X/post from r/loseit back to square 1 and so confused please help!

[catholicseeker]

Hope it's OK to post this here as well, trying to cover all bases

Hi r/loseit

Bit of an intro 31F UK height: 157cm cw 136lbs gw 121lbs work as an mri radiographer/technician (12.5 hour shifts on/off my feet)

On to the crux of it,

Years ago when I was still a student I manage to get down 2 dress sizes to a UK 8, was hovering around the 136/138 mark, working out 5/6 times a week and eating an OK ish vegetarian diet

Now I work full time (see above) get to work out at best 3 times a week at worst once (pretty much always hiit training) I'm back up to 136 & pretty miserable. I now eat meat again and know what I should be eating but the usual weekends/alcohol/stress etc etc

So this morning I weighed myself, took all my measurements & started tracking on mfp again. Worked out tdee for cutting ~ 1267 and macros.

It's now nearly the evening & I'm off to a boot camp class, staring at my mfp and wondering how on earth I can still need to get 44g protein, 79g carbs & 11g of fat with only 541 calories left (if I don't eat back any exercise calories)???

Is it better to get to my macros and over calories or the opposite? I'm so confused =( do you guys literally plan out all the nutrients for each meal so that you can't end up in this situation?

Sorry for the wall of text! Hope someone can make sense of it

 

[zeebird]

@catholicseeker You sound a bit like me - I found macros really overwhelming and found it difficult to figure out exactly what I'm supposed to eat to finish a day.

I found macros really stressful. Some people like the formula of plugging in your food everyday, but honestly, the planning made me stressed, self-destructive and obsessive about foods, weights/portions of food and calories.

I'm the same height as you and almost the same age (30 in a few months), so while I can't tell what your personal circumstances are, I wanted to try and help because I've been there.

PS I'm assuming you put TDEE here but you mean BMR? TDEE is the higher number.

This is what I've been doing recently and it's really helped me balance my views on eating/nutrition:

• Hit your protein goal.
• Carbs and fats are incidental - I try not to over-consume carbs, but I eat them post- and pre-workout, because they're delicious and good for me. Likewise, I don't worry about fats. Avocado, nuts, nut butter are all gravy, as long as I'm not overeating. For carbs, I pick pumpkin, sweet potato, rice, oats and pasta very occasionally.
• Food is fuel - don't cut your calories too low. I've found IIFYM calories/estimates for my height (155cm) woefully low. Like, less than my basal metabolic rate that I need to survive without being in a coma low - sometimes I was given less than 1,000 calories. Being short, we can't eat as much as some, BUT don't eat less than your BMR, trust me.
• Consider going for the long haul - we're short. It's difficult to get speedy weight loss - we're already small. I eat around 1,500-1,600 calories a day (lift 4 days, run 2 5k, 3 hiit a week) and content myself with slow and steady. It's boring, but it stops me from starving, and that makes it sustainable. I'd put yours up to 1,400 and see how you feel.
• Weekends - one cheat meal if you can. It takes discipline but it gets easier. Whether it's an evening at the pub or a pizza on a Friday - whatever. But the next day, get out of weekend mode. Reset. You can still have your bacon sarnie, but just make sure you reset your focus.

Hope this helps - apologies if tracking macros is your one true love, but it sounds like you're finding it difficult.

 

[alid]

@catholicseeker I know it can seem crazy overwhelming all these numbers and acronyms. Honestly unless you are an elite athlete it does not have to be that complicated. At every meal, make sure you are eating lean protein, a bunch of veggies, "smart carbs" and healthy fats.
Here is a really basic infographic that will tell you what to eat and how much.
It takes some planning and grocery shopping but you really don't have to worry about all that tracking and counting.

 

[jeaninmt]

@catholicseeker Calories=macros

So, if you hit your macros, you'll hit your calories. And yes, a lot of people DO plan their meals around hitting their macros as closely as possible. Personally, I find that really frustrating and would rather have a protein goal and stay within calories and let cards and fat fall as they may for my wants and needs of that day.

 

[sparker]

@jeaninmt Agree with this. Try to get my protein, but stay within calories. Carbs and fats fall where they may.

 

[odarbty]

@catholicseeker The way I see it, grossly simplified, is that you need protein to repair/build/maintain muscle mass while you need fat and carbs for energy, so I aim to hit my goals for calories and protein and let the fats/carbs land where they land.

 

[mippop]

@odarbty Especially let the fats fall if they're from "good" sources. I used to agonize about them but then realized I eat shit like salmon, avocado, eggs, etc. I no longer worry about those fat calories thems foods good af.

 

[pianoplayer927]

@catholicseeker Nutrition/dieting hierarchy