Apple Orchard

Join

c/p/f percentages

Options
miss_september
miss_september Posts: 153
in Social Groups
Ok, so, I've been doing a lot of reading around the forums and such, as well as within our group here, and everyone says lowering carb intake is supposed to help lose belly weight. So, I decided to try shooting for 50c/30p/20f, instead of the mfp standard of 55c/20p/25f, mainly because I know when I eat low-fat I tend to lose weight quickly, and protein is supposed to help me feel full longer. As a side note, I am also keeping track of fiber. Anyway, I am just starting this, but having a difficult time finding protien and fiber increasing foods that don't have a lot of carbs (mainly sugar), or more noticably, a lot of sodium! Anyone else having success with specific c/p/f percentages in their diet, and any suggestions that might help me? What about sodium--anyone keeping track of sodium? It is AMAZING where sodium is hiding...in whole, natural foods (like egg whites!), that you really never think of....

Replies

  • fourluvbugs
    fourluvbugs Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    I'm aiming for a 40/30/30 ratio, though I rarely hit my targets exactly. I track sodium as well. I eat a lot of smoked salmon. 100 grams has 182 calories, no carbs, 8 units of fat, 25 units of protein and 56 units of sodium. No fiber there though. I usually add a little salt to mine as well. Chicken breast puts up similar numbers. Most of my fiber comes from foods like vegetables that don't have a lot of protein, or from nuts which have protein, but also carbs and fats. I eat greek yogurt most days, for the protein. It has carbs from fruit, but almost always fits in with my targets.

    How about beans? If you get the ones that aren't canned, they have less sodium, or you can buy canned beans with reduced sodium formulas. They have a lot more sodium than lean meat, but they've got the fiber the meat lacks.

    I think the most important thing is that all of your foods together meet your goals since its near impossible to find one food that does it all. :)
  • AmyEm3
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
    Options
    I have mine set to 40/30/30 and I've started to really try to be better about monitoring my sugar consumption. It's proving to be nearly impossible for me to meet the sugar goal though. I've been trying to lower my sodium too but I go over sometimes.
  • galaxyhearts
    galaxyhearts Posts: 258 Member
    Options
    Can someone give me a crash course in this??

    I have no idea how to calculate my nutrition like that..

    Thanks to anyone who can help me out :)
  • fourluvbugs
    fourluvbugs Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    Can someone give me a crash course in this??

    I have no idea how to calculate my nutrition like that..

    Thanks to anyone who can help me out :)

    Sure sweetie! MFP does all the work for you once you get you settings set up.

    Many people think that the default macro settings for protein are too low since we need protein to rebuild our muscles after exercising. To change them, go to the food tab, then choose goals ---> change goals ---> custom. Once in that menu, you can over ride the default settings. Some people set these to low fat, some to low carb, etc. Like I said above, mine are carbs 40%, fat 30%, protein 30%. You can also override your calorie goals here if that is something you want to do. After the goals are set, they will update in your food diary and you will be able to see how each food you log affects your goals by looking at the bottom of each column. you can see where you go over your goals (in red) and where you can eat a bit more (in green).

    Let me know if you need more help. :)
  • miss_september
    miss_september Posts: 153
    Options
    Awesome! Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions! =-) It is really different playing that type of number game with everything--it has been fun and entertaining to plan out my days ahead of time to try to meet each goal--the protein is the toughest with such an increase in the daily intake.
  • galaxyhearts
    galaxyhearts Posts: 258 Member
    Options
    Can someone give me a crash course in this??

    I have no idea how to calculate my nutrition like that..

    Thanks to anyone who can help me out :)

    Sure sweetie! MFP does all the work for you once you get you settings set up.

    Many people think that the default macro settings for protein are too low since we need protein to rebuild our muscles after exercising. To change them, go to the food tab, then choose goals ---> change goals ---> custom. Once in that menu, you can over ride the default settings. Some people set these to low fat, some to low carb, etc. Like I said above, mine are carbs 40%, fat 30%, protein 30%. You can also override your calorie goals here if that is something you want to do. After the goals are set, they will update in your food diary and you will be able to see how each food you log affects your goals by looking at the bottom of each column. you can see where you go over your goals (in red) and where you can eat a bit more (in green).

    Let me know if you need more help. :)

    AHA!

    Thanks so much!!! :)
  • inlander
    inlander Posts: 339 Member
    Options
    flax seed/meal is a really good addition to anything and it's full of fiber. and it has protein (see http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=451).

Categories