Which parameter matters most?

Aprilxlirpa

I almost always stick to my calorie limit. However, some days I notice I'm over on either my protien (last night I had a 5oz piece of chicken, and my cottage cheese for breakfast alone put me way over) or on carbs.
That being said, my calories and fat are never over. Which parameter is the most important to stick to, and is it terrible to go over on the others??

Aprilxlirpa

I almost always stick to my calorie limit. However, some days I notice I'm over on either my protien (last night I had a 5oz piece of chicken, and my cottage cheese for breakfast alone put me way over) or on carbs.
That being said, my calories and fat are never over. Which parameter is the most important to stick to, and is it terrible to go over on the others??

lcn42781

I stay below my calories most days, but seem to be over on my sodium EVERY day!! I drink more water to help dilute it out of my system. I look at calories being the most important to me...

barracudamuscle

Im a calorie watcher personally. Next I look at carbs, then protien. I tend to go over protein quite often but Im losing alot of weight so im not going to worry about it just yet, maybe when I plataeu!

timisw

Its tough to get a good reading on Fat/Carbs/Protein because not all the data is correct!

However I would weigh everything on the below ratio of *'s

Calories *****
Fat ***
Carbs **
Protein *

bwfc123

Exceeding the total carbs can be a tricky one. It depends on what you're eating, but simple carbs (refined flour and white sugar ~ baked goods) are going to hinder your progress. The one main thing that all the protein diets (Zone, Atkins, Protein Power Plan) had right was that carbohydrates are the key driver in any overweight condition. It's therefore very important to choose your carb sources wisely. Consult a Glycemic Index chart on-line to identify complex carbs that are satisfying and sustaining.

if you are going to exceed, do it with good, lean sources of protein. Stay close to the fat limit, but try and keep your carbs below the limit (choosing wisely from this category will fill your plate).

Don't be too restrictive with carbs though, since the right ones contain essential nutrients that you don't get from the other 2 categories.

IndigoElectron

I find it completely depends on what I'm doing. I'm normally over on protein and fat, but I'm staying with my family at the moment and two of them are vegetarian. So today I'm over on the carbs (we've been eating rice, chickpeas and the like) but under on the fat and slightly under on protein. I think the main thing to watch is the calories, but like bwfc123 says, watch the 'bad' carbs as they can raise your blood sugar too quickly and cause a crash, which can trigger hunger and cravings.

I would imagine getting a balance over the week is more imporant than worrying about every day.

timisw

I also try to keep on my - Only eat it if it is less than 30% fat rule -

IE, if it is 100calories and contains less than 30 calories of fat, I can eat it. Otherwise, dont eat much of it.

Whenever I follow that rule, the protein and carbs usually work out on their own without much supervision.!

msarro

I normally just stick with calories. I've found that usually if you follow calories you're going to stay mostly under on the other stuff, at least with the foods I eat. My big issue is sodium which is a pain in the *kitten* to stay under on.