20%Carbs, 40%Fat, 40%Protein

GSalser
GSalser Posts: 2 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone!

I hope this is an alright board for this post. I couldn't decide if this would be better in Food and Nutrition or where.

Anyway, I am hoping to get some insight on the titled macro split. I have been and currently am following a 5%Carb, 30%Protein, 65%Fat keto lifestyle change. In the past two months I've went from 251lbs to 218.8. It has worked wonders, but I recently started back into weight lifting and do not feel I have the energy or strength I used to have.

A little About Me:

I am 5'6", 25y/o, 218.8lbs, BMI of roughly 35%. I've been overweight/obese for well over a decade, but I have lifted for random amounts of time for a few years, never staying with it. I started Stronglifts 5x5 last year and build my way up to 225lbs bench press, 265lbs squat, 235lbs deadlift, 115lbs overhand press, and 185lbs bentover row. I started back about a week ago and, as happens when you stop lifting, my lifts went down drastically. I have been hobbling around for two days from squatting 155lbs.

Anyway, I have been trying to put together a meal plan for the titled macro split, at 1864 calories per day, and I cannot seem to put together anything sustainable. I do not make a lot of money, exactly $1126.43/mo after taxes, so my options are pretty limited right out of the gate. The only ways I have been able to hit all 3 macros have been to either schedule 1.5lbs of chicken breast cutlets and a protein shake in a day or 5oz of tuna, 8ounces of the chicken, and two shakes. The tuna is ruled out due to a lifelong dislike of fish. I tried some yesterday and gagged at the smell. The fats have also been troublesome. The carbs are very easy to move around, though.

I apologize for all of the jumping around on this post, I have trouble focusing.

So, my main question, do any of you good people happen to follow a macro split similar to the one titled and if so could you give a little insight on what foods I might be able to toss into my daily meals to hit the macros? I prefer simplicity and I eat the same exact portions of the same exact foods at the same exact meals everyday, so I only need help with a one day plan.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Again, I apologize for the way this post was put together. Thank you all in advance for any input.

Replies

  • xvolution
    xvolution Posts: 721 Member
    I do a 50/25/25 distribution myself, mainly because carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. As for foods that would fit your 20/40/40 split, protein shakes should help with that as long as you use one with little sweetening [I use EAS whey, only 4g sugar per scoop].
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    Instead of trying to fit into some arbitrary macro split (both of which you have tried being pretty extreme) - why not just experiment to find the best way for you to hit your calorie goal, have energy for exercise, and not gag? There are so many wonderful foods out there, and variety is important to get the range of nutrition you need, so why limit yourself to just a few food sources. It's easy to put together a good menu when you create meals you want to eat. Yes, you can eat anything you want, and if you prefer to eat the same every day, do that (but I doubt you really want to - literally - eat the same foods every day). Protein is also the most expensive of the macronutrients, so that's an argument in itself of why you shouldn't eat protein in excess.
  • c2111
    c2111 Posts: 693 Member
    edited August 2016
    I'm actually doing very similar to you ;) with good results works for me, i preplan day before bulk cook when I can chilli's fritatas egg bacon cups to get me through the week, your already using protein powder. There's a low carb lchf group you can join in the groups section with lots of info. Of course I eat a lot of eggs chicken beef, low sugar low fat almond butter on celery sticks is an easy cheap addition. goodluck
  • lbride
    lbride Posts: 248 Member
    edited August 2016
    I eat a bit more carbs, but I hate fish and I don't like to cook. I need things that are "pre-portioned" for ease.

    For fat, I buy from costco the big pack of single-serve guacamole (sp?). I put it on my chicken (or make a chicken sandwich with very low cal, high fiber bread and spread it on the bread). Costco has pre-made, fully cooked chicken patties (with spinach and a bit of feta in the middle ) that are low cal (200 cals) and have something like 25 grams of protein each. Costco also has turkey burgers (pre-made but you need to grill), very low cal and high protein. That might mix it up a bit.

    If you like the ease of canned tuna, there is canned shredded chicken (I don't like it but some do). You could mix it up with guac and eat it that way? Put some salsa in it and that doesn't sound half bad!

    For me - shakes generally don't fill me up or give me a ton of energy, I need to "eat" food for that. You could eat more eggs (some full, some egg white) to get more protein and fat.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    What about PLAIN Greek Yogurt? Perhaps either non-fat or full fat (or something in between) could help towards the macro balance you are wanting. It is high in protein and when not eating the the "added flavor" types does not have extraordinarily high carbs. Eggs? Both inexpensive and high in protein/fats. Egg whites would give you the high protein. The whole egg will give you both protein and fats. Eggs are pretty inexpensive. I previously ate a considerable amount of legumes as a protein source for variety. On my current WOE the carbs would be to high-and may be for you also-unless you consider net carbs (because fiber in legumes). They're also inexpensive.
  • HealthyBodySickMind
    HealthyBodySickMind Posts: 1,207 Member
    I do 5/3/1 and eat at 50% fat, 30% carbs, 20% protein, averaging about 2175 kcal per day net. I am 31 y.o., 5'4.75", 116 lbs, female, and can deadlift twice my bodyweight. Currently at maintenance or an extremely slow bulk.

    Here is a good site for eating healthy food on the cheap: http://poorgirleatswell.blogspot.com/
    It has recipes, $25 shopping cart examples, and general tips.

    I tend to eat a lot of meat. Obviously chicken and pork are the cheap options. Curries are my favorite one pot meal: Meat, fat, veggies, coconut milk, curry paste. Endless possibilities with combinations of those, and lots of flavor with the curry pastes.

  • GSalser
    GSalser Posts: 2 Member
    xvolution wrote: »
    I do a 50/25/25 distribution myself, mainly because carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy. As for foods that would fit your 20/40/40 split, protein shakes should help with that as long as you use one with little sweetening [I use EAS whey, only 4g sugar per scoop].

    I don't know too much about powders, I've never tried them before. I did order Optimal Nutrition Gold Standard %100 Whey a few days ago, though. It had around 16k 4.5 star reviews so I thought it might be a good one.
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Instead of trying to fit into some arbitrary macro split (both of which you have tried being pretty extreme) - why not just experiment to find the best way for you to hit your calorie goal, have energy for exercise, and not gag? There are so many wonderful foods out there, and variety is important to get the range of nutrition you need, so why limit yourself to just a few food sources. It's easy to put together a good menu when you create meals you want to eat. Yes, you can eat anything you want, and if you prefer to eat the same every day, do that (but I doubt you really want to - literally - eat the same foods every day). Protein is also the most expensive of the macronutrients, so that's an argument in itself of why you shouldn't eat protein in excess.

    I honestly hadn't thought about experimenting and building a custom meal plan without following a premade system. I guess that might be a subconcious thing. I was following my own agenda when I became overweight, so I suppose I was holding onto those memories. I'm in better control over my habits now, though, so Ithink I'm going to do just that!
    c2111 wrote: »
    I'm actually doing very similar to you ;) with good results works for me, i preplan day before bulk cook when I can chilli's fritatas egg bacon cups to get me through the week, your already using protein powder. There's a low carb lchf group you can join in the groups section with lots of info. Of course I eat a lot of eggs chicken beef, low sugar low fat almond butter on celery sticks is an easy cheap addition. goodluck

    I will look into the lchf group! It would definitely be nice to have access to all of that info. And I'm going to try the almond butter with celery sticks. That sounds delicious!
    lbride wrote: »
    I eat a bit more carbs, but I hate fish and I don't like to cook. I need things that are "pre-portioned" for ease.

    For fat, I buy from costco the big pack of single-serve guacamole (sp?). I put it on my chicken (or make a chicken sandwich with very low cal, high fiber bread and spread it on the bread). Costco has pre-made, fully cooked chicken patties (with spinach and a bit of feta in the middle ) that are low cal (200 cals) and have something like 25 grams of protein each. Costco also has turkey burgers (pre-made but you need to grill), very low cal and high protein. That might mix it up a bit.

    If you like the ease of canned tuna, there is canned shredded chicken (I don't like it but some do). You could mix it up with guac and eat it that way? Put some salsa in it and that doesn't sound half bad!

    For me - shakes generally don't fill me up or give me a ton of energy, I need to "eat" food for that. You could eat more eggs (some full, some egg white) to get more protein and fat.

    I don't have a Costco anywhere within a 75 mile radius of me, but I'm going to check Sam's Club to see if they have those premade chicken patties. The turkey burgers, too. I eat 5 eggs per day already. 3 at breakfast, 2 at lunch.
    kpk54 wrote: »
    What about PLAIN Greek Yogurt? Perhaps either non-fat or full fat (or something in between) could help towards the macro balance you are wanting. It is high in protein and when not eating the the "added flavor" types does not have extraordinarily high carbs. Eggs? Both inexpensive and high in protein/fats. Egg whites would give you the high protein. The whole egg will give you both protein and fats. Eggs are pretty inexpensive. I previously ate a considerable amount of legumes as a protein source for variety. On my current WOE the carbs would be to high-and may be for you also-unless you consider net carbs (because fiber in legumes). They're also inexpensive.

    I used to eat plain greek yogurt with as much fat as I could find it. I really enjoyed it. I stopped eating it as I tweaked my current meal plan further and further. I think I'll bring it back, though! I'm not sure what legumes are but I will look into them!
    HealthyBodySickMind wrote: »
    I do 5/3/1 and eat at 50% fat, 30% carbs, 20% protein, averaging about 2175 kcal per day net. I am 31 y.o., 5'4.75", 116 lbs, female, and can deadlift twice my bodyweight. Currently at maintenance or an extremely slow bulk.

    Here is a good site for eating healthy food on the cheap: http://poorgirleatswell.blogspot.com/
    It has recipes, $25 shopping cart examples, and general tips.

    I tend to eat a lot of meat. Obviously chicken and pork are the cheap options. Curries are my favorite one pot meal: Meat, fat, veggies, coconut milk, curry paste. Endless possibilities with combinations of those, and lots of flavor with the curry pastes.

    Those are very impressive stats! I'm going to bookmark that website and do some extensive researching. I've never tried curry, but you made it sounds very good. I'll have to give it a try!
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