40/40/20 food ideas?

jennnymccarthy

Hello! I have recently been trying to hit a 40% carb, 40% protein, 20% (or less) fat ratio per day, and I have been having a bit of trouble. I know I may never be exact in the ratio, but I always either go over on carbs (easy!) or fat (those darn eggs!). I am also trying to hit 1650 calories/day.

Anyone else doing a similar ratio? I'm looking for some new ideas for meals/snacks/etc! Thanks!

BABetter1

Bump. I'm trying to hit the same ratios and having trouble getting enough protein without going over on the fat.

jennnymccarthy

bumping my own post -- anyone else have success with a 40% carb/40% protein/20% fat plan? Thanks!

FluffyDogsRule

i'm pretty successful monday - thursday. lol. i sent you a friend request so we can continue to get ideas from each other.

geminimlle

To get the protein benefit from the eggs without all the fat try eating just the egg whites. The yolk has a lot of fat in it. Also, for extra protein try eating low fat or fat free cottage cheese. It may taste a little funky at first but you'll get used to it, and it has a surprising amount of protein in it. As another (more pricey) option you could try protein bars like Special K Protein Meal Bars. They're pretty good tasting as far as protein bars go.

jensfitpal2012

I am having the same problem,but the fats I am eating that put me over are the good fats in nuts,advocados,coconuts,EVOO.The one place I can skim down,is by alternating eating whole egg vs.egg whites on other days.Good luck to you.:)

karrielynn80

those are close to the ratios i follow & i've had great success. my protien is higher so that lowers my carbs but my fat is at 20 %.

I eat a lot of egg whites.
love cottage cheese (2% milk fat - go for the name brand tho, generic definately tastes, "off")
oatmeal is a staple in my diet.
low fat yogurts
fruits
i work to get veggies in, but they aren't my favorite.
MOst of the meats i eat are turkey (turkey bacon, ground turkey, even turkey ham...)
wheat breads & whole grains are my carbs
I use natural peanut butter when i gotta have it
lotsa water - i know that's not a food but i drink about 120 oz water a day, minimum and it keeps you feeling fuller.
salads - low fat dressings when i eat them, i can't do dry salads (well i can, but yuck)
steamed (or sauted cabbage - i use low fat / fake butter for this but as lil as possible) *when steamed cabbage is amazing! (imo)

I am currently eating @ 1600 + workout calories. I actually ate much lower with this same diet for 3 months & never felt starved. i'm bumping it up and seeing how it goes b/c my goal is not to loose weight but muscle up

erickirb

Why not change to 40/35/25 to get more fat, fat is part of a healthy diet and is necessary for a healthy digestive system, as well as skin, hair, nails, etc. 20% is the minimum fat should be. I would suggest for aiming for a minimum amount of fat of 0.35grams per lb of body weight, then whatever that works out to change you % to that.

lre224

I 'm doing the same ratios (my trainer suggested it) & also have the same exact problem with carbs and fats. I eat very little breads - usually oatmeal for breakfast or a Thomas' Light Multi-grain english muffin with natural almond butter or Polaner sugar-free spread with fiber & Fage 0% plain greek yogurt. For lunch, I will usually make a wrap with La Tortilla Factory low-carb wraps. Other than that, I try not to eat any breads. I do eat a lot of that yogurt, egg whites, chicken & fish, and try to get fats from healthy sources like unsalted nuts, natural almond butter, avocados or olive oil. not always successfull hitting these ratios, but usually I can come fairly close.

mra367

if this app is at all accurate, it is easy for me to get 40/40/20 macros. Chicken breast, tuna, egg white for protein. brown rice, oatmeal, greens, for carbs. Avocado, olive oil, nuts for fats. High or low on one or the other just adjust a meal a bit to to tweak the numbers. I am getting 300 grams protein and maintaining 2500 calories with 40/40/20 ratios. No protein supplements

babams

bump - my weekly average is 33/33/33. I would like to have 40/40/20

Gramps251

Try a Quest bar to bring your protein up. 20g of protein.

MichelleCFDecoded

im on 40/40/20---its a lot easier than i thought. hardest part is eating enough. salmon is an excellent source of good protein and little to no carbs and very low in fat. i take measurements into account which really help; dinner ex: would be 4oz salmon, 1 cup white rice, 1 cup of diced cooked chicken breast and 1oz of baby carrots--it totalled 538 calories 66.7p/45.7c/7.5f /538cals--

schlange11b

Try this casserole idea. It's ALMOST 40/40/20, and 228 calories per serving (1/4 of the recipe).
2 eggs
2 potatoes, cubed
8 oz sirloin, cooked and cut in small pieces
3 tbsp potato pancake powder
1 cup 2% milk

Mix all together, place in nonstick glass casserole dish. Put in oven preheated to 275 for about 45-60 min, or until potatoes are done to your liking. Season to taste, of course.

cfredz

i have the same problem i also dont eat meat (except fish) or dairy

TaathaKing

I just started the 40/40/20 and to much suprise I went shopping today with a so so meal plan in mind. Then I got home and did my meal prep for seven days and put it into myfitnesspal and I was almost right on. I had to adjust serving size here and there and got to 40/40/20. I was so excited - below is my 7 day meal plan and yes its the same thing each day. It will take the guess work out of what I'm having. Meal prep for all 7 days was about 3 hrs, mind you this was the first time I done this so I kinda disorganized. Caloric intake 1162

meal 1 - 1/2 apple and 1/2 tbsp of Jiffy peanut butter
meal 2 - 1 scoop slim fast, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, and 3 egg whites
meal 3 - plain rice cake and 14 almonds
meal 4 - 2 cups springmix salad, 1/2 cup garbanzo beans, and 2-8" celery sticks
meal 5 - 1 can of tuna in water and an orange
meal 6 - 6 oz chicken, 1 cup Quinana, rotel

karinjpetersen

I generally forget to log EVERYTHING I eat. I do good in the morning and if in the afternoon really, its when i get home from work and I'm making supper for everyone else, I usually snack here and there and whatever. Anyway becareful when it comes to supplements. They're high in protein yes, but usually also high in carbs. Try to get plenty of fiber in your diet as well!!! Fiber one has a ton of great products, but again they can be high in carbs as well. Most of them are cereal, cereal bars, brownies, bread, etc. Greek yogurt is good fro protien but, its high in carbs. Don't try to eliminate carbs all together, your body does need them. I eat Egg whites, greek yogurt, low fat cottage cheese, tuna, chicken, and p2b religiously. I try to stay away from supplements as much as possible, but if you really feel you need something to bring up your protein intake try Promax LS. LS stands for low sugar. they are kind of high in carbs, but as long as you're careful about what else you eat they'll help. they have high protein (20g) high fiber (14) and carbs are generally around 30. they're roughly 200-250 calories and they actually taste pretty good.

ingot81

Bump

SassyCalyGirl

For breakfast try-an omelet using 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites, low fat feta cheese, spinach and oregano. It's delish
for lunch and dinner-chicken or lean fish, and low sodium black beans and you should make your goals.

Tuna has tons of protein
I BAKE all my chicken
and when cooking fish-I use non calorie cooking spray. Salmon is my fav but a little high in fat. I also love Tilapia, very mild. I love Mexican food so I make fish tacos A LOT.

I stuff my chicken breast with pesto (which can be high in fat but GOOD fat-so you have to plan your day around that meal.

I keep it simple and always homemade!

herbalifer0715

If you wanna request me, i'll add you then you could take a look at my stuff. On my lifting days (which is 5 days/week) I take in 3500 calories 45/35/20 P/C/F. I tend to eat a lot of Tilapia, Tuna, Eggs, Chicken Breast, Beef Jerkey, and Edamame. I also am an avid user of Herbalife products as you may've guessed from my name And i use a product called "Beverage Drink Mix" that is 70 calories and has 15g whey protein and 2 net carbs. It comes in wild berry and peach mango flavors. I'll ALWAYS add that to PLAIN, UNFLAVORED Chobani or Fage yogurt. It tastes amazing and works out to be almost 40g protein and 8g carbs. Hope this helps some:bigsmile:

oc1timoco

Mine are 35% Protein
35% fats and 30% carbs. You can friend me if you like to see my diary. I eat a lot of salmon, catfish, eggs and turkey bacon.

omgitsjulian

Had trouble with this first. Protein Shake are key (mix them with high protein almond milk and water.). Nonfat yogurt, Low Fat cheese, Chicken and Fish (talapia NOT salmon) should be your bff. For what it's worth my macros and calorie intake are pretty much dead on with yours (though I'm about 70 pounds less). Feel free to follow my meal plan, I do pretty well with hitting my macros. And am never hungry.

(I should suffix that I'm at maintenance levels for my body and am pretty lean muscular already, just tracking to get cut / drop a bit of fat and gain muscle in the process. (33yo M. 135lbs) )

vinnyvej

If you want to increase your protein with increasing your carbs or fat. try egg whites. I'm usually over in carbs so for me its a matter of increasing my protein or fat ratio. To increase the fat my go to food is almonds.

navyrigger46

Ham, Spinach, and swiss quiche is epic, and fits perfectly.

Rigger

arkatos

im on 40/40/20---its a lot easier than i thought. hardest part is eating enough. salmon is an excellent source of good protein and little to no carbs and very low in fat. i take measurements into account which really help; dinner ex: would be 4oz salmon, 1 cup white rice, 1 cup of diced cooked chicken breast and 1oz of baby carrots--it totalled 538 calories 66.7p/45.7c/7.5f /538cals--

White rice.... Surely not!

tennisdude2004

I'm having great really good success on similar to 40/40/20 (carbs are the 20%).

Since cutting back on carbs I've controlled my carb cravings (I'm allowing my self to eat whatever I really feel like - If I want McDonalds - I'll eat McDonalds, I've just not fancied it for over 4 weeks).

Also I have energy all day - not peaks and troughs.

A food suggestion would be big *kitten* salads with chicken and grated cheese

laurenmelissaj

Fruit! You can pack in loads of carbs with fruit without going overboard on fat.

lizznagelmiller

Bump

mncdk

Using ratios is not the right way to figure out your proper intake. Your macronutrient requirements should be calculated from your stats, and that should be used to set your MFP goals.

pascaljoly

Hi,
could anyone help me with ideas?
I mean, I am always pretty low on fat so have to add olive oil and eat nuts to compensate but with all the fruit that I eat I always end up being to high on carbs.
I'm ok, calories wise but too many carbs.
I am also drinking whey protein shakes (1 a day but will have to go to 2 a day now I guess) - I think it's still safe to do so.

I have a big fruit salad in the evening with some low fat greek yogurt; if I don't, I am too hungry as my meal is not enough.

I guess I could buysome eggs and discard the yolks, eat some chicken breasts, cottage cheese in the evening; any more idea?

thanks

mudvillian

FluffyDogsRule wrote: »

i'm pretty successful monday - thursday. lol. i sent you a friend request so we can continue to get ideas from each other.

FluffyDogsRule wrote: »

i'm pretty successful monday - thursday. lol. i sent you a friend request so we can continue to get ideas from each other.

Can i be adedd to that group i soooooo need help