Calories vs Carbs/Fat/Protein

Hi my name is Connie. I quite smoking in Sept. 2007 and told myself if I hit 180 pounds I would start smoking again. Well I didn't start smoking again I cut out a lot of foods I was eating and started walking or eliptical and some weight lifting and started some 8 minute abe tapes 5 days a week for almost 3 years now. I can't seem to lose any weight I bounce back and forth the lowest was 176 lbs. and my highest has been 184 lbs. I still don't eat very healthy I'm a very picky eater. My point is I don't think just watching calories is good enough, I get frustrated sometimes because I can't lose weight but I keep telling myself I'm not gaining weight. Good luck , Connie

Not being as expert, but starting out counting calories alone should render results, but if you are in this for a healthier lifestyle and NOT a diet, it is definitely important to be more aware of the type foods that you are eating. I always encourage people to eat the perimeter of the grocery store = fresh foods like vegetables and fruits and avoid all the processed packed foods. Your body will respond quicker if you eliminate white flour and white sugar from your diet. Change is hard, so just try making 1 change a week as you progress in an effort to not only count calories, but really be aware of what type of foods you are putting into your body. Protein builds muscle, carbs help fuel your exercise, and fat is just fat (though your body does need it - shoot for the healthy choices such as olive oil in small doses). I wish you luck on your journey!

RATIO! When I first started I never paid much attention to ratio and worked out every weekday. I lost like half a pound in a month! Not very hopeful. My boyfriend is getting his masters in Kinesiology ( the study of how the body moves) and takes many nutrition classes. He told me to keep my carbs under 40 and eat as much healthy protien and veggies as I wanted, not worriny about calories for three weeks. I started doing this tuesday of this week and cheated one night (lady's night at the bar lol) and have NOT had the chance to work out this week besides walking like a half mile to work. I have since tuesday lost THREE pounds! Your protien will go over your daily allowance but don't worry about it. Over time your suppose to up your carbs intake but always keep your protein higher, for example after the first three weeks I will start experimenting with how many carbs I can eat and still lose weight. I strongly recommend this. My boyfriend has been doing this for two weeks and goes running everyday, like two miles, and has lost fifteen Lbs! I hope to catch up! Good Luck!

I'm not an expert either, but I have been studying nutrition for the last few years. I'm chronically ill. I've had to. Putting quality food in your body is one of the 3 best things you can do for it (along with exercising and sleeping).

Your body's chemistry is very complex, and different people have different metabolism types and different reactions to food. Some people can handle lots of grains, but others can't. Like me. Some people's bodies can't process a lot of fat, but other people function well off of fairly large amounts. Like me.

Then there's different sensitivities. Some folks are lactose intolerant, others are gluten intolerant, etc. The gluten intolerant people will tell you REALLY fast that wheat hinders all of their weight loss efforts (along with messing up their bellies). I can't handle a lot of sodium in my diet because I have edema. I have found that processed foods in general aggravate it as well. Processed carbs or processed meats. Even if they don't send me over on sodium for the day.

You have to pay attention to your body and what it likes in terms of energy and hunger levels. If eating meat makes you feel sluggish, pay attention to that. You may want to get a higher percentage of your calories from carbs. If eating a bowl of cereal in the morning leaves you ravenous an hour later, you may want to consider switching to a couple of boiled eggs with some veggie juice and whole grain toast instead. Just about everyone functions well eating lots of fresh veggies and maybe some fresh fruit every day no matter what their other dietary needs are.

So, yes, I would say that macronutrients and the quality of your food matter just like calories do. I think we all need to pay attention not just to how many calories we're consuming, but also to the quality of those calories.

The macros make more and more of a difference the more active you are, and the closer to your goal you are.

Here's an article on the idea of ratio/macro balance vs. the "calories in, calories out":

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/nutrition/new_view.htm

For me, unless I'm watching the balance of my food, I do not lose fat, even with serious exercise. For my body, it's all about ratios and timing.

Thanks for all the advice!

Let me be a bit clearer - I'm not asking so I can eat unhealthy junk food within my alotted caloric intake. I've cut soda out almost completely (I have maybe 2-3 per WEEK when I used to have 3-4 per DAY) in exchange for mostly water, my fast food intake has gone drastically down (I used to eat it on a near daily basis), and I've been working hard to eat healthier. I do eat a lot of packaged food (lean cuisine or smart ones), but I try to eat a salad or some form of fresh veggie every day. I've also added fruit and yogurt to my diet as a means for snacking.

These are the things that I feel like aren't good enough.

Cutting down on soda is fantastic! Congrats. You don't feel the packaged food is good enough because it's NOT. Even the "light" stuff can be loaded with salt, sugar, preservatives, etc. The WW meals often use refined flour. Not good. If you MUST do something frozen, go for Kashi or Amy's Light in Sodium line. Still watch your labels, though. (Kashi has an Asian-inspired dinner that's heavy on sugar, for instance.) However, I think you'd be better off cooking your own meat, pasta, rice, veggies, etc. That way you know exactly what's going in your food. Oh, and FYI... CNN did a news story recently on how the numbers on those meals are often way off. I think it's ok keeping a Kashi Chicken Florentine or maybe some Amy's LIS Black Bean Enchiladas in the freezer for emergencies, but sticking to home cooked is always better!