Macro percentages

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(David) #1

Hi,

I’m using MyFitnessPal to measure my consumption, and I’m finding myself pretty rigorous at entering information, due to the fantastic amount of nutritional information already in there. They even have information for the breakfast barms I have been eating from Greggs, and the soups on the Greenhalgh’s butty van at lunchtime.

I’ve put the following percentages in, entered as percentages, rounded to the nearest 5%:-
Carbs 5% (27g)
Protein 20% (108g)
Fat 75% (180g)

I calculated the protein by taking a guess on the Lean Body Mass based on posts I saw about DEXA scans (which look to cost about £139-159 in the UK).

How do those percentages (and amounts in g) look?

I have a BMI of 35.6 according to the NHS website, and am between 36 and 58.8 Kg (80-129 lbs) overweight. I wouldn’t mind losing some of that.

(Jeff Ryan) #2

The macro ratio looks good. Just make sure you keep your carbs below 30g and your protein .8 of your lean mass.

#3

Hiya

I would be surprised if either of these are keto-friendly TBH.

Macros look reasonable. It is annoying that you have to do it this way on MFP rather than simply putting in the grams you want - I had the same problem.

Focus on keeping the carbs as low as you can. I would say 30g total max - try and get it at 20g or less. Get adequate protein and then eat fat to stop hunger. You do not need to eat a certain amount of fat and definitely don’t force it.

Good luck and keep on the forum, asking questions.

(Jeff Ryan) #4

Actually I remember I had the same problem. With the calories I consume I get over 30g of carbs due to the percentage ratio but keep around 20g anyway. So everytime i post my Marcos I need to erase the carbs and put what I consume.

(David) #5

Thanks. Why .8? When Carl & Richard say 1 - 1.5

(Jeff Ryan) #6

When you start keto you keep your protein .8 then once you reach ketosis you can up it to 1.5 from what I learnt but if Carl said you can go 1.5 go ahead :slight_smile:

#7

A range of 0.8-1.5 is fine for the average person, more if you are really into weight training. Don’t worry too much to start with, you can adjust to suit when you are adapted.

(David) #8

Hi. They are most certainly not Keto friendly, but I wanted to enter the stuff I was eating before making any changes just as a comparison.

Entering the number of grams is a premium feature so right now I’m happy to enter as rounded percentages.

#9

Ah I see. That should be a great contrasting comparison then!

Yeah, you can get near enough with the free version. even if it says 30, you can keep to 20 or whatever. I like the way it freaks out when you go over calories and tells you you gonna die! I rarely track because it is too much agg but I used to like winding it up and make it go red!

#10

My personal opinion is to not worry so much about protein or fat and just keep your carbs low, around 20 grams net carbs. That’s really the most crucial thing especially when starting out.

I got a DEXA after several months of keto and found out my lean body mass was way higher than I had been estimating. So all the macro calculating I had attempted had been wrong. Unless you really know your LBM, I think it’s good to just tune into what your body wants with the protein and fat.

#11

Another super fit person then?

#12

I’m not super fit at all, but I am leaner than I thought I was pre-DEXA.

(Larry Lustig) #13

My opinion?

Screw the “percentage” macros. They’re meaningless because what’s important is keeping the amount, not the percent, of carbohydrates low enough to require your body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates for fuel. Going by percentages all you have to do is eat more food to the point where the amount of carbohydrates is enough to kick you out of ketosis.

Similarly, going by percentage you can under or over eat protein. That should also be based on an absolute amount calculated from your lean body mass.

And for fat, around these parts it’s generally felt that should be eaten to satiety and therefore neither the absolute nor percentage values will be consistent across individuals, or even for a given individual over time.

So, the way we tend to think about macros is:

  1. Minimal carbohydrates (generally under 20 grams).
  2. Protein according to lean body mass (all kinds of fomulae and disagreement about how to calculate this, but generally in the 60 to 120 grams range).
  3. Enough fat to avoid hunger.
(Larry Lustig) #14

I wonder if LBM calculations should be done differently pre-keto and post-keto. Many people experience loss of body fat with little or no loss of weight at the outset. That implies an increase in lean body mass. If the standard, published methods of LBM calculation were developed for carbohydrate burners they might possibly not apply to fat burners.

#15

I have seen a few people say they are the other way though - i.e. less lean than LBM calculator - so…? There seems to be a correlation with exercise level funnily enough!

(David) #16

Thanks @larry I wasn’t so much worrying about following the percentages as such but MFP only let me enter as percentages, and I was wondering if 70% fat was high/low.

Thanks for your reply though it all adds to the knowledge bank.

Cheers.

#17

Trouble is, you have to use them to get the grams in the free version of MFP so you have to make do with the closest by %.

(Michelle) #18

I use LoseIt to track my carbs. Does anyone use that? I think it’s pretty easy, and it’s cheap for the premium version (around $40). I think you should keep carbs to 20g or less, at least in the beginning.

(Michelle) #19

@larry - I really don’t understand how you can gain lean body mass. This really stumps me. I would love to see the science behind it. I know I heard a 2KD podcast that this happens, but when you look at the science of actually building muscle, it takes a lot to build lean mass. I just don’t understand it.

Also, I have had a Dexa scan and I LOVED it!!! Tells you so much about your body. But, my doc says that it’s pure radiation, and to not just run out all the time and get one to tell you your body fat numbers. Not worth the radiation risk.

(Celeste Le Tard) #20

Thank you for the interesting information!!!