food percentages

On the nutrition 101 website it says we should eat 25 percent protein-25% whole grains-and 50% veggies.  Thats great but after I log everything I eat and hit analysis it shows protein, carbs and fat?  The other thing I don't understand is if I've eaten all fruits and veggies in a day with the exception of a can of tuna and 3 oz of ground beef, how can the analysis page say my diet was 50% fat, and then give me an A?????????   Is there someone out there who understands the analysis page better than me?

Its ok. relax. Maybe you logged the meat WITH fat. Tuna has some. Also, 50% is a percentage not an amount. if you ony ate fruit and veg, in terms of calories, most of it came from fat (fat has more cals than carbs, which are your fruits and veg. ie. 100 cals from tuna, 200 cals from meat, 300 cals from veggies/fruit = 50% fat) But the nutrition isnt just balance - its amount. You have not eaten TOO MUCh fat, also you have had many nutrients from the fruits/veggies.

Maybe tell me what you ate, or just the amount of calories and I might be able to explain better

I find the grading system is very misleading.  If each food you ate had a grade of F, but you hit all of your percentages within a few points, the system will score you an A....for eating crap all day.  I never go by it.  

    You sure it was not 50g of fat?  50% fat is ALOT of fat if all you ate was gound beef and tuna unless your eating like 700 calories a day.

   Also think your a little confused about nutrients, the 3 major break downs are fat, carbohyrates, and protein.  Whole wheat and veggies are counted in carb section.  Mabye the website meant 50% carbs 25% fat and 25% protein?  That is not a bad diet at all especially if your trying to lose weight. 

   There is a lot of information out there but the best way to lose weight is to learn about fat, carbs, and protein.  Without this crucial piece of knowledge starting a diet is almost like trying to fix your car but not knowing what a engine is.(Please do not take this the wrong way though its just something I think that most people starting a diet refuse to read up on.)

This is what I've eaten all day, after I added the last orange the fat percentage went to 46.7%  So tell me whats up?

A   Applesauce - Canned, Unsweetened, Without Added Ascorbic Acid 117 50 A   Fiber One 30 60 B   BUMBLE BEE Chunk Light Tuna in Water 112 120 D   Salad Dressing, Mayonnaise Type, Regular - With Salt 27 105 C   Sour Dressing, Non-butterfat, Cultured, Filled Cream-type 18 32 D-  Salad Dressing, Kraft Ranch Dressing 22 112 C+  Beef, Ground, Patties - Frozen, Cooked, Broiled, Medium 85 240     Lettuce - Romaine 168 24 C-  Mexican 4 Cheese 14 50 A   Tomatoes, Red, Ripe - Raw, Year Round Average 60 11 A   Oranges 184 87   Total Calories Consumed   891

I'm not understanding the numbers you have listed... I added up all of the 2nd numbers and came out with 891, I'm assuming that's calories but if I add up all of the first number the total is higher than 891.

When I look at fat content, I look at total grams per serving and also see what types of fats they are - I look for mostly mono or polyunsaturated fats to have higher numbers since they are the better fats to eat if you must eat them. Also determine if the ratio of fat cals to total cals is less than half - it should be about 1/3 of your total calories for that item. If you can stick to 1/2-1/3 or less your daily average will be about 30 % overall. In this case, the tuna has oil, but it's a good Omega 3 oil not a saturated or trans fat, so keep that in mind. It's something the system doesn't differentiate on. Fat is fat is fat so it gets a bad grade.

Just looking at your items, it's easy to pick out the 'fatty' ones (aside from the low grades): mayo, sour cream, ranch dressing, beef (depending on % lean), and cheese. I have been using reduced fat cheeses whenever I can find them (generally 80 calories per 1/4 cup serving (shredded) or per slice and no taste difference that I notice. I also use nonfat sourcream and low/non fat dressings, or stick to the serving size if using a "regular" full fat version. I don't recommend using Kraft Fat Free cheddar though because to me it was like plastic - it didn't melt well and it didn't taste very "cheesy" and to me that is what counts when it come to cheeses. Sometimes, using the real thing in moderation is better than a "diet" version.

I've also noted that when adding food items, the system doesn't always give you what you entered or have the same calorie/fat count as what you might have. I always "view" the items it finds and if it's off by more than 5 calories I look for another item that is closer to the calorie count to get more accurate results. The 100% whole wheat bread I use is only 50 calories (not a reduced calorie bread either) but the closest I can find is a 70 calorie version, so I know whenver I have wheat bread to deduct 20 calories per slice off the total count on the system.

AJ

I've been trying to "low Glycemic" without much result, but I think its because I have been consuming too many calories.  I just bought an ebook, Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, which is written by a bodybuilder, TOm Ventuto.  He doesn't "push" the body building too much, and directs the book more to the average person.  I am impressed with this book because he only endorses FOOD, and not supplements or fad diets and supplements.

More too my point...He strongly recommends a starting point of 50-30-20 Carb, Protein, Fat, and adjusting based on your body type and carb sensitivity.  Protein is necessary to keep lean muscle while burning fat.  Muscle increased metabolism.  Also, he recommends 5-6 smalls meals per day, each one must contain protein and carbs because they need each other to metabolize correctly.  Also, Dont reduce your calories more than 20 percent because that will quickly put your body into starvation mode, reducing metabolism.  And here a a trick...zig zag your calories every 3 days to 3 days low and 1 day high.  This will keep you from going into starvation mode. 

Anyway, Very good and informative book.  Search Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle and you can find it.