Vegan troubles.. with carbs,pro, and fats!?

EmiBun
EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
Alright now I'm mostly vegan... I know that sounds off. Sometimes i consume something that has an animal byproduct inside.(like hidden casein or whey)
Now I do cardio and some weights almost everyday (burning about 200-300 cals each day) I also don't have a car so I walk everywhere. About and hour+ each day. I work at my local soup kitchen where I cook, clean, and serve.
I'm 18 years old.
I'm freaking out over how many carbs I should eat!
I don't know how much I should eat....
What ratio is best? I love fruits, veggies, and ezekial breads.
Is 50-60% carb alot? is it higher then it should be?
help a girl out here. Should I just keep it up or should I start shifting my diet around?

Replies

  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    50-60% sounds fine! mine is around that and I eat mostly plant based.
    Just do what feels right really
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    what are your goals? really impacts my answer.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    I typically do a 40% carb, 30% protein an 30% fat breakdown as a vegetarian. Depending on your goals, 50% may be perfectly reasonable.
  • MaryJane_8810002
    MaryJane_8810002 Posts: 2,082 Member
    bump for later
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    Just make sure you're not getting to few protein for the amount of activity you're doing. If you're not also monitoring your vitamin quantities you might wanna look into making sure you're getting enough B vitamins (a fairly common vegan issue) and if you live anywhere in the northeast or somewhere rainy/snowy a vitamin d supplement is always a good idea (we don't get enough sun for our bodies to do it on their own.)

    As far as carbs/fats go, you don't want fats to hit 0 or anything, but carbs will make up the vast majority of what you eat. Make sure the fats you do get are the good fats and not the bad ones... generally speaking, being a few %age off on one or another is no big deal.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I typically do a 40% carb, 30% protein an 30% fat breakdown as a vegetarian. Depending on your goals, 50% may be perfectly reasonable.

    This is what I did when I was vegetarian as well. Perhaps as a vegan 50/25/25 would work. Personally I wouldn't go over 50% carbs but that's just me. Protein-wise, try to get 1g per lb of your lean body mass, especially if you're working out.
  • CorvusCorax77
    CorvusCorax77 Posts: 2,536 Member
    Your page says "I'm not happy. I don't go out. I am in shape(I have a 8-9 min. mile) I run 5k's all the time. I just want to wake up and not count....
    I want to be a teenager (while I still CAN) and I want to smile genuinely. I just want to be content with my life and right now I'm not. I want to squeeze everything I can out of my opportunities. "

    So maybe what you should do is focus on getting the right amount of calories to ensure you aren't slipping into anorexia again and don't stress the carbs. You need carbs to fuel those long walks and work out sessions. The only macro you should worry about really is protein- make sure you get enough to sustain your muscle mass....

    let's see a 19 year odl girl at 125 lbs should have about 46 grams of protein a day minimum. You are probably doing this if you are a healthy vegan. If you want to build muscle, double that and shoot for 100 g of protein a day (not easy on a vegan diet).
  • 80/10/10 is the best ratio

    since you love to eat fruits learn to eat a lot of them and get plenty of carbs/calories

    if youre active and wanna be fit you need to eat plenty of calories
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    80/10/10 is the best ratio

    since you love to eat fruits learn to eat a lot of them and get plenty of carbs/calories

    if youre active and wanna be fit you need to eat plenty of calories

    Your post lives up to your username...
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
    This is what I did when I was vegetarian as well. Perhaps as a vegan 50/25/25 would work. Personally I wouldn't go over 50% carbs but that's just me. Protein-wise, try to get 1g per lb of your lean body mass, especially if you're working out.

    1g/kg not per pound... I can't find it right now but the recommendation if memory serves me is .7g/kg to 1g/kg... strength training athletes are only recommended at 0.8g/lb (1.7g/kg)... American Dietetic Association says...
    ● Carbohydrate recommendations for
    athletes range from 6 to 10 g/kg (2.7
    to 4.5 g/lb) body weight per day.
    Carbohydrates maintain blood glu-
    cose levels during exercise and re-
    place muscle glycogen. The amount
    required depends upon the athlete’s
    total daily energy expenditure, type
    of sport, sex, and environmental
    conditions.

    ● Protein recommendations for endur-
    ance and strength-trained athletes
    range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg (0.5 to 0.8
    g/lb) body weight per day. These rec-
    ommended protein intakes can gen-
    erally be met through diet alone,
    without the use of protein or amino
    acid supplements. Energy intake suf-
    ficient to maintain body weight is
    necessary for optimal protein use
    and performance.

    ● Fat intake should range from 20%
    to 35% of total energy intake. Con-
    suming 20% of energy from fat
    does not benefit performance. Fat,
    which is a source of energy, fat-sol-
    uble vitamins, and essential fatty
    acids, is important in the diets of
    athletes. High-fat diets are not rec-
    ommended for athletes.

    ymmv. Based on a 120lb body weight (op's weight) you'd want ~55g of protein/day. If you're doing strength training or endurance training you'd want to go up to ~94g protein/day roughly.
  • 80/10/10 is the best ratio

    since you love to eat fruits learn to eat a lot of them and get plenty of carbs/calories

    if youre active and wanna be fit you need to eat plenty of calories

    Your post lives up to your username...

    nah, bro science would be telling her to go eat a high fat high protein dieta and carb cut/calorie restrict. thats all the rage today, believing in the bro science!

    someone doesnt understand my SN obviously
  • AJ_G
    AJ_G Posts: 4,158 Member
    This is what I did when I was vegetarian as well. Perhaps as a vegan 50/25/25 would work. Personally I wouldn't go over 50% carbs but that's just me. Protein-wise, try to get 1g per lb of your lean body mass, especially if you're working out.

    1g/kg not per pound... I can't find it right now but the recommendation if memory serves me is .7g/kg to 1g/kg... strength training athletes are only recommended at 0.8g/lb (1.7g/kg)... American Dietetic Association says...
    ● Carbohydrate recommendations for
    athletes range from 6 to 10 g/kg (2.7
    to 4.5 g/lb) body weight per day.
    Carbohydrates maintain blood glu-
    cose levels during exercise and re-
    place muscle glycogen. The amount
    required depends upon the athlete’s
    total daily energy expenditure, type
    of sport, sex, and environmental
    conditions.

    ● Protein recommendations for endur-
    ance and strength-trained athletes
    range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg (0.5 to 0.8
    g/lb) body weight per day. These rec-
    ommended protein intakes can gen-
    erally be met through diet alone,
    without the use of protein or amino
    acid supplements. Energy intake suf-
    ficient to maintain body weight is
    necessary for optimal protein use
    and performance.

    ● Fat intake should range from 20%
    to 35% of total energy intake. Con-
    suming 20% of energy from fat
    does not benefit performance. Fat,
    which is a source of energy, fat-sol-
    uble vitamins, and essential fatty
    acids, is important in the diets of
    athletes. High-fat diets are not rec-
    ommended for athletes.

    ymmv. Based on a 120lb body weight (op's weight) you'd want ~55g of protein/day. If you're doing strength training or endurance training you'd want to go up to ~94g protein/day roughly.

    There's no harm in consuming above the minimum required protein amount. Personally I do a ton of strength training and I shoot for a minimum of 0.82g/lb of body weight for protein, but eating above the minimum will just cause excess protein to be used as energy, no harm done
  • lemonmon1
    lemonmon1 Posts: 134 Member
    I'm vegan. I generally eat 56% carbs, 26% fat, 18% protein. I make sure most of my fats are healthy fats with omega 3's, and my carbs are mostly from fruits and vegetables. I'm just toning, not body building, if that helps. I think it works best to have 50-60% carbs on a vegan diet, more if you are raw.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    This is what I did when I was vegetarian as well. Perhaps as a vegan 50/25/25 would work. Personally I wouldn't go over 50% carbs but that's just me. Protein-wise, try to get 1g per lb of your lean body mass, especially if you're working out.

    1g/kg not per pound... I can't find it right now but the recommendation if memory serves me is .7g/kg to 1g/kg... strength training athletes are only recommended at 0.8g/lb (1.7g/kg)... American Dietetic Association says...

    I said per lb of lean body mass, not total weight. Biiiiig difference. 1g per kg works too :)
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    80/10/10 is the best ratio

    since you love to eat fruits learn to eat a lot of them and get plenty of carbs/calories

    if youre active and wanna be fit you need to eat plenty of calories

    Your post lives up to your username...

    :laugh:
    Totally agree.
    80/10/10 is a diet based on broscience and full of people with eating disorders. They are attracted to it by the promise of being able to eat as much fruit as they want without restristing themselves (binge) and not gain weight. Worst diet ever. If you don't believe me, read the true story of people who were on that diet for a couple of months to a few years: http://30bananasadaysucks.com/
    You'll see that it brings tons of health issues.
  • lemonmon1
    lemonmon1 Posts: 134 Member
    On the 80/10/10 negative comments - This woman begs to differ. I couldn't stop staring at her abs!
    Fluffy Fruity Floaters!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikqjdE5J728
    While I'm not on this diet, I haven't looked into the logistics, but I do believe it can work if done right. That being said, I'm not prepared to eat raw and I don't have the best access to fruit all year round, so I like my 56/26/18 split.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    On the 80/10/10 negative comments - This woman begs to differ. I couldn't stop staring at her abs!
    Fluffy Fruity Floaters!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikqjdE5J728
    While I'm not on this diet, I haven't looked into the logistics, but I do believe it can work if done right. That being said, I'm not prepared to eat raw and I don't have the best access to fruit all year round, so I like my 56/26/18 split.

    I can show you tons of example of Paleo girls with better abs. One example doesn't make the diet healthy. And Leanne is a scam. She changes her background history according to what she wants people to believe. It's her job, she sells e-books and make money out of her Youtube channel and website. She use to say being 100% raw was the only way to go and now she eats cooked food.
  • EmiBun
    EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
    This is what I did when I was vegetarian as well. Perhaps as a vegan 50/25/25 would work. Personally I wouldn't go over 50% carbs but that's just me. Protein-wise, try to get 1g per lb of your lean body mass, especially if you're working out.

    1g/kg not per pound... I can't find it right now but the recommendation if memory serves me is .7g/kg to 1g/kg... strength training athletes are only recommended at 0.8g/lb (1.7g/kg)... American Dietetic Association says...
    ● Carbohydrate recommendations for
    athletes range from 6 to 10 g/kg (2.7
    to 4.5 g/lb) body weight per day.
    Carbohydrates maintain blood glu-
    cose levels during exercise and re-
    place muscle glycogen. The amount
    required depends upon the athlete’s
    total daily energy expenditure, type
    of sport, sex, and environmental
    conditions.

    ● Protein recommendations for endur-
    ance and strength-trained athletes
    range from 1.2 to 1.7 g/kg (0.5 to 0.8
    g/lb) body weight per day. These rec-
    ommended protein intakes can gen-
    erally be met through diet alone,
    without the use of protein or amino
    acid supplements. Energy intake suf-
    ficient to maintain body weight is
    necessary for optimal protein use
    and performance.

    ● Fat intake should range from 20%
    to 35% of total energy intake. Con-
    suming 20% of energy from fat
    does not benefit performance. Fat,
    which is a source of energy, fat-sol-
    uble vitamins, and essential fatty
    acids, is important in the diets of
    athletes. High-fat diets are not rec-
    ommended for athletes.

    ymmv. Based on a 120lb body weight (op's weight) you'd want ~55g of protein/day. If you're doing strength training or endurance training you'd want to go up to ~94g protein/day roughly.

    Wow so many responces! thanks guys this helps alot!
  • EmiBun
    EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
    On the 80/10/10 negative comments - This woman begs to differ. I couldn't stop staring at her abs!
    Fluffy Fruity Floaters!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikqjdE5J728
    While I'm not on this diet, I haven't looked into the logistics, but I do believe it can work if done right. That being said, I'm not prepared to eat raw and I don't have the best access to fruit all year round, so I like my 56/26/18 split.

    Thank you! It helps to hear from another vegan. This actually is (most of the time) my ratio. I'm normally around 50-60% cars and my fats and protein are equal-ish.
    Just so many people seemed to have a variety of opinions and I feel like I'm eating wrong, but thats probably my ED. So I should just try to get enough calories and proteins :) thanks guys&girls