(What) do macros matter?

[badcat]

I see discussion both here and elsewhere about the 'right' / 'best' combination of macros. Personally, Ive never been that fussed about them ( maybe Im just a lazy ****** but theyve never seemed worth all the angst) although I do have overall nutritional aims.
At the moment my aims have been to bring fasting sugars down a bit and to lose a bit of weight to aid that endeavor. I have set 800 -900 cals and under 50g carbs as my parameters for 8 weeks and have been using that for 5 weeks. I have been using a mix of shakes and normal food every day depending what I fancy and thought it might be intersting to do a report on MFP to see what the macro breakdown has been. Over the 5 weeks, I have lost 9llb and fasting bms have dropped. According to the BS tracker I use, my projected hba1c has gone from 46.3 to 42.5
Breakdown by % week by week has been
Fat - 64%, 68%, 52%, 79% 46%
Carbs - 16%, 12%, 22%, 7%, 23%
Protein - 20%, 20%, 26%,14% 31%
Theres not been a great deal of variation in how Ive felt over the weeks or in the pattern of results, although I absolutely know from previous experience, that several weeks of weeks 2 and 4 would cause me to feel pretty unwell
So to answer my own question do macros matter?- to an extent yes but optimal ranges can be quite wide and the exact figures matter a lot less than we sometimes think

 

[Freema]

it matters a lot if one wants to control diabetes type 2 without medications (and avoid ending up on them)... then the macros are essential especially to be low enough in carbs , but also the amount of proteins can matter a lot if eaten in excess

 

[badcat]

Obviously (imo) reducing carbs is essential, however the search for exact % figures is ( again imo) fatally flawed. Each of use will have a range for each macro and the balance between them, that gives good control

 

[serenity648]

Obviously (imo) reducing carbs is essential, however the search for exact % figures is ( again imo) fatally flawed. Each of use will have a range for each macro and the balance between them, that gives good control

and that is the answer to your question.

Individually tailored macros matter for people to manage their diabetes. The levels are the difference between lowering blood sugars or not. Keeping within ones personal macro levels is essential to treat our diabetes, with or without additional medication. Food intake is part of the equation. An important part.

I am not sure if the question you have asked is the question you want an answer to?

 

[lovinglife]

I've never really bothered as long as I'm eating low enough carbs to control my blood sugar and then eating a good variety of fresh unprocessed food within my calorie allowance (yes I have to calorie count too!) and I'm enjoying what I'm eating then I think I'm probably ok

 

[badcat]

I've never really bothered as long as I'm eating low enough carbs to control my blood sugar and then eating a good variety of fresh unprocessed food within my calorie allowance (yes I have to calorie count too!) and I'm enjoying what I'm eating then I think I'm probably ok

Exactly!
My post was partly in response the the opposite type of comments I see ont the site from people either telling newbies that they are need to follow a certain pattern of macros ( keto, LCHF among others) and then telling them they are "not doing it right" when it doesnt work for that individual - there can be far too much dogma

 

[serenity648]

Exactly!
My post was partly in response the the opposite type of comments I see ont the site from people either telling newbies they are need to follow a certain pattern of macros ( keto, LCHF among others) and then telling them they are "not doing it right" when it doesnt work.

In my opinion, if you see posters doing this, you should report them. Such posting goes against the ethos of the initial recommendations by @daisy1 and the general tone of the forum.

I see people who post their own experiences and name the diets they used or methods they use. I see posters recommending to newbies to get a meter and test to find their own levels and what works for them, both the type and quantity of foods.

 

[Kristin251]

For me macros make a huge difference. I'm 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carbs ( if even that many).
Obviously a reduction in carbs should result in a reduction in glucose but everyone's individual GOALS as to what an exceptable range is. My GOAL could,perhaps be less than others even though all might be in exceptable ranges.
So I eat my macros to keep me in my desired range. More carbs or protein will take me out of them. The bonus is my macros are what I gravitate to for saiety and energy. When I've tried to change them I just wind up tired and hungry. Carbs create cravings ( even lc veggies), too much protein and I'm unbalanced and hungry. Fat is my hero

 

[badcat]

In my opinion, if you see posters doing this, you should report them. Such posting goes against the ethos of the initial recommendations by @daisy1 and the general tone of the forum.

I see people who post their own experiences and name the diets they used or methods they use. I see posters recommending to newbies to get a meter and test to find their own levels and what works for them, both the type and quantity of foods.

The most recent one was 2 days ago where someone asking for advise re low carb because keto wasnt working for them, was told by 2 posters that if keto wasnt working it was probably because she was "doing it wrong"

 

[Bluetit1802]

I have never percentaged my macros. I counted carbs, ate as much protein as I wanted, and filled up on fats. I have never been a believer in cutting protein. It is essential to every cell in our bodies for repair, building and maintenance, especially as we grow older. As long as my kidney functions are good all is well. Low carb is essential, we all know that. We need to be careful we consume all the vitamins and minerals - and that is important. I could not be bothered with percentages. It has worked for me. Hells Bells, we need to live our lives and not let diabetes take over our lives.

 

[serenity648]

The most recent one was 2 days ago where someone asking for advise re low carb because keto wasnt working for them, was told by 2 posters that if keto wasnt working it was probably because she was "doing it wrong"

She may have been misunderstanding the keto bit, there are some very experienced keto users on here. But if she was actually told she was "doing it wrong", rather than being told she may have misunderstood bits, then I still say you should report such comments. The mods need to know of this, but they cant know unless the report button is used, and the reason for reporting is given. This forum is all about encouragement, not criticism, isnt it.

 

[Daphne917]

I've never really bothered as long as I'm eating low enough carbs to control my blood sugar and then eating a good variety of fresh unprocessed food within my calorie allowance (yes I have to calorie count too!) and I'm enjoying what I'm eating then I think I'm probably ok

I'm the same - I don't even know exactly how many carbs I eat per day (probably between 80 to 150g) so wouldn't gave a clue as to the macros however I know what works for me re both weight loss and control of blood sugar

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

On a 800-900 calories a day diet, macros probably don't matter much. But they probably do matter when eating a normal amount of calories, at least for type 2 diabetics.

 

[badcat]

She may have been misunderstanding the keto bit, there are some very experienced keto users on here. But if she was actually told she was "doing it wrong", rather than being told she may have misunderstood bits, then I still say you should report such comments. The mods need to know of this, but they cant know unless the report button is used, and the reason for reporting is given. This forum is all about encouragement, not criticism, isnt it.

Poster 1) A ketogenic diet is where the body burns fat to produce ketones instead of using glucose. If you are gaining weigh then you are not doing it properly.
Poster 2) As ***** said your probably not doing it right.
We are all adults on here and it is beholding on all of use to choose our words carefully, not for the forum to rely on people making reports

 

[Kristin251]

She may have been misunderstanding the keto bit, there are some very experienced keto users on here. But if she was actually told she was "doing it wrong", rather than being told she may have misunderstood bits, then I still say you should report such comments. The mods need to know of this, but they cant know unless the report button is used, and the reason for reporting is given. This forum is all about encouragement, not criticism, isnt it.

I was one of them and I apologize. Correct, it's not helpful. However it took me a long time to figure out how to do keto correctly for ME. I need to be under 20 carbs per day. Lots of people think just lowering carbs is enough but in order to be in ketosis 20 or less is the recommendation. Then there is the protein element. As protein elicits almost as much of an insulin response as carbs it's important to eat the right amount of protein and not more. Then of course I was gobbling the fat thinking fat PUTS you into ketosis.

After all was said and done, vlc is important, protein is important but also important not to over eat. Fat does NOT need to be gobbled, especially when weight loss is desired. Furthermore, calories and portion sizes do matter. Too many calories out too much food can all take you out of ketosis.

I don't weigh, measure or portion my fats. I eat until satisfied and no more or no less. I do weigh my protein as it is far too easy for me to over eat and then it effects my bs. I don't weigh carbs anymore as I can eyeball them.

I only know my macros from years ago when I used MFP just to see where I was on everything. The food scale was essential as my diabetes progressed and I actually found it very interesting. I could eat far more asparagus than broccoli for the same carb count etc.

Some of this has become even more important as an insulin users. If meals aren't balanced proportionately things go haywire. Highs, lows, rollercoaster. Nothing feels worse to me


All that being said, yes I'm a bit OCD.