Fat/Carbs/Protein %?

[Gem1304]

Forgive me if this is a really stupid question, but I've seen a lot of mention of fat/carbs/protein % such as 50/20/30. How do you work out these figures? How do you know how many grams in total you should be eating in the first place? For the challenge I want to up my protein intake and cut down on carbs, but I'm a little confused with the maths! Any help you can give me will be muchly appreciated.

[helloterence]

The percentages are taken from your daily calorie intake.

For example, I try to eat 2500 calories a day with my carbs/protein/fat ratio at 40/40/20.

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories

Carbs: 2500 calories * 40% = 1000 calories / 9 calories = 250g

Protien: 2500 calories * 40% = 1000 calories / 4 calories = 250g

Fat: 2500 calories * 20% = 500 calories / 3 calories = 55g

To further determine how many grams of each you would eat per meal, you would simply divide that number by the number of meals you eat per day.

[Gem1304]

The percentages are taken from your daily calorie intake.

For example, I try to eat 2500 calories a day with my carbs/protein/fat ratio at 40/40/20.

1 gram of fat = 9 calories

1 gram of protein = 4 calories

1 gram of carbs = 4 calories

Carbs: 2500 calories * 40% = 1000 calories / 9 calories = 250g

Protien: 2500 calories * 40% = 1000 calories / 4 calories = 250g

Fat: 2500 calories * 20% = 500 calories / 3 calories = 55g

To further determine how many grams of each you would eat per meal, you would simply divide that number by the number of meals you eat per day.

OK thanks for that I reckon I can just about get my head around that. How would I decide on how much to eat of each?

[Philociraptor]

OK thanks for that I reckon I can just about get my head around that. How would I decide on how much to eat of each?

Find what works best for you. I aim for 20/30/50 carbs/protein/fat. Meaning with my goal of 1750 calories per day I'm eating 89g carbs, 131g protein, and 97g fat.

[helloterence]

I'm not an expert on nutrition and don't want to lead you astray. I'm sure someone that is more knowledgeable than me can explain better.

As far as I know, it depends on what your fitness goals are and whether or not you can still enjoy eating with the changes you make.

Some common diet ratios are (carbs/fat/protein):

Moderate: 50/25/25

Moderate 2: 55/25/20

Zone diet: 40/30/30

Low fat: 60/25/15

Low carb: 25/40/35

Very low carb (VLC): 25/40/35

From what I've gather, a lot of people here have gotten great results from the paleo diet which more or less falls in the VLC category. I am planning on trying it myself in the next couple of weeks.

['Roos]

It's totally up to you what ratio you go with, but I've had good success with 25/30/45 which gets me to around 130 g protein/day, and enough fat to feel really full. The more fat you get in your diet (along with protein, in general) the more full you'll feel. You should be getting at least 1g protein/lb lean body mass (which can be calculated by taking your body fat %, multiplying that by your body weight and taking that off your total body weight - ie, 150 lb person at 33% bf has .33*150, or 50 lbs fat, 150-50, or 100 lbs lean body mass, so 100g protein/day) so you don't lose muscle mass.

[Corbab]

OK thanks for that I reckon I can just about get my head around that. How would I decide on how much to eat of each?

That really depends on what diet philosophy you choose to follow. If you go paleo, the ratio is around 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs. These are by no means set in stone, and you won't hit them exactly every day, but it's a general guideline to follow.

You usually want between .5 - 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (weight - [weight * fat%]) if you're looking to build muscle. Carbs can be increased if you're working out for periods longer than 1 hour. Fats will be your primary calorie source, as they are the highest in calories/gram.

^That's all paleo info, which has worked amazingly well for me and a lot of others on here, but if you have another diet plan with preordained macronutrient ratios, go with them. No matter what plan you choose, track your food intake for a few days to see approximately how many calories you're getting from each macronutrient.

[Gem1304]

That really depends on what diet philosophy you choose to follow. If you go paleo, the ratio is around 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs. These are by no means set in stone, and you won't hit them exactly every day, but it's a general guideline to follow.

You usually want between .5 - 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body mass (weight - [weight * fat%]) if you're looking to build muscle. Carbs can be increased if you're working out for periods longer than 1 hour. Fats will be your primary calorie source, as they are the highest in calories/gram.

^That's all paleo info, which has worked amazingly well for me and a lot of others on here, but if you have another diet plan with preordained macronutrient ratios, go with them. No matter what plan you choose, track your food intake for a few days to see approximately how many calories you're getting from each macronutrient.

I used to think maths was my strong point until I started reading all this!! Brain is melting slightly, but I'll get there.

I've been tracking my food for the last few weeks. I like the idea of paleo and have started by cutting out bread/pasta/rice (whether thats a good start or not I have no idea) but I'm fully aware that I don't think I'm still doing it right.

For example, today I've eaten 1148 cals (I know, nowhere near enough!) of which 79g was carbs, 65g fat and 55g protein. I'm sat here now with a bit of paper trying to work what % that means I've eaten!

[helloterence]

For example, today I've eaten 1148 cals (I know, nowhere near enough!) of which 79g was carbs, 65g fat and 55g protein. I'm sat here now with a bit of paper trying to work what % that means I've eaten!

79g * 4 calories = 316 calories CARBS

65g * 9 calories = 585 calories FAT

55g * 4 calories = 220 calories PROTEIN

316 + 585 + 220 = 1121 calories eaten today

316/1121 = 28% CARBS

585/1121 = 52% FAT

220/1121 = 20% PROTEIN

[Gem1304]

It's taken me about 20 minutes to work that out.... dammit! Thank you for doing that tho

OK, so carbs not too bad, if i were to aim for fat/protein/carbs 40/30/30 that would work wouldn't it?

I'm sorry for sounding so dim about all this. I guess that's probably because I am! That might be one of my challenge goals... be less simple

[Philociraptor]

OK, so carbs not too bad, if i were to aim for fat/protein/carbs 40/30/30 that would work wouldn't it?

That's a fine ratio to aim for, especially coming off a pretty carb-heavy diet.

[Gem1304]

OK awesome. Thank you all so much for your help! Wish me luck

[Moxie Hart]

I just use the daily burn tracker because it has a pie chart and tells me the break down for my log for the day The low carb on daily burn is 25/35/40 carb/fat/protein but I find that when I keep my carbs under 100g my fat ends up being well over 50% so I try for 20/50/30 carb/fat/protein.

[aj_rock]

Can I suggest NOT worrying about ratios?

Instead, aim for:

1 gram of protein per lb bodyweight.

MINIMUM 50 g of fat. Make sure you get plenty omega-3.

At most 70g carbs if you want to be ketogenic. If not, scale carb intake with activity level. For physically active, take around 9-10g per lb bodyweight.

THEN, figure out how much to eat total. As long as you hit these minimums, eat what you feel best.