Vegetarian % carbs/prot/fats for females

ruffledviolet

I was just wondering what other female vegetarians have for their carbohydrates/protein/fat percentages. I'm always under on protein and fat and over on carbs. I either have oatmeal or cereal or both every day. So I know that's what is putting me over, but I need something besides fruits, veggies, and nuts. Anyway, I want to try to set a realistic goal for myself, I don't really care if it's perfectly healthy or not.
My diary is public if you would like to check that out. Don't judge me too harsh though, it is the weekend.

littlemili

Me too. I try for 40 30 30 but fail on it, am always more like 50 25 25. I try really hard to eat meat-substitute products daily despite my bank balance suffering because of it. Also I eat fish which helps. One thing I try to do for one main meal per day is have a meal where you don't have a carb element like rice, pasta etc. Like just have 2 kinds of veg plus whatever main thing you're having (eg veggie burger, pulses, meat-substitute etc).

Your diary suggests you are getting screwed over by carbs from fruit. I would say not to worry about that because fruit is so nutritious and good for you that you can forget them basically - I mean, you could have so many options that keep you lower in carbs but fruit is probably a better option in every other way. Your diary seems great, really good choices, so to be honest I would just say screw it with the macro percents and just maybe cut down oatmeal and cereal to mornings only - it's more useful to have a complex carb meal early in the day because you get the benefit of slow release energy when you're doing stuff, rather than when you're sleeping. You could make deals with yourself like "bread or oatmeal today, not both" or "no heavy carbs for dinner this week" which don't restrict your choices per se, but will encourage you to pick higher protein and fat based meals and also force you to eat even more veg and salad. You probably don't need to eat oatmeal, cereal and bread in one day, but in the end if it's within your calories you could be doing so much worse.

ruffledviolet

I haven't eaten pasta since I started MFP. I did have rice today, and plan on having it for the next few days to have with that thing that I cooked, but I had not had rice before that. I do have one pb&j sandwich every week day though. So yeah, on those days I should make sure not to have both cereal and oatmeal. I just really love having oatmeal/cereal before bed. I feel like dinner isn't complete without it, and I feel like I need it to go to sleep. I also usually am not in the mood for it in the morning except on weekends. I don't think I could give it up as my last meal of the day, but I could try to have my last meal of the day earlier.

Also, I believe there is a fair amount of protein and fiber in oatmeal. I usually have Kashi high protein & high fiber cereal. I ran out of it a week ago and have been having shredded wheat and honey nut cheerios, but those are almost out, and I'll go back to Kashi. So at least I'm getting other things from my carbs? I don't know if that means anything lol. I also feel like I'm still getting enough veggies. I eat more than anyone I know, but maybe I don't know anyone who eats remotely healthy haha.

I'm such a sucker for carbs. When I have a large amount of left over cals oatmeal/cereal is the first thing to come to mind, and then I'm like but I could have ice cream! But then oatmeal/cereal still wins. So I'm going to try for more omelets/greek yogurt.

milaxx

I trade off. I either have bread/pasta or potato. rarely both. I am usually under for protein but not by crazy numbers. I also use a vegan protein powder, especially on gym days.

My diary is open if you want to look.

littlemili

Yes there is protein and fibre in oatmeal but you can get more of it without the carbs from other sources. Vegetables have fibre abd quorn or tofu have protein. It's great to eat oatmeal but have you considered that the reason it makes you sleep well is because it's an unnecessarily carb-loaded meal which is giving your body too much to handle when it needs something light? Like when you eat a big lunch and get that mid-afternoon slump.

A huge deal would be giving up the pbj sandwich and having it just once a week. Could you replace it with something else and mix it up a bit? Like pick crackers or flatbread instead of regular bread, humous instead of pb and maybe get some veg or salad in? You could try a pitta pocket with humous and salad which I expect would be fewer calories and carbs but more nutritious and just as filling. Small changes even if it's not possible every day will make a big difference.

unsuspectingfish

Nuts are a good source of vegetarian protein, as well as soy products, especially tofu. I eat Greek yogurt, which has more protein than regular yogurt.

As for carbs, I keep myself limited to oatmeal for breakfast and brown rice with beans for dinner. I completely avoid bread, now. I do have the occasional tortilla, but it's always a small, whole-grain corn one, which barely makes a dent. I tend to ignore the carbs from fruit and veggies as long as I'm not going way over. I actually have stayed under every day this month.

ruffledviolet

Yes there is protein and fibre in oatmeal but you can get more of it without the carbs from other sources. Vegetables have fibre abd quorn or tofu have protein. It's great to eat oatmeal but have you considered that the reason it makes you sleep well is because it's an unnecessarily carb-loaded meal which is giving your body too much to handle when it needs something light? Like when you eat a big lunch and get that mid-afternoon slump.

A huge deal would be giving up the pbj sandwich and having it just once a week. Could you replace it with something else and mix it up a bit? Like pick crackers or flatbread instead of regular bread, humous instead of pb and maybe get some veg or salad in? You could try a pitta pocket with humous and salad which I expect would be fewer calories and carbs but more nutritious and just as filling. Small changes even if it's not possible every day will make a big difference.

quorn isn't sold in the US.
tofu is expensive and i'm not a big fan of it, i don't really have the time to cook it or ingredients to cook it with. and it's not real tasty. i'd still eat it if it was easier to prepare and afford.
i eat veggies. but if i ate my full days worth of calories in veggies i'd have to spend so much money since they're so low in calories.
and i really like oatmeal and cereal. oatmeal seems to help my digestive system. and no i don't think it makes me sleepy, just without it, i feel like i'm missing something... i think i'm just psychologically used to it more than it actually doing something to help me sleep. and i also think that oatmeal helps with pms symptoms. on the other hand, i am craving it less with summer finally here. but then i want to replace it with cereal.

about the pb&j... that's my lunch when i need to pack something. again it's cheaper than packing greek yogurts. and again i prefer the taste of the pb&j. i would be willing to have it less frequently or only a half sandwich per day, but then i waste the rest of the loaf. and i do pack a salad on these days. i have that first and then the sandwich as my lunch. fruit before that. and nuts after. don't like humus. and don't like having humus breath. but when i live on campus i will go back to having veggie wraps for lunch. but that won't be til september.

so yeah i would be willing to eat more greek yogurt and veggies if it didn't cost so much. my parents are paying for my food. and i already cost them loads more than every body else since they live off frozen pizza and cereal.

i think i'm just too picky and too stubborn and not willing to give up enough.

unsuspectingfish

Wait, my Safeway sells Quorn! It is expensive, though.

Do you refridgerate your bread? I actually just used to keep my whole-meal bread in the freezer and take out slices as needed.

As for yogurt, I buy the big tubs and only have it with the meals I eat at home. It's easier and cheaper for me, that way. I hardly ever eat a full serving, too, so it's also lest wasteful. That's just an idea, though.

I also can't go without my oatmeal. I have enough trouble eating breakfast and it's about the only thing I can stomach that doesn't leave me starving by lunchtime.

ruffledviolet

alright, well i live in jersey. i've never heard of safeway. or quorn. but i googled it the last time someone suggested it to me. and the internet said it was brought to the US in 2002 or something and there was a whole bunch of controversy about it and retailers stopped selling it. i'm sure it can be found somewhere, but i'm not about to go hunting down a product i've never heard of that's based on some kind of fungus.

i don't refrigerate bread. i tell my mom she should, but we don't really have room in the fridge.
there may be room in the fridge for a big tub of greek yogurt. and i'll probably purchase it when it goes on sale.

oatmeal is my lover, but sometimes i cheat on it with oat bran. tehe.

unsuspectingfish

Huh. I didn't realize Safeway was just a West coast thing. Makes sense, though. They're based in California. I live in Seattle. We're kind of an oasis of strange health foods that no one else sells.

perceptualobfuscator

I have the default setting, but it's not working out too well. I am always over on my carbs, under on protein, and way, way under on my fats. I've been trying to fix this, but it's proving very difficult. My efforts to get more protein have also increased the amount of sodium I consume. It's a struggle to meet every nutrient goal and stay within my calorie limit.

idrewacat

Everything is under on mine. My carbs are very close to the goal! A bit over for today but I haven't done my late night cardio yet. My protein is under half on almost all days! I'm ashamed. Well, I've only been at it for a few days now! aaannnd my fat is close to goal on one day, but about half on the others. Boo. I can't seem to eat enough!

milaxx

Are you in North or South Jersey? Quorn is sold in Wegman's and Whole Foods near me. I live in Philly. I rarely eat quorn though. The fungus part doesn't bother me. Mushrooms are fungus as well.I just don't eat a lot of processed foods in general. I mostly eat beans and eggs for protein with the occasional but of tofu, Where are you buying your tofu that's it's expensive. I can get tofu for under $2 a pack. I just don't eat a lot of it because I am a cancer survivor and the questionable links of tofu and cancer. I also eat quinoa which could be a good replacement for the oatmeal. It's a grain so it's filling, but it's also a complete protein. I often use it in place of rice, but you can also make it with almond or rice milk and almonds or fruit like a cereal.

milaxx

I have the default setting, but it's not working out too well. I am always over on my carbs, under on protein, and way, way under on my fats. I've been trying to fix this, but it's proving very difficult. My efforts to get more protein have also increased the amount of sodium I consume. It's a struggle to meet every nutrient goal and stay within my calorie limit.

When you eat a lot of prepackaged food this often happens. I try to make as much stuff from scratch as possible and buy food with 10 ingredients or less.

unsuspectingfish

Are you in North or South Jersey? Quorn is sold in Wegman's and Whole Foods near me. I live in Philly. I rarely eat quorn though. The fungus part doesn't bother me. Mushrooms are fungus as well.I just don't eat a lot of processed foods in general. I mostly eat beans and eggs for protein with the occasional but of tofu, Where are you buying your tofu that's it's expensive. I can get tofu for under $2 a pack. I just don't eat a lot of it because I am a cancer survivor and the questionable links of tofu and cancer. I also eat quinoa which could be a good replacement for the oatmeal. It's a grain so it's filling, but it's also a complete protein. I often use it in place of rice, but you can also make it with almond or rice milk and almonds or fruit like a cereal.

I read something recently that said it's only the overly-processed tofus, like the fake meat products, that are potential cancer risks, because they contain unnatural levels of isoflavenoids (or something like that).

milaxx

I read a lot of conflicting things so I just limit how much I eat to be on the safe side. I so eat edamame though. So far I'm okay with beans and eggs. I have a food processor and make my own veggie burgers.

littlemili

alright, well i live in jersey. i've never heard of safeway. or quorn. but i googled it the last time someone suggested it to me. and the internet said it was brought to the US in 2002 or something and there was a whole bunch of controversy about it and retailers stopped selling it. i'm sure it can be found somewhere, but i'm not about to go hunting down a product i've never heard of that's based on some kind of fungus.

Quorn is completely safe, non-GM and is basically made of mushroom. Here is the USA site: http://www.quorn.us/Home/ If you want to up your protein as a veggie it's probably the best thing you can get. Aside from tofu which I agree tastes horrible, it's probably one of the most protein-rich healthy foods you'll find. It also allows you to eat meat-style meals if you in a non-veggie situation (BBQ, family event, picnic etc). Since you are concerned about your fiber, you'll be happy to know it is high in fiber and exceptionally low in fat, especially sat fat. For veggies it really is a great option. There are alternatives in the UK and I'm sure also in the US, and they are readily available, eg Linda McCartney products, and in the UK all major supermarkets do own-brand meat-free meat-substitutes now.

i eat veggies. but if i ate my full days worth of calories in veggies i'd have to spend so much money since they're so low in calories.

Of course. They cost a fortune in supermarkets too (usually you can get them very cheap if you shop at the right places and right time). However as a vegetarian on a diet who is concerned about their macro %s, you would be kidding yourself if you didn't up your vegetables in place of carbs. Frozen veg is just as good, sometimes better because the nutrients are preserved, and very cheap. Also if you're the only one eating it there's no issue with wasting any like with fresh.

about the pb&j... that's my lunch when i need to pack something. again it's cheaper than packing greek yogurts.

It's quite a cheap option yes but you KNOW if you want to you can find a better option which is lower in carbs, fat, sodium, sugar... Pretty much anything in fact. How about 3 days a week you just take the salad but bulk it out with cheese, nuts, raisins etc? Or instead of pbj just have a salad sandwich, or have pbj in some less carby way?

i think i'm just too picky and too stubborn and not willing to give up enough.

It does sound like you don't really want to change what you're doing at all...which is fine but then you have to accept that you are probably slowing your weight loss through an inefficient diet. You should at least try some of these recommendations and see what effect it has, even if you don't enjoy them all.

ruffledviolet

I live in North/Central Jersey. I do not like mushrooms. There are foods that I do not like, but eat anyway because they're good for me, and there are foods that I do not like and do not eat. Mushrooms are the latter.
"The CSPI (center of science for public interest) observed that while a mushroom is a fungus, Fusarium is not a mushroom, and stated, 'Quorn's fungus is as closely related to mushrooms as humans are to jellyfish.'" -wikipedia lol

Also, I am very interested in trying quinoa! I wanted to look for it at Wegmans, but my mom was giving me a hard time about how much our shopping cart was going to cost half way through the store. So that and Greek yogurt are on my next shopping list. I'll check again for tofu prices.

ruffledviolet

alright, well i live in jersey. i've never heard of safeway. or quorn. but i googled it the last time someone suggested it to me. and the internet said it was brought to the US in 2002 or something and there was a whole bunch of controversy about it and retailers stopped selling it. i'm sure it can be found somewhere, but i'm not about to go hunting down a product i've never heard of that's based on some kind of fungus.

Quorn is completely safe, non-GM and is basically made of mushroom. Here is the USA site: http://www.quorn.us/Home/ If you want to up your protein as a veggie it's probably the best thing you can get. Aside from tofu which I agree tastes horrible, it's probably one of the most protein-rich healthy foods you'll find. It also allows you to eat meat-style meals if you in a non-veggie situation (BBQ, family event, picnic etc). Since you are concerned about your fiber, you'll be happy to know it is high in fiber and exceptionally low in fat, especially sat fat. For veggies it really is a great option. There are alternatives in the UK and I'm sure also in the US, and they are readily available, eg Linda McCartney products, and in the UK all major supermarkets do own-brand meat-free meat-substitutes now.

I don't think quorn is unsafe. It just grosses me out. If I see it, and it's not expensive I'll try it. I usually stick to (non-mushroom) veggie burgers when it comes to meat-substitutes.

i eat veggies. but if i ate my full days worth of calories in veggies i'd have to spend so much money since they're so low in calories.

Of course. They cost a fortune in supermarkets too (usually you can get them very cheap if you shop at the right places and right time). However as a vegetarian on a diet who is concerned about their macro %s, you would be kidding yourself if you didn't up your vegetables in place of carbs. Frozen veg is just as good, sometimes better because the nutrients are preserved, and very cheap. Also if you're the only one eating it there's no issue with wasting any like with fresh.

Looking at my diary for more than one day, did it look like I needed to up my veggies?

about the pb&j... that's my lunch when i need to pack something. again it's cheaper than packing greek yogurts.

It's quite a cheap option yes but you KNOW if you want to you can find a better option which is lower in carbs, fat, sodium, sugar... Pretty much anything in fact. How about 3 days a week you just take the salad but bulk it out with cheese, nuts, raisins etc? Or instead of pbj just have a salad sandwich, or have pbj in some less carby way?

Yes there are probably options that are better for carbs. I am usually way under in fat, so I'm not concerned about that. I'm usually under or close to it on sodium - I don't really track it because I know I don't get too much. There's a significant amount in the soy sauce I use or the frozen veggies that come in a sauce, but other than that nothing is that high in sodium. My pb&j also isn't high in sugar. The preserves are sugar free. They have splenda which is just as bad, I know. The greek yogurt would have more sugar or the same amount of splenda though. I also don't think just a salad will be enough. I don't eat anything at home, take the 8:15 train on to campus. Have some fruits on the way or when I get there. Then I have a break at around noon where I have my salad, then class, then sandwich at around 3:15, then class, then nuts at around 5. Then I take the 6:20pm train home and get home at around 7:30. (I do a good amount of walking to/from train stations, and not all of the classes meet every day, so I go to the gym on days that I don't have class - Wed afternoon and Thurs morning.)

Also, I feel like all of those things don't have a bad aftertaste. I only have fruity balsamic salad dressing, and the rest is safe. I don't want to have to chew gum with artificial sugar.

i think i'm just too picky and too stubborn and not willing to give up enough.

It does sound like you don't really want to change what you're doing at all...which is fine but then you have to accept that you are probably slowing your weight loss through an inefficient diet. You should at least try some of these recommendations and see what effect it has, even if you don't enjoy them all.

I made this post because I wanted a realistic goal for vegetarians. I wasn't really interested in suggestions at the time as to how to lower my carb intake. I kind of feel like I work out enough to make up for it. I also feel like most of my carbs are healthy. So I wasn't that concerned with my diet. I know it could be better, but I don't care that much. I just wanted to know what other vegetarian's goals were. I will try some of these suggestions though. Maybe not right away, but I'll keep them in mind and come back to this post. I'm not in a rush though. I have an eating disorder and I am afraid if I start eliminating foods that I like to eat, I will start just skipping meals. Nights when I don't have enough for my oatmeal (230 at least), I may skip having the say 150-200 remaining calories.

milaxx

Plain Greek yogurt doesn't have sugar or artificial sweeteners in them I like the FAGE 0% and add my own fruit, Unless you are eating all natural PB that's just basically nuts ground up you may be getting hidden sodium. I used to Live In Monmouth Co., trying to recall if there were any produce markets in the area. I get tofu there for $1.

One thing that worked for me when I was buys was packing a bento box. (Google them) They look pretty small but were surprisingly filling and kept me going until dinner.

littlemili

I don't think quorn is unsafe. It just grosses me out. If I see it, and it's not expensive I'll try it. I usually stick to (non-mushroom) veggie burgers when it comes to meat-substitutes.

I hear you can get something similar in Trader Joe's in the US - obviously I've never tried it, but as it's own-brand it might be cheaper and taste different.

I made this post because I wanted a realistic goal for vegetarians. I wasn't really interested in suggestions at the time as to how to lower my carb intake.

Sure. My recommendation would be 40-30-30 or 45-35-20. But I think it's good if you can keep carbs below 45. One thing I do is often I get near my carb allowance after exercise, but don't eat back calories which means my %s are not great but I am not overloading given the amount of exercise. This might work for you since you work out and of course that means carbs are essential to some degree.

Realistically as a veggie I feel ok so long as I stay under my carbs and fat 80% of the time, and I realise I will probably never hit my protein. I think that is a good way to go, and I have experimented with it a lot myself. Looking at your diary the first thing that struck me was the amount of carbs, and lack of protein, which is the whole title of the post - the balance between carbs, protein and fat.

Nights when I don't have enough for my oatmeal (230 at least), I may skip having the say 150-200 remaining calories.

You could always just have a glass of milk if you like it because then you're getting some benefit that oatmeal has (calcium). Or a couple of eggs - protein, yum.

Edit, I screwed up the quote thingys.

ruffledviolet

Plain Greek yogurt doesn't have sugar or artificial sweeteners in them I like the FAGE 0% and add my own fruit, Unless you are eating all natural PB that's just basically nuts ground up you may be getting hidden sodium. I used to Live In Monmouth Co., trying to recall if there were any produce markets in the area. I get tofu there for $1.

One thing that worked for me when I was buys was packing a bento box. (Google them) They look pretty small but were surprisingly filling and kept me going until dinner.

Haha, yeah I know, but plain yogurt tastes a bit awful. So I add my preserves which has Splenda. I could also buy the flavored ones that have like 20g++ sugar.
I do buy peanut butter that says "natural," but I believe it still has salt and sugar, but again I don't really care about sodium.
I'll look for tofu, but I'm not going to eat it every day.

ruffledviolet

I hear you can get something similar in Trader Joe's in the US - obviously I've never tried it, but as it's own-brand it might be cheaper and taste different.

Don't go there too frequently, but I'll check it out.

Sure. My recommendation would be 40-30-30 or 45-35-20. But I think it's good if you can keep carbs below 45. One thing I do is often I get near my carb allowance after exercise, but don't eat back calories which means my %s are not great but I am not overloading given the amount of exercise. This might work for you since you work out and of course that means carbs are essential to some degree.

Realistically as a veggie I feel ok so long as I stay under my carbs and fat 80% of the time, and I realise I will probably never hit my protein. I think that is a good way to go, and I have experimented with it a lot myself. Looking at your diary the first thing that struck me was the amount of carbs, and lack of protein, which is the whole title of the post - the balance between carbs, protein and fat.

For now I'm going to try 50% carbs (I think that's lower than what MFP set it as). And yeah, I don't eat back exercise calories, but I try to exercise enough to make my carb intake less awful. I also exercise more than what I log and cut most of the MFP generated exercise calories in half because I don't trust them.

You could always just have a glass of milk if you like it because then you're getting some benefit that oatmeal has (calcium). Or a couple of eggs - protein, yum.

I can't sleep with egg taste in my mouth haha. I'll try to eat more eggs during the day... I just hate to because I want to go vegan at some point, and feel guilty every time I eat an egg. I could do almond milk instead of oatmeal, but I buy the unsweetened one (since I generally just use it for cereal) which I have a hard time getting all 8 oz. down by itself.

We'll see. I'm not going to focus on changing anything until I finish my pumpkin-lentil-curry-wannabe which I am going to eat with rice. lol. After that I'll try to make some good changes.
Thanks for all your help!

unsuspectingfish

My suggestion is gradual changes. That's how I've been doing it. I just keep tweaking each meal until I figure out what works best. This week, I finally got to the point where I decided I didn't need cheese, anymore. I also decided I wasn't going to buy anymore eggs, opting instead for tofu. It seems to be a lot easier to stick with that way, at least so far.

ruffledviolet

completely agree. def not ready to just give up stuff already. but i think i did well today. i set my goals for um i think 50/20/30. which isn't a great goal, but it's something i can try to stick to for now. i don't need cheese or eggs for taste, but for protein i do. bleh. i don't know how vegans can meet 60/20/20 or w/e they're supposed to. unless they spend hundreds on groceries and loads of time in the kitchen. i can't do that.

unsuspectingfish

I had a vegan roommate for awhile. She spent a LOT of time in the kitchen.

perceptualobfuscator

I have the default setting, but it's not working out too well. I am always over on my carbs, under on protein, and way, way under on my fats. I've been trying to fix this, but it's proving very difficult. My efforts to get more protein have also increased the amount of sodium I consume. It's a struggle to meet every nutrient goal and stay within my calorie limit.

When you eat a lot of prepackaged food this often happens. I try to make as much stuff from scratch as possible and buy food with 10 ingredients or less.

Yeah, I normally don't eat many pre-packaged foods. But since tracking my iron, protein and calcium, I realized that I hadn't been meeting these daily goals. I've been having a difficult time being creative in finding high iron, high protein foods that are also low sodium - especially things to pack as lunches. I've been working on it and getting more creative, but it was a bit of a shock to realize how much my sodium shot up just from eating things with a high protein/iron content.

xraychick77

55% carbs, 25% protein and 20 % fats

althoug now recently i've cut back on the carbs as much as i can..its hard since veggies, beans etc have carbs in them. i just have stopped eating so much pastas and breads and potatos

i do the same..i dont really count the veggie or fruit carbs either. i get a lot of my protein from soy milk, greek yogurt and i lift weights trying to build muscle so i use whey protein isolate.

jemmur

i think mine are the default levels but even 15% protein allows for more than 1.2g per kilo bodyweight (for me, anyway!) so i just consider it a minimum target. i'm usually miles over it anyway.

for what it's worth, i used to be a carb junky and failed miserably on protein and fats. i stopped worrying about the carbs so much (as long as they're "good" ones) and focused on getting enough protein. my eating habits changed and i now eat fewer carbs without even trying. the biggest changes i've made are taking soup, a "salad" (usually heavy on beans/whole grains) and nuts to work for lunch (instead of sandwiches) and ditching the lazy pasta dinners that were just pasta + sauce.

i still have muesli every morning and enjoy it - it's just got nuts and seeds and stuff in it too now

ruffledviolet

55% carbs, 25% protein and 20 % fats

althoug now recently i've cut back on the carbs as much as i can..its hard since veggies, beans etc have carbs in them.

you can't win! and potatos are like up there in my favorite veggies. broccoli is first though.

i still have muesli every morning and enjoy it - it's just got nuts and seeds and stuff in it too now

omg when i was in Ecuador they had this great muesli without any fruit, added sugar, or added salt. it just tasted like health. and it was good. but they don't sell it in the US, and trying to make it on my own just didn't taste the same. ahha. it should have though since nothing was added.... i don't know.