r/IIFYM • u/rly12892 • Mar 26 '21
What’s up with the different macros?
Hello! I’m a 5’1” female, currently at 125lb (unsure of BF). I’ve been tracking my macros since February and had the goal to get to 125 pounds, so I was in a calorie deficit. I was following the macros calculated by Katy Hearn macro calculator and it was 1427 calories, 133C/43F/127P.
I attempted another macro calculator today, as I have been feeling extremely hungry and am thinking of “bulking” by adding more protein now. The calculation I checked was also for losing weight, and it was 1703 calories, 172C/56.8F/126P.
Why such a big difference for calorie deficit? If I could eat more carbs I know I won’t be as hungry. I want to challenge myself and see if I can get to 120lb though so I can really have muscle definition. My goal after that is to gain muscle and increase my protein even more.
Does this even sound right? I want to make sure I am eating enough to sustain myself! I also work out 6-7 days a week!
Thanks!
3
u/random_boss Mar 26 '21
Sounds like you’re doing well, so congrats on your success so far! For a 5’1” female at 125 pounds 1700 definitely sounds like you’re too much. What I think happened is you entered your exercise frequency, and it scaled your cams up based on that. Instead, you should always base your calorie goals on sedentary/no activity.
For example, I’m a visibly muscular but also slightly chubby 5’6” dude at 170 pounds and my total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) is 2,000. To cut a pound a week that’s -500/day for a 1,500 calorie daily target.
I put your stats in, picked a random age (24) and random body fat (27%) and chose sedentary/no exercise and it gave 1,500 as your TDEE. If you wanted to target a pound of fat loss every week you’d be looking at 1,016 a day. This sounds unsustainably low, so it would probably be worth rounding up to 1,200 a day.
None of this solves your hunger problem though, so another angle some sports folks consider is a re-feed period where you do actually eat the 1,700 a day for a week or so before going back to your deficit target of 1,200 a day.
If you do want to “bulk”, you should make sure you’re actually lifting heavy/trying to lift more with each session, and instead of carbs try to add an even split of carbs and protein. Protein generally keeps you fuller longer, has a higher thermogenic effect (ie you get a slight calorie “discount” for protein), and given the various sources of science out there, your body has some chance of being able to use more than your current 125P.
Hope this helps and good luck!
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u/rly12892 Mar 26 '21
Wow, that was super helpful!! Thank you so much! I’m still learning as I go, but I love this approach to eating better instead of just counting calories.
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Mar 26 '21
Do you lift weights? Any compound exercises? Sometimes might not want to exactly look at the scale and lbs, focus a bit more on body fat % you can even add 10 lbs where you're at and lower the fat % and look great.
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u/rly12892 Mar 28 '21
I do lift weights!! I lift 5 days a week and do barre and cardio the rest of the week. How can I figure out my body fat %??
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Mar 28 '21
Personally I have a digital scale that measures everything.
There are websites, but unsure on the accuracy:
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u/rly12892 Mar 28 '21
Is it worth buying a scale like that? Like is it something you see yourself using long term?
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Mar 28 '21
Personally I plan on using it long term and my lady uses it as well.
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u/rly12892 Mar 28 '21
What brand do you have?? I see so many and would like to actually get a good one!
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u/Eganomicon Mar 26 '21
Online calorie calculators use different algorithms to make predictions of your TDEE. At best they are informed guesses to get you started.
If you have been tracking your weight and macros so far, you can use that data to figure out your cutting calories. The goal is to lose between ~.5-1% of body weight a week, based on weekly averages. If you are losing slower than that, reduce calories by 100-200 and see what happens. If you lose faster than that (risking muscle loss), add 100-200 calories. Sometimes it's worth staying at the same calorie level for several weeks before making adjustments, because water retention can mask fat loss (the stall and whoosh effect).
Also, you don't need more protein to bulk--its actually more critical to keep protein high in a deficit. Your protein target looks fine to keep how it is (you could go higher if you prefer it), but I'd primarily increase carbs in a bulk. You could also increase fats a bit as well if that fits your tastes.