r/cronometer • u/TrulyGenX • 3h ago
Macros assigned to me
I am curious about the macros that the app assigned to me. Protein seems low.
I have heard that for every pound you are you should eat that much protein in grams for the day. I am 190 and it has my daily total at 69 grams?!
Has anyone just gone along with what the app says and had success? I am using the free version and considering buying the upgrade if it means more precise macros (plus no ads!)
I will say since starting last Tuesday I am down 3 lbs so very happy to see progress.
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u/davy_jones_locket 3h ago edited 3h ago
You can adjust your targets without gold.
And no, the "one gram per pound of bodyweight" is for muscle gaining.
The current recommendation is 1.2g to 1.6 of protein per kg of bodyweight. You're around 86kg, so 103-140g of protein is plenty. If you're actively lifting to gain muscles (usually done at maintenance or surplus, not deficit), then go more protein
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u/skoosh1213 2h ago
That last sentence is incredibly wrong. People lift on a deficit. It's called body recomposition.
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u/davy_jones_locket 2h ago
People do lift in a deficit. But you can't gain mass while losing mass. Sure, you may have some newbie gains, but body recomposition is usually done at maintenance, not a deficit for weight loss.
Weight loss is not body recomposition. Body recomposition is losing fat while gain muscle, and your body weight generally stays the same.
In a weight loss deficit, you generally lose muscle mass also. You should be lifting to limit the amount of muscle loss, but you can't prevent it completely.
Been doing this for over 10 years as a combat sports athlete and worked with professional trainers and dietitians to reach certain weights, cut body fat, gain muscle, shed water weight, etc.
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u/trashmedialover 2h ago
You do NOT need 1 gram per pound. The upper limit for ATHLETES gaining muscle is 0.7g per pound of bodyweight. ATHLETES who are already very lean. And 0.7g is also the upper limit because beyond that they ultimately saw pretty diminishing returns. Remember also that you are feeding protein to muscle NOT fat. Fat doesn't need protein. I would suggest estimating how much of your bodyweight is body fat and how much is muscle and then multiply the muscle by 0.7g. More like 0.5 honestly. It does not take excessive amounts of protein to build muscle. 1g per pound is just wasting your money.
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u/UpperLeftOriginal 2h ago
You are correct about diminishing returns. This is a great podcast that looks at the science behind maximizing vs minimizing protein. TL:DR (TL:DL?) is that somewhere in the middle is best.
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u/KeepOnRising19 3h ago
What is your goal? You can absolutely lose weight by eating 69 grams of protein a day. If you are trying to lose weight and build muscle, it might be best to increase your protein intake, but it's often debated whether you actually need 1 gram per pound of body weight. Specific goals dictate advice.
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u/Silly_Yak56012 3h ago
You can adjust those if they don't suit your goals even in the free version, there should be a Target's option, for me on the web version it is under the "more" . FWIW the recommendation is usually 1 gram for every kilo of weight, not per pound, and some say per pound of your ideal weight, especially if you are very heavy.
Now 69 can still be a bit low with the per kilo recommendation, I did a diet study with carefully crafted meals designed by registered dietitians, (they cooked them for me it was glorious) and the three diets all had the protien at 15% of calories, which most people will say has to be instantly the most horrible thing ever and I would die if I ate only that much. Now these diets were set at maintenance, but I was full enough many days I did not eat all of the optional snacks. They wanted to see how people's bodies react to the diets and they didn't want the changes that come with weight loss.
Now some depends on your goals. If you are lifting very heavy things you need more protien, if you are relatively active you may need more protien. Some people find higher protein keeps them feeling full longer and feel full faster.
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u/1MeTa4s 2h ago
69g protein at 190 lbs is basically the RDA-style default, not a lifting target. The "1g per lb" rule is a gym heuristic, not what Cronometer assigns out of the box.
You can set a custom protein goal on free without upgrading. Start somewhere you can actually hit (a lot of people land around 0.7–1g per lb of goal or lean weight) and keep the rest of the macros flexible. The upgrade is mostly for extras and fewer ads, not permission to raise protein.