40-30-30 Plan-Advice needed

Lisaherbalmomma

Hi!
My doctor recommended I follow the 40-30-30 nutritional plan-40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. (Doesn't 40% carbs seem high for a 47 yr old woman?) Unfortunately, he didn't give me any suggestions on how to do this. I thought The Zone was the 40-30-30 plan, but our library doesn't have it. I'm still going to try and get my hands on it through inter-library loan. Anyway, MFP opened my eyes to my eating habits. I'm 60lbs overweight with thyroid issues and was only eating 600-700 cals a lot of days. So, I have been making sure I get in 1200-1300 cals a day now. I just don't see how you figure your 40,30,30 to get the right amounts all the time. Any advice, references and encouragement is much appreciated.

dad106

On the home page, go to goals and then customize goals. From there you can set your macro's to 40-30-30. Hit save and MFP will tell you how much carb, fat, protein to eat a day.

In all honestly, carbs are not the enemy... eating too many calories is the enemy. Carbs only help with water retention, but real fat loss comes from eating less on a daily basis.

Also, MFP also has your default carbs set at 50%, I believe.. so 40 really is not that bad.

Hendrix7

It's hard a question to answer are there would be literally thousands of different combinations of food that would fit into 40-30-30. We can't tell you how and what to eat, it's personal preference.

A better approach would be to look at what you eat currently and see which macros you are under/over.

If your not getting enough protein- more lean meats and fish
Not getting enough fat - more fatty meats. olive oil, butters, dairy/nuts in moderations, avocado, eggs, salmon
Not enough carbs - more veg, oats

lambch0ps

Lisa, the Zone is a 40/30/30 plan. If you google 40/30/30 you'll get a lot of good ideas. I think I might have a copy of that book somewhere - I will try to dig it up. But you can do it by pre-planning your meals - enter in the amounts and if it is off, adjust. The good news now they say it doesn't matter when you eat your macros - when I did it seriously about 20 yrs ago the state of the science was that you had to eat in that ratio EVERY TIME YOU EAT - it was a logistical nightmare. But now they say its the daily ratios that matter so if you are low on protein after dinner - just make a shake!

I don't think 40% carbs is high for our age, but I don't think its bad to be below that while your losing (the lower the carbs, the faster the weight loss typically) - just something to work toward in maintenance.

Lisaherbalmomma

I just changed my goal setting to reflect 40-30-30. I think that will help a lot! Thanks everyone for your help!

joyfulteach

If you can focus on meeting your protein goals the others fall into place. :-)