Best Eating Plan for Yourself vs. what MFP sets up

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jkegs013
jkegs013 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
MFP sets up the % of carbs, fats, and protein you should eat during the day. Where do those % come from? What's the best way to find out what is the best for your body to reach the goals you want to reach? Is "trial and error" pretty much all you can do to figure it out, or is there something better? Or what's a decent % to follow when trying to lose weight? Any advice would be great.

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  • knittnponder
    knittnponder Posts: 1,954 Member
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    For me it's been trial and error. I realized long before coming to MFP that I need to eat far fewer carbs than what it recommends here. I learned by eating and tracking that I can't do a "low carb" style for long without feeling like my brain is shutting down. I also know from listening to my body that I need plenty of protein and foods high in refined carbs are very bad for me. So I set it to 40% protein/30% carbs/30% fat and that's what I aim for. This is my own personal setting and I'm not saying it's what YOU need to do. I am saying that whatever you choose to start with, pay attention to how you feel and how your weight loss is progressing and tweak if necessary.

    And welcome to MFP!
  • reepobob
    reepobob Posts: 1,172 Member
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    I tweaked mine based on P90X's Fat Shredder phase of their nutrition plan. My set up is 50% protein, 30% carb, and 20% fats. I can usually keep my fat content low, and I usually end up capping my protein at 1g per lb of body weight (rule of thumb for strength training) and my carbs fluctuate.

    My setup and my results rarely coincide...I would guess my actual breakdown ends up around 45% protein, 35% carb, and 20% fat. I have lost over 5% body fat and I am out of "overfat" and into the "average" range on this diet (coupled with 8+ weeks of P90X).

    I have to work at getting enough protein (shakes, bars, poultry/fish/shellfish) and I love my carbs, especially fruit/nuts. My carbs are always good carbs, but I struggle to keep it below 30%.

    My buddy knittnponder said it best though, you just need to tweak it and experiment with results, but give yourself at least a few weeks to evaluate any effects those changes make as your body doesn't turn on a dime to changes you force on it.

    Good luck to you!!

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