Is there a recommended ratio of Fat to Carbs/Protein in a diet for weight loss?

paulcahill5301

Hi all,

New user here. First time focusing in on my fitness and health really.

I have been tracking and losing weight over the past 42 days. Seems to be going well. Feel good, energy levels are at least double just from eating better.

I don't hit each goal every day but I am getting better at managing through food choices however, I'm unsure if my Macro splits are in keeping with normal guidelines. I have noted that if I go over on my Carbs my weight increases which is a nice trend to witness. probably water retention. I have been actively improving my fiber intake.

Goals
Calorie - 1629
Carbs - 141g
Protein - 147g
Fat - 53g

Gym about three times per week strength training. Walking minimum 10K steps per day.

Any advise on my figures is very much appreciated.

AnnPT77

The MFP defaults aren't b oad for most people, as long as they don't try to lose weight aggressively fast for their current size. (There's no way to get adequate nutrition on too few calories, no matter the ratios. IMO, loss faster than 0.5-1% of current weight per week is aggressively fast, and I'd suggest the lower end of that is less risky unless severely obese and under close medical supervision for deficiencies or complications.)

The MFP defaults are based on mainstream nutritional guidelines from authoritative sources (USDA, WHO, NHS kind of thing).

If you want a more nuanced, research-based protein need estimate, try this site:

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

Note that the guide suggests it's OK to use a reasonable goal weight as the basis for the calculation if substantially overweight.

For myself, I shoot for 0.35-0.45g fats per pound of body weight as a reasonable daily minimum for me as a woman.

I focus on protein and fat minimums, plus mega-plenty amounts of varied, colorful veggies and fruits daily for micros and fiber. Carb intake I don't care about one way or another, I just use carbs (and small amounts of alcohol now and then ) to balance calorie intake to my goal. (I tend to eat 225g+ of carbs in maintenance, more like 150g+ when I was losing.)

Carbs will increase scale weight through water retention, if we increase above our typical intake. It takes something like 4g of water to metabolize a gram of carbs, and that'll show on the scale while those carbs are in transit in the body. It's not body fat, so I don't really care about that, either.

Best wishes!

paulcahill5301

Hi Ann,

Thank you so much for your comprehensive response.

best regards

Paul

tomcustombuilder

Best to not use ratios. Think more in gram amounts. Protein being anywhere from .7-1G per lb of bodyweight, fat being around .3-.5 G of body weight and carbs filling in the rest to meet your calorie target. Fat and protein can be higher if desired.

Someone very overweight will use their lean weight to determine the amounts.

paulcahill5301

Thanks Tom. I would prefer to eat more fat and protein and reduce the carbohydrates

Corina1143

I've never heard of a recommended ratio, but I have a personal one.
I have had just a little gall bladder trouble, not enough to consider surgery. Family history of heart problems. Personally high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Because of all that, I am very aware of my fat and sugar intake.
My normal eating pattern includes almost equal amounts of protein and carbs.
On a day that I'm really hungry, I totally give myself permission to eat extra. But I try to keep fat and sugar to an absolute minimum, goal=zero, and protein at least 45 to 50% of those extra calories. In other words, fat and sugar goals are absolute, regardless of calories while protein and carb goal go up when calories go up. Of course I don't really achieve it, but I try. That's partly because of the reasons above, but mostly for satiety and how hungry I'm going to be tomorrow.