Carbs 40%, Fat 30%, protein 20%

fcordingley
fcordingley Posts: 25 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,

Can anyone tell me whether this is a good balance for weightloss? This the nutrition balance MPF has automatically selected for me but I rarely meet it- most days my fat it much higher (I have a portion of nuts for snacking most days as I cam on a restricted diet for health reasons and it is hard finding easy snacks I can eat on the go! but they seem to tip me over the balance)

Thanks :)

Replies

  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    what's the other 10% from? 40+30+20 = 90....

    40% carbs, 30% fat 30% protein is very balanced and good macros for fat loss though
  • laurenawolf
    laurenawolf Posts: 262 Member
    40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    what's the other 10% from?

    Alcohol. Woooo hoooo.

    Seriously though, 40/30/30 is a good split for most people who are generally but not very active.
  • Galatea_Stone
    Galatea_Stone Posts: 2,037 Member
    Where's the other 10 percent?

    I would try to determine what your goals are and act accordingly. Are you running/training for races? Carbs highest. Are you trying to retain lean mass? Protein highest.

    I set my macros at 40p/30c/30f because muscle retention and gain (when I am in a bulk) are my priorities. I don't really pay much attention to the pie, but try to always make sure protein is over 110 grams a day and fats are over 55. Carbs I don't really track. The gram number is more important to me than the exact ratios. When I burn a lot of exercise calories, I tend to allow myself more carbs even though I don't really track them.
  • stroutman81
    stroutman81 Posts: 2,474 Member
    This isn't an answerable question. Marco %s can't be judged in terms of their soundness without a lot of context.

    At a very high level, I'd look at it like this.

    Assuming aesthetics are part of your goal... first and foremost comes calories. They need to be consistently set right if anything is to happen on the physique front. Once they're accounted for, yeah... sure... fine tuning the nutrient breakdown that's delivering said calories helps quite a bit.

    I'd start with protein. It should be your foundation. It helps muscle preservation. It helps satiety. It helps metabolic rate. And it's a good idea to look at it in terms of absolute amount vs. % amount. Something in the neighborhood of .75-1.25 grams per pound of goal body weight is a good place to find yourself.

    Once you have that base covered, add in 3-6 servings of fibrous veggies and 2-3 pieces of fruit each day.

    The remaining calories that are left to be filled can pretty much be allocated however you see fit. Some people will choose to keep carbs lower because they don't like the way higher carb intakes make them feel or they don't handle them well due to insulin resistance issues. Others will choose to add substantially more carbs above and beyond the fruits and veggies from above because they enjoy them, they feel good on them, and they're active.

    There's really no science to it beyond a certain point. It really boils down to testing things out once you have the foundation in place. See what jives with you best. A good plan is based on a process of refinement over time.
  • fcordingley
    fcordingley Posts: 25 Member
    Yeah sorry- its 40/30/30 (typo!)

    My problem is that my Fat intake is often higher than 30%, pushing the other figures down. Should I be making more of an effort to reduce my fat intake or will it not effect my weight loss too much?
  • fcordingley
    fcordingley Posts: 25 Member
    OK, thanks. Think I will up my protein intake and take it from there :)
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Yeah sorry- its 40/30/30 (typo!)

    My problem is that my Fat intake is often higher than 30%, pushing the other figures down. Should I be making more of an effort to reduce my fat intake or will it not effect my weight loss too much?

    As long as we are talking about healthy fats, it really isn't that big of a deal.
  • makoside
    makoside Posts: 10 Member
    Great comments and good question. I like the post about a runner versus someone going for lean muscle mass. I switch it exactly as she said depending on what event I have coming up. A big run or bike ride,, more carbs... Summer and want to look good on the beach,, more protein.. ;)
  • cajuntank
    cajuntank Posts: 924 Member
    Yeah sorry- its 40/30/30 (typo!)

    My problem is that my Fat intake is often higher than 30%, pushing the other figures down. Should I be making more of an effort to reduce my fat intake or will it not effect my weight loss too much?

    Fats are good for hormone, satiety, and mostly sanity. While you can get away with very low fat for a short periods, general health and adherence tends to suffer. Fats are your friend...don't let anyone tell you different :smile:

    If you are suffering in your gym performance and think additional carbs will help, then fats could be the first to reduce by some.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Yeah sorry- its 40/30/30 (typo!)

    My problem is that my Fat intake is often higher than 30%, pushing the other figures down. Should I be making more of an effort to reduce my fat intake or will it not effect my weight loss too much?

    Healthy fats are fine and it's not a big deal to go over your protein or fat targets. Carbs are more variable and depend more on your activity level.

    And, everything Stroutman81 said above.
  • dieselbyte
    dieselbyte Posts: 733 Member
    Macro ratio will depend on your overall goals and will be tweaked over time to determine your optimal ratio. There is no perfect split. Obviously for health/hormonal/immune and other reasons of necessity you will want to make sure you are getting adequate dietary fat and protein, but from a pure weight loss standpoint caloric deficit is king. If your 40/30/30 split is based off of 3,000 calories, and you require 2,000 calories to maintain, you will gain weight, plain and simple.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 6,009 Member
    This isn't an answerable question. Marco %s can't be judged in terms of their soundness without a lot of context.

    At a very high level, I'd look at it like this.

    Assuming aesthetics are part of your goal... first and foremost comes calories. They need to be consistently set right if anything is to happen on the physique front. Once they're accounted for, yeah... sure... fine tuning the nutrient breakdown that's delivering said calories helps quite a bit.

    I'd start with protein. It should be your foundation. It helps muscle preservation. It helps satiety. It helps metabolic rate. And it's a good idea to look at it in terms of absolute amount vs. % amount. Something in the neighborhood of .75-1.25 grams per pound of goal body weight is a good place to find yourself.

    Once you have that base covered, add in 3-6 servings of fibrous veggies and 2-3 pieces of fruit each day.

    The remaining calories that are left to be filled can pretty much be allocated however you see fit. Some people will choose to keep carbs lower because they don't like the way higher carb intakes make them feel or they don't handle them well due to insulin resistance issues. Others will choose to add substantially more carbs above and beyond the fruits and veggies from above because they enjoy them, they feel good on them, and they're active.

    There's really no science to it beyond a certain point. It really boils down to testing things out once you have the foundation in place. See what jives with you best. A good plan is based on a process of refinement over time.

    ^^^This...
  • CorlissaEats
    CorlissaEats Posts: 493 Member
    Those are my macros too. I honestly dont worry about fat unless its from baked goods or in the form of deep fried foods. I am also on a restricted diet- I'm gluten free, dairy free, egg free...and the list goes on. Food allergies suck but it would be worse if I had to try and find a way to eat less fat.

    Fat is healthy. Its necessary to many bodily cellular functions. It helps keep you full and it is the macro that signals satiety. Your macros are fine if your diet is balanced and you are getting a good variety of food in the quantity your body needs to support your life. I aim to have at least 30 different types of food in a day in an attempt to get all the micro nutrients I need. Ideally, I would like to get my protein up to 25% or above, but I settle for getting at least 100 grams per day.
  • Jacwhite22
    Jacwhite22 Posts: 7,010 Member
    I try to target approximately 30 % protein, 30% fat as minimums and fill in the rest with any combination of carbs/fats/proteins

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