aim for 80g of protein minimum. I'm female and already fairly lean, and also active (I won't do my whole spiel as to why I'm using GLP-1s, but the short version is I lost 70 pounds before these existed and am addressing some long-term hunger signaling / hormonal impacts of that weight loss and maintenance). I don't track anything else, except for occasionally i'll put it into MFP to check on vitamin / minerals and decide if I want to change my supplements.

I was an athlete in high school and college. I bounced from .6 to 1 gram per #. 1 always worked. 40 grams of fat or I start getting all emotional. Weird things happen to me with low fat.

 

[Drexeldragon216]

I do. I’ve been using an app called MyFatSecret. I’m sure MFP does the same, but I like that I can scan labels and if something doesn’t come up I can manually enter all the info. More than anything, it helps me track my protein intake to make sure I’m where I need to be. I’m usually in the 1100-1500 calorie range daily.

 

[OconeeDawg]

 

[OconeeDawg]

I didn’t do great today

 

[MingHenry]

My first time tracking ever but I find it very helpful to keep me focused on protein and hydration, and to keep me mindful to eat enough and drink enough. I use Lifesum, was most intuitive for me. I did days of calculations regarding BMI, RMR, body fat, TDEE, and very little of it fit my circumstances so I chose 100 grams of protein, 93 grams of carbs and 26 grams of fat. I get close but rarely reach the full carb or fat grams each day but work at going over the 100 grams of protein and it's the first time in my life I feel like what I eat is working well for my body. I also haven't changed those targets since I started.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

FYI for anyone using MFP, if you switch your location to UK in the app then you can use the barcode scanner without a premium subscription. I switched though, because I got tired of the ads and it wasn't worth a $20 monthly sub to me. Switched to MyNetDiary and really liking it so far.

 

[OconeeDawg]

My first time tracking ever but I find it very helpful to keep me focused on protein and hydration, and to keep me mindful to eat enough and drink enough. I use Lifesum, was most intuitive for me. I did days of calculations regarding BMI, RMR, body fat, TDEE, and very little of it fit my circumstances so I chose 100 grams of protein, 93 grams of carbs and 26 grams of fat. I get close but rarely reach the full carb or fat grams each day but work at going over the 100 grams of protein and it's the first time in my life I feel like what I eat is working well for my body. I also haven't changed those targets since I started.

I use to not have to count calories. I just stayed at a reasonable weight. Not sure what happened, but my full button stopped working! Semaglutide seems to have turned it back on

 

[MingHenry]

I use to not have to count calories. I just stayed at a reasonable weight. Not sure what happened, but my full button stopped working! Semaglutide seems to have turned it back on

So glad it's working for you and that is funny (upsetting too, of course) about your full button ceasing to work!

 

[PopTart]

I use Lose it! as it helps me to maintain focus on my target, and as Ming stated, ensures that I meet my hydration goals. I eat 1200 - 1500 calories and shoot for 165g protein based on 200lb goal weight. I’m a 6’-4” male starting my 7th decade.

I use calorie and macro guidelines from studies as a starting place and then adjust from there to determine what works best for me. As I remedy and optimize my internal processes, my food goals will adjust.

 

[MingHenry]

I use Lose it! as it helps me to maintain focus on my target, and as Ming stated, ensures that I meet my hydration goals. I eat 1200 - 1500 calories and shoot for 165g protein based on 200lb goal weight. I’m a 6’-4” male starting my 7th decade.

I use calorie and macro guidelines from studies as a starting place and then adjust from there to determine what works best for me. As I remedy and optimize my internal processes, my food goals will adjust.

Congrats on entering your 7th decade on this healthy journey! And very impressive - shooting for 175 grams of protein at 1200-1500 calories!

 

[nurseratchit]

I use MyFitnessPal and found out years ago that as long as I hit 200g of protein, 40g of fat, and then make up the rest of my calories with carbs, I feel great. I'm curious—do any of you count calories? I'm currently staying around 1800 calories a day.

6f 262 as of this morning

I’ve counted macros for years. The main macro I care about now is hitting protein target with a minimum goal of 100g/day. Averaging about 1200 cal/day.

 

[zpped]

I was a little under today.

 

[mostlydamp]

I track macros and calories usually but mainly to make sure I stay healthy, not worried as much about muscle mass. As a long time weight lifter it doesn't seem like my body loses strength or muscle with a couple of days of low protein, it's more if it becomes chronic. The danger for me is getting hung up on eating enough protein and then eating too much as a result.

 

[fetefille]

This is the first time I’ve tracked macros, and I haven’t really gotten into the swing of it yet. I’m using the app that came with my Lumen device. The app lets you decide if you want to track macros or grams. I’ve done grams, thought I’d try something fresh.