Cals in/out All cals not equal, macro ratios?

[kalfusisagod]

I've had a fitbit surge for the past year and it helps a lot losing (slowly)/maintaining my weight. I currently have a 3500 to 4500/week calorie deficit through eating and exercise (mostly walking, biking, and jogging).

I log all my food (MFP) and exercise (Fitbit) but only focus on my calories and not on my macros. My questions are:

Keeping this simple- If my recommended calorie intake to lose 1lb/week is 2000 cals, and I eat 2500 calories of Wegman cupcakes (plus a multivitam and water) while burning off 500 calories via walking/running, is this possible to lose roughly 1lb/week?

Would it be better to count and manage my macros (via MFP)? I suppose it should be healthier, but does it really pay off in the long run?

Finally what is the protein/carb/fat ratio I should follow? I see too many ratios out there from low fat, high protein, high carbs etc.

I sometimes manually log my calories into MFP's website as barcode scanning is not always possible for me (work-related issues) and I'm trying to decide if I should pay for a MFP membership to enable the manual macro entry into MFP (as Fitbit totally lacks the macro input). Thank you.

-Joseph

[A_Lurker]

Okay, how about a couple of swaps on your go to items:

The light yogurt with a greek yogurt (higher protein, fewer carbs)

1% milk, just fewer cals

Take half the cheese and more turkey, add some spinach, although...

You could buy a turkey breast on the weekend, cook it, and slice it up. Chicken is easier, your choice.  100g is going to get you more protein, no carbs and probably lower fat.

Oh, the mint brownie could be replaced with something else.  Veggies and dip, apple and peanut butter, or even some dark chocolate.  30g of lindt dark chocolate 90% is the same calories, 16g fat, 9g carbs, 3g protein.  It's not as sweet, which slows down eating at times.

Don't be afraid of fat.  Both protein and fat can help with hunger.  I normally aim for 30+ protein, -30 carbs and whatever is left is fat.  However, that may be too radical a shift from your current menu.  Just tweak a little and see how it goes.

[RubyH]

@kalfusisagod, to find your personalised macros, google for the 'ketocalculator', your macros are determined by age, sex, height, weight and level of activity.