Carb/fat/protein

kell_riley
kell_riley Posts: 312
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I updated the MFP app on my iphone the other day, there is now a pie chart which shows what percentage of your weekly food intake is carbs, fat and protein.
My carbs are usually around 45% fat about 30% and protein about 25% I'm thinking the carbs and fat is way to high?!
I wondered what percentage these should be at ideally?

Replies

  • Angel1066
    Angel1066 Posts: 816 Member
    bump
  • Buddie616
    Buddie616 Posts: 167 Member
    I updated the MFP app on my iphone the other day, there is now a pie chart which shows what percentage of your weekly food intake is carbs, fat and protein.
    My carbs are usually around 45% fat about 30% and protein about 25% I'm thinking the carbs and fat is way to high?!
    I wondered what percentage these should be at ideally?

    DITTO???:smile:
  • AI1108
    AI1108 Posts: 488 Member
    It depends on your daily schedule / workout routine, and what works best on your body.

    If you're mostly cardio/endurance, you're probably right to keep your carbs high but maybe make your protein higher than your fat?

    If you strengthtrain or use weights, your protein should def be higher and carbs lower.

    If you're pretty sedentary, you're not really working all those carbs and should probably up the protein.

    Either way I think you should experiment with your ratio and see where you lose/gain the most. I'm not a dietician so don't take my words as a bible, but I'd suggest starting with a 45C/35P/20F split and experiment in either direction.
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    It depends on you.

    I have mine set to 10% carbs, 45% fat and 45% protein. I use fat for energy as I eat low carb. I still manage to eat around 60 grams of fat per day, though, which is just what nutritionists recommend, since I only eat about 1200-1600 calories per day.

    I've heard that for most, a diet of thirds is optimal for the average person-- 33% carb, 33% fat and 33% protein. That's what I learned in a recent nutrition course, anyway. That is on a reduced-calorie diet of 1200-1800 cals per day on average.

    I wouldn't drop to less than 25% fat in any scenario, though. That's my personal opinion. Fat has a lot of calories, but natural fats are healthy and contain lots of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need. :)
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 Member
    Depends on what "plan' you're following. Southbeach (I believe) is 40carbs 30 protein and 30 fat? I upped my protein a little bit more recently so my rations are 35% carbs 35% protein and 30% fat...
    You just need to find what works for you. I only know MFP's defaults were way wrong for me and the way I eat. My carbs were coming from bread (whole wheat) pasta (whole wheat where available) and processed foods. Getting less of those things has helped me lose the weight I have. If my carbs were coming from fruits and veggies mostly then I'd probably leave the ratio of them higher as a goal. but it's not... now how I eat regularly at least.
  • MayhemModels
    MayhemModels Posts: 367 Member
    45% carbs, 30% fat, 25% protein is usually a pretty common average as stated above it really depends on your daily routine
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
    no, that's not too bad at all. mine is 40/25/35 i'm about to up my carbs to 45 i think though. the leaner you are the more carb you can handle, and i dont think 40 for very long is the best.
  • bwilcox30
    bwilcox30 Posts: 30 Member
    The ZONE diet that I was trained to use by a fitness trainer recommends 40% carbs/ 30% good fats/ 30% proteins......I found the plan easy to follow and I felt really balanced never felt faint or hungry. Hope this helps
  • CaptainMFP
    CaptainMFP Posts: 440 Member
    This is really a personal decision based on your body and dietary goals. However, you want to remember that effective burning of fat during exercise (and at rest) requires carbohydrates to fuel cellular metabolism in general. Protein is not primarily used in our cells as an energy source but for building other proteins. (Muscle is dominated by two proteins -- actin and myosin -- which make it contract. Proteins are built from units called amino acids...the protein in our diet is broken down into constituent amino acids in our digestive system. These in turn are used to build new proteins in our cells such as occurs when muscle is built up and/or repaired.) Carbs are our #1 cellular energy source. Fats are mainly used as an energy source but are also used for energy storage and other things. (Our cell membranes are built from specialized fatty acids called phospholipids...dietary fat is used to build these in our cells.)

    Bottom line from a purely biological perspective is you need all three and specific percentages should be determined by your needs. (Lots of cardio exercise requires carbs...building up muscle requires more protein.)

    I'll share my numbers as an example. I'm pretty consistent at 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. I burn around 4000 calories a week doing mostly cardio. As I'm adding strength training to my routine, I'm trying to up my protein to 25% and drop my fat to 25% in the coming weeks. I've lost 23.2 lbs. since April which is an average of 1.9 lb. per week this way.

    Long winded, I know, but that's a proper scientific response. :smile:
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    That's what I'm set at - I don't see any problem with it. If my protein were any higher, I couldn't achieve it.
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
    According to a book I read (The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler) - the author quotes a research article that states anything less than 40% carbohydrates can cause you to feel fatigued, achey, and grouchy (more or less).

    I think your macros are fine the way they are. I personally like 40/30/30 as a few others suggested. It has been very successful for me so far.
  • kell_riley
    kell_riley Posts: 312
    Thanks so much for the replies, It's reassuring to know my ratios aren't too far out. I have heard tof 40/30/30 before so may try and see how i get on with this, My weightloss has been staggered maybe this will change if i do this!
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    According to a book I read (The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler) - the author quotes a research article that states anything less than 40% carbohydrates can cause you to feel fatigued, achey, and grouchy (more or less).

    I eat about 10% total carbs and I don't feel tired, achy or grouchy. :)
  • LATeagno
    LATeagno Posts: 620 Member
    According to a book I read (The New Rules of Lifting for Women by Lou Schuler) - the author quotes a research article that states anything less than 40% carbohydrates can cause you to feel fatigued, achey, and grouchy (more or less).

    I eat about 10% total carbs and I don't feel tired, achy or grouchy. :)
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