What % of carbs, protein, and fat are best? And why?

Maria052007

Hi,

I've seen a lot of people say MFP sets things low, but also has an option to set things to meet your goals. But, what percentages are best for losing weight? I saw it's originally set on like 15% for my protein, and yeah that seems low. But, what's a good percentage? And why is that percentage better?

What are your percentages?

blessmy5

I'd be interested in this also!

MMarvelous

I have been playing around w/ mine currently 40% protein 30% fats and 30% carbs

lucybell333

I'm no expert, but was advised by the nutritionist at my health club that the optional split for sustainable weight loss is 40:30:30 carbs:protein:fat, and I have seen that repeated on here many time. However, I've also seen lots of other ratios quoted! I try to stick to this (and have amended MFPs default to this), but I don't always successfully match them!

Good luck - whatever works for you is the best!!

SergeantSunshine_reused

None. Percents are not the best to go by.

1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
.35x body weight for g of fat
rest in whatever you like(carbs!! yumm. Or more pro and fat)

pukekolive

If you google 'macronutrient ratio' you will get lots of websites that explain how/why different percentages are used for different reasons.

There is the 'zone diet', plus athletes, lifters etc prefer certain percentages.

I personally want to reduce fat in my diet and lower my carbs a little so therefore I achieve that by increasing my protein.

www.bodyrecomposition.com has some useful information

The USDA recommend

USDA: 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle author Tom Venuto recommends as a starting point:

Burn the Fat: 30% protein, 15-20% fat, 50-55% carbohydrates

Coco_Puff

I've read in two different places today that 40/40/20 is the way to go. That's protein/carbs/fats

kittyninja

I've been eating roughly 40% protein, 40% carbs, and 20% fat since the beginning of this year. I've definitely noticed that I've put on some muscle, and also lost about 4 lbs.

carrie_eggo

None. Percents are not the best to go by.

1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
.35x body weight for g of fat
rest in whatever you like(carbs!! yumm. Or more pro and fat)

^^AT LEAST this

Elizabeth_C34

I shoot for 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, but I'm much closer to 40/30/30.

I try to get at least 126g protein per day as this is my weight in lean mass. This is really the only important part of that unless you are an athlete.

blessmy5

None. Percents are not the best to go by.

1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
.35x body weight for g of fat
rest in whatever you like(carbs!! yumm. Or more pro and fat)

So how do I calculate my Lean Body Mass? Thanks~

PaleoPath4Lyfe

Hi,

I've seen a lot of people say MFP sets things low, but also has an option to set things to meet your goals. But, what percentages are best for losing weight? I saw it's originally set on like 15% for my protein, and yeah that seems low. But, what's a good percentage? And why is that percentage better?

What are your percentages?

I believe that it is a very individual thing. I do best with about 50-60% fat, 20-30% protein and 10-20% carbs.

I am carb sensitive, so getting carbs from vegetables and a little fruit here and there works for ME.

reddcat

bump

Huffdogg

It depends overall entirely on what your goals are. If you are trying to simply maintain LBM and reduce fat, there is one way of operating. If you hope to scorch fat away by building NEW muscle, there is a different approach. But, honestly, both involve high protein. Anywhere >1g per lb of LBM works, but many people just use 1g/lb of total body weight. I am one of them.

It is generally accepted that lower carb diets are often good for fat burn, but if you want to build muscle, it is more efficient with carbs. Personally, my dietary goals go like this:

a: workout days: 1g/lb of bodyweight in protein. Rest of calories 25/75% split (carbs/fat)
b: rest days: protein same as above. carbs/fat flip-flopped in %

Carbs help provide high-intensity energy and assist in muscle synthesis, so if you're looking to improve strength, you can't go on a continuous nonstop deficit with low carbs and expect much. You need to cycle intake. If you're simply looking to melt away fat, no reason not to simply go low-carb, high protein, fat for all remaining cals and stick with it.

SergeantSunshine_reused

None. Percents are not the best to go by.

1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
.35x body weight for g of fat
rest in whatever you like(carbs!! yumm. Or more pro and fat)

So how do I calculate my Lean Body Mass? Thanks~

You need to know your bodyfat %.

total weight * bodyfat% = fatmass
total weight - fatmass = lean muscle mass.

It is okay to kind of guestimate if you don't know you body fat%
I don't know mine exactly so I go for a minimum of 100g of protein at 120 lbs

japruzze

My nutritionist and my trainer (when I was seeing them) both suggested 40/35/35 carbs/fat/protein so that's where I have set it. Seems to work for me.

Chrisgarcia1287

I do 15% Fat, 55% Carbs and 30% Protein. Eating nothing but good fats.

It all depends on how much energy your exerting. I usually work out 2 times a day. So the carbs I intake aren't wasted. My numbers do fluctuate though. I try to shoot for these ranges though.

SergeantSunshine_reused

My nutritionist and my trainer (when I was seeing them) both suggested 40/35/35 carbs/fat/protein so that's where I have set it. Seems to work for me.

40+35+35 = 110% though xD

PaleoPath4Lyfe

If you google 'macronutrient ratio' you will get lots of websites that explain how/why different percentages are used for different reasons.

There is the 'zone diet', plus athletes, lifters etc prefer certain percentages.

I personally want to reduce fat in my diet and lower my carbs a little so therefore I achieve that by increasing my protein.

www.bodyrecomposition.com has some useful information

The USDA recommend

USDA: 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle author Tom Venuto recommends as a starting point:

Burn the Fat: 30% protein, 15-20% fat, 50-55% carbohydrates

The USDA is a joke. All they want to do is promote the use of grains to keep their own subsidies and agenda going.

blessmy5

Thanks a bunch. That helps alot!

Chrisgarcia1287

If you google 'macronutrient ratio' you will get lots of websites that explain how/why different percentages are used for different reasons.

There is the 'zone diet', plus athletes, lifters etc prefer certain percentages.

I personally want to reduce fat in my diet and lower my carbs a little so therefore I achieve that by increasing my protein.

www.bodyrecomposition.com has some useful information

The USDA recommend

USDA: 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle author Tom Venuto recommends as a starting point:

Burn the Fat: 30% protein, 15-20% fat, 50-55% carbohydrates

The USDA is a joke. All they want to do is promote the use of grains to keep their own subsidies and agenda going.

I agree, you definitely need more than 18% Protein in your diet lol....

mangozulu

What percentage distribution of macronutrients for what purpose? Good health, weight loss, management of disease (like diabetes), etc. The answers to the basic question changes with the state of the body and the goals of the person asking the question.

I've noticed that answers are all over the place. For good health and maintenance and repair of body tissues the official, medical recommendation is .8 grams of protein per KILOGRAM of body weight. A kilogram is 2.2 lb. This rec. is generally considered to be generous. It usually will work out to about 15% of daily calories. When dieting, to preserve lean body mass and manage hunger, a little more helps, 20 - 25%. If training to build muscle mass you need a small amount more.

SergeantSunshine_reused

If you google 'macronutrient ratio' you will get lots of websites that explain how/why different percentages are used for different reasons.

There is the 'zone diet', plus athletes, lifters etc prefer certain percentages.

I personally want to reduce fat in my diet and lower my carbs a little so therefore I achieve that by increasing my protein.

www.bodyrecomposition.com has some useful information

The USDA recommend

USDA: 18% protein, 29% fat, 53% carbohydrates

Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle author Tom Venuto recommends as a starting point:

Burn the Fat: 30% protein, 15-20% fat, 50-55% carbohydrates

The USDA is a joke. All they want to do is promote the use of grains to keep their own subsidies and agenda going.

I agree, you definitely need more than 18% Protein in your diet lol....

yea I agree if you are cutting. at maintenance 18% protein for me is actually 112g though, but cutting is a completely different story. I still think percentages are not the way to go

gregavila

I'm not as scientific as everyone else, but I've set my MFP balance to 40/30/30 and that is working for me.

lilojoke

I personally like 40% protein, 30% carbs and fats but I really only focus on protein and try to get at least .5 - 1g per pound of protein then the rest is carbs and fats.

RonSwanson66

ha, i guess i'll repost, since after the other comments. .8g of protein per LBM, carbs < 30g. pad the rest of your calories with fat.

Why is this the best?

Well it's the best for fat loss. Due to the fact your body will use it's fat for energy. Sure you can lose fat with higher carb diet, but it takes more work. Other methods you have to burn through the sugar(carbs) first, before you get to the fat,unless you're doing low intensity training. This method, you don't. There are many studies that conclude this is the fastest weight loss method, the body behaves as it's starving, but you're eating food, besides that all the metabolic pathways are the same, except insulin is slightly elevated compared to starvation.

Long term studies have shown NO advantage to low-carb diets. Period.

Yes this is a low carb diet. This doesn't mean it's a "high protein diet." It's normal protein. People consume too much protein usually. Which in tern gets converted to glucose, which easily get stored as fat. As i mentioned already .80g of protein per lbs of LBM. OR MINIMUM 150g of protein. This prevents nitrogen loss. If anyone has a problem with this, don't debate with me, debate with lyle mcdonald.

I dare you to post this on Lyle's forum.

http://forums.lylemcdonald.com/index.php

Looking forward to seeing you get eviscerated.

increasing protein can be counter productive to fat loss

Stop making things up.

Emi_chan

I was watching Dr. Oz the other day and he had Shaun T as a guest (from the Insanity DVDs). Instead of having one macronutrient ratio for the whole day, he recommends different ratios depending on the time of day:

Breakfast: 40% Carbs, 30% Protein and 30% Fat (600 calories)
Lunch: 25% Carbs, 45% Protein and 30% Fat (450 calories)
Dinner: 15% Carbs, 55% Protein and 30% Fat (350 calories)

I think this is pretty sound advice. I typically eat my carbs and protein a few hours before my workout and within 30 mins after my workout. Otherwise, I try to go low carb in the evenings.

You can read the rest of the article here:
http://www.examiner.com/weight-loss-in-national/dr-oz-show-features-shaun-t-s-insane-plan-for-weight-loss

Goal_Seeker_1988

bump

AnarchoGen

None. Percents are not the best to go by.

1g of protein per lb of lean body mass
.35x body weight for g of fat
rest in whatever you like(carbs!! yumm. Or more pro and fat)

THIS
although I have a really hard time meeting my protein, I'm usually under 10g though

RumOne

My Dr has me on 40 (protein) 30 (fat) 30 (carbs).

Maria052007

Wow there are really a lot of ways to go with this .

Thank all of you though! Gave me something to think about!