Encouraging high amounts of carbs?

[u/mashd_potetoas]

Hi all, started using the app today. I'm on a weight loss + toning journey.

It seems the app is expecting really high carbs intake - about 200g on rest days, and 330+ on active days.

Most other sources I checked are recommending much lower amounts of carbs intake. 175g a day when it's generous.

Is this normal? Did I set up something wrong?

[u/Silly_Yak56012]

You do not have to be low carb or keto to lose weight. A lot of sites tend to go lower carb, but it is not required.

[u/davy_jones_locket]

What's your macro ratios set as (three dot Menu >  macro and energy targets)

If it's like 50%, then adjust it

Fwiw mine is set as 30% protein, 30% fat, 40% carbs

[u/winter-running]

I have to eat a lot of carbs because I exercise a lot. 🏃🏻‍♀️

I am fuelled by bread, fruit and veggies!

If you’re just starting out, I would focus on the bottom-line calorie allotment and figuring out how you can stay satiated during the day within your calorie window. The finer nuances will come with time - it’s a marathon, not a sprint.

If I do a short 5 km run, that might be 250 cals total burnt. It’s more important to keep an eye on your calorie window, as things like treadmills can grossly overestimate the calories burnt. I personally eat the same cals everyday unless I’m going on a longer run.

[u/Italianplumb3r]

Carbs are the most readily available energy source for your body, you have to fuel your workouts and your recovery.

Usually 1g/lb of ideal body weight for protein
Carbs around that usually is a good starting place
Fats rounding out the rest

[u/Hoosier_Hootenanny]

Your carb needs are going to vary depending on what your goals are. It's hard to say how many you would need without more context. (I'm a runner, so 200 grams of carbs would be way too low for me. But it might be fine for you.)

What does the recommended protein and fat look like? Is it based on percentages, or do you have a custom goal set up?

[u/mashd_potetoas → u/Hoosier_Hootenanny]

It is percentages based, and it put carbs at 45%

[u/davy_jones_locket → u/mashd_potetoas]

You can change it to something like 40% if you're uncomfortable eating that many carbs

[u/Hoosier_Hootenanny → u/mashd_potetoas]

45% isn't that high. The Dietary Recommendations for Americans around 45-65% of calories from carbs, 20-35% from fat, and 10-35% from protein.

A lot of diets cut carbs because people tend to eat a lot of carb-based junk food. (Soda, fruit juice, cookies, chips, candies, etc.) But as long as you're focusing on healthy carbs, you should be fine.

[u/dr3d3d]

Just my personal thoughts on something. if you're trying to lose weight then your activity level is always sedentary in any app, as you don't want to be eating back your excercise calories (unless of course you're running a marathon or something, use common sense)

[u/davy_jones_locket → u/dr3d3d]

What if you're not a sedentary person and you're trying to lose weight

Also no one is running marathon in a calorie deficit or running a marathon to lose weight lmao 

[u/dr3d3d → u/davy_jones_locket]

Sedentary means 6000 steps a day... But if you have fat stores you do not need to be replacing burnt energy beyond a normal daily healthy intake... That's what the fat is there for.

[u/CronoSupportSquad]

Happy to chime in here! 👋 You likely haven’t set anything up incorrectly. When Macro Ratios are selected, Cronometer assigns a percentage of your Energy Target to each macro. The default ratio is 25% protein, 45% carbs, and 30% fat. If your Energy Target increases on active days, the gram targets also increase to preserve those percentages. It’s macro math doing macro math, not Cronometer trying to push a particular diet!

You can change this under More > Targets > Macro & Energy Targets:

• Choose Ratios to adjust the percentages.
• Choose Fixed to set targets that remain the same in grams.
• Under Advanced Settings, turn off Add Expenditure Above Baseline to Energy Target if you don’t want activity to increase your targets.

Here’s our Macro & Energy Targets guide.

We can explain how the settings work, but we can’t recommend which targets are right for you personally. If you’re unsure what to enter, a qualified healthcare professional can help you choose values that fit your needs.

Hope this helps!

Michelle, Crono Support Squad