Carb/Protein ratio?

walnut
walnut Posts: 216 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Can anyone explain what is magic about the 55% carb 15% protein ratio recommended by the site (for the 1 lb/week loss for a female)? Does it make a difference how you change that ratio as long as calories remain the same?

Thanks.

Replies

  • walnut
    walnut Posts: 216 Member
    Can anyone explain what is magic about the 55% carb 15% protein ratio recommended by the site (for the 1 lb/week loss for a female)? Does it make a difference how you change that ratio as long as calories remain the same?

    Thanks.
  • deanea
    deanea Posts: 1,437
    It's pretty much based on the American/Canadian food guide. You should look up the gov't site, it will give you info on the theory and importance of a balanced diet.
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    It's a general guide and works pretty well. It depends on what you are doing, though. If you are doing intense strength work then you will want more protien but not at the sacrifice of carbs or fat. You need both of those.

    My settings are 55/20/25 but that only wants to give me 92 grams of protien and I am trying to hit between 125 - 160. So, I have to add my overage to my target.

    Those percentages used to always reset to the default when I changed my goals or updated them, so keep an eye they don't change from whatever you have them set at.
  • cmdsimmon
    cmdsimmon Posts: 12
    It's a general guide and works pretty well. It depends on what you are doing, though. If you are doing intense strength work then you will want more protien but not at the sacrifice of carbs or fat. You need both of those.

    My settings are 55/20/25 but that only wants to give me 92 grams of protien and I am trying to hit between 125 - 160. So, I have to add my overage to my target.

    Those percentages used to always reset to the default when I changed my goals or updated them, so keep an eye they don't change from whatever you have them set at.


    Ok. Razboo... I am still a bit confused. I love to eat a lot of fish that seems to be loaded with high protein... I usually go way over. I so far have lost 7 lbs so I shouldn't be too concerned. However... today I only have 2 pts of protein left and over 1100 calories to consume. Is it bad if I go... say 20 or 30 over in the protein to get my calories in?
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    It's a general guide and works pretty well. It depends on what you are doing, though. If you are doing intense strength work then you will want more protien but not at the sacrifice of carbs or fat. You need both of those.

    My settings are 55/20/25 but that only wants to give me 92 grams of protien and I am trying to hit between 125 - 160. So, I have to add my overage to my target.

    Those percentages used to always reset to the default when I changed my goals or updated them, so keep an eye they don't change from whatever you have them set at.


    Ok. Razboo... I am still a bit confused. I love to eat a lot of fish that seems to be loaded with high protein... I usually go way over. I so far have lost 7 lbs so I shouldn't be too concerned. However... today I only have 2 pts of protein left and over 1100 calories to consume. Is it bad if I go... say 20 or 30 over in the protein to get my calories in?

    There are a ton of different nutrient ratios that are healthy. Aim for 30-50% Carbs, 25-50% protein, and 20-30% Fat. Those will all supply a balanced diet, and you can switch them around to find what works for you.
    I aim for 1-1.5 g of protein per lb of bodyweight, and I have absolutely no problem losing body fat. You can eat less since your resistance program is probably very different from mine, but don't worry about eating more than 15% of your calories from protein. Razboo is right on, you need the protein because you're active.
  • walnut
    walnut Posts: 216 Member
    thanks for the info!
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    It's a general guide and works pretty well. It depends on what you are doing, though. If you are doing intense strength work then you will want more protien but not at the sacrifice of carbs or fat. You need both of those.

    My settings are 55/20/25 but that only wants to give me 92 grams of protien and I am trying to hit between 125 - 160. So, I have to add my overage to my target.

    Those percentages used to always reset to the default when I changed my goals or updated them, so keep an eye they don't change from whatever you have them set at.


    Ok. Razboo... I am still a bit confused. I love to eat a lot of fish that seems to be loaded with high protein... I usually go way over. I so far have lost 7 lbs so I shouldn't be too concerned. However... today I only have 2 pts of protein left and over 1100 calories to consume. Is it bad if I go... say 20 or 30 over in the protein to get my calories in?

    There are a ton of different nutrient ratios that are healthy. Aim for 30-50% Carbs, 25-50% protein, and 20-30% Fat. Those will all supply a balanced diet, and you can switch them around to find what works for you.
    I aim for 1-1.5 g of protein per lb of bodyweight, and I have absolutely no problem losing body fat. You can eat less since your resistance program is probably very different from mine, but don't worry about eating more than 15% of your calories from protein. Razboo is right on, you need the protein because you're active.

    30% carbs sounds low. I never even thought how increasing protein would affect carbs/fat percentage wise. Duh! I reset my goals and am presently at 45% carbs, 15% fat & 40% protien. 40% protein puts me at 146 grams, which is about where I want to be.

    I'm thinking percentages are a bit less important then quantity, maybe?

    Low carb diets have gotten a lot of bad publicity, so I'm fine with going over (which I will at 45%). 55% was pretty close to what I would end up with when not trying to control carb intake. I guess I'm focused more on "old-school" calorie reduction and will take in whatever carbs I happen to do. But I do try to get my carbs earlier in the day, rather than lateer.

    There are some different ways to calculate protein requirements. At 1470 target calories, this site put my protein at 92. So, I would say going 20 over target is just fine. For me, I'm trying to go 40 - 50 over. Or was, until I recalulated with the low carb percentage that I will just ignore. :smile:

    I got that quantity from a website I now forget, but they are all over if you google it. I printed off a chart from it, though and included some text. To quote from it,

    "The latest study from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition says that people involved in strength training should get 1.6 - 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight per day. That is .7 grams per pound."

    For a 200 lb person that would be 140 grams of protein.

    This website (wish I remembered which) also provided a calculation based on body fat. For a 200 pound person, that formula calculated 158 grams. Quite a bit more.

    In summary, this un-named website concludes a safe range of .7 - .9 grams per pound of body weight. (140 - 162g)

    (Song, your protein sounds a little high. The numbers I'm using are for people involved in strength training and it is recommended that females be at the lower end of the scale.)
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    It's a general guide and works pretty well. It depends on what you are doing, though. If you are doing intense strength work then you will want more protien but not at the sacrifice of carbs or fat. You need both of those.

    My settings are 55/20/25 but that only wants to give me 92 grams of protien and I am trying to hit between 125 - 160. So, I have to add my overage to my target.

    Those percentages used to always reset to the default when I changed my goals or updated them, so keep an eye they don't change from whatever you have them set at.


    Ok. Razboo... I am still a bit confused. I love to eat a lot of fish that seems to be loaded with high protein... I usually go way over. I so far have lost 7 lbs so I shouldn't be too concerned. However... today I only have 2 pts of protein left and over 1100 calories to consume. Is it bad if I go... say 20 or 30 over in the protein to get my calories in?

    There are a ton of different nutrient ratios that are healthy. Aim for 30-50% Carbs, 25-50% protein, and 20-30% Fat. Those will all supply a balanced diet, and you can switch them around to find what works for you.
    I aim for 1-1.5 g of protein per lb of bodyweight, and I have absolutely no problem losing body fat. You can eat less since your resistance program is probably very different from mine, but don't worry about eating more than 15% of your calories from protein. Razboo is right on, you need the protein because you're active.

    30% carbs sounds low. I never even thought how increasing protein would affect carbs/fat percentage wise. Duh! I reset my goals and am presently at 45% carbs, 15% fat & 40% protien. 40% protein puts me at 146 grams, which is about where I want to be.

    I'm thinking percentages are a bit less important then quantity, maybe?

    Low carb diets have gotten a lot of bad publicity, so I'm fine with going over (which I will at 45%). 55% was pretty close to what I would end up with when not trying to control carb intake. I guess I'm focused more on "old-school" calorie reduction and will take in whatever carbs I happen to do. But I do try to get my carbs earlier in the day, rather than lateer.

    There are some different ways to calculate protein requirements. At 1470 target calories, this site put my protein at 92. So, I would say going 20 over target is just fine. For me, I'm trying to go 40 - 50 over. Or was, until I recalulated with the low carb percentage that I will just ignore. :smile:

    I got that quantity from a website I now forget, but they are all over if you google it. I printed off a chart from it, though and included some text. To quote from it,

    "The latest study from the International Journal of Sports Nutrition says that people involved in strength training should get 1.6 - 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of bodyweight per day. That is .7 grams per pound."

    For a 200 lb person that would be 140 grams of protein.

    This website (wish I remembered which) also provided a calculation based on body fat. For a 200 pound person, that formula calculated 158 grams. Quite a bit more.

    In summary, this un-named website concludes a safe range of .7 - .9 grams per pound of body weight. (140 - 162g)

    (Song, your protein sounds a little high. The numbers I'm using are for people involved in strength training and it is recommended that females be at the lower end of the scale.)

    Don't worry Raz...I have been at higher protein levels. Keep in mind that I am a bodybuilder, so my nutrition requirements are very different even from people who engage in regular resistance training. I have also been at lower carbohydrate levels. Both ratio and quality are equally important. If you go low carb, your fat and protein have to be higher to provide materials to create glucose and, if need be, ketones. That type of eating wouldn't be acceptable for a diabetic because they can enter ketoacidosis, but for a non-diabetic (like myself) it is perfectly safe and fine for fat loss, and some people even bulk on it with more frequent carbohydrate refeeds. I did it for 9 months, but missed oatmeal :laugh: , so I went back to 40/40/20. When I cut down for competition, I'll bring my protein up and lower my carbohydrate levels. Fat I really don't mess with much when I'm eating carbohydrates, because I've found that if I go past 25% I gain too much body fat...however, it's important not to eat below 20% of your calories from fat. It affects testosterone levels, so it's especially important for you as a male. I'd actually increase that.

    There are so many different schools of thought when it comes to protein. Some sources say .7 per lb of bodyweight, some say 1 g per lb of LBM, others say 2g per lb of weight, or 2 g per lb of LBM. Some sources say that you can't absorb more than 35 g in a sitting, and so on. Honestly, it just takes a lot of trial and error to determine what works well for you. It comes down to a few things, including your body type and insulin sensitivity. Since those differ for everyone, the best ratios differ as well. As long as you manipulate the ratios correctly and understand the science behind it, you can shape them to your own needs.
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    There are so many different schools of thought when it comes to protein. Some sources say .7 per lb of bodyweight, some say 1 g per lb of LBM, others say 2g per lb of weight, or 2 g per lb of LBM. Some sources say that you can't absorb more than 35 g in a sitting, and so on. Honestly, it just takes a lot of trial and error to determine what works well for you. It comes down to a few things, including your body type and insulin sensitivity. Since those differ for everyone, the best ratios differ as well. As long as you manipulate the ratios correctly and understand the science behind it, you can shape them to your own needs.

    So you are saying that, if I want to increase my protein, I need to reduce something else? As I posted I am presently set up for 45% carbs, 15% fat & 40% protien. I am "intensely" strength training (almost everything to failure every time) and I just discovered protein supplements. Amazing results in just a day: More energy during, much less stiffness the next day.... So, I am able to greatly increase my protein without using up calories.

    Anyway, do you think I should increase my fat%, then? Is it so important for the quantities to add up to 100% between the 3?
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    There are so many different schools of thought when it comes to protein. Some sources say .7 per lb of bodyweight, some say 1 g per lb of LBM, others say 2g per lb of weight, or 2 g per lb of LBM. Some sources say that you can't absorb more than 35 g in a sitting, and so on. Honestly, it just takes a lot of trial and error to determine what works well for you. It comes down to a few things, including your body type and insulin sensitivity. Since those differ for everyone, the best ratios differ as well. As long as you manipulate the ratios correctly and understand the science behind it, you can shape them to your own needs.

    So you are saying that, if I want to increase my protein, I need to reduce something else? As I posted I am presently set up for 45% carbs, 15% fat & 40% protien. I am "intensely" strength training (almost everything to failure every time) and I just discovered protein supplements. Amazing results in just a day: More energy during, much less stiffness the next day.... So, I am able to greatly increase my protein without using up calories.

    Anyway, do you think I should increase my fat%, then? Is it so important for the quantities to add up to 100% between the 3?

    Are you taking BCAA's? Those are neat little pills, although they don't have the amount of protein that powders have. I sometimes use my workout partner's if I know I won't have access to protein powder right away.

    If you want to increase protein, you can reduce carbs. The thing with carbohydrates is that they're stored as glycogen in your muscles and liver, so unless you're eating very low carb (<60 g per day) you have glucose available for use. So that's why you can drop your carbs to 30% and still be eating plenty; those that aren't used right away are ready when you need them later. Some amino acids can also be converted to glucose if your glycogen levels are really low, although that generally doesn't happen at this level of carb intake. In my opinion, protein is a more important nutrient since it's used for muscle repair and growth, as well as providing energy if need be. Fat is of equal importance to protein because you do indeed have to 'eat it to lose it', it effects testosterone levels, is used in immune function, and regulates your blood sugar. When your fat is too low, testosterone levels drop, and building muscle is *much* harder, plus it can effect hair growth and libido (that's in both males and females, but moreso in males).

    You do want all three to add up to 100% so you're eating 100% of the calories you need. If it's more than 100%, you're going to be eating more than you mean to.
  • Razboo
    Razboo Posts: 439 Member
    Libido, eh?

    * Razbo "Googles" unsaturated fats *

    :smile:
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Libido, eh?

    * Razbo "Googles" unsaturated fats *

    :smile:

    Hehe :laugh: You can have some saturated too...cholesterol is a sterol, which is a hormone precursor. Don't go around drinking buckets of lard or anything, but eat your egg yolks if you have normal cholesterol levels. You want high HDL and low LDL, and for the combo of those two to be under 200. Eggs are high in HDL cholesterol. If you do have cholesterol problems then of course ask your doctor about it.
  • sharondaley
    sharondaley Posts: 59
    Im really confused :huh:

    My daily intake had been calculated for me.
    Cals =1.200
    Carbs =165
    Fat =40
    Protein =45

    Im not sure that the carbs can be right?

    What do you make of this?

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