# How important are macronutrients for weight loss?



## bank5 (May 7, 2008)

I'd like to lose 5-10 lbs and have been eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing high calorie food like peanut butter, nuts and hummus. I'm tracking what I'm eating on myfitnesspal and it recommends 50% carbs, 30% fats, 20% protein. My family doesn't eat a lot of meat and I'm usually a bit high in carbs and low in the other two. For example, I had oatmeal with a banana today which is 80%, 10%, 10%. I'd love to add some peanut butter to it, but that jacks up the calories quite a bit.

Anyway, just curious how important is lowing carbs and getting enough protein if I want to lose weight or does it make a difference as long as I'm keeping my calories down?


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

My strategy sticks to the traditional; reduce calories and ensure I get enough protein to forestall loss of muscle mass. 8-10 gm/kg/day is good for athletic types (more if you're older like me), and you might not be getting that much if you're restricting your caloric intake. Carbs are important fuel for endurance exercise, so I need enough before and during exercise to not limit performance. Fat intake is what I feel I can safely reduce. Of course there are a lot of other nutrients beyond the big three that I try to remain cognizant of on calorie restricted diet.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

As long as I can be done eating by about 6:30 at night, I keep the weight off, almost regardless of how I mix carbs/fats/protein. There's a limit. I can't keep weight off if I eat carrot cake all day long, but other than that, it seems to work.


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## Black Squirrel (Oct 13, 2016)

It does not matter one bit WHEN you eat. Some people eat for a few hours a day, some people eat all day. Do whatever works for you, your body really doesn't care.

If you want to lose weight, eat less calories than you burn.

Personally, my macro goals are:

1 gram of protein per pound of body weight as a minimum (most people say you can get away with less).
200 grams of carbs maximum (no refined sugars or white grains, this goes up on ride days)
Whatever is left for calories in fat

More importantly, I avoid ALL soy, anything high in phytoestrogens, and anything high in omega 6's.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Black Squirrel said:


> It does not matter one bit WHEN you eat. Some people eat for a few hours a day, some people eat all day. Do whatever works for you, your body really doesn't care.
> 
> If you want to lose weight, eat less calories than you burn.
> 
> ...


It matters. Eat pancakes for breakfast. Then eat them 10 minutes before you go to bed. To say that it only boils down to calories in and out is to show a complete lack of understanding of the hormonal system, T3/4 and the side lobe on the Krebs cycle that drives, among other things, body temperature and general metabolism.


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## Black Squirrel (Oct 13, 2016)

MSU Alum said:


> It matters. Eat pancakes for breakfast. Then eat them 10 minutes before you go to bed. To say that it only boils down to calories in and out is to show a complete lack of understanding of the hormonal system, T3/4 and the side lobe on the Krebs cycle that drives, among other things, body temperature and general metabolism.


There's a million arguments for both sides, and everything in between.

Bottom line is the best diet is the one you can stick with, and if you want pancakes at night to keep you on track, eat pancakes at night.

If night time calories aren't used as efficiently as day time calories, eat one less pancake and night than you would have in the morning.


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## HerrKaLeu (Aug 18, 2017)

bank5 said:


> I'd like to lose 5-10 lbs and have been eating more fruits and vegetables and reducing high calorie food like peanut butter, nuts and hummus. I'm tracking what I'm eating on myfitnesspal and it recommends 50% carbs, 30% fats, 20% protein. My family doesn't eat a lot of meat and I'm usually a bit high in carbs and low in the other two. For example, I had oatmeal with a banana today which is 80%, 10%, 10%. I'd love to add some peanut butter to it, but that jacks up the calories quite a bit.
> 
> Anyway, just curious how important is lowing carbs and getting enough protein if I want to lose weight or does it make a difference as long as I'm keeping my calories down?


Err on the lower carbs. the body needs essential amino acids (proteins) and some essential fats that it cannot synthesize. But the body can synthesize glucose from fat and protein. So better to have more of fat and protein since that can turn into carbs if needed.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

MSU Alum said:


> To say that it only boils down to calories in and out is to show a complete lack of understanding of the hormonal system...


It still only boils down to calories in and out. The metabolism, hormonal system, etc are all factors on calories out side of the equation. They affect and change the rate of calorie consumption, increasing or decreasing the rate of calories out, but it's still calories out that matter. By adjusting your eating habits to beneficially affect metabolism, you aren't altering the basic equation, just increasing the rate of calories out.



HerrKaLeun said:


> Err on the lower carbs. the body needs essential amino acids (proteins) and some essential fats that it cannot synthesize. But the body can synthesize glucose from fat and protein. So better to have more of fat and protein since that can turn into carbs if needed.


It depends on your goals; just lose weight or lose weight while training and gaining fitness. Yep, you still need essential fats, but the caloric amount is small. IMO, you need carbs to have the energy to train productively.


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## Black Squirrel (Oct 13, 2016)

Lone Rager said:


> It still only boils down to calories in and out. The metabolism, hormonal system, etc are all factors on calories out side of the equation. They affect and change the rate of calorie consumption, increasing or decreasing the rate of calories out, but it's still calories out that matter. By adjusting your eating habits to beneficially affect metabolism, you aren't altering the basic equation, just increasing the rate of calories out.
> 
> It depends on your goals; just lose weight or lose weight while training and gaining fitness. Yep, you still need essential fats, but the caloric amount is small. IMO, you need carbs to have the energy to train productively.


I agree. The term "carbs" is thrown around too much, and I think this quote from https://www.verywellfit.com/carbohydrates-2242004#high-and-low-quality-carbohydrates sums it up nicely:



> *High- and Low-Quality Carbohydrates*
> Carbohydrates occur naturally in many plants and these foods also provide a variety of nutrients that contribute to your overall health. These are considered high-quality carbs and include those from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes.
> 
> Low-quality carbs, on the other hand, are often found in processed foods. These often include added sugar, fat, sodium, and preservatives to improve taste or shelf life. Though they may be artificially fortified with vitamins and minerals, these foods often lack the nutrients available in whole foods. Foods like white bread, sweetened beverages and cereals, baked goods, and processed potato products fall into this category.
> ...


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## kubikeman (Jun 4, 2010)

A big mistake, in my opinion, is worrying about nutrients on a meal-by-meal level. You don't need a perfect 50-30-20 split on every meal. Eat your oatmeal and banana for breakfast, then have a no carb lunch like grilled chicken, broccoli and a handful of nuts, or something. Your body doesn't need the perfect blend every meal, or even every day. It's pretty good at pulling what it needs, when it needs it.

Try looking at your overall meal plan at a broader scale, as in daily and weekly. Pick a day of the week and check in with yourself. See how your diet is going, and make any changes for the following week.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

^^^ Oatmeal and a banana is my go-to breakfast any day I'm riding or working out.


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## Black Squirrel (Oct 13, 2016)

Every morning here.

2 servings of steel cut oats
2 bananas
2 eggs
cocoa powder


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