help with balance

hamilton4beaumont

Ok. I don't think i'm eating a very balanced diet. I obviously need to cut Way back on protein, and I'm confused about WHAT i should eat. I have 300 calories left to reach that 1200 calorie mark: 15 grams of fat left, 8 grams of protein left and 20 carbs left. What's the best thing to eat now? I have 2 small apples a day, 100 grams of raw cauliflower, cooked brocolli, one glass of skim milk... nothing that's junk food. Well, 94% fat free popcorn was my snack. But could someone offer some suggestions to help with balance? Or tell me if I need help with balance?
Thanks everybody!

hamilton4beaumont

Ok. I don't think i'm eating a very balanced diet. I obviously need to cut Way back on protein, and I'm confused about WHAT i should eat. I have 300 calories left to reach that 1200 calorie mark: 15 grams of fat left, 8 grams of protein left and 20 carbs left. What's the best thing to eat now? I have 2 small apples a day, 100 grams of raw cauliflower, cooked brocolli, one glass of skim milk... nothing that's junk food. Well, 94% fat free popcorn was my snack. But could someone offer some suggestions to help with balance? Or tell me if I need help with balance?
Thanks everybody!

elliott062907

are you a vegitarian? Try a veggie burger......
If not, lean measured meat, or fish....

yoginimary

Don't over think it. Some days you get more protein (most days)/ carbs/ fats. It's really not that worrisome unless you are WAY over almost every day. If you need 80 grams of protein and you getting 200, then maybe you should cut back, same with everything else.
Eat what you're in the mood for.

hamilton4beaumont

the recommended total is around 56, but I usually get 80 or above sometimes! Yikes! Is that too much? I read that Americans get way too much protein and what the body doesn't use is stored as fat. Trying to trouble shoot here...I'm obviously doing something wrong. I've been tracking my food for years. I have all my food journals and my foods have stayed the same for so long. I'm not sure where to go from here.
Thanks again for listening to my :sad:

mickie

I ALWAYS GO OVER ON MY PROTEIN AND i AM UNDER ON MY CARBS AND FAT. GOING OVER ON MY PROTEIN DOESN'T BOTHER ME BECAUSE I DO SOME FORM OF STRENGTH TRAINING ALMOST DAILY (ALONG WITH MY CARDIO) AND USE THE EXTRA PROTEIN FOR MUSCLE REBUILDING. IF YOU'RE NOT WEIGHT LIFTING CHECK YOUR FOOD LOG AND SEE WHAT YOU ARE EATING THAT IS PUTTING YOU OVER IN PROTEIN AND TRY TO AVOID THAT FOOD.

songbyrdsweet

the recommended total is around 56, but I usually get 80 or above sometimes! Yikes! Is that too much? I read that Americans get way too much protein and what the body doesn't use is stored as fat. Trying to trouble shoot here...I'm obviously doing something wrong. I've been tracking my food for years. I have all my food journals and my foods have stayed the same for so long. I'm not sure where to go from here.
Thanks again for listening to my :sad:

This is an odd trend I'm seeing lately...no nutrient is just stored as fat automatically. You need to be a caloric excess for it. Your protein needs depend on your training type and lean body mass. The average person can eat .8g per kg of bodyweight, or about 1/2 a gram of protein per lb of bodyweight. Those who train vigorously eat upwards of about 1g per lb of bodyweight, and steroid users can eat inordinant amounts because steriods increase muscle synthesis (I am not a proponent of steroid use, it's just an example). I eat about 130-150g of protein per day, or 35% of my calories. I also drink over a gallon of water a day and take calcium supplements to prevent any bone loss or dehydration. Protein levels become unsafe when they are so high they don't allow for adequate fat and carbohydrate in the diet, and protein overuse can lead to kidney damage and increased blood viscosity, but 80g isn't going to do that. Remember that, if you're active, your muscle are regularly damaged, and the only thing used to repair them is protein. It's the building block of your body.

hamilton4beaumont

Thank you! I think doing that "no carb all protein and fat" trend really confused me! I shouldn't have read that book so many times... I feel brainwashed! Thanks for setting me straight! It's not about each nutrient as much as it is about the caloric deficit, right?:flowerforyou:

songbyrdsweet

Thank you! I think doing that "no carb all protein and fat" trend really confused me! I shouldn't have read that book so many times... I feel brainwashed! Thanks for setting me straight! It's not about each nutrient as much as it is about the caloric deficit, right?:flowerforyou:

Well, you'll find mixed reviews on that. I personally believe that ratios are just as important as how much you're eating. Sure, you can lose weight on 1200 calories with of M&M's, but you'll also be suffering from pre-diabetes and severe malnutrition after a couple weeks of that. I monitor each nutrient to make sure I'm getting a certain percentage of my calories from each one. That's not really necessary for the general population, but it's still very important to make sure you're eating enough fat and protein for the essential amino and fatty acids. Your body can't produce those like it can produce glucose in the absence of carbohydrate. Low/no carb diets have their place and can be effective in certain situations, but many find it's easier to maintain their training intensity and diet (not 'diet', just food intake) with a more balanced approach.

abbychelle07

Try some natural peanut butter to get some calories in at the end of the day. It has protein and fat, but not "bad" calories in my opinion.

It's true, don't over think it!