How do figure out how mucb protein and carbs I need in a day

SarahJenkin4218
SarahJenkin4218 Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi I'm trying to figure out macro nutrients required and my profile in general and I'm stumped.
I'm trying to lose about 55 kilos and am doing a high protein, very low carb diet.
Is this something someone can please help me setup and establish?
I have an appointment with dietitian but that's not for a few weeks
Thanks

Replies

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,303 Member
    Normally you want between .7 and 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight however someone very overweight use your lower, target weight for that calculation and for carbs there is no real rule. Get in around .35 gram of fat per lb also.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,138 Member
    Reinforcing what Tom said: Know appropriate protein and fats minimums for your situation in grams, not just percents of calories. Maintain those minimums as you raise/lower calories to affect body fat gain or loss.

    This is a science-based protein calculator and guide:

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

    For most people, the range that calculator suggests will overlap with the rule of thumb Tom recommended, but it has the benefit of giving you goals in kg. As the guide points out, people who are materially over-fat can reasonably use a healthy goal weight to estimate gram goals. (We don't need massive extra protein to maintain our fat mass: It's for maintaining lean tissue.)

    Women might need a bit more fat, up to maybe 0.45g/pound/day (around 0.2g/kg/day).

    It's fine for a healthy person to get more than the minimum of protein or fats, as long as the other isn't persistently too low (when hitting calorie goal). Carbs are more flexible technically, not an "essential nutrient" in the same sense as protein/fats, but can (subjectively) affect an individual's energy level or appetite.

    Most people who want to limit carbs usually increase fats to fill out calorie goal. (I'd note that eating low carb is optional for weight loss, based on reasonable science, BTW. I lost around 23kg at a reasonable clip eating about 50% of calories from carbs, which for me is 150g+ carbs daily. Now, maintaining weight, it's more like 225g+.)

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