Breakfast Fruit Smoothies and Portions (Need Advice)

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Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited January 2016
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    Looks yummy! 349 calories should fill you up for a while though. I make strawberry banana smoothies in the spring when I have strawberries in my garden. They don't do anything for my metabolism, however.

    I would find this smoothie more filling if it had less carbs and more protein and fiber. I would decrease the fruit, add chia seeds, and up the protein powder. I'd experiment with vanilla or neutral protein powder over chocolate. I do like chocolate with banana, but am not sure about it for strawberries. Might work though. I'll try it in the spring.

    c3cb67b02e6db292b9482ed0ea480abf.png
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    @rabbitjb I'm about 5' 8" that's why I went down to 160 because that's my ideal weight, and then I rocketed up to 200 I'm guessing I weigh 214 could be less I weighed 200 when I last checked. Thanks for the site options

    I'm also 5'8 .. started at 210 .. now 160 at goal .. it's possible :) .. and I'm an old(ish) woman

    Your calories would drop to about 2130 at lightly active .. sorry

    but your protein and fats should remain the same
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I would save the money you're thinking of spending on a Bowflex. There is no magic tool. Find a good body weight circuit and do that instead. If you're consistent for a year and enjoy strength training and *still* want a Bowflex, maybe consider it then. It doesn't do anything you can't do with no equipment, or very little investment.

    Good luck!
  • sstolii123
    sstolii123 Posts: 205 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    Drinking a smoothie in the morning is a great way to get the nutrition your body needs to start the day. @rabbitjb when you wake up in the morning your body is in fast mode since it has not eaten in around 8 hours. Drinking a smoothie actually stimulates your gut and digestive process unlike skipping breakfast in the morning. @Colorscheme Berries are high in carbs for someone who follows a low carb meal plan and so is yogurt. One thing I have found with smoothie recipes on the ole inter-webs is people pack too much "stuff" into them. Yogurt, Bananas, berries milk. When I look at the calories some are pushing 500 plus for one 8 oz serving.

    No need to stimulate anything - doesn't help weight loss .. your digestion doesn't shut down whilst you eat

    skipping breakfast is personal choice - some feel energised by eating breakfast others don't

    there is no such thing as 'fast mode' in terms of the metabolism .. there is adaptive thermogenesis but this ain't it


    @rabbitjb Thank you for pointing out that your digestion does not shut down when you eat or should i say whilst you eat. Nowhere did I mention that.

    So the countless studies that show eating breakfast helps with weight loss must be wrong along with the studies of the benefits of breaking up your meals into 6 or more small meals.

    "To keep your metabolism running at full capacity, meaning you are always in a state of thermogenesis, you need to eat regular, frequent meals. According to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, eating breakfast can increase your resting metabolism by up to 10 percent. But the metabolism increase from breakfast isn’t a magic way to lose weight. MayoClinic.com reports that despite the common belief of a slow metabolism causing people to be overweight, it is rarely the culprit."

    Fromhttp://healthyeating.sfgate.com/breakfast-affect-metabolism-8697.html

    Just one of the many articles on this. Take a moment to google some of the studies
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    It really doesn't you know

    If you don't eat breakfast why waste calories on a smoothie?

    I can't answer for that poster but I can answer for myself: having a smoothie in the morning helps me feel energized for the day. So while it is calories, 1. I log it and it's well within my range, 2. It provides me energy in the morning after running and 3. For whatever reason I prefer to drink calories in the morning than eat. I've never really been a breakfast eater, not even when I was a teenager.

    that has nothing to do with kick starting metabolism...

    meal timing has zero correlation to metabolism
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    op - my advice would be to ditch the bowflex and join a gym and/or get a squat rack, bench, olympic bar and weights and run a program like strong lifts or all pro beginner routine, in addition to eating in a calorie deficit.
  • sstolii123
    sstolii123 Posts: 205 Member

    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    It really doesn't you know

    If you don't eat breakfast why waste calories on a smoothie?

    I can't answer for that poster but I can answer for myself: having a smoothie in the morning helps me feel energized for the day. So while it is calories, 1. I log it and it's well within my range, 2. It provides me energy in the morning after running and 3. For whatever reason I prefer to drink calories in the morning than eat. I've never really been a breakfast eater, not even when I was a teenager.

    that has nothing to do with kick starting metabolism...

    meal timing has zero correlation to metabolism

    Again lots of free opinion with Zero Studies or documentation.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    It really doesn't you know

    If you don't eat breakfast why waste calories on a smoothie?

    I can't answer for that poster but I can answer for myself: having a smoothie in the morning helps me feel energized for the day. So while it is calories, 1. I log it and it's well within my range, 2. It provides me energy in the morning after running and 3. For whatever reason I prefer to drink calories in the morning than eat. I've never really been a breakfast eater, not even when I was a teenager.

    that has nothing to do with kick starting metabolism...

    meal timing has zero correlation to metabolism

    Again lots of free opinion with Zero Studies or documentation.

    so you need a study for common knowledge?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    Drinking a smoothie in the morning is a great way to get the nutrition your body needs to start the day. @rabbitjb when you wake up in the morning your body is in fast mode since it has not eaten in around 8 hours. Drinking a smoothie actually stimulates your gut and digestive process unlike skipping breakfast in the morning. @Colorscheme Berries are high in carbs for someone who follows a low carb meal plan and so is yogurt. One thing I have found with smoothie recipes on the ole inter-webs is people pack too much "stuff" into them. Yogurt, Bananas, berries milk. When I look at the calories some are pushing 500 plus for one 8 oz serving.

    No need to stimulate anything - doesn't help weight loss .. your digestion doesn't shut down whilst you eat

    skipping breakfast is personal choice - some feel energised by eating breakfast others don't

    there is no such thing as 'fast mode' in terms of the metabolism .. there is adaptive thermogenesis but this ain't it


    @rabbitjb Thank you for pointing out that your digestion does not shut down when you eat or should i say whilst you eat. Nowhere did I mention that.

    So the countless studies that show eating breakfast helps with weight loss must be wrong along with the studies of the benefits of breaking up your meals into 6 or more small meals.

    "To keep your metabolism running at full capacity, meaning you are always in a state of thermogenesis, you need to eat regular, frequent meals. According to the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center, eating breakfast can increase your resting metabolism by up to 10 percent. But the metabolism increase from breakfast isn’t a magic way to lose weight. MayoClinic.com reports that despite the common belief of a slow metabolism causing people to be overweight, it is rarely the culprit."

    Fromhttp://healthyeating.sfgate.com/breakfast-affect-metabolism-8697.html

    Just one of the many articles on this. Take a moment to google some of the studies

    lol I meant sleep not eat :)

    Don't get your knowledge from articles and blogs ...go for the source study

    You know where most of this originated ...a correlation not a causation from the national weight control registry where

    "A large proportion of NWCR subjects (2313 or 78%) reported regularly eating breakfast every day of the week. Only 114 subjects (4%) reported never eating break- fast. There was no difference in reported energy intake between breakfast eaters and non-eaters, but breakfast eaters reported slightly more physical activity than non-breakfast eaters (p 0.05)."

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/store/10.1038/oby.2002.13/asset/oby.2002.13.pdf;jsessionid=31765648AF3BEE717A41597660E5A5DA.f01t03?v=1&t=ijlqlhaa&s=5592b7c46129bcba03970c00aad9c565e21a40db

    Do you think the physical activity has something to do with this or it's the eating breakfast?

    For the common man meal timing has no impact ...if you were an elite athlete mebbe more so

    Also if you're interested look at TEF thermogenic effect of food which is the place this metabolism "rise" can comes from ...meal timing irrelevant, overall effect marginal
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    It really doesn't you know

    If you don't eat breakfast why waste calories on a smoothie?

    I can't answer for that poster but I can answer for myself: having a smoothie in the morning helps me feel energized for the day. So while it is calories, 1. I log it and it's well within my range, 2. It provides me energy in the morning after running and 3. For whatever reason I prefer to drink calories in the morning than eat. I've never really been a breakfast eater, not even when I was a teenager.

    that has nothing to do with kick starting metabolism...

    meal timing has zero correlation to metabolism

    Again lots of free opinion with Zero Studies or documentation.

    but I will play the study game...

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745

    A series of short- and long-lasting experimental protocols of different meal timing regimes were performed in obese subjects to assess the possible occurrence of (1) a different metabolic fate of nutrients; (2) a phase shift of circadian rhythms of metabolic and hormonal parameters strictly related to nutrition; (3) a different weight loss. (A) In a short-lasting protocol (3 days) 15 obese subjects were fed a hypocaloric diet (684 kcal/day) (a) at 10 hr only, (b) at 1800 hr only; (c) at 1000 hr, 1400 hr and 1800 hr, or (d) studied during a 36-hr fasting. Measures of calorimetry (R.Q., CHO and lipid oxidations, energy expenditure), hormones (plasma cortisol, insulin, HGH, urinary catecholamines), urinary electrolytes (Na, K) and vital parameters (body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure) were carried out at 4-hr intervals for three days. A significantly higher lipid oxidation and a lower CHO oxidation were documented with the meal at 1800 hr, in comparison with the meal at 1000 hr. CHO and lipid oxidation circadian rhythms appeared the most affected by meal timing. (B) In a long-lasting protocol (18 days) 10 obese subjects were fed the same hypocaloric diet (a) at 1000 hr only and (b) at 1800 hr only. Calorimetric measures were performed every other day for 2 hr preceding each meal. Before and after the 18-days single meal period, body temperature, plasma cortisol, PRL and TSH were recorded (delta t = 4 hr). A higher lipid oxidation and a lower CHO oxidation were again demonstrated with the meal at 18 hr. Minimal changes of hormonal circadian rhythms were documented suggesting that the hypothalamus-hypophysis network is scarcely affected by meal timing. Weight loss did not vary in both short- and long-term protocol.
  • CrattleCrie
    CrattleCrie Posts: 12 Member
    @ndj1979 thanks for your input. The Bowflex just had awesome results and not to mention the space requirement for it is tiny which could fit in my bedroom. I'm not looking to have huge biceps (or at least till after I lose this extra weight. Like I said I really know nothing when it comes to this, and this is the year I want too and need to make a change for myself. I have tried going to the gym I kind of feel out of place and I can't seem to enjoy the "working out experience". Maybe that's because I just need to force myself to go but that's one reason why I want to get my diet down before I go out and spend money on gym memberships and or equipment. Like I said I weighed 200 and dropped 40lbs and then gained it back so I'm thinking my diet is completely *kitten* backwards. Thoughts?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    @ndj1979 thanks for your input. The Bowflex just had awesome results and not to mention the space requirement for it is tiny which could fit in my bedroom. I'm not looking to have huge biceps (or at least till after I lose this extra weight. Like I said I really know nothing when it comes to this, and this is the year I want too and need to make a change for myself. I have tried going to the gym I kind of feel out of place and I can't seem to enjoy the "working out experience". Maybe that's because I just need to force myself to go but that's one reason why I want to get my diet down before I go out and spend money on gym memberships and or equipment. Like I said I weighed 200 and dropped 40lbs and then gained it back so I'm thinking my diet is completely *kitten* backwards. Thoughts?

    Go bodyweight to start with...it's about progressive resistance to preserve as much muscle as possible you lose weight

    Decent programme

    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/

    Also You are Your Own Gym (there's an app) or Convict Conditioning

    None of these need anything but your commitment

    Read the starter posts up thread about getting into the mindset

  • CrattleCrie
    CrattleCrie Posts: 12 Member
    @rabbitjb Thanks I appreciate the link, how are the outcomes for this type of workout and how quickly does it shed weight. I would like to build muscle as well as lose weight obviously..
  • lulalacroix
    lulalacroix Posts: 1,082 Member
    edited January 2016
    Unnecessary comment has been removed.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    edited January 2016
    @rabbitjb Thanks I appreciate the link, how are the outcomes for this type of workout and how quickly does it shed weight. I would like to build muscle as well as lose weight obviously..

    The most important thing for weight loss is to get your eating in line. It is way easier to eat 150 calories less than it is to exercise off 150 calories!

    Get a food scale for $15 - $20. Weigh out your portions and log everything for a week to see where you currently stand. See where lots of calories are being wasted or would be easy to cut back and start to make small changes in the right direction. Plug your stats into MFP to get a calorie goal to work towards. Meanwhile, do anything you can to move more - bodyweight exercises, walk around the block, go to the gym, dance around the living room :)

    Be patient - it's not a race! Good luck!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    edited January 2016
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    sstolii123 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    @realityfades Thanks for info, I like blue berries as well, but I found an awesome recipe that seemed more for my liking. I am kind of a wuss when it comes to certain foods, some stuff just makes me sick to my stomach.

    Here is the link: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/160708/strawberry-banana-protein-smoothie/

    Im not looking to get full off of the smoothie either, I usually don't eat breakfast so I'm not concerned about feeling full, like I read what someone else had said. I feel as if my metabolism needs a kick in the butt.

    It really doesn't you know

    If you don't eat breakfast why waste calories on a smoothie?

    I can't answer for that poster but I can answer for myself: having a smoothie in the morning helps me feel energized for the day. So while it is calories, 1. I log it and it's well within my range, 2. It provides me energy in the morning after running and 3. For whatever reason I prefer to drink calories in the morning than eat. I've never really been a breakfast eater, not even when I was a teenager.

    that has nothing to do with kick starting metabolism...

    meal timing has zero correlation to metabolism

    Again lots of free opinion with Zero Studies or documentation.

    but I will play the study game...

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3508745

    A series of short- and long-lasting experimental protocols of different meal timing regimes were performed in obese subjects to assess the possible occurrence of (1) a different metabolic fate of nutrients; (2) a phase shift of circadian rhythms of metabolic and hormonal parameters strictly related to nutrition; (3) a different weight loss. (A) In a short-lasting protocol (3 days) 15 obese subjects were fed a hypocaloric diet (684 kcal/day) (a) at 10 hr only, (b) at 1800 hr only; (c) at 1000 hr, 1400 hr and 1800 hr, or (d) studied during a 36-hr fasting. Measures of calorimetry (R.Q., CHO and lipid oxidations, energy expenditure), hormones (plasma cortisol, insulin, HGH, urinary catecholamines), urinary electrolytes (Na, K) and vital parameters (body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure) were carried out at 4-hr intervals for three days. A significantly higher lipid oxidation and a lower CHO oxidation were documented with the meal at 1800 hr, in comparison with the meal at 1000 hr. CHO and lipid oxidation circadian rhythms appeared the most affected by meal timing. (B) In a long-lasting protocol (18 days) 10 obese subjects were fed the same hypocaloric diet (a) at 1000 hr only and (b) at 1800 hr only. Calorimetric measures were performed every other day for 2 hr preceding each meal. Before and after the 18-days single meal period, body temperature, plasma cortisol, PRL and TSH were recorded (delta t = 4 hr). A higher lipid oxidation and a lower CHO oxidation were again demonstrated with the meal at 18 hr. Minimal changes of hormonal circadian rhythms were documented suggesting that the hypothalamus-hypophysis network is scarcely affected by meal timing. Weight loss did not vary in both short- and long-term protocol.

    Also from one of Alan Aragon articles the following studies debunk the eating and metabolism myth these source studies are relevant


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18053311

    "During the two experimental conditions subjects (fourteen normal-weight women, aged 24.4 (SD 7.1) years, underwent 36 h sessions in energy balance in a respiration chamber for measurements of energy expenditure and substrate oxidation. The subjects were given two (breakfast, dinner) or three (breakfast, lunch, dinner) meals per d. We chose to omit lunch in the two meals condition, because this resulted in a marked difference in inter-meal-interval after breakfast (8.5 h v. 4 h). Eating three meals compared with two meals had no effects on 24 h energy expenditure, diet-induced thermogenesis, activity-induced energy expenditure and sleeping metabolic rate. Eating three meals compared with two meals increased 24 h fat oxidation, but decreased the amount of fat oxidised from the breakfast"

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11319656

    "In the short term, meal frequency and a period of fasting have no major impact on energy intake or expenditure but energy expenditure is delayed with a lower meal frequency compared with a higher meal frequency. This might be attributed to the thermogenic effect of food continuing into the night when a later, larger meal is given. A morning fast resulted in a diet which tended to have a lower percentage of energy from carbohydrate than with no fast."


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9155494

    ."studies using whole-body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water to assess total 24 h energy expenditure find no difference between nibbling and gorging. Finally, with the exception of a single study, there is no evidence that weight loss on hypoenergetic regimens is altered by meal frequency. We conclude that any effects of meal pattern on the regulation of body weight are likely to be mediated through effects on the food intake side of the energy balance equation."

  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    edited January 2016
    I love you guys! Always good to point out the important difference between an article and a the actual peer reviewed study :)

    For what it is worth OP, I bought into the meal timing concepts for years. I was never a big breakfast eater, I am just not hungry when I first wake up. More recently I started not eating when I am not hungry and this last bit of weight loss has been by far the easiest one yet. I eat when I am hungry and eat to full, not stuffed.

    As for foods, one of the things I do is to find lower calorie substitutes for flavors and textures I love. I don't like the way I feel after I eat pasta/rice/bread so much. This may all be in my head but that's not important it's how I feel. So I don't eat these things, but I LOVE the taste so I have found things like green beans or zucchini in tomato sauce, a little oregano/bay leaf/garlic powder/red pepper flakes depending on how I feel and it is *amazing*, very low calorie and I love love love the taste and texture. Plus I can just stick in in the microwave so it's super easy to make.

    Another thing I do is if I can't decide what I feel like eating, I look at the calories per gram of the various option and pick the lowest calorie option. Or the lowest calorie meal if I am choosing at a restaurant.

    Portion size are a bit misleading as the proper portion for your calories is going to depend on what you are eating. I take a HUGE bag of food to work (like the size of a basketball), and I pretty much each constantly while I am there, but it's only somewhere between 500-700 calories typically. I could get the same calories from one piece of fried chicken.

    Don't be afraid to experiment with new foods, I am up for trying anything that has relatively low calories per gram, and for my calorie dense foods like nuts I am always trying new nuts to find the ones that I find most satisfying. I wouldn't bother with a peanut but I am currently loving some pecans.

    Mostly the best thing I have learned from these boards is to free myself of all the mumbo jumbo that had been bogging me down from finding a way to lose weight that was comfortable and easy for me. Yes there is a lot of information relative to nutrition that matters for what you eat, but not for weight loss. Allowing myself to accept the truth that average calorie intake over time is all that matters for weight loss has made all the difference and I have this place to thank for that!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    @rabbitjb Thanks I appreciate the link, how are the outcomes for this type of workout and how quickly does it shed weight. I would like to build muscle as well as lose weight obviously..

    I agree with @kimny72 ..you need to get started

    When will you start to weigh and log?
  • sgarbacik
    sgarbacik Posts: 18 Member
    @sgarbacik Thanks for that! That meant a lot, thank you. I know about food scales, and frankly I have absolutely no idea how to use them, especially with those percentages you threw out there. Could you explain on what you mean

    You're welcome :smile: I'm happy to help!

    I have an electronic food scale with the ability to switch between english (ounces) and metric (grams). Grams are more accurate because they are a smaller unit of measurement. All foods with nutrition labels come with serving sizes and the amount of calories, fat, etc in one serving.

    I'm going to go super basic here, so don't be offended as I'm sure you know this but just to be thorough...
    As an example take one bag of Jimmy John's thinny chips. It shows that 1 serving weighs 1 ounce and is 130 calories. The bag holds 2 servings (2 ounces) when you eat the whole bag it's 260 calories! If you only wanted to eat one serving you could approximate half of the bag (probably not too difficult) or weigh it out to be more accurate. I find weighing my food to be helpful when cooking and making lunches for work (salad in a jar anyone?).

    Typically serving sizes are shown in volume (cups, tablespoon, teaspoon) with the weight in grams is next to it. You may not know that in baking the really good recipes will give the ingredients list in weight not volume, because depending on how you measure out 1 cup of flour, the actual amount in weight can be different. Now that I think about it, I should probably check that my scale is still accurate given its' age, but you can find one at Amazon: Food Scales on Amazon. Mine is battery powered and has lasted a long time, it's a kamenstein if that makes any difference.

    The last part I mentioned is about the composition of calories you eat. I only mentioned it because another poster brought up protein intake. This is getting pretty deep so you should start simple first, and don't let this overwhelm you! But I will explain the calorie composition for completeness, and anyone who reads this please correct me if I am wrong!

    Back to food basics, you may have learned this in health class...
    1 g of fat = 9 calories
    1 g of carbs = 4 calories
    1 g of protein = 4 calories

    I have fitbit do the work for me, but you can use your daily totals from MFP and create an Excel worksheet to do the math yourself to see your daily and weekly intake! I'll show an example based on my food diary today (oh boy...)

    Total calories: 1,449
    Carbs: 174 g * 4 cal/g = 696 cal
    Fat: 55 g * 9 cal/g = 495 cal
    Protein: 77g * 4 cal/g = 308 cal

    696+495+308 = 1,499 cal (not quite exact, but pretty close! - I think the 9/4/4 rule is a general estimate)

    % Carbs: 696/1,499 = 46%
    % Fat: 495/1,499 = 33%
    % Protein: 308/1,499 = 21%

    So I was right in all of the suggested ranges for today, yay!