% Protein, Carbs, Fat ?

I would like to know this too:-)

Jiggle your protein to get at least 1g per 1lb bodyweight, divide the rest up equally. Another good one is carb 40% protein and fat 30%

Jiggle your protein to get at least 1g per 1lb bodyweight, divide the rest up equally. Another good one is carb 40% protein and fat 30%

Ratios are vague and therefore pretty much useless.

Use your own Lean Body Weight to figure out what YOUR specific macronutrient needs are:

PROTEIN: 1.0-1.5g per pound of Lean Body Weight
FAT: 0.45-1.0g per pound of LBW
CARBS: use them to fill in the rest of your calories

*Just remember, dont be afraid of dietary fats. They are a vital part of your physiological needs. And eating fats doesn't make you fat by itself, being over your total maintenance calorie needs on a consistant basis makes you fat.

**EDIT: Unless you are a diabetic, worrying about high/low GI foods is a total unnecessary waste of time. It is irrelevant.

*facepalm

bump

This varies from person to person, and will depend a lot on your goals, and lifestyle... you'll get people who are adamant low carb is the way to go, and others who say 50% from carbs is fine... you have to find what suits you.
I personally try to eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, usually more, because I'm doing a lot of weight training.

Mega Agree!

This varies from person to person, and will depend a lot on your goals, and lifestyle... you'll get people who are adamant low carb is the way to go, and others who say 50% from carbs is fine... you have to find what suits you.
I personally try to eat at least 1gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, usually more, because I'm doing a lot of weight training.

Agreed. It is recommended 50/25/25 for runners. I just recently adjusted to 50/30/20 to see if the extra protein will help. Im in marathon training but I also do TaeKwonDo and Insanity and/or Tae Bo DVDs. After the marathon, I hope to start P90X.

I know that the carbs on this site are way too high and the protein is too low.
Wondering if anyone knows what percent protein/carbs/fat should really be?

Thankyou all in advance

Hi,

For weight loss while still eating carbs (that is, if you are not going to follow a ketogenic diet), the percentages are, and I am quoting Dr. John McDougall's macro percentages from his book, The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss, pg 178.

"The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss calls for less than 5 percent fat, 7 to 15 percent protein, and 75 to 90 percent carbohydrate."

That is your short answer, please refer to his book to understand how these percentages achieve weight loss. To summarize it though, he is a starch, plant based doctor. He asks that while you are on his diet you cut out many things and to comply with other factors, dietary food makes up a large part of his diet but you must follow the rest.

Now, as experienced in this forum, others will tell you what I say is totally wrong, please remember I have not only told you the percentages but I have asked you to read the whole diet plan because it isn't complete without it.

This diet is for over weight people who are not weight lifters and cannot do extensive cardio or is at the beginner's stage. It is what I follow and I have lost over 50 pounds with it (I have slipped though and eat about 10% fat). Of course everyone is different, but I wanted to give you my opinion as everyone will give theirs. Also, I have my food diary open so really check to see if others who give their 2 cents will allow you to see their food diary to make sure what they say is true to their actions.

Good health to you!

"The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss calls for less than 5 percent fat, 7 to 15 percent protein, and 75 to 90 percent carbohydrate."

Shockingly bad advice......

"The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss calls for less than 5 percent fat, 7 to 15 percent protein, and 75 to 90 percent carbohydrate."

Shockingly bad advice......

Instead of saying my advice is bad, what would you recommend?

I just looked at your food diary, and although I commend your great weight loss, I have to say that starving yourself is not healthy. I do see where you exercised, but based upon your food diary, I don't know if I would want to not eat for that many days. Would you please explain how you managed to not eat and still be healthy?

An additional question for those that are proponents of eating 1g of protein for 1lb of lean body weight. So my lean body weight - last checked - was 127.5 pounds (but my overall weight including fat is 190). If I am trying to gain muscle and lose fat, should I eat *more* protein than 128g per day?

Instead of saying my advice is bad, what would you recommend?

I just looked at your food diary, and although I commend your great weight loss, I have to say that starving yourself is not healthy. I do see where you exercised, but based upon your food diary, I don't know if I would want to not eat for that many days. Would you please explain how you managed to not eat and still be healthy?

Wow, where to start!
Firstly, just because someone hasn't logged food and/or exercise on their diary it certainly doesn't mean they haven't been eating or exercising! forgetting to log, didn't visit mfp, was away or busy, there are many reasons why someone may "appear" to have gaps in their diary's on here, NEVER assume its because someone isn't eating!

In my case I simply forgot to to log food/exercise on the days you mentioned as I was away, happens sometimes! :laugh:


And secondly, your quick enough accusing people of starving themselves yet your the one eating 1250 calories per day (way too low) and hardly any weekly let alone daily exercise, I am normally the last to judge people but when you accuse me of staving myself when its CLEARLY the other way around I wasn't going to ignore it! :noway:

Fair enough, I did ask you to explain how you were able to not eat and be healthy. Forgetting to log in your foods is a great reason but it gives you zero credibility when it comes to giving advice as to what you do, to me.

As for me not eating enough calories, I am eating enough for me presently because: 1) I am bed ridden due to a back injury and 2) I am not tall enough to require so much food and 3) I still have plenty of fat (stores) for my body to drawn upon for energy and, you have set your calories to 1600, which isn't far from my number. Looking at your diary when you do log it in, you were eating either 800 calories (in the beginning) and now you have increased it, so it is obvious you were using your fat stores.

However, if you look at my diary, I eat mostly carbs and I have lost weight. I can stand by my words due to my experience. I looked at your diary and it doesn't show me anything and you still haven't replied to as what you think the percentages should be and you just attacked my answer.

I don't mind criticism, but you have to be able to take it if you dish it out. That said, please answer the original question and not say mine is wrong as you were quick to judge me first.

Instead of saying my advice is bad, what would you recommend?

I just looked at your food diary, and although I commend your great weight loss, I have to say that starving yourself is not healthy. I do see where you exercised, but based upon your food diary, I don't know if I would want to not eat for that many days. Would you please explain how you managed to not eat and still be healthy?

Wow, where to start!
Firstly, just because someone hasn't logged food and/or exercise on their diary it certainly doesn't mean they haven't been eating or exercising! forgetting to log, didn't visit mfp, was away or busy, there are many reasons why someone may "appear" to have gaps in their diary's on here, NEVER assume its because someone isn't eating!

In my case I simply forgot to to log food/exercise on the days you mentioned as I was away, happens sometimes! :laugh:


And secondly, your quick enough accusing people of starving themselves yet your the one eating 1250 calories per day (way too low) and hardly any weekly let alone daily exercise, I am normally the last to judge people but when you accuse me of staving myself when its CLEARLY the other way around I wasn't going to ignore it! :noway:

Fair enough, I did ask you to explain how you were able to not eat and be healthy. Forgetting to log in your foods is a great reason.

As for me not eating enough calories, I am eating enough for me presently because: 1) I am bed ridden due to a back injury and 2) I am not tall enough to require so much food and 3) I still have plenty of fat (stores) for my body to drawn upon for energy.

However, if you look at my diary, I eat mostly carbs and I have lost weight. I can stand by my words due to my experience. I looked at your diary and it doesn't show me anything and you still haven't replied to as what you think the percentages should be and you just attacked my answer.

I don't mind criticism, but you have to be able to take it if you dish it out. That said, please answer the original question and not say mine is wrong as you were quick to judge me first.

Hey, I said i'm usually the last person to judge others,
It may be different for you as you are bed ridden but when I tried having higher carbs on a daily basis (like what you recommend) things started going very wrong for me very quickly, constantly hungry, blood sugar spikes/drops, feeling bloated/sluggish, lack of energy, I thought I had something serious wrong with me!

Lowering my carbs and having much higher protein (as much as I can afford as high protein foods do cost more) fixed ALL the issues above plus I now am also building muscle/definition instead of losing muscle, I recover from exercise VERY quickly and always have energy, I've always stuck to low fat too, as low as possible.


P.S, what is your back problem if you don't mind me asking? just I have been to h*ll and back with my back problem, still on strong pain killers now 24/7, was meant to have surgery but I am "too young for a high risk operation" apparently!

Instead of saying my advice is bad, what would you recommend?

I just looked at your food diary, and although I commend your great weight loss, I have to say that starving yourself is not healthy. I do see where you exercised, but based upon your food diary, I don't know if I would want to not eat for that many days. Would you please explain how you managed to not eat and still be healthy?

Wow, where to start!
Firstly, just because someone hasn't logged food and/or exercise on their diary it certainly doesn't mean they haven't been eating or exercising! forgetting to log, didn't visit mfp, was away or busy, there are many reasons why someone may "appear" to have gaps in their diary's on here, NEVER assume its because someone isn't eating!

In my case I simply forgot to to log food/exercise on the days you mentioned as I was away, happens sometimes! :laugh:


And secondly, your quick enough accusing people of starving themselves yet your the one eating 1250 calories per day (way too low) and hardly any weekly let alone daily exercise, I am normally the last to judge people but when you accuse me of staving myself when its CLEARLY the other way around I wasn't going to ignore it! :noway:

Fair enough, I did ask you to explain how you were able to not eat and be healthy. Forgetting to log in your foods is a great reason.

As for me not eating enough calories, I am eating enough for me presently because: 1) I am bed ridden due to a back injury and 2) I am not tall enough to require so much food and 3) I still have plenty of fat (stores) for my body to drawn upon for energy.

However, if you look at my diary, I eat mostly carbs and I have lost weight. I can stand by my words due to my experience. I looked at your diary and it doesn't show me anything and you still haven't replied to as what you think the percentages should be and you just attacked my answer.

I don't mind criticism, but you have to be able to take it if you dish it out. That said, please answer the original question and not say mine is wrong as you were quick to judge me first.

Hey, I said i'm usually the last person to judge others,
It may be different for you as you are bed ridden but when I tried having higher carbs on a daily basis (like what you recommend) things started going very wrong for me very quickly, constantly hungry, blood sugar spikes/drops, feeling bloated/sluggish, lack of energy, I thought I had something serious wrong with me!

Lowering my carbs and having much higher protein (as much as I can afford as high protein foods do cost more) fixed ALL the issues above plus I now am also building muscle/definition instead of losing muscle, I recover from exercise VERY quickly and always have energy, I've always stuck to low fat too, as low as possible.


P.S, what is your back problem if you don't mind me asking? just I have been to h*ll and back with my back problem, still on strong pain killers now 24/7, was meant to have surgery but I am "too young for a high risk operation" apparently!

Back issues are awful. I have steel rods in my spine - so I know back issues suck.

Back issues are awful. I have steel rods in my spine - so I know back issues suck.

It is a nitemare having back problems, the constant pain no matter what you do to try and help it, having to take pain killers (tramadol slow release 300mg every 12 hours in my case) non stop getting addicted to them because you take them so often for the constant pain, not good!

Wouldn't wish it on anyone :frown:

Back issues are awful. I have steel rods in my spine - so I know back issues suck.

It is a nitemare having back problems, the constant pain no matter what you do to try and help it, having to take pain killers (tramadol slow release 300mg every 12 hours in my case) non stop getting addicted to them because you take them so often for the constant pain, not good!

Wouldn't wish it on anyone :frown:

I totally agree. I've had steel rods in my spine since 1992. Last winter, I fell on the ice and now I have a bulging disc in my lower spine (in one of the few discs NOT fused!). Add in that all the non-fused discs are deteriorating from the strain put on them with the fusion and it's a mess.

I can't take hard core pain meds because they make me deathly ill. So, I try and function on Advil and such (which I can't take a lot of these either...). Losing weight and being in better shape has definitely helped, but nothing completely takes the pain away.