Calorie to Protien ratio

SezxyStef
SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am just curious if there is a good ratio that can be applied quickly when looking at lables on food items.

I try very hard to stay in my goals (calories/fat/protien) but find that it can be difficult somedays as I go over calories a bit to get my protien in.

So my question is when I am looking at food lables what is a good ratio?

125 calories/10g protien as an example (not sure that is a good ratio...)

Replies

  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    what's your goal macros?

    mine are set at 35% carbs, 35% protein, and 30% carbs and i would say that I have loose goal to hit 33% protein at each meal to not "get behind" on my protein macro as 75% (calories from, and that was just an outta my *kitten* "high" number) protein sources are hard to get alone and some are quite untasty.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    I think a "good ratio" will depend on what your goals are. Here's a list of common whole food protein sources, and it has their calories per gram protein broken down to give you an idea for different types of foods:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    Anything with 1 gram/10 calories is 40% of calories from protein, which is pretty good IMHO.

    Lean meat, nonfat cheeses, tofu, and protein powders (most are whey protein) are all great places to get your biggest protein/calorie buck if you are having trouble.

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/697033-high-protein-low-calorie-foods
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Anything with 1 gram/10 calories is 40% of calories from protein, which is pretty good IMHO.

    Lean meat, nonfat cheeses, tofu, and protein powders (most are whey protein) are all great places to get your biggest protein/calorie buck if you are having trouble.

    http://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/697033-high-protein-low-calorie-foods

    Thank you...that's exactly what I was looking for.

    My current macros are set at 30% protien (based on 26% bf), 25% fat and the rest carbs which works out to be 45%. My TDEE-20% is 1600 calories and this is based on my actual results not an estimate.

    That works out to 120g of protien which I try to hit consistently however today I noticed when I had lunch I originally planned a lean cuisine meal (not normal but it was here) and it was 250 calories with 19g of protien...I ended up having soup (chunky meat ball bustin' rigatoni) which was 200 calories with 10g...and I was like...crap...gotta find extra protien now.
  • godot77
    godot77 Posts: 24
    I am so confused because I thought MFP's pre-set ratios were the healthiest and best for everyone. I am NOT a fan of carbs, having kicked a sugar habit 12 years ago. I over-eat protein and fat, and really struggle to get more carbs in. What percentage should I use? I have 50 to lose and I am aiming for 1200. I work out daily and lose about 250 on average each workout. Other than that I'm sort of lazy and sluggish.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    I don't use MFPs Calorie target or their macro settings as no they aren't "perfect".

    I use TDEE-20% and set my own macros as I am lifting weights and want to keep as much of my LBM as I can while I lose weight.

    Most of the time unless you are lifting as long as you are getting in calories suggested and enough protien and healthy fat you should be good...carbs eh...wouldn't worry about them...I don't really watch that one as closely as my protien.

    godot77 your probably fine with what you are doing.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    Honestly ratios don't really matter. Your protein percentage will depend on how severe of a caloric deficit/surplus you're on. Generally speaking, your protein requirements are fixed regardless of your total calories - figure approximately 0.65g / lb of lean body mass if you're sedentary and 0.8g / lb of lean body mass if you're lifting in terms of what your body needs. Assuming you hit your protein macro daily, if you're eating at a 30% caloric deficit, you can expect your percentage of calories from protein to be higher than if you're eating at, say, a 10% caloric deficit. Just figure your protein macro in terms of grams and aim to hit that daily, and let the percentages fall where they may.
  • tonynguyen75
    tonynguyen75 Posts: 418 Member
    I look for protein sources of about 1g per 4-8 calories.
  • Hadabetter
    Hadabetter Posts: 942 Member
    Honestly ratios don't really matter. Your protein percentage will depend on how severe of a caloric deficit/surplus you're on. Generally speaking, your protein requirements are fixed regardless of your total calories - figure approximately 0.65g / lb of lean body mass if you're sedentary and 0.8g / lb of lean body mass if you're lifting in terms of what your body needs. Assuming you hit your protein macro daily, if you're eating at a 30% caloric deficit, you can expect your percentage of calories from protein to be higher than if you're eating at, say, a 10% caloric deficit. Just figure your protein macro in terms of grams and aim to hit that daily, and let the percentages fall where they may.
    OP was asking about foods that are high in protein relative to their calorie content, and what a good ratio would be. Here are some ratios, just for benchmarks:

    Egg whites - 5 Calories/gram of protein
    Non-Fat Greek yogurt - 6-7 Calories/gram of protein
    Chicken breast - 8-9 Calories/gram of protein
    Non-fat milk - 10 Calories/gram of protein
    1% fat milk - 12 Calories/gram of protein
    Whole egg - 15 Calories/gram of protein
    Whole milk - 19 Calories/gram of protein
    Peanut butter - 27 Calories/gram of protein
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    I am so confused because I thought MFP's pre-set ratios were the healthiest and best for everyone. I am NOT a fan of carbs, having kicked a sugar habit 12 years ago. I over-eat protein and fat, and really struggle to get more carbs in. What percentage should I use? I have 50 to lose and I am aiming for 1200. I work out daily and lose about 250 on average each workout. Other than that I'm sort of lazy and sluggish.
    The MFP presets are based on USDA recommendations which most agree are are on low end of the spectrum. They are probably fine for sedentary adults who are maintaining their weight. Add in the factors of weight loss and activity, and protein requirements go up. 1 gram/lb of lean body mass is a good general guideline, although some research shows benefits to even higher protein intakes for already lean athletes and during aggressive weight loss.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Honestly ratios don't really matter. Your protein percentage will depend on how severe of a caloric deficit/surplus you're on. Generally speaking, your protein requirements are fixed regardless of your total calories - figure approximately 0.65g / lb of lean body mass if you're sedentary and 0.8g / lb of lean body mass if you're lifting in terms of what your body needs. Assuming you hit your protein macro daily, if you're eating at a 30% caloric deficit, you can expect your percentage of calories from protein to be higher than if you're eating at, say, a 10% caloric deficit. Just figure your protein macro in terms of grams and aim to hit that daily, and let the percentages fall where they may.
    OP was asking about foods that are high in protein relative to their calorie content, and what a good ratio would be. Here are some ratios, just for benchmarks:

    Egg whites - 5 Calories/gram of protein
    Non-Fat Greek yogurt - 6-7 Calories/gram of protein
    Chicken breast - 8-9 Calories/gram of protein
    Non-fat milk - 10 Calories/gram of protein
    1% fat milk - 12 Calories/gram of protein
    Whole egg - 15 Calories/gram of protein
    Whole milk - 19 Calories/gram of protein
    Peanut butter - 27 Calories/gram of protein

    Yes thank you this will be quite useful.

    I know certian things like chicken/turkey, greek yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs etc are all good sources along with fish and seafood but when I grab a box of xxxxx it's nice to be able to look at the food lable and know if it is a good ratio as I do struggle sometimes to get my protien in. IE soup

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