Help me balance my carbs please!

McFatterton

Ok, I need some help balancing my carbs/fat/protein. Here’s my dilemma:

I’m a vegetarian (well, pescetarian actually, but I eat seafood so seldom we’re going to forget about that for now) so I’m having a hard time staying under my carbs everyday. All (well, almost all) of my carbs come from whole grain and/or whole wheat pasta/bread, beans, veggies, fruit, brown rice, quinoa, etc. Meaning that I’m not eating “crap” so to speak, my carbs are coming from good sources. I’m ALWAYS over on my carbs. Most people look forward to working out because they earn more calories to eat – I look forward to gaining more carbs so I’m not grossly over everyday. I’m also always under on protein and usually over on fat. Things that are high in protein for me (like beans) seem to also be high in carbs, things low in fat are high in carbs, things low in carbs and high in protein (like cheese) are high in fat and it just seems like I can’t find a balance. I currently have my percentages for these set at 40/30/30. I’ve started incorporating almonds into my menu every day and will begin to have at least one serving of protein powder a day. I need some other suggestions on vegetarian options that are low in carbs, high in protein and low in fat. Maybe I need to change my percentages too – I’m pretty clueless about all of this and just want to make sure that I’m giving my body everything it needs in the right doses. Oh, and no processed food ideas please – I have phased those out of my diet in order to get my sodium under control. Sodium down – carbs to go!

Thank you so much for any advice – it is greatly appreciated! :flowerforyou:

And one more thing - high caloric items are welcome, I always have a hard time eating all of my calories.

TheMaidOfAstolat

What ratio are you set at?
I'm at 45/25/30...which is to say 135g/75g/40g (which is great for me, might not be for you but it couldn't hurt to play around with the percentages). You are also welcome to check out my food diary. I'm lacto/ovo/pesco.
Hope Banks chimes in on this I'd like to know his take.

Chenoachem

Since you eat dairy try eating more eggs. I'll make a half dozen hard boiled eggs at a time and one of them with a salad at times or carry them around as a quick protein snack.

Other high protien vegi things I eat are:

Quorn Products (little salsa on top and baked is really yummy)
Boca burgers (little high in fat though)
Trader Joe's Vegitarian Corn Dogs
Morning Star Pizza Burgers ( only 120 calories)
Trader Joe's Indian flavored Marsala Vegi burgers

McFatterton

What ratio are you set at?
I'm at 45/25/30...which is to say 135g/75g/40g (which is great for me, might not be for you but it couldn't hurt to play around with the percentages). You are also welcome to check out my food diary. I'm lacto/ovo/pesco.
Hope Banks chimes in on this I'd like to know his take.

I'm set at 40/30/30 - just changed it to that.....don't remember what it was set at before. I too am hoping Banks finds his way here

McFatterton

Since you eat dairy try eating more eggs. I'll make a half dozen hard boiled eggs at a time and one of them with a salad at times or carry them around as a quick protein snack.

Other high protien vegi things I eat are:

Quorn Products (little salsa on top and baked is really yummy)
Boca burgers (little high in fat though)
Trader Joe's Vegitarian Corn Dogs
Morning Star Pizza Burgers ( only 120 calories)
Trader Joe's Indian flavored Marsala Vegi burgers

I know eggs are a good source of protein, but I can only eat them occasionally - and I really don't like just plain hard boiled eggs. I will usually eat an omelet on the weekends, but eggs are just not a favorite of mine. And, I'm really trying to stray from frozen, processed foods and I'm finding that soy upsets my stomach. Don't have a Trader Joe's anywhere near me and I've heard of the Quorn products, but no store near me carries them.

TheMaidOfAstolat

Since you eat dairy try eating more eggs. I'll make a half dozen hard boiled eggs at a time and one of them with a salad at times or carry them around as a quick protein snack.

Other high protien vegi things I eat are:

Quorn Products (little salsa on top and baked is really yummy)
Boca burgers (little high in fat though)
Trader Joe's Vegitarian Corn Dogs
Morning Star Pizza Burgers ( only 120 calories)
Trader Joe's Indian flavored Marsala Vegi burgers

I know eggs are a good source of protein, but I can only eat them occasionally - and I really don't like just plain hard boiled eggs. I will usually eat an omelet on the weekends, but eggs are just not a favorite of mine. And, I'm really trying to stray from frozen, processed foods and I'm finding that soy upsets my stomach. Don't have a Trader Joe's anywhere near me and I've heard of the Quorn products, but no store near me carries them.

I can't eat eggs by themselves (have to be in cake, lol)...I'm just not a fan of the egg substitutes (that's the only reason I'm ovo).

Check the Quorn website to see if there is a store near you. Also, the products will be in the frozen section.

edit-Quorn prodects have NO soy in them.

mystiq5304

What about yogurt and cottage cheese? both have low fat or lite options.

McFatterton

What about yogurt and cottage cheese? both have low fat or lite options.

I love both, but cottage cheese is SO high in sodium and I need to explore the lower carb options of yogurt. Just bought my first thing of Greek yogurt the other day. But, thanks for the reminder on these - I think I've got my sodium under control well enough now that cottage cheese would probably be able to be a part of my diet again.

McFatterton

I can't eat eggs by themselves (have to be in cake, lol)...I'm just not a fan of the egg substitutes (that's the only reason I'm ovo).

Check the Quorn website to see if there is a store near you. Also, the products will be in the frozen section.

edit-Quorn prodects have NO soy in them.

Yeah.....egg substitutes TOTALLY gross me out. Never tried them and don't know if I ever could. :sick:

I have checked the Quorn site and the closest place is about an hour away, which is doable, but not very convenient. But, next time I'm that way I'll check them out. How is the sodium on their products?

cdavis1126

On my food plan, the food lovers fat loss program, they say carbs should be between 30 to 45 g per meal. Proteins should bve between 15 and 30 grams per meal.

However, in the vegetarian section, it says you still need to adequate amounts of protein from non-animal sources to keep your body in fat burning mode. It's also important to avoid consuming too many fast carbs. If your meal contains an obvious protein source like soy, tempeh, tofu, textured vegetable protein, or protein powder (or eggs, dairy, fish or chicken if your diet includes them), then it is simple. You follow the portion guidelines of adding a fast carb (rice 1/2 cup /potato 1 cup, bread 2 palm size, etc) and a slow carb (veggies mostly at 1 cup).

If your meal does not include one of those proteins above, then you need to construct your meal from fast and slow carbs. Making sure that those foods contain a total of at least 15 grams of protein at every meal. The optimum range for protein for a woman is between 15 to 30 grams per meal.

For example, on average, a slice of 100% whole wheat bread has about 4 grams of protein. If you add a couple of tbps of peanut butter* at 4 grams per tbps then finish it off with some jam and a 1/2 cup of refried beans at 6.9 grams of protein, you've got a meal that contains 23 grams of protein. A cup of high fiber cereal ike nature's path optimum power has 8 grams of protein. add a cup of low fat milk at 12 grams and you've got a quick meatless meal with a total of 20 grams of protein, plenty of protein to switch your body into fat burning mode.

*while the recommended serving size for peanut butter is one tbps, vegetarians will sometimes need to exceed advised fat levels slightly to get adequate amounts of protein. because of this, it is particulary important for people following a vegetarian diet to keep careful watch on their total daily intake of fat.

The other challenge for vegetarians is that since your meals are often made up of foods that are primarily carbs (even if they contain some protein) it is very easy to consume too many fast carbs to maintain the proper proportions of a meal. In fact, since the primary component of so many V meals is a fast carb like pasta or rice, often with no protein source to balance it out, it is easy to see how V can run into trouble. In situations where your meal does NOT include a protein like soy, tofu or eggs, use additional slow carbs to provide the additional protein you need rather than adding more fast carbs. Ideally, choose slow carbs that are highest in protein like beans, peas and other legumes. Remember it is the fast carbs that are most likely to switch your body into fat storing mode. Slow carbs have far less affect on your glycemic profile. as long as you keep your fast carbs to one portion and then get your supplemental protein from additional portions of slow carbs, you'll still maintain the right balance.

Example of a balance V plate:
Fast carb - rice - total protein = 2 g
slow carb - beans - total protein = 7.5 g
slow carb - chick peas - total protein = 7 g

Hope this helps! If you want to find out more about the food plan, go to myfoodlovers.com.
Christine

TheMaidOfAstolat

I can't eat eggs by themselves (have to be in cake, lol)...I'm just not a fan of the egg substitutes (that's the only reason I'm ovo).

Check the Quorn website to see if there is a store near you. Also, the products will be in the frozen section.

edit-Quorn prodects have NO soy in them.

Yeah.....egg substitutes TOTALLY gross me out. Never tried them and don't know if I ever could. :sick:

I have checked the Quorn site and the closest place is about an hour away, which is doable, but not very convenient. But, next time I'm that way I'll check them out. How is the sodium on their products?

The sodium is a little high (but most processed food is). But the protein content is pretty good, the carbs are pretty low, and they taste wonderful. I only eat them every once in a while...but they are super good.

SHBoss1673

I'm flattered at the mention, although I'm not sure how much help I can be, not being a vegetarian myself, I don't really have to focus on protein consumption very much.

I'll ask why you're at 40/30/30 though, most vegetarians are usually around 50% for their carbs, it's really tough to balance it out when your carbs are that low.

I guess if you're looking for foods that are high protein, low fat, and low carbs, well the one thing you say you almost never eat would be the one thing I would recommend, I.E. Fish. Most white fish has no carbs and basically no (or very little) fat, drop some lite progresso bread crumbs on it, some lemon juice, and bake, and you have a nice dinner.

I realize doing this every day isn't an option for most, but it's something that's not overly expensive, and you could probably do it for 2 or 3 nights a week.

McFatterton

I'm flattered at the mention, although I'm not sure how much help I can be, not being a vegetarian myself, I don't really have to focus on protein consumption very much.

I'll ask why you're at 40/30/30 though, most vegetarians are usually around 50% for their carbs, it's really tough to balance it out when your carbs are that low.

I guess if you're looking for foods that are high protein, low fat, and low carbs, well the one thing you say you almost never eat would be the one thing I would recommend, I.E. Fish. Most white fish has no carbs and basically no (or very little) fat, drop some lite progresso bread crumbs on it, some lemon juice, and bake, and you have a nice dinner.

I realize doing this every day isn't an option for most, but it's something that's not overly expensive, and you could probably do it for 2 or 3 nights a week.

I took some stupid quiz online that told me I should be at 40/30/30 - stupid, I know :blushing:, especially considering it was in no way geared for vegetarians. Changing the carbs to 50 would help quite a bit - what would you recommend for the fat/protein? Would 20 be too low for protein? Do I need to go an equal 25/25? I can definately try and incorporate more fish into my diet - I'll shoot for 1-2x per week to start.

Now, today for example, I'm doing fine on carbs (still have some left), under on protein (like always) and over on fat. But, most of my fat comes from "healthier" fats. I'm trying to eat more of these because I have a hard time getting all of my calories consumed in a day. How bad is it if I'm over in fat if the majority of them are "good"?

Sorry for the rambling and all of the questions, I'm just trying to find the right balance for myself and it's a much harder task than anticipated!

SHBoss1673

I'm flattered at the mention, although I'm not sure how much help I can be, not being a vegetarian myself, I don't really have to focus on protein consumption very much.

I'll ask why you're at 40/30/30 though, most vegetarians are usually around 50% for their carbs, it's really tough to balance it out when your carbs are that low.

I guess if you're looking for foods that are high protein, low fat, and low carbs, well the one thing you say you almost never eat would be the one thing I would recommend, I.E. Fish. Most white fish has no carbs and basically no (or very little) fat, drop some lite progresso bread crumbs on it, some lemon juice, and bake, and you have a nice dinner.

I realize doing this every day isn't an option for most, but it's something that's not overly expensive, and you could probably do it for 2 or 3 nights a week.

I took some stupid quiz online that told me I should be at 40/30/30 - stupid, I know :blushing:, especially considering it was in no way geared for vegetarians. Changing the carbs to 50 would help quite a bit - what would you recommend for the fat/protein? Would 20 be too low for protein? Do I need to go an equal 25/25? I can definately try and incorporate more fish into my diet - I'll shoot for 1-2x per week to start.

Now, today for example, I'm doing fine on carbs (still have some left), under on protein (like always) and over on fat. But, most of my fat comes from "healthier" fats. I'm trying to eat more of these because I have a hard time getting all of my calories consumed in a day. How bad is it if I'm over in fat if the majority of them are "good"?

Sorry for the rambling and all of the questions, I'm just trying to find the right balance for myself and it's a much harder task than anticipated!

50/25/25 is fine, or 50/30/20 is ok (carbs/protein/fat) or even 50/20/30 is respectable, there is usually a little leeway in this, as our bodies will use it, most people eat far more protein then they need, which just ends up being converted to energy and fat anyway.

Oh, and being over in poly-unsaturated fats and mono-unsaturated fats is fine, I mean, within reason, being over by 5 or 6 grams is fine, but if you're over by like 35 or 40 grams, well, you're probably not doing yourself any favors, but even then, if you're still within your calories, it's not tragic, not really.

McFatterton

50/25/25 is fine, or 50/30/20 is ok (carbs/protein/fat) or even 50/20/30 is respectable, there is usually a little leeway in this, as our bodies will use it, most people eat far more protein then they need, which just ends up being converted to energy and fat anyway.

Oh, and being over in poly-unsaturated fats and mono-unsaturated fats is fine, I mean, within reason, being over by 5 or 6 grams is fine, but if you're over by like 35 or 40 grams, well, you're probably not doing yourself any favors, but even then, if you're still within your calories, it's not tragic, not really.

Thanks so much for your input - I'll change my percentages and test out a few scenarios until I find a good fit. I'm generally not over my fat intake by more than 5-8 grams and, generally after I've gotten my workout in for the day I'm under in all those categories after my workout calories replenish them.

Again Banks, thanks so much!

firepixie

How do you change the ratio? In the food diary?

McFatterton

How do you change the ratio? In the food diary?

On the home page click on "Goals" then at the bottom of that screen click on "Change Goals" (or something along those lines) then click on "Customize" and in that screen you'll be able to adjust everything.

firepixie

Thanks!

spritie

May I just state I'm actually in awe of you even aiming for 40% carbs on a vegetarian diet.

I'm a soy using vegan and I'm working on a 60/20/20 system, and even then fat is always low.

I completely understand the whole exercise is good as it boosts the carb allowance tho.

How is the new ratio working for you??