Paleo Macros

guitarguy310
guitarguy310 Posts: 32 Member
edited November 12 in Social Groups
Could anyone be so kind as to share their macro nutrient ratios for the Paleo? Im thinking 65/25/10 (F/P/C).

Thank you!
«1

Replies

  • I currently do 50/30/20
  • kikih64
    kikih64 Posts: 349 Member
    I do 50f/25c/25p. Seems to work for me. I have enough energy and am never hungry.
  • novarugger10
    novarugger10 Posts: 62 Member
    I do 50/30/20 as well
  • ShannonKirton
    ShannonKirton Posts: 304 Member
    Currently 60/20/20 at 1500 calories.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Could anyone be so kind as to share their macro nutrient ratios for the Paleo? Im thinking 65/25/10 (F/P/C).

    Thank you!

    IMO, that's an excellent macro profile to try. I started out at 75-80 fat, 15-20 protein and 5 carb but I had severe metabolic issues. Now I have the settings at 70 f, 20 p, 10 c but since I went a little crazy over the holiday with sugar, my carbs are around 5% for now. I feel the absolute best when my body uses fat for fuel.

    Keep experimenting with what works for you. It will depend on your lifestyle and your health what may work best but every time you change something only change one thing and take time to observe the result. Too many changes at once makes isolating factors impossible.

    Personally, I don't think anyone should ever go under 50% fat and I do think 65% is ideal for most people.
  • Nutmeg76
    Nutmeg76 Posts: 258 Member
    It really is dependent on the person. The more active you are the more carbs you'll need, or you may need to do carb refeeds.

    I stick with 45-50 fat, 25-30 protein and 20- 25% carb.
  • I'm a bit reversed from everyone here and follow RW's guide about carbs (1-1.5g per lb of body weight). My macros are at 40 carbs/30 protein/30 fat.

    Generally I break down the Owen equation to roughly 2200 on workout days and 2000 on non-workout days. Been gaining like a champ.
  • ThePrimalSpartan
    ThePrimalSpartan Posts: 59 Member
    I have mine set on 55f/30p/15c at 1750 calories. I focus more of the macros than I do the calories tho.
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
    Right now I set to 55f/30p/15c with 1650 calorie intake. Over the last year I have tried so many macro composition for so many reasons.
    The ratio itself can vary a lot just based on the level of total calories. Half year ago my ratio was identical to yours, simply because I was eating 500 calories more than I do now. Although I was eating similar amount of protein and carb, they were lower ratio just because my total was much higher.
    It is a pity that MFP only let you set your macros as a %.
    I personally always start by deciding how much protein I want to eat. It depends on your gender , height, exercise etc
    (It is generally recommended to eat between 0.8 to 1.2 g of protein per lean body mass given in lb)

    Second is to decide on the carb. I personally like primal Blueprint carb curve 's. I think the 50-100g is a good starting range, see how you deal with it and go from there. I shoot for 50-75g, because I want to lose weight, but also prefer to eat my vitamins instead of getting them from supplements. I usually eat 4-6 servings of veggie a day and 1 maybe 2 servings of fruit.
    The rest is fat.
  • darjeelingexpress
    darjeelingexpress Posts: 22 Member
    I'm at 60F/25P/15C on 1500 calories - it feels good and is working to lose.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
    It really is dependent on the person. The more active you are the more carbs you'll need, or you may need to do carb refeeds.

    I stick with 45-50 fat, 25-30 protein and 20- 25% carb.

    That's actually not really true. There are a number of elite athletes, including professional basketball and football players, marathoners and ultra-marathoners, cyclists, and triathletes that practice and compete at lower carb levels. I even know a lifter who does best at 20-50g of carbs on any day.

    Whether a given individual does well at a certain level of carbs depends on the person, but a higher activity level does not necessarily require more carbs.

    To the OP - I generally calculate my macros the same way redheadedmommy does. It results in a spread of about 60-65f/25p/10-15c for me at about 1800-2000 calories.
  • Supertact
    Supertact Posts: 466 Member
    40f 25c 35p
  • guitarguy310
    guitarguy310 Posts: 32 Member
    Wow - thank you for all of your feedback! Its very interesting to see how our macros differ for various reasons. I'm trying to lose weight, which is my my carbs are generally low and cals. Each day varies though, and I'm well within the average of macros on this thread. Thanks for all of your help!
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    40-40-20
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    I'm on the 50/30/20 wagon as well. My goal is actually 50/35/15, but I find I'm usually a little low on protein and a little higher on carbs.
  • TriLifter
    TriLifter Posts: 1,283 Member
    I'm at 45/25/30 right now eating 2400 cals/day--my carbs are higher because I'm bulking.
  • FitToLead
    FitToLead Posts: 275 Member
    Hi folks, I haven't read any of the paleo books yet (though of course have read a few websites) . Why do you all have higher fats than protein and carbs, and who writes about that? Does that work for people with large - ie over 100lb - to lose.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    Hi folks, I haven't read any of the paleo books yet (though of course have read a few websites) . Why do you all have higher fats than protein and carbs, and who writes about that? Does that work for people with large - ie over 100lb - to lose.

    Most Paleo/Primal resources will recommend 50% fat or more. Unfortunately, some people's first exposure to the Paleo lifestyle is Dr. Cordain's "The Paleo Diet". He has since changed his low fat stance, but some people are still confused about why many of use embrace fat so much. Also, as someone who has severe metabolic disorder (morbid obesity, pre diabetes, depression, BED, and many others) I find it necessary to eat a fat based diet. It resolved all of my illnesses, weight loss is effortless, my body knows how much to eat, and I never have to struggle with being hungry.

    One thing that all Paleolithic peoples and modern hunter/gatherer societies have in common is that they always favoured the highest fat foods that were available to them. That's how we developed the brain that we have. Of course that varied depending on where they lived and their technology. I live amongst Inuit. Their diet was 80% fat and more with almost no plant foods and yet, prior to colonization and being settled into towns and adopting a grain/sugar based diet, they were robustly healthy. No cancer, no heart disease, no diabetes etc. (They did have lung issues due to burning fat for heat in their small dwellings.)

    I would say that my high fat diet has worked for wonders weight loss. Binge eating disorder was actually malnutrition so once my micronutrient needs were being met I was no longer stimulated to over-eat. Yup, cured just by changing what i eat. I still have about 20 pounds to go and that will take a long time, but what I'm more excited about is how I feel and how much I enjoy the foods that i eat. Fatty foods taste delicious and are extremely satiating. I also save money because I eat much smaller volumes of food.

    Honestly, anyone with metabolic disorders including diabetes and obesity probably should adopt a ketogenic Paleo lifestyle. Do research, check out the Paleo/Primal resources. Many back up my opinion. There are many ways to tweak this lifestyle to fit individual health needs.
  • FitToLead
    FitToLead Posts: 275 Member
    Hi there, thanks so much for that.

    I have read websites but not books yet (I am recovering from recent emergency surgery so my brain is still a tad vague).

    I just finished 13 days strictly paleo food , and felt put off by smells at a restaurant I walked past today - which is a lovely sign of movement ina good direction.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    The best book on this lifestyle so far, imo, is Chris Kresser's "Your Personal Paleo Code", just released on December 31, 2013. I'm almost finished reading it already. .
  • nettasaura
    nettasaura Posts: 173 Member
    50/25/25, but I just started about a week ago, so I know there will be eventually be some changes. I am loving not being hungry all day!
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
    *Delete - I noticed I already commented haha*
  • Katelin7141
    Katelin7141 Posts: 13 Member
    In this article they mention that optimal is 20% carb, 65% fat, and 15% protein. If I am reading it correctly anyway. 15% protein seems way to low to me. Any thoughts? :)
    http://paleoleap.com/question-of-macronutrient-ratios/
  • Gianfranco_R
    Gianfranco_R Posts: 1,297 Member
    In this article they mention that optimal is 20% carb, 65% fat, and 15% protein. If I am reading it correctly anyway. 15% protein seems way to low to me. Any thoughts? :)
    http://paleoleap.com/question-of-macronutrient-ratios/

    There is a disconnection between the blogosphere paleo and the academic paleo, the latter being in favour of a moderate breakdown:
    http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7930282&fileId=S0007114510002679
    (the important caveat is that it's the moderate paleo that has been tested on several medical trials).
    That being said, I agree that everyone should find out their own ideal macro ratios. It's a trial and error process.
  • wanderinjack
    wanderinjack Posts: 248 Member
    edited June 2016
    Stop guessing and start testing.

    One can easily get the right number for you is by purchasing a glucometer at your local drug store ($15) and checking blood sugar regularly. It's a very informative thing to do. I'm at 75f 10c 15p.
  • kalebrown87
    kalebrown87 Posts: 5 Member
    edited November 2016
    Paleo is not LCHF; it is not Keto. please know the difference. it's not low fat either. Paleo is a "high protein" for lack of a better explanation (average protein), moderate fats, picky about the carbs (no processed stuff, typically above ground plants which still have carbs but also high fiber content). Things as low in protein as what most of you are describing (75f, 20p, 5c or some similar combination) will result in muscle loss. I have consulted professionals (doctors and nutritionists) on this as I was headed down that road too and I have seen first hand as a large majority of the men at my work (a petrochemical plant) have switched to keto (high fat, low carb, low to moderate protein) and have lost weight but also lost large amounts of muscle mass in their arms and legs. Keto has shown benefits but it is not sustainable long term but as a short term aid for certain medical conditions with the benefit of weight loss and high energy levels. Only you can find the combination that works for you and the only way to do that is to experiment, however, do research first. Don't flippantly grab numbers and mess with your body. I for example gathered information from 7 different sources on my calorie needs, researched paleo, keto, carb cycling, intermittent fasting from even more sources than that, taking into consideration who was behind those sources also to determine why they claim what they did. The best way to determine the best macro split for yourself is to start with a base and adjust from there until you get that ideal ratio. right now I'm doing paleo and carb cycling (40p 40f 20c on low carb days and 40p 40c 20f on high carb days). Keto says less protein so your body doesn't use the protein as glucose but the problem there is when you are working out how are you maintaining muscle? "keto has protein sparing properties" but to what degree? that hasn't been determined scientifically and physical evidence shows it's not enough to maintain muscle mass. Keep in mind that when your body starts using stored energy due to a caloric deficit it will not differentiate between muscle and fat so you must keep your muscles fed with enough protein to sustain them.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    edited December 2016
    Old post resurrected. lol

    Paleo can be anything anyone wants. Yes it can be LCHF, Keto (I disagree with the take on it above completely but agree it isn't for all people), and even in my case Zero Carb (trace carbs in coffee, organ meats, eggs, etc). But yes it doesn't HAVE to be any of those things either. The only thing any diet should not ever be is HIGH protein for extended time. 40% protein is not "high" but when I see people doing truly high protein diets it is scary (but not my business).

    My zero carb diet seems to get me around 40% protein most of time so perhaps that is indeed a happy place to be. We can agree on that. And you've got a pretty great macro goal for someone that is healthy and doesn't have any permanent metabolic problems, neurological problems, autoimmune disorders, gastro disorders, etc.

    PS. It was fun to see my very old comments now that I have adopted a completely different WOE due health issues that just wouldn't improve with plants in my diet.



  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    Been a long since I was on here, great discussion.
  • wanderinjack
    wanderinjack Posts: 248 Member
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    Nutmeg76 wrote: »
    It really is dependent on the person. The more active you are the more carbs you'll need, or you may need to do carb refeeds.

    I stick with 45-50 fat, 25-30 protein and 20- 25% carb.

    Not true and not true. I've been on 5% carbs for over 4 years. I do not lack for energy and I do not refeed. It's not necessary - your body gets its fuel from fat. Do some research on becoming fat adapted. Not saying people have to eat this low, but if they do they do not need extra carbs for anything.
This discussion has been closed.