Holy Carbs! Help me..

jilliangetsit
jilliangetsit Posts: 97 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm feeling conflicted. I tried to change my macros manually and was advised that fitnesspal is having some kind of problem saving changes at the moment ...divine intervention ? Could it be?
Right now I'm on the standard 50% carbs, 30% fat, 20% protein. I wanted to change my goals to:
*40% fat
*35%protein
*25%carbs... Favorable change for my body type/build/goals.....HOWEVER....
I am a CARB loving son'ofa'gun. I eat clean and I'm a vegetarian. All of my favorite veggies and snacks currently are carb loaded and - I need help figuring a better way to shift my meals around. Maybe have two carb crazy days a week? Can anybody with/close to my *macro goals give me an idea or suggestion of daily meals or peek my diary and tell me what I should reduce? Thank's in advance.
Now that I've been lifting in addition to my cardio, I've gone from really only monitoring my calories-to being more conscious about my macros as well. All suggestions/advice welcomed. :) Cheers

Replies

  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I gotta ask, why would you want to change your ratio? Humans have a sweet tooth for a reason. Muscle cells, and the human brain are both run off of carbohydrates, not protein or fat. We need both protein and fat, but not NEARLY as much as people like to tell you. I think the recommendation have been skewed by the food industry. Most diseases in America today are diseases of dietary excess, not deficiency. More is not always better, and this is the case with protein and fat.

    You love carbohydrates, and you love them for a reason. Don't limit fruit or vegetables, EVER.

    I eat a vegan diet, and i eat about 10% of my calories from protein, and i still maintain muscle mass, gain strength, AND lose weight. I'm a cyclist and a runner, and my quads have grown a lot since i switched to a normal protein intake.
  • jilliangetsit
    jilliangetsit Posts: 97 Member
    I gotta ask, why would you want to change your ratio? Humans have a sweet tooth for a reason. Muscle cells, and the human brain are both run off of carbohydrates, not protein or fat. We need both protein and fat, but not NEARLY as much as people like to tell you. I think the recommendation have been skewed by the food industry. Most diseases in America today are diseases of dietary excess, not deficiency. More is not always better, and this is the case with protein and fat.

    You love carbohydrates, and you love them for a reason. Don't limit fruit or vegetables, EVER.

    I eat a vegan diet, and i eat about 10% of my calories from protein, and i still maintain muscle mass, gain strength, AND lose weight. I'm a cyclist and a runner, and my quads have grown a lot since i switched to a normal protein intake.

    I do love me some carbs lol. I have a feeling that some of the resources for informaiton that I've found - are either confusing or misleading I'd like input from people who have lived the changes rather than googling to seek out answers. So please, all feedback I'll take!
    Here's a little more info about me: I'm 5'9" and my sw was 193. I'm currently down to 170-175. Clearly carbs are working for me :) I am more concerned with lowering my body fat percentage first with my focus more on cardio and minimal strength training - my current macro goals are great for what I'm doing. The reason with my intention/desire to change my macros is directly related to the shift in my goals and changes that I'll be making to my exercise routine. When I get to 165 - I plan on scaling back my cardio and directing most of my energy on heavy lifting/lean gains. Like anyone else, I don't want my work to be in vain or self sabotaging...so after reading up on my body type - (endomorph yadda yadda...lol) I think bodybuilder.com had those recommended macros. Seeing as how you're able to maintain muscle mass, gain strength, and lose weight by sticking with low fat/high carb - I may just up my calorie allowance and keep my macros where they're at for a few months. See my progress/how I feel and go from there. All the different information I've looked in to has made me so confused. Thank you for taking the time to respond to me. I've said it before, but I really would rather take it from someone who has lived it and found success than read about how my diet should be set up on some random website.
    Thank you!
  • winley87
    winley87 Posts: 32
    I've been ramping up my protein and cutting my carbs for the past two weeks as I've gotten more into lifting. It's a challenge even as a pescatarian and even harder if you're a strict veggie. You can check out my diary for some ideas though (please ignore this weekend, it was a bit of a CF). Basically I eat a lot of Quorn and soy and seitan, I drink protein before and after the gym on lift days, and I use higher carb sources of protein like beans and quinoa as side dishes. Lots of eggs, lots of yogurt and cheese, and lots of fish (which I realize won't work for you).

    I lift about 5 days a week. On those days I try to get as much protein as possible. I don't focus on the percentages so much as just the grams. I shoot for a gram per pound of body weight, but I can never get that high, so I just do my best. I do the same with carbs, in reverse - just keeping them as low as seems healthy/possible/beneficial.

    Three days a week I do cardio (one day I lift AND do cardio) and on those days I pay less attention to my carbs and protein. That doesn't mean I just ignore it completely - I know my muscles are still rebuilding from lifting and so I try to get a decent mix of nutrients those days, but I go a little less crazy with it. No protein power, fewer eggs, that kind of thing.

    I hope that helps!
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    Try cutting out grains and potatoes and sweets. Eat as much fruit and veg as you want. This has been working very well for me.
    Once you get used to fewer carbs, your body adjusts and you won't crave them as much. But it will take a few days of strong willpower to cut the addiction.

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