*Delete - I noticed I already commented haha*

Katelin7141 wrote: »

In this article they mention that optimal is 20% carb, 65% fat, and 15% protein. If I am reading it correctly anyway. 15% protein seems way to low to me. Any thoughts?
http://paleoleap.com/question-of-macronutrient-ratios/

There is a disconnection between the blogosphere paleo and the academic paleo, the latter being in favour of a moderate breakdown:
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=7930282&fileId=S0007114510002679
(the important caveat is that it's the moderate paleo that has been tested on several medical trials).
That being said, I agree that everyone should find out their own ideal macro ratios. It's a trial and error process.

Paleo is not LCHF; it is not Keto. please know the difference. it's not low fat either. Paleo is a "high protein" for lack of a better explanation (average protein), moderate fats, picky about the carbs (no processed stuff, typically above ground plants which still have carbs but also high fiber content). Things as low in protein as what most of you are describing (75f, 20p, 5c or some similar combination) will result in muscle loss. I have consulted professionals (doctors and nutritionists) on this as I was headed down that road too and I have seen first hand as a large majority of the men at my work (a petrochemical plant) have switched to keto (high fat, low carb, low to moderate protein) and have lost weight but also lost large amounts of muscle mass in their arms and legs. Keto has shown benefits but it is not sustainable long term but as a short term aid for certain medical conditions with the benefit of weight loss and high energy levels. Only you can find the combination that works for you and the only way to do that is to experiment, however, do research first. Don't flippantly grab numbers and mess with your body. I for example gathered information from 7 different sources on my calorie needs, researched paleo, keto, carb cycling, intermittent fasting from even more sources than that, taking into consideration who was behind those sources also to determine why they claim what they did. The best way to determine the best macro split for yourself is to start with a base and adjust from there until you get that ideal ratio. right now I'm doing paleo and carb cycling (40p 40f 20c on low carb days and 40p 40c 20f on high carb days). Keto says less protein so your body doesn't use the protein as glucose but the problem there is when you are working out how are you maintaining muscle? "keto has protein sparing properties" but to what degree? that hasn't been determined scientifically and physical evidence shows it's not enough to maintain muscle mass. Keep in mind that when your body starts using stored energy due to a caloric deficit it will not differentiate between muscle and fat so you must keep your muscles fed with enough protein to sustain them.

Been a long since I was on here, great discussion.

Nutmeg76 wrote: »

It really is dependent on the person. The more active you are the more carbs you'll need, or you may need to do carb refeeds.

I stick with 45-50 fat, 25-30 protein and 20- 25% carb.

Not true and not true. I've been on 5% carbs for over 4 years. I do not lack for energy and I do not refeed. It's not necessary - your body gets its fuel from fat. Do some research on becoming fat adapted. Not saying people have to eat this low, but if they do they do not need extra carbs for anything.

EbonyDahlia wrote: »

Nutmeg76 wrote: »

It really is dependent on the person. The more active you are the more carbs you'll need, or you may need to do carb refeeds.

I stick with 45-50 fat, 25-30 protein and 20- 25% carb.

Not true and not true. I've been on 5% carbs for over 4 years. I do not lack for energy and I do not refeed. It's not necessary - your body gets its fuel from fat. Do some research on becoming fat adapted. Not saying people have to eat this low, but if they do they do not need extra carbs for anything.

I would add that it really depends on the individual. Someone might do best on 0 carbs (Aki is doing that, last I heard). I go into ketosis between 50-80g of carbs a day. Odd but true. If I drop below 50g of carbs a day (I tried to stay under 30g a day at one point, when I was hanging out with keto folks), I start to feel lousy. When I was losing weight, my body also used to plateau if my carbs were always the same, even if I went for days below the 50g that MDA claims is "rapid weight loss" territory. I had to "bump" my body once a week or so, with a day of 100-150g of carbs (though most of the time, I make it paleo/primal-friendly carbs like sweet potatoes) and then it would start losing again at a slow, steady rate. Even at that, I remained fat-adapted (I mean, I can go more than a day without eating and not feel woozy, whereas in the old days I had to eat something every two hours or so), and if I stray (like I did the last six months), I don't experience the "carb flu" when I get back on board.

Here's one example that makes me think my body is doing way better than it did before paleo.

Used to be, pre-paleo (5 years ago), I'd eat a bagel or other high-carb food (ice cream? Thanksgiving dinner? birthday cake?) and immediately get sleepy. (That's not a good sign.)

This month, I ate a bagel for New Year's Day brunch, (the day before getting serious about the Paleo again), and didn't notice any differences in blood sugar, neither too high (sleepiness) nor a crash afterward. And no carb cravings the next day. I know by experience I can't get away with it, can't abuse it. Two or three days in a row of >100g carbs awakens carb cravings again.

But, hey, eating stuffing at Thanksgiving, a bagel or French toast for New Year's, a piece of cake on my birthday (just not everyone else's), and I seem to do okay. The rest of the year, my splurges are paleoish. (Think fresh berries with heavy cream, or crustless pumpkin pie made with coconut milk and minimal sweetening, or the occasional mug muffin with coconut and almond flour, sweetened with applesauce or a banana.)

Oh, and I'm pretty sedentary (trying to get into the habit of water exercise and gentle, slow walks with the dog), so I have never worried about carb refeeds.

Hope this helps.

Saturated fats are our friends! Lol. But maybe dairy is not.

Check out marksdailyapple.com, for one resource.

Google "eat fat to lose fat".

One important distinction is the kind of fat you eat. The "eat fat to lose fat" crowd call "healthy" the saturated and monosaturated fats, like coconut oil, avocados, fat from pastured animals, including butter, and olive oil.

The polyunsaturated fats that for decades have been touted as healthy are actually, according to the recent research I've seen, extremely unhealthy. That means avoiding canola, corn, and soybean oil.

I have seen a lot of anecdotal evidence that eating a minimum of 50% of the diet in healthy fat, less than 100g of daily carbs, and enough protein, but not an excess (as excess is turned to fat storage, I think), lose weight and see improvement in their blood numbers (blood sugar, lipids, "good" vs "bad" cholesterol). I can testify to the fact that eating 60%+ good fats in my diet and keeping protein and carbs at the levels I mentioned (which for me is about 80 g of protein) has really improved my health.

The two books that started me on this journey were The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson.