please help ... protein carbs...

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jthomas0054
jthomas0054 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi I'm new to this and want to lose. What should the percentage be set to for proteins carbs and fats be set to. Thanks in advance

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  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    It really depends on your weight and your preference. Make sure your getting enough protein for your weight. The carbs and fats are more flexable, just make sure you're not cutting either of them too low. 40/40/20 protein/carbs/fats is a good starting place for most people, but some find they need to adjust it to keep them satiated and feeling good while in a deficit.
  • jddnw
    jddnw Posts: 319 Member
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    For you, I recommend 40/40/20 Fat/Carbs/Protein.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Here's a newbie help post I compiled, which has links to a variety of useful info.
    Go read sexypants first, now. (Yes, now.)
    Then the goal setting post would probably be most useful.


    Here's a table explaining healthy ranges for macros, from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html
    carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
    fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
    protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

    Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss. (Links to studies here.)
    Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein to stay within the healthy ranges.

    Notice that the "40/40/20" others are recommending is not in the healthy ranges, other than the one suggesting 20% fat.
    (Do either of you have any reputable scientific sources backing what you're saying? Please post links.)


    You might also like this calculator, from the Baylor College of Medicine, which will tell you how many servings of
    various food groups to eat to maintain the weight you enter. If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help
    you plan your food intake. (It also calculates BMI, and will tell you your calorie goal for various activity levels.)
    https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    How to calculate the amount of macros you should have, based on your calorie goal (which is based on your healthy
    weight goal).

    For someone with a calorie goal of 2000 per day:
    50% carbs, 1000 cal, 250 g [2000 cal/day x 0.5 cal from carbs = 1000 cal/day from carbs; 1000 cal/day from carbs / 4 cal/gram = 250g]
    25% fat, 500 cal, 56g
    25% protein, 500 cal, 125 g
    Just to take the simplest breakdown which is within the healthy % ranges given by the AJCN above.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Not percentages, grams instead.
    .6-.87g per lb of bodyweight for protein
    .4-.45g per lb of bodyweight in fat
    Fill the rest in cabs or as desired

    Agreed with working out your grams not percentage breakdown...
  • teanahk
    teanahk Posts: 81 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »


    You might also like this calculator, from the Baylor College of Medicine, which will tell you how many servings of
    various food groups to eat to maintain the weight you enter. If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help
    you plan your food intake. (It also calculates BMI, and will tell you your calorie goal for various activity levels.)
    https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

    This Baylor college calculator is for Children's nutrition and the calculations are done differently than for adults. I wouldn't base your calorie and nutrition goals on this if you are old enough to be posting on this site.

    There are a lot of different philosophies on how to set up your macros, and different people will find different numbers make them feel better or are easier to stick to or more filling. As long as you're eating at a calorie deficit you'll lose.

    Good luck :)
  • jddnw
    jddnw Posts: 319 Member
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    I realized if we eat normally (relative term) we get a decent balance of macros.

    This is a great point. You really can make a balanced meal just by using your eyes and a bit of life experience to determine portion sizes.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited May 2015
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    Not percentages, grams instead.
    .6-.87g per lb of bodyweight for protein
    .4-.45g per lb of bodyweight in fat
    Fill the rest in cabs or as desired



    ^This. I'm a vegetarian, and I follow these recommendations (I'm trying to get there on fat, I'm not quite there yet, still a bit higher on carbs) because I find they lend themselves to satiety. When you're restricting calories, that's pretty important.

    Since you mentioned macros in your thread title, I thought I'd just reiterate the importance of their composition in weight loss.

  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited May 2015
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    flyingtanuki wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    MrM27 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    jthomas0054 wrote: »
    Hi I'm new to this and want to lose. What should the percentage be set to for proteins carbs and fats be set to. Thanks in advance

    You don't need to focus on macros to "lose" just eat your food keep track of calories and you'll be fine.

    His question was what should his macros be, not if he should completely disregard them.

    If you read the OP's post it says...
    Hi I'm new to this and want to lose. What should the percentage be set to for proteins carbs and fats be set to. Thanks in advance

    For what the op want's the macro part is irrelevant. It's like saying, "I want to tone up my stomach, what abdominal exercises should i do?"

    Adequate protein and fat intake are vital for optimal health so telling someone they should disregard macros just because they want to lose weight is basically saying it doesn't matter how they lose weight be it a healthy way or unhealthy way. That's not good advice.

    What are you basing this on? From quoting what you hear on the forums, or from actually doing research in to the subject at hand and from personal experience? From my personal experience, I had no issues at all. There was a point i was compulsive about macros, then I disregarded them. I always felt the more complex a system is the more likely it will fail. Counting calories AND macros is more complex then simply counting calories.

    From first hand experience, I realized if we eat normally(relative term) we get a decent balance of macros. As I said, the OP will be fine. I am sure you're well aware that some people can be healthy on a high carb diet, high protein diet, or high fat diet. SO you don't misinterpret what I am saying, if one macro is more focused on, it will be higher than the other 2 macros, which usually puts those macros at a lower intake. Vegans have lower protein/fat intake, high protein people have a lower carb/fat intake, and keto people have a lower protein/carb intake. Yet these people are fine. Point being, macros usually take care of themselves under normal circumstances.

    I personally have a different understanding then yours on things. If you don't understand my comment/s don't try to make them wrong. I have been reading/researching on health and fitness for the last 20yrs. You already know my field, I do actual scientific research in to what I say. Plus my own personal experience of my 150lbs loss and 20yrs of trial and error. I more than likely have more experience/education than most people around here. I have a higher level of understanding of all this. As I said, just because you don't understand, and haven't "experienced" what is being said by me from "FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE" doesn't make it wrong. I don't repeat things what i hear on the forums, I do research and test things out for myself and draw my own conclusions, based on the research and my own personal experience.

    If you feel one of my comments is incorrect or inaccurate, before you jump the gun, ask yourself... "do i have any experience in what he's saying?, have i ever done what he's saying myself? Is there any situation/circumstance where he might be right?"

    ETA: adequate protein intake is relative. It depends on the situation at hand. There is not a one size fits all.

    I actually do have first hand experience. You aren't the only one that lost a bunch of weight.
    I understand very well how nutrition and health works, you just assume I don't.
    I have done plenty of research and tested out idea and gathered plenty of information along the way.
    You can't say you have a higher level of understanding than I do because you don't even know me. Just am assumption by you.
    You made an assumption of how the OP eats but you don't have any idea how he really does.
    You're not a scientist.


    I am not saying you don't have experience or education. I guess i can say it simply. In regards to the OP and protein intake. Have you personally went on a vegan/vegetarian or any low protein diets? If so, did you monitor your body composition, if so what where the results?

    I'm easily confused. Why are vegan/vegetarian diets low protein? Wouldn't these folks simply eat a bunch of beans and rice, tofu and tempeh to get their proteins?
    You are absolutely right. Someone else up thread got things off track.
    Vegetarian and vegan diets contain protein: chick peas, lentils, tofu, broccoli, yellow squash, . . . along with plenty of fats in walnuts, almonds, avocados, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds.
    We limit high calorie/low protein foods like bread, pasta, rice because the ratio of protein to calories is low.
  • jthomas0054
    jthomas0054 Posts: 24 Member
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    Thank you so much for the information, I have a lot to learn. Thanks again
  • Meorainthemaking
    Meorainthemaking Posts: 22 Member
    edited May 2015
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    jthomas0054 wrote: »
    Thank you so much for the information, I have a lot to learn. Thanks again

    I've had success following 45% carb, 35% protein and 20% fat. I'm down 70lbs so far. I'm more than willing to share tips with you based on what works for me!

  • BramageOMG
    BramageOMG Posts: 319 Member
    edited May 2015
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    I left the % at MFP default. Set activity level to moderate, and workout days to 4. Did 10K steps a day (to meet the moderate setting) did gym 5 days a week (One more than my setting), and stayed under base calories (It worked really well) But MFP is generous with earned calories, so if you eat them all back, chances are you wont lose, and may gain. They over estimate calories burned for everything but if you don't eat them back, its not a problem. Good luck!! You can double check macros at IIFYM (hope that's allowed, if not, ill see you all after my ban) HA
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
    edited May 2015
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    OP you are going to get just everyone's personal preferences here, not anything "scientific", with few exceptions.
    If you want the medical recommendations about what your meals should look like, check here:
    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
    It is not a recipe to lose or gain weight, it is the guidelines about what to eat in general, and of course it does not give percentages set in stone. If you read through all of it (including clicking on sub-topics on the menu on the left) , there is a lot of "quality of protein/carbs/fat matters, not quantity" and some simple explanation of when restrictions apply. MFP and most similar apps by default cannot be based on anything but ratios, but on focusing on these ratios, you might be missing completely the big picture.
  • jthomas0054
    jthomas0054 Posts: 24 Member
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    lizanne_3 wrote: »
    jthomas0054 wrote: »
    Thank you so much for the information, I have a lot to learn. Thanks again

    I've had success following 45% carb, 35% protein and 20% fat. I'm down 70lbs so far. I'm more than willing to share tips with you based on what works for me!
    Thanks I need the advice I can get. I appreciate all the help.

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