[Esmeralda]

I have a question. Suppose I wanted to use the guidelines of nutrient %'s. Let's say I need to eat 1,500 a day without exercise to lose weight. Of that....

15% of fat = 25g
40% carbs = 150g
45% Protein = 168g

Of course though I will be getting some days of exercise. And then I eat back my calories so I can net 1,500 net and be sure I'm not undereating. So if I burn off 300 cals through a work out, I need to eat 300 more. Which brings my total intake to 1,800. My new grams keeping the same percentages are:

15% of fat = 30g
40% carbs = 180g
45% Protein = 202g

My question is... is this new amount of grams of each really equivalent to what it would have been if I didn't exercise? And when eating more, naturally the intake of nutrients increases... do I stay with the 25g of fat and just increase my protein and carbs after a work out? Or increase everything?

I hope I wasn't confusing. lol

[Esmeralda]

Anybody?

[nelie]

Why do you need to increase your calories if you exercise? I also wouldn't stress too much in regards to getting to getting a certain amount in each macronutrient category or trying to be 'perfect' in that regard.

[JulieJ08]

I don't think you need to make it that complicated. But I wasn't really commenting before because I don't eat that much protein or that little fat, so it's not really in my realm of experience. But I think whatever your plan, you're just shooting for the big picture with macros. I didn't really understand your question of "My question is... is this new amount of grams of each really equivalent to what it would have been if I didn't exercise?"

[Esmeralda]

Originally Posted by nelie

Why do you need to increase your calories if you exercise?

So that I can be at a safe net of calories so I'm not undereating. Like I burn about 1,750 on an average day without exercise. So to lose 1/2 pound a week I need to eat 1,500. If I workout and burn 300 extra calories, that's 2,050.. and if I still only eat 1,500 that's netting me at 500.. which isn't safe. And I've realized that not eating my calories back from workouts has screwed me over and made the progress come to a halt.

[Esmeralda]

Originally Posted by JulieJ08

I don't think you need to make it that complicated. But I wasn't really commenting before because I don't eat that much protein or that little fat, so it's not really in my realm of experience. But I think whatever your plan, you're just shooting for the big picture with macros. I didn't really understand your question of "My question is... is this new amount of grams of each really equivalent to what it would have been if I didn't exercise?"

I can't find a proper way to word it. lol After vacuuming out my brain, maybe I should phrase it like this: Which nutrients should I increase on days that my calorie intake is higher? Should I keep my 15-40-45, or only increase carbs & protein / fat & protein, etc..?

[nelie]

Originally Posted by Esmeralda

I can't find a proper way to word it. lol After vacuuming out my brain, maybe I should phrase it like this: Which nutrients should I increase on days that my calorie intake is higher? Should I keep my 15-40-45, or only increase carbs & protein / fat & protein, etc..?

I don't think there is a good answer for this as it would really depend on what your goal is. I know I try to keep my fat low and get a decent amount of protein but if I look at one day versus another, the percentages aren't exactly the same.

[midwife]

Hmmm.....I might not really understand what you are asking but I'll give it a shot.

I don't eat back my exercise calories per se. I exercise and I eat what I eat, in general.

The exceptions to that are if I go for a long run (> 7 miles) I might have a carb serving before I go and I always have a protein shake after I lift weights. So if you are going to alter your macros based on your exercise, it might depend on what exercise you do.