carbs vs fats vs protein

MyrnaSolganick

I just received my weekly analysis. I have been on target for my calories - doing well there - but I see that most of my calories are from carbs. Is this ok, or not OK? the analysis does not say what if anything to change...

sammyliftsandeats

If you are hitting calorie targets, macros do not matter much.

I mean, different people feel good on different macro splits but if you're not hungry and hitting your protein and fat minimums, you should be fine.

Vowder

I believe in Carbs In Carbs Out. If you consume less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. It is just very hard to keep that up for a long time. If you are good with it, and it is working... stick with it.

I have a low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein way of eating. Fat gives you the feeling of being full. Fat also can not turn into body fat. Sugar doesn't fill you up. It burns fast and hot and makes you want more.

I've never felt this strong or healthy. I am down just about 100lbs. I put whipping cream in my morning coffee every morning. I can work out like a beast.

I have however had to give up some old favorites. I avoid sugar, starches, and breads. I only drink alcohol very occasionally. There are only a few good selections at restaurants.

It was hard to adjust but the easiest way to live now. I have bacon and eggs for breakfast frequently. I eat a ton of salad with protein on top. I often eat chocolate peanut butter fat bombs as a snack.

It is hard to explain how good I feel.

There is a low carb board on this site. Check it out is you are interested at all. Remember though, I am not trying to sell you on this. There are a million ways to skin a cat.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

courtneyfabulous

It is not ok.

Too many carbs means you're getting too little of fat and protein.

Protein is essential for maintaining lean mass (muscle) when in a deficit, otherwise you will lose more muscle and less fat than you want and become "skinny fat" which is unhealthy and doesn't look good and means your metabolism be slower.

Try to at least meet your daily protein goal.

courtneyfabulous

You can check your carbs, fats, and protein levels in your diary if you scroll to the bottom and click "nutrition".

This way you can see how you're doing throughout the day and adjust as needed (eat more protein rich foods if you're falling behind your daily goal)

tlflag1620

Calories are what matters for weight loss. That said, your body does have a requirement for a certain amount of fat and protein (there is no minimum carb requirement). Protein is especially important for maintaining as much muscle mass as possible during weight loss. Fat is important for general health and well being. Also fat, protein, and fiber are generally the most satiating nutrients (not necessarily in that order; you'll have to experiment to find what works for you). You can stick with mfp's standard recommendations, assuming you feel good and aren't struggling with hunger. However it is generally advised to view the fat and protein recommendations as bare minimums to try to hit (IOW don't worry about going over on those macros, so long as you stay under calorie limits), and fill in the leftover calories with carbs as desired.

Chef_Barbell

courtneyfabulous wrote: »

It is not ok.

Too many carbs means you're getting too little of fat and protein.

Protein is essential for maintaining lean mass (muscle) when in a deficit, otherwise you will lose more muscle and less fat than you want and become "skinny fat" which is unhealthy and doesn't look good and means your metabolism be slower.

Try to at least meet your daily protein goal.

This is not true completely. You can get most of your calories from carbs as long as you are meeting your minimum protein which is usually 1g per pound of LBM, but that is if you are working out and lifting.

None of that has anything to do with "skinny fat".

Sued0nim

Vowder wrote: »

I believe in Carbs In Carbs Out. If you consume less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. It is just very hard to keep that up for a long time. If you are good with it, and it is working... stick with it.

I have a low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein way of eating. Fat gives you the feeling of being full. Fat also can not turn into body fat. Sugar doesn't fill you up. It burns fast and hot and makes you want more.

I've never felt this strong or healthy. I am down just about 100lbs. I put whipping cream in my morning coffee every morning. I can work out like a beast.

I have however had to give up some old favorites. I avoid sugar, starches, and breads. I only drink alcohol very occasionally. There are only a few good selections at restaurants.

It was hard to adjust but the easiest way to live now. I have bacon and eggs for breakfast frequently. I eat a ton of salad with protein on top. I often eat chocolate peanut butter fat bombs as a snack.

It is hard to explain how good I feel.

There is a low carb board on this site. Check it out is you are interested at all. Remember though, I am not trying to sell you on this. There are a million ways to skin a cat.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

I have mixed feelings about this post ...

Chef_Barbell

Sued0nim wrote: »

Vowder wrote: »

I believe in Carbs In Carbs Out. If you consume less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. It is just very hard to keep that up for a long time. If you are good with it, and it is working... stick with it.

I have a low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein way of eating. Fat gives you the feeling of being full. Fat also can not turn into body fat. Sugar doesn't fill you up. It burns fast and hot and makes you want more.

I've never felt this strong or healthy. I am down just about 100lbs. I put whipping cream in my morning coffee every morning. I can work out like a beast.

I have however had to give up some old favorites. I avoid sugar, starches, and breads. I only drink alcohol very occasionally. There are only a few good selections at restaurants.

It was hard to adjust but the easiest way to live now. I have bacon and eggs for breakfast frequently. I eat a ton of salad with protein on top. I often eat chocolate peanut butter fat bombs as a snack.

It is hard to explain how good I feel.

There is a low carb board on this site. Check it out is you are interested at all. Remember though, I am not trying to sell you on this. There are a million ways to skin a cat.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group

I have mixed feelings about this post ...

Me too.

missh1967

You may need to experiment (down the road) on what macro combination you feel best at. Staying within your calorie range for now (if you are just starting out) is a great initial goal. Everyone is different. I use a 60/20/20 split: 60g carbs, 20g protein, 20g fat. It's what I feel best at, but even that varies. Today I was 49% carbs, 22% fat, and 29% protein. Your mileage may vary.

Caletagirl

Carbs = Sugar ⁉️

TavistockToad

Caletagirl wrote: »

Carbs = Sugar ⁉️

so?

RoxieDawn

Caletagirl wrote: »

Carbs = Sugar ⁉️

Really?

nosebag1212

It's only a problem if eating so much carbs makes you deficient in protein or fat. The number one factor is cals in-out, but protein and fat are essential macronutrients where you have a minimum you want to hit to ensure you maintain as much lean bodymass as possible and a healthy hormone profile, protein spares lbm and fat is important for hormone production and mineral absorbtion, try to aim for 0.8-1 gram protein per lb lbm and 0.45 gram fat per lb lbm, fill remaining calories with carbs or any other macronutrient of your choice.

nosebag1212

Vowder wrote: »

I believe in Carbs In Carbs Out. If you consume less than you burn, you WILL lose weight. It is just very hard to keep that up for a long time. If you are good with it, and it is working... stick with it.

I have a low-carb, high-fat, moderate protein way of eating. Fat gives you the feeling of being full. Fat also can not turn into body fat. Sugar doesn't fill you up. It burns fast and hot and makes you want more.

Completely false, in fact, dietary fat is the one macronutrient that is most readily stored as bodyfat when in a caloric surplus, it's about CALORIES.

amusedmonkey

This question is hard to answer without some numbers. If carbs are so high that you don't have room for enough protein and fat, then yes they are too high. How high is high depends on your calorie intake and actual grams. Instead of thinking in terms of "are my carbs too high?" think in terms of "am I getting enough protein and fat?"

When you work on protein and fat, carbs will fall where they may naturally without you having to worry about them. What is enough protein and fat? Again, this requires more info like your weight, age, activity level, body fat%...etc.

kommodevaran

What numbers? We aren't mind readers. "Most" doesn't mean much, and MFP's default macro split is 50% carbs, and official recommendations are 45-65%. "Too much" can mean just "more than necessary", but more often "harmful". If your carb intake is on the expense of protein and fat, that's not a good thing. But what you eat to fill your macros, also matter a great deal. Also, are you tracking correctly?

Do you feel okay? Not particularly hungry, and not lethargic? Do you like what you eat? Are your weight or perfomance goals on schedule? That's what ultimately matters.

yirara

Why not accept that everyone is different? Some people thrive on a high fat diet, some feel full after eating protein, and others are absolutely fine with eating lots of carbs. I, for example would not be happy with eating lots of fats as the digestion and energy winning from it takes too long and doesn't seem to work properly.

TO, if you are happy with your diet, if you can keep it up, your digestion functions properly, you have no medical reason to go low carb and you have the energy to do everything you like then what's wrong with it?

trigden1991

Protein is muscle sparing so combining a good amount of protein (0.8-1.2g/lb of lean body mass) with a structured lifting program would be a good plan. However at the end of the day, a calorie deficit is what causes weight loss with macros being less important.

applesandtapeline

I get most of my calories from carbs. Mind - good carbs = rice,sweet potato,beans,porridge,fruits etc. It works perfectly for me, I need all that energy. And at the same time, consume appropriate amount of good fats and proteins.
When I decide to lose a bit of fat, I just eat less carbs and bit more protein. The base is calorie counting.

MyrnaSolganick

I am meeting my minimums for all categories, except for sodium and I dont worry about that.