Amount of carbs recommended

GMC141

Where do they come up with the amount of carbs/protein/fat/sugar recommended? I always seem to be short carbs and to much protein. I thought carbs were suppose to be low.

estherdragonbat

Carbs don't have to be low. What's important is that you get adequate protein (0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, or 0.36 grams per pound, according to https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-protein-per-day) and fat (minimum 20-30% of daily calories according to http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/how-much-fat-per-day/). As long as you hit those levels, you can fill out the rest with carbs, more protein, more fat, as you like.

janejellyroll

You can lose weight on a high, moderate, or low carbohydrate diet -- it's a calorie deficit that creates weight loss. You can set your carbohydrate goals based on personal preference (some people find it easier when they eat more, others prefer to eat less).

estherdragonbat

Quick clarification, because I realize I might not have been clear. To lose weight, calories are all that matter. The macro-split comes into play in making sure that you're meeting nutrition and satiety goals (among others).

Danp

I have been managing my weight since January this year and have lost 40kg (88lb) so far and have not even peeked at my macros until now. I've just focused on calories and let the percentages fall where they may.

Seems my protein intake is naturally pretty consistent at around about 0.6-0.7g/kg and about 15% of my calories. This seems to be slightly below general recommendations but I honestly can't say I've felt any ill effects as yet. I have been able to make pretty significant health and fitness gains via cycling at this level. I might have to pay a bit of attention to this in the future just in case but for now it seems to be working out OK.

The interesting thing I found was that the other 85% of my calories seems to fluctuate wildly between fats and carbs. One day my P/F/C split will be skewed towards carbs (15/26/59) and the next it'll be higher in fats (16/54/30). When I look at it weekly stats though, my fats and carbs seem to even themselves out and both fall in the 40-45% range (15/43/42 one week then 16/40/44 then next)

AnvilHead

As others have already said - calories are what matter for weight loss, not carbs.

Personally, the only macro I even concern myself with is ensuring that I meet/exceed my protein goal every day. I never have a problem getting enough fat, so I let fat and carbs fall wherever they fall within my calorie goals. Some days I'm over 300g of carbs, some days I'm under 150g, but I average right around 200g carbs/day.

OddDitty

GMC141 wrote: »

Where do they come up with the amount of carbs/protein/fat/sugar recommended? I always seem to be short carbs and to much protein. I thought carbs were suppose to be low.

It depends on the person. Those who are prone to things like diabetes will likely benefit from a lower carb count.

MarvinsFitLife

Get a food scale... calculate your bmi

beatyfamily1

I think it depends on how you react to a specific macro ratio. If you can reach your goals on a higher carb diet, then that is what works for you. I personally do way better on about a 10% carbs, 45% fat, 45% protein ratio. When I started increasing my fat, all the sudden my weight started dropping and I would be more satiated on lower calories. It just takes some playing around with to figure out what works for you.

lemurcat2

GMC141 wrote: »

Where do they come up with the amount of carbs/protein/fat/sugar recommended? I always seem to be short carbs and to much protein. I thought carbs were suppose to be low.

Carbs don't need to be low (unless you prefer them low or have a condition like T2D that benefits from limiting them). It's currently the fad to be afraid of carbs, like people used to be afraid of fat.

That said, having protein higher isn't a bad idea, especially if your calorie limit isn't very high. MFP has 50% carbs, 25% fat and protein as its default, I think, which is fine for most but higher in protein and lower in carbs is fine too.

A good, safe protein goal to help maintain muscle is about .8 g x goal weight (in lb), so if goal weight is 120, aiming for about 96 g (going over is fine) isn't a bad idea.

If you are hitting protein, carbs vs. fat is really just a personal preference. Personally I focused on hitting protein and fiber and let everything else fall where it did, although I just naturally tend to prefer to eat a little bit lower carb.

TLDR: I ate higher in protein and lower in carbs than MFP gave me, and since I enjoyed and stuck to my calories, all was well, you can adjust macros to personally preference, just don't skimp on protein.