[Cwhit0012]

Ok.....I'm very interested in switching to counting my macros, but I have a ton of questions! I've counted calories for about 3 years; off and on for the last year or so. I'm ready for a change and I'm stuck as far as weight loss goes. This method looks very interesting to me and I'd like to talk to some real people about it who will talk with me and answer my questions as I learn. Maybe even someone like me who is on a weight loss journey and following IIFYM and wants to be a buddy of sorts.

I put in my info on a calculator and these are the numbers it suggested for aggressive weight loss..... Carbs: 212 Protein: 142 Fat: 64 and Fiber: 50-63.

[Cwhit0012]

Nobody counting macros??

[atmos]

I try to count macros, but I put calories first. So right now I'm counting calories and trying to fit into my macros but not sweating it.

I don't have much to lose so I'm much more focused on losing purely fat and retaining as much muscle as possible. My current plan is to lift heavy twice a week as a combination of retaining my muscle mass while in a deficit and as cross-training to my dance training.

I set my macros using the following MyFitnessPal post as a guideline:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en...xypants#latest

...which in turn linked to this post:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055

So I estimated my lean body mass at around 95 lbs and set my macros at roughly 100 grams protein, 53 grams fat, and the rest carbs to get up to 1600 calories, which I think is about my TDEE-15%. I'll likely reduce my deficit once I lose the first ten pounds.

I have no problem eating fats (all the cheese! all the dairy! all the nuts!) but I struggle to hit my protein goal, which is a bit aggressive due to my muscle retention desires. Right now I'm getting about 65 grams a day and working on more protein-rich foods to add into my diet as protein powder scares me. I also track sodium out of curiosity and calcium to help out my woman bones.

So, to summarize, I do watch my macros but rely mostly on calories. So this sounds a bit different than you're trying to do, but I decided to pop in and say no, you're not the only one watching macros!

[atmos]

Cwhit - Forgot to ask, but which calculator did you use? The one on the IIFYM site?

[Cwhit0012]

Atmos, yes I used the calculator from the iifym site, but I'm going by the my fitness pal calculation since it's easier for tracking purposes. They are close enough.

Like I said, I'm starting March 1 with it and will weigh, takes photos, measure and then see what happens during that month. I'm excited!

[qtkitty]

Are you still using iifym?

[Firecracker777]

I just started researching this. Interested to see if it works for everyone

[actuallylindsay]

I was always just a straight calorie counter, but I wasn't seeing any real results. I still keep my calories under my goal, but I focus way more on my macros. I try for a 33/33/33-ish split. I was working out every day and counting calories for 2 months and didn't lose a single pound. As soon as I switched to IIFYM, I lost 12 pounds within the first month. I'd recommend trying it, to see if it works for you. I have heard that calories determine what you weigh, and macros determine how you look. Not necessarily true for me, but the macro counting has been game changing for me!