Carbs/Protein - what should i eat?

paulsmisses

i have heard people say that by eating a high protein diet and working out, you burn more fat, is this true? a fitness guy at gym total my dad that he should eat carbs before each work out for weight loss and i had never heard that before -
whats best?
any ideas?

mccindy72

You need to eat a well-rounded diet, with carbs and protein and some fats. Here's a good plan - eat lean proteins like chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. I usually start the day with an egg or two. The carbs you eat need to be high-fiber, whole grain carbs, because eating white refined carbs will convert to sugar and be stored as fat. Eating protein is important because you want to build muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism is.

paulsmisses

wow, great advise, thanks x

MustBeTheRows

The daily recommended intake of protein for women per the Institute of Medicine is 50g per day.

The daily recommended intake of carbohydrates for women per the Institute of Medicine is 130g per day.

Protein is pushed like crazy on here and in the fitness world. Most people are not professional athletes or body builders and do not need that much extra protein to build muscle.

I would focus on eating a well rounded diet. Eat lean, green, and be active.

GauchoMark

like the others have said, eat a balanced diet. I think the lesson learned from this journey you are on is moderation - not just in how much you eat, but what you eat as well. I know that for me, it is the underlying principle that keeps coming up. So, you don't want to cut out a macro like carbs or fat - you need those too. If you don't get enough of those, your cravings will crank up and you'll give in eventually. Just, in my experience wen people go on diets where you cut things out (highly regimented diets where you are on a schedule and eat certain things, but not others, etc) they fail if you go longer than a week or two.

Here is a good guide:
http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20410520,00.html

The carbs before a workout are for quick energy. The protein is to repair/build the muscles. Both are important.

paulsmisses

thanks for your advise guys x

iWaffle

i have heard people say that by eating a high protein diet and working out, you burn more fat, is this true? a fitness guy at gym total my dad that he should eat carbs before each work out for weight loss and i had never heard that before -
whats best?
any ideas?

That depends on what type of exercise you plan on doing? Is it cardio or strength training? Personally I do cardio in the morning before I eat anything and I don't worry about eating before strength training since I do that after dinner at night. I suppose if you haven't had much to eat all day and you were going to do strength training it might be a good idea to get something to eat 30 min before but other than that the post-workout shake is more important.

A high protein diet is needed for building muscle but since you're most likely not doing that just try to eat good lean foods and complex (Non-sugary) carbs. I would add that proteins do make you feel fuller for longer but don't stress yourself out trying to eat massive amounts of it.

If you do decide to increase your strength training to the point you're lifting heavy weight 3-4 times a week then upping your protein to 1g per pound of lean body mass wouldn't be a bad idea. So a person weighing 150 at 25% body fat would eat about 112g of protein a day. Ultimately the combination of strength training and cardio is what's needed to get really lean but I know most people aren't willing to put in the effort. In that case just do as others here have suggested and you can still get really good results.