It seems to me that my main focus should be getting the correct calories and protein in for the day, and that counting the fat and carb gram macros to the recommendations aren’t as important. Is this correct? I figure that if I stay within my calorie count that fat and carb suggestions will sort itself out and stay within a reasonable amount. It seems impossible to track the 4 different things to a T every single day and not go over/under in at least one area.
Absolutely. Start with grams of protein, after that it’s just calories. You can view carbs and fats as interchangeable energy sources.
That’s the 95% solution. As you get more and more used to tracking, you can further refine things down the line. So you might start dialing in actual gram goals for fat and carbs. And then you might go further and start paying attention to mono and polyunsaturated fats. And then go a step further and pay attention to DHA/EPA.
But for now, yes just focus on protein and overall calories.
The simplest thing to do is eat more plant based foods and stop eating fast food.
There’s a free download of a USDA publication. USDA Dietary Guidelines
It’s long but if you look in the other post it shows where to look first.
Find your daily calories first, then you’re be able to find the portions.
How much dairy to eat each day for example.