Food choices

Beccalouise09

I am in a bit of a pickle, I like my chicken boneless breast fillets and lean meats but I have been surrounded by people who have been saying to not have pasta, rice, rosst potatoes, even sausages. I need help knowing what's ideal proteins for being able to be slim and toned definition.

Please can anyone give me any listed tips? It would be most appreciated.

tadpull

My favorite sources of protein is chicken, eggs, canned tuna and canned salmon. Would eat lean beef but the inflation has stopped that. If you eat lean meat you will need to get your fats somewhere. I like olive oil, nuts and eggs.

fatty2begone

1st question that comes to mind is WHO "are the people"?
Are they medical professionals defining what type of diet you need? Are they strangers, family, other dieters?

AnnPT77

Get enough high quality protein. As a meat eater, you're unlikely to have a protein quality problem, as long as you get enough protein grams overall. (For vegetarians like me, quality can be a more important consideration.)

Common rule of thumb guidelines here (and elsewhere) for protein range from 0.8 to 1 gram daily (minimum) per pound of lean body mass, which is roughly equivalent to 0.6-0.8g per pound of healthy goal weight for a wide range of people). More than that is fine, in the context of overall good nutrition, unless a person has a serious health condition (such as kidney disease) that requires limiting protein.

For a more specific research-based recommendation, consider this:

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/
https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/

The ranges from that source will tend to overlap the rule of thumb values.

Fats, probably something in the range of 0.35-0.45g daily (minimum) per pound is reasonable, though men might be able to be a little lower. It would be good to get some monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in the mix, not just saturated fats. (Animal fats are largely saturated. Mono and poly fats come from things like nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocadoes, etc.) It could be good to get some Omega-3 fats, because most people are over-balanced toward Omega-6 oils. Fatty cold-water fish can be a good source of O-3s, for a meat eater.

On top of that, get plenty of varied, colorful veggies and fruits for micronutrients and fiber.

Ignore your friends. They've fallen for popular folklore. Potatoes, in particular, are quite nutrient dense, and (by themselves) pretty reasonable calories. Low-carb diets are trendy these days, which gives people the idea that eliminating carbs is healthy, or necessary for weight loss. That's not true.

What is true is that carbs are not an "essential nutrient" in the technical sense. Protein and fats are "essential nutrients" technically, because our bodies can't manufacture them out of other nutrients, so we need to eat some. By contrast, our bodies can manufacture a carb-equivalent, so our intake of those is more flexible.

Some people find that carbs spike their appetite. Those people might benefit from limiting carbs. Some people find that limiting carbs tanks their energy level. Those people might benefit from eating some. Beyond that, people without a relevant health condition (such as diabetes) can make their own choices.

Quite few people find that when they limit calories, but get overall good nutrition, their carb intake decreases somewhat, because they find those foods less satisfying for their calories, but that's an individual choice.

If you get enough protein, enough healthy fats, plenty of micros and fiber, you should be fine nutritionally. Some carbs in the mix can be muscle-sparing, so eating some may have have pluses in that regard.

The foods you name can be in the mix of what you eat, in a context of reasonable calories and good overall nutrition (on average, over a day or few). Lots of sausage might bring you more than ideal saturated fats, or nitrates (depending on details), but eating some sometimes shouldn't be a big deal. Things like pasta, rice, potatoes: As long as you can eat those, get enough of the other nutrients you need at proper calories, they're fine.

Beccalouise09

thank you everyone for the guidance, it has been most appreciated.

Jthanmyfitnesspal

@AnnPT77 's advice is always so good. I need to rebalance my fats. I love butter too much!

One little tidbit comes from a lifestyle consideration. I think your carb intake should reflect your activity for the day. If you plan to engage in a hour-long cardio session (or longer), you need to fuel for it with adequate carbs. While it is true that fats can be burned for fuel, it's not as efficient, and you may feel sluggish or even light-headed without adequate carbs.

This appears to vary a lot person-to-person and I think you can go by how you feel. Example: I might be doing a 1.5hr ride which will burn ~1000kcals. I balance that with about 50:50 carbs and fats plus some protein. (e.g., waffle, butter, egg, bacon.)

ritzvin

The "Bro diet" potentially has a place for those bodybuilders doing a massive cut (like say before a competition), where they have reason to temporarily cut calories very very low while keeping protein very very high. Otherwise, very very unnecessary.

If your calories are at what you want, and you're getting the protein amount you want and you are getting enough fat (yes, there is a minimum recommended level, and it's particularly important for females), then your diet is fine.