Whats your approach with the nutrition for your diet?

I have made myself two simple rules to a diet. Rule number 1= Eat no more than 1600 calories a day. Rule number 2= Eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day. This is similar to a previous diet I did a year ago, with the only difference being that my carb max was 70 grams per day. This was a huge success for me, and went from 17st 10lb to 13st 4lb. However am now dieting again after gradually gaining weight (originally to develop some muscle back) and then have put a bit of fat back on. I currently weigh 15st, aiming for 13st eventually. Tell me about your approach, your experiences etc.
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Replies

  • vamaena
    vamaena Posts: 217 Member
    Mine is get as much protein as I can and don't go over 2300 calories a day. I'm not really on a diet though, I gave my lifestyle an overhaul which is why I'm not really restricting anything but practicing moderation.
  • vamaena wrote: »
    Mine is get as much protein as I can and don't go over 2300 calories a day. I'm not really on a diet though, I gave my lifestyle an overhaul which is why I'm not really restricting anything but practicing moderation.

    I think that is good, its very important for this to become a life style, not a diet. I am only doing a short term diet to return to the size i want, but am now planning for a general lifestyle for once i've reached my goal (what i failed to do last time).
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    1330 calories + half from exercise. Still playing with macros at least 70g protein. I am going for lowering my carbs, not sure what to aim for. I don't think I will keep them the way they are set now
  • lorib642 wrote: »
    1330 calories + half from exercise. Still playing with macros at least 70g protein. I am going for lowering my carbs, not sure what to aim for. I don't think I will keep them the way they are set now

    Sound good. In terms of carbs I would advice maybe stick to around 150 grams (if you like carbohydrate foods, as most people do), and then if that is easy for you go lower. However this is only my opinion from my previous diet, everyone has there preferences :).
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Jamess8300 wrote: »
    lorib642 wrote: »
    1330 calories + half from exercise. Still playing with macros at least 70g protein. I am going for lowering my carbs, not sure what to aim for. I don't think I will keep them the way they are set now

    Sound good. In terms of carbs I would advice maybe stick to around 150 grams (if you like carbohydrate foods, as most people do), and then if that is easy for you go lower. However this is only my opinion from my previous diet, everyone has there preferences :).

    Thanks, I was thinking something like that 100-150.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
    Goal is 1800 cals with a 35/35/30 p/c/f split. I usually go over my protein, stay under my carbs, and hit or go over on my fats.

    I don't want to do low carb because I can't sustain my workouts on it. I know you can get your body used to running on low carb, but I'd rather not. I feel better when I eat moderate carb, high protein, moderate fat.
  • Stev0lved
    Stev0lved Posts: 28 Member
    I just hit 200 pounds, so my goal now is 1610 calories a day. As far as macros go, I try to keep carbs around 150 or less, and get at least 120 grams of protein. The fat grams seem to work themselves out.
  • xcalygrl wrote: »
    Goal is 1800 cals with a 35/35/30 p/c/f split. I usually go over my protein, stay under my carbs, and hit or go over on my fats.

    I don't want to do low carb because I can't sustain my workouts on it. I know you can get your body used to running on low carb, but I'd rather not. I feel better when I eat moderate carb, high protein, moderate fat.


    I agree completely with the carb effects on exercise. I find myself exhausted quickly when go less than 20grams of carbs per day, and it does result worser performances in the exercise. As a result of this i tend to only exercise 3 times per week, as i try do most of my weight loss by the kitchen alone.

    I also like the sound of how you balanced your diet, keep going!
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    Under 1850 calories per day when averaged over the entire week. I eat more on weekends, but my macro goals during the week are at least 126 g protein, under 200 g carbs, and around 50 g fat. During weekends I try to make sure I get at least 100 g protein each day, but I don't pay a whole lot of attention to fat and carbs.
  • Stev0lved wrote: »
    I just hit 200 pounds, so my goal now is 1610 calories a day. As far as macros go, I try to keep carbs around 150 or less, and get at least 120 grams of protein. The fat grams seem to work themselves out.

    That sounds like a good balance :), I think 100-150 grams of carbs is a good amount for a good performance in exercise. I have a bit of a phobia with carbs when I diet however and can't bring myself to raise them any higher than 20 grams. This however does make exercise very difficult as my recover takes much longer.
  • jmt08c
    jmt08c Posts: 343 Member
    Goal is 3100 calories daily + eat back exercise so roughly 3500 daily. I try to get in 185g protein because this is my goal LBM (185 lbs). That's it for the most part...and limit sugar as much as possible.
  • chriscolh
    chriscolh Posts: 127 Member
    I'm all about baby steps. I feel pretty good about my workout routine, so I'm just trying to stick to it. With nutrition, I began with just trying to fit in 64 oz of water. Then I worked on getting enough fruits and vegetables. Now that I've figured out how to do that (yeh, don't judge - it actually took a few weeks to figure out how to fit them into every meal instead of just filling my plate at dinner with veggies to hit my goal...), I'm working on cutting out sugary stuff 5 out of 7 days a week. I know there are people on here are really good about this stuff, but I'm one of those people who had dessert every day, any time I got a sugar craving. Not good for the waistline! So limiting myself to treats only 2 days a week is an improvement. I'm logging everything I eat and keeping my calories right around my daily limit. I'm using mfp's pre-set macros for protein, carbs, fat, and fiber. I try to go over on protein and fiber and keep carbs and fat under the limit. Just tracking and being aware is really helping me make better food choices.
    Good luck to you!
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Nutrition, I don't much care. I get whatever nutrition I get from the foods I enjoy that meet my calorie and macro needs. I will occasionally pay attention to sodium to make sure it's high enough, but general nutrition I don't pay any attention to.

    I eat my calories, I eat my macros, I do my workouts. Beyond that... I've got better things to spend my energy on.
  • MsHarryWinston
    MsHarryWinston Posts: 1,027 Member
    Stay at my calorie goal, 40/30/30 macros with 40 = protien (141 grams) try to get my micros as high as possible for good nutrition, try to keep my sodium low for my blood pressure.
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  • LeslieTSUK
    LeslieTSUK Posts: 215 Member
    Mine super simple
    between 100 to 150 net carbs
    between 7 to 10 sugars
    sodium within daily amount
    and cals tend to work out at around 1000, but can vary meal to meal depending on food types.

    So far it working awesome for me with no exercise, and diabetes auto taken care of too :)
  • kayemme
    kayemme Posts: 1,782 Member
    I really only pay attention to my fiber to sugar ratio and aim to keep it 1:3 or less if possible. I use table sugar very sparingly, so most of my sugar comes from whole foods, and carbohydrates includes fiber, so I can't really track the carbs number on mfp (since I aim for high fiber).
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    1700 calories a day. While I CAN eat anything I want, in practice, it's mostly produce and meat.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    1) stay under calories
    2) meet my protein goal

    Rest is secondary.
  • maoribadger
    maoribadger Posts: 1,837 Member
    1600 on exercise days and 1400 on non exercise days. 40-30-30 c-p-f though i tend to end up 33-33-34. Dont eat after 8 though this is just a personal preference. 4 workouts a week.

    Am still learning though
  • I try to make protein the focus of every meal, and as many vegetables as I can handle. (This usually ends up being just about the daily recommended amount of fruits/veggies because I'm not a huge fan, ha!) Carbs and fat tend to work themselves out because I like delicious food.

    With my goal to lose weight: under 1700 calories a day, Insanity 3x a week, lifting weights 2x a week, endurance training once a week. Yoga once a week if I'm being particularly angelic.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    xcalygrl wrote: »
    Goal is 1800 cals with a 35/35/30 p/c/f split. I usually go over my protein, stay under my carbs, and hit or go over on my fats.

    I don't want to do low carb because I can't sustain my workouts on it. I know you can get your body used to running on low carb, but I'd rather not. I feel better when I eat moderate carb, high protein, moderate fat.

    That is mine too, except I am eating 1700 calories. I rarely get hungry during the day with that split.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited November 2014
    The basics: 1650 calories, get at least 105 grams protein (my macro calls for 120 and I usually get that), aim for at least a couple servings of vegetables at each meal and generally some fruit each day. My fat and protein are 30% and 40% respectively, and so long as I get in the ballpark with protein they usually fall in place or close enough. I found that as I increased my workouts I just naturally wanted a bit more carbs, but on days where my fat is up and carbs down a bit I don't worry, since I have no need for complete precision. Beyond that I've generally found that eating well tends to be easier to sustain for me when I get excited about eating seasonally, cooking, all that, and also when I'm more active.

    (Using the numbers makes it sound much more logging-driven than it is, though. I basically know about how much meat/eggs/dairy to incorporate into my meals to hit my protein and all else follows.)
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    BFDeal wrote: »
    Leaves of three let it be. Leaves of four eat some more.

    Perfect.
  • indianwin2001
    indianwin2001 Posts: 296 Member
    Francl27 wrote: »
    1) stay under calories
    2) meet my protein goal

    Rest is secondary.

    ^^THIS
  • hiraethed
    hiraethed Posts: 26 Member
    I eat a higher carb vegan diet, about 65% carb, 15% protein, 20% fat. I try to keep the fat lower when I can. I aim for plenty of potassium and low sodium. I make sure to eat something green and something yellow/red/orange every day. I focus on whole foods when I can but I am a very busy student so I'm not perfect. I have MFP set to lose 1 pound a week but I'm not really concerned with weight loss, just getting fitter and stronger.
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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    IIFYM
  • slacker80
    slacker80 Posts: 235 Member
    Just start the day big and count it all out when it's done, but while throwing my breakfast together i'm doing it with a good sense of awareness towards proteins, complex carbs and fiber.

    The only other meal I hit hard without worry is post workout. Than count after. everything else falls into place.

    I continue to count simply because i'm a creature of habit. but I'm very likely to do well without because MFP has built the ultimate nutritional guide of awareness in my head after a few years using this app.
  • vamaena
    vamaena Posts: 217 Member
    Jamess8300 wrote: »
    vamaena wrote: »
    Mine is get as much protein as I can and don't go over 2300 calories a day. I'm not really on a diet though, I gave my lifestyle an overhaul which is why I'm not really restricting anything but practicing moderation.

    I think that is good, its very important for this to become a life style, not a diet. I am only doing a short term diet to return to the size i want, but am now planning for a general lifestyle for once i've reached my goal (what i failed to do last time).

    I've tried dieting in the past but it never usually worked for more than 2-3 weeks because it was too restrictive. I'm not near my goal but I'm getting there slowly so that's all that matters to me.