Protein/Fat/Carb Ratios....What's working for you?

anacsitham5
anacsitham5 Posts: 810 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I lost the weight and am into managing my body fat. I think my Carbs are set to high by MFP. I don't want to randomly adjust it. Any suggestions on what is working for you? I've heard 55/30/15 (Carbs/Protein/Fats) is good, but the carbs seem so high. I usually try to get about 100 g. protein a day (and that isn't easy unless I use casein protein powder). I eat an ounce of raw almonds with my greek yogurt in the morning and an ounce of mixed nuts as an afternoon snack so I am always over on fats each day. I get about 20-30 minutes on the eliptical 5 days a week and walking at least 20 minutes, 4 days a week. I have a bow flex .... let's just say it's getting dusty.

I want to tone up and lose the body fat. I'm going to incorporate some weight lifting, but want to make sure that I have my ratios set correctly.

Replies

  • Joocey
    Joocey Posts: 115 Member
    Even though it likely makes little to no difference, I'm around 40/20/40 (using your ratio of P/F/C) on days I exercise and closer to 40/40/20 on days I don't.
  • Fit_French
    Fit_French Posts: 134 Member
    I do 40/30/30 and it works for me, sometimes ill go over on fat or protein which is fine, but I try to keep my carbs on the lower end. I don't really eat and grains, I'll have a low carb wrap here and there but hardly any pasta, bread, rice or couscous unless its my cheat meal. Don't be afraid to ad more fat to your diet!
  • diaryofaskinnygirl
    diaryofaskinnygirl Posts: 146
    I usually try to aim for 40/30/30, that seems to be the optimum macronutrient ratio for me :)
  • Silver14
    Silver14 Posts: 141
    I don't really aim for percentage, just about 100g-150g carbs and the rest protien and fats. It works out to 40-30-30 or 35-30-35 which is great. I guess 40% carbs is my goal, but I'm sensitive too carbs. I know lots of people happily lose eating more carbs.

    Don't worry I always eat alot of fat, more than 50g most days thanks to almond butter, nuts, seeds, avocadoes and olive oil.

    I aim for the same, 100g protein. I get more or less. Sometimes 80, 130, etc. I've been really WANTING my protein shake lately so have been happily having it. Had 2 today tbh. Breakfast and dinner didnt fill me like it should, so I had a shake with both. Much more satisfied an yum :) *I use whey not casein
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
    Ratios aren't really the way that you want to do this. You need to know your lean body mass, and set your protein amounts and fat amounts as described in this post:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

    This way is working great for lots of people including me!
  • GoTeamMeaghan
    GoTeamMeaghan Posts: 347 Member
    A lot of people say the best ratio for burning fat is 30/45/25 carbs/protein/fat but I have trouble keeping my carbs that low, so I've had good luck with 35/40/25. It's really a lot of guess and check, but make sure you give yourself at least a few weeks to get used to a new ratio before you decide if it works or not
  • Mguilmot
    Mguilmot Posts: 232 Member
    75% carbs
    10% protein
    15% fat
  • El_Cunado
    El_Cunado Posts: 359 Member
    40c/30f/30p has been working for me.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
    I think it depends on your activity. My ratio falls at about 34% 27% 39% (carbs/fat/protein). I also lift heavy 5 days per week, and do at least 1 hour of intense cardio per day. These ratios have been working for me.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    Protein 1-2g/kg of body weight or more even if you're in heavy weight training.
    Fat 1-2g/kg of body weight

    Rest put in carbohydrates.

    That might be 40-30-30 or 40-40-20 or 33-33-33.
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    I calculated that acording to my LBM I need 120g protein per day, I am pre-diabetic with insulin resistance so my carbs stay under 100/day, usually around 60g to be honest. The rest is fat. My total calories are about 1800-2000 depending on my activity levels. This has been working for me, obviously ymmv so why not just try out different things and see what your body tells you? We only know what it feels like to be ONE person, so every answer here is very individual. Only way to know what's right for you is to try it.
  • mcouturezz
    mcouturezz Posts: 145
    With a lot of cardio high intensity workout I keep it at C/P/F : 55/20/25
    I rarely hit the mark on Carbs and most often go over on Proteins but it's all good :))
    As long as I dont go over my % of Fat I'm good :)
  • FP4HSharon
    FP4HSharon Posts: 664 Member
    After a lot of research on current recommendations from a variety of sources...50/25/25.
  • hfox9707
    hfox9707 Posts: 74 Member
    Your protein in grams should equal to your body weight especially if you are lifting. This is what I have researched and what professionals have told me. Don't be afraid to eat fat either. I know several others who were on a ketogenic diet or low carb diet with good results in losing body fat. You want to up the protein to keep the muscles you have and grow them. Use the fat as fuel to burn it. One of my friends went from 30% BF to 8%BF, but he is a guy and he was on a ketogenic diet or low carb.
  • anacsitham5
    anacsitham5 Posts: 810 Member
    I was at 40 c / 30 f / 30 p but nothing is happening even with working out 5-6 days a week. I'm not tired or run down, but the fat is just stuck there. It's been 6 months now. I guess I will tweak my ratios and see what happens, the link mentioned earlier had a lot of great info in it. I calculated my TDEE and it comes in at about 1200 but I have a hard time staying there. I usually hit between 1230-1360. No junk food or fast food. Most of the weight is in my belly area, so I'm thinking of dropping the carbs. Gluten free?

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