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Nutrient Percentages - (sat fat to fat, potassium, etc.)

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naiauhane
naiauhane Posts: 15 Member
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Hello all. I'm new to the group and this TDEE concept but think it sounds great and makes sense. I've figured out my TDEE (-15%) number and BMR. I'm setting my calc to 40%carbs/30%protein/30%fat. I've also set my fiber to 30g and sodium to 2500mg.

Question is: Does anyone know of a good guide I can use to calculate the rest of the nutrients. Like I can eat 68g of fat, but how much should be saturated? How many mg of potassium? How many grams of sugar? My TDEE (-15%) is 2051 calories.

Any guidance to an existing thread or any sources you have to offer would be appreciated.

My prior 6+ month history has been 30%carbs/20%protein/50%fat, eating around 120g of fat everyday with 40-50g of saturated (all from good/clean sources like coconut oil, grass fed meat, avocados, etc.). In that time, my weight has not gone up, but my cholesterol that has always been over 200, has reduced to 160. With no changes to my diet, my weight has only increased recently (last month) by 5 lbs due to (I believe) muscle mass gain as I started strength training. So with these experiences, it makes me wonder about what the right carb/protein/fat combo is. I've been aiming for 3500 mg potassium but usually only reach 1800. My previously MFP calculated rates had me staying under 48g of sugar and I was easily able to do that. Now that I'm at 2051 calories per day, I'm not sure where my sugar should be if I'm customizing my numbers.

Thanks for your help!

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  • squishycow7
    squishycow7 Posts: 820 Member
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    hmmm. I'd be interested to know too.

    I guess it depends on what "doctrine" you follow. Paleo-ers eat quite a bit of saturated fat and are a-okay. Typical American diet says otherwise...

    Sugar is also tough because natural sugars are generally more acceptable than refined...but MFP doesn't tally those separately.

    And potassium I haven't the faintest idea :D


    I feel like there are a gajillion variables >.<
  • nutritionwhiz
    nutritionwhiz Posts: 221
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    Question is: Does anyone know of a good guide I can use to calculate the rest of the nutrients. Like I can eat 68g of fat, but how much should be saturated? How many mg of potassium? How many grams of sugar? My TDEE (-15%) is 2051 calories.


    From what I found for women......Saturated fat should not exceed 20 grams. Potassium is recommended at 4,700 mg. And the recommendation for ADDED sugars is no more than 30 grams which you would need to track on your own since MFP does not separate natural sugars from added sugars.

    Hope this helps!
  • naiauhane
    naiauhane Posts: 15 Member
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    From what I found for women......Saturated fat should not exceed 20 grams. Potassium is recommended at 4,700 mg. And the recommendation for ADDED sugars is no more than 30 grams which you would need to track on your own since MFP does not separate natural sugars from added sugars.

    Hope this helps!

    Oh no, I hadn't previously though of added sugars versus natural sugars. Another variable! I typically don't eat a lot of sugar. Using MFP in the past made me realize my morning smoothie had a ton of sugar in it (almost all from fruit, only 6g from the protein powder). I revamped and stopped adding a whole banana and frozen fruit. Now I just do one serving of fruit and one serving of veggies and the total sugar is much lower. BUT it was pretty much all natural sugar, so maybe it wasn't bad? CONFUSING!
  • naiauhane
    naiauhane Posts: 15 Member
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    I guess it depends on what "doctrine" you follow. Paleo-ers eat quite a bit of saturated fat and are a-okay. Typical American diet says otherwise...

    I feel like there are a gajillion variables >.<

    I'm with you on the number of variables. It's frustrating.

    I don't know if I have a doctrine necessarily, but I know I've fallen off of the "typical American diet" bandwagon I was raised with and now follow a more sustainable and whole foods type of diet. Maybe I won't sweat the fat. It doesn't seem to have been hurting me thus far. I more want to make sure I get enough protein for recovering/building muscle.
  • nutritionwhiz
    nutritionwhiz Posts: 221
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    From what I found for women......Saturated fat should not exceed 20 grams. Potassium is recommended at 4,700 mg. And the recommendation for ADDED sugars is no more than 30 grams which you would need to track on your own since MFP does not separate natural sugars from added sugars.

    Hope this helps!

    Oh no, I hadn't previously though of added sugars versus natural sugars. Another variable! I typically don't eat a lot of sugar. Using MFP in the past made me realize my morning smoothie had a ton of sugar in it (almost all from fruit, only 6g from the protein powder). I revamped and stopped adding a whole banana and frozen fruit. Now I just do one serving of fruit and one serving of veggies and the total sugar is much lower. BUT it was pretty much all natural sugar, so maybe it wasn't bad? CONFUSING!


    Yes, I agree! I think the real difference is that with natural sources of sugar you are usually getting fiber, vitamins, minerals etc along with it. Fiber helps your body to absorb the sugar slower so you don't get blood sugar spikes (this is especially important for people with diabetes). Added sugars tend to come from processed foods, sodas, candies etc that are usually low in fiber and micro-nutrients. I started to track sugar, but since most of mine come from natural sources I took it off my tracker.

    I see that you are tracking fiber. IMHO I think that is a better choice and more valuable indicator of a healthy diet than tracking natural and added sugars lumped together.
  • each_day_stronger
    each_day_stronger Posts: 192 Member
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    I apparently eat way too much sugar according to MFP but I don't really understand how it is feasibly possible to eat what they recommend. It seems like there is added sugar and natural sugar in everything :(

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