What have some of you "longer timers" learned about carb/prot/fat ratio calculating?

I feel I'm doing fairly well just logging calories every day but I'm willing to look more deeply into my food choices.  I know there are ways I eat that seem to satisfy and require fewer calories and there are ways I eat that seem to cause me to feel more lethargic and require more food.  Either that or I'm already stressed/depressed so I reach for the more carb heavy choices. I tried one day to log in carb/fat/protein but one simple meal took forever to figure out.  I was born counting calories (probably was trying to look up breast milk when they put me back in my crib) but I've never calculated this other stuff. And I got discouraged when CC gave my nonfat plain yogurt a C+.  Harumph.

I did "no carb" for a year and a half with great results except for not being able to sleep and crippling depressions (yes, you detect a bitter tone).   I do tend to feel better though I believe on lower carbs.  I've been into whole foods forever and nobody has to tell me about beans and fruits and veggies and lean meats.  I prefer these except when I'm going heavy on cinnamon buns and I have those days/weeks too.

So who can tell me what they've learned by bothering to pay attention to protein, carb and fat grams?  There would be a huge time commitment and learning curve for me to start logging that and I'm not sure it's worth it.  I'm loving living relatively non-obsessively for me.  Oh, and sodium.  If I counted sodium, I'd be sad.

Thoughts? Experiences?  Shortcuts?

Just wanted to chime in that I've always been a calorie and fat counter, nothing else.

But I did try counting my macro's for a couple months. I learned that the more fat and protein I ate, the less hungry I would feel. However, during that short "lower carb" phase I didn't gain scale weight, but I gained fat. It was awful. My body was meant for carbs. lol

Not only that, it's a pain in the arse to count each one when making a meal. It takes too many pieces of paper and too much time. So I dumped that notion and am back where I began, at just counting calories and fat. I figger everything else should just fall into place if I make good choices. Cuz I WAS getting obsessed with it, and it took freakin' FOREVER to make a meal plan for the next day.

And if you think about it, once you get to the weight you wanna maintain... do you REALLY wanna count carbs, fat, and protein for every meal the rest of your life? Didn't think so! lol

My view is that life is far too short to try 'eating to the numbers' and hit precise targets for macro nutrients.  "This way madness lies".   I watch calories and aim to get a balanced diet.  By balanced I mean that a typical plateful roughly looks roughly like .... 1/2 full of veggies and salads, 1/4 full meat/fish/beans/eggs, 1/4 full some kind of wholegrain or starch with a little fat as a dressing or sauce.  I do have to keep an eye on sodium levels but solve that by not eating processed foods and not adding salt at the table... seems to do the trick.

The above combination means that meals a) look 'normal' in the traditional sense and b) are pretty satisfying.  And that's good enough for me.

I haven't really noticed a big difference in my weight loss when I watch my macronutrient ratios, but I do notice a big difference in how I feel.  I am at my least hungry and most energetic when I stay around 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein.  I'm pretty flexible on this when I want to be, though, so I would never let these numbers keep me from enjoying a special meal or treat or anything like that.  I'd say I keep to this ratio about 5 days a week.  It's not really that hard to keep track of.  I just use the analysis feature on this site.  I check it every once in a while through the day, planning my meals according to what I need.  At this point, eating this proportion of fat, calories, and protein comes pretty naturally to me, so it just happens automatically .  I can go all day without logging my food, and when I put it in at night, I'm often within 2 or 3 percentage points of where I want to be.  It's not for everybody, but it makes me feel good.  Just do what works best for you, and don't make yourself crazy about it.

I have learned that the right proteins and fats will hold the hunger at bay...but then I learned that there are carbs that will kick box hunger to the curb as well.

I start feeling those stomach grumbles but don't have time to go fishing for a salmon to grill, so I grab an apple or a pear. I also love little yams for this same reason. If I'm hungry at night, I'll put a little 100 gram yam (gramyam?) in the microwave for a couple minutes. Fills me up every time and tastes great plain.

And I love the high fiber wasa crispbread. Also carbolicious and appeases my grouchy stomach immediately. If I have time, I'll spread some pumpkin on it and sprinkle it with a bit of brown sugar and ginger, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

Thought I should add: I naturally seem to keep my fats at 25%, protein at 25%, and carbs at 50%. I log in my food and that's what almost always pops up, no matter how much I vary my meal plans. I'll tweak it on occasion if my fats get too low. Because I like my food raw, dipless, and au'natural, I tend to slip on fat recommendations. Fish would solve this issue...however, I feel terrible when my housemate has to suffer the fishy smelling house. It also doesn't work-out well in a packed lunch and dinner. Oh wow. I'm rambling.

Yep.  That's what I like to hear: sanity.  Thanks.

GREAT topic! I am also fascinated by finding each persons optimal Macronutrient ratio’s - it is an area I am constantly experimenting with in my own diet, and also trying to get as much feed back from other people as possible!

I think each persons body is going to favor different ratio’s, therefore you need to try different ratio’s for yourself to determine how your body responds, and what it responds best to. It can take a long time to figure it out, and it could change through out your life.

G I - Jane made a fantastic point - her attitude is ultimately what will make people the happiest in their over all life because it feels best to achieve a balance where you are healthy, without obsessing too much. You get over all good nutrition so your body functions and performs well enough, yet without fine tuning things and making too big a deal out of it or spending a lot of time analyzing the ratio’s of your diet.



I have been very thin, celebrity thin, and I have gone through it all - I have tried THOUSANDS of different ways of eating over the years!

Now; GI JANE ‘s method is IDEAL for any person, HOWEVER; if you are fascinated and have an interest in the area of nutrition, and you genuinely enjoy fine tuning your diet either for a career or just because you enjoy learning how to power your work outs the best, then I have discovered that RATIO’S CAN BE VERY IMPORTANT. They make the difference between YOUR BEST RESULTS and simply “ GOOD results’. ratios can make A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE.

Hearing about other people is good to get an idea of what works for others, but there I no point trying to apply their EXACT methods/ ratio’s to yourself.

Personally, I only eat 100% clean foods (no mad made artificial chemicals. Ever. NO exceptions.) and I am currently in the process of experimenting with ratio’s.

I have a sleep problem but I am not sure if it is due lack of carbohydrates, as I have anxiety issues too and I have starved in the passed and been able to sleep fine.

I do not aim to follow a set ratio, rather, I try to keep a 30/30/40 ratio. Meaning, I feel full and satisfied with more fat and protein in my diet then most people, yet I like 40% carbohydrates MOST days.

I am certainly less hungry since eating more protein and fats, and my skin has DRASTICALLY improved with more fats - fats have been FANTASTIC for my skin!

30 - 35% fats is key for me to look and feel my best. Fat does not make me fat, as I do abdominal work each day and exercise.

I enjoy large servings of fish as it keeps me fuller for longer and I feel satisfied.

CARBOHYDRATES - regardless of the ratio, I have the most energy when I balance them out over the day - say, I have 50 grams in the morning, then a few hours later another 50 grams… or I space it out with more snacks, and have 20 grams carbs, then another 20 grams later… I try to keep it even as I believe a lot of us are carb sensitive and diabetes is strongly in my family so I am care full in how I consume them.

  medveditsa medveditsathe 40/30/30 ratio comes naturally to me now too! I instinctively feel like that amount of food, I do not need to count on a website as my body naturally dictates similar ratio’s!

It is funny how after I started eating roughly 40/30/30 ratio, my body just adapted; I think that is a good sign that it is a good ratio for our bodies! You reinforced that for me, as you feel that same adapt ion from your body that I have! Thanks for sharing, I am more confident of things now!

I try to stick to 40% carb, although if I crave more protein one day I can have 30 - 35% carb days too.

I DO try to keep fat to a 35% limit, usually 30% though. That is my only thing I consider, other wise I just let my body, mood, and my routine/food available to me dictate things.

 

As time goes by and you find yourself choosing more and more of the right foods, I`d worry less and less about calories and macronutrients. My advice to you is to balance your meals according to a rough set of rules/guidelines (I think gi-jane`s are excellent) and choose your snacks intuitively, according to loose criteria. A couple examples are what you figure you`re running short on for the day (for instance, it`s afternoon and you haven`t had any dairy yet, then you`d choose some cheese/yogurt), or what your body is craving. Once you start paying attention to the signals, you will recognize them easily after a bit of trial and error (for example, feeling full but not satiated can mean you`re not getting enough fat, so you should snack on a few nuts, which are dense in good fats but low in volume). Good luck!

Original Post by medveditsa:

I haven't really noticed a big difference in my weight loss when I watch my macronutrient ratios, but I do notice a big difference in how I feel.  I am at my least hungry and most energetic when I stay around 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein.  I'm pretty flexible on this when I want to be, though, so I would never let these numbers keep me from enjoying a special meal or treat or anything like that.  I'd say I keep to this ratio about 5 days a week.  It's not really that hard to keep track of.  I just use the analysis feature on this site.  I check it every once in a while through the day, planning my meals according to what I need.  At this point, eating this proportion of fat, calories, and protein comes pretty naturally to me, so it just comes naturally.  I can go all day without logging my food, and when I put it in at night, I'm often within 2 or 3 percentage points of where I want to be.  It's not for everybody, but it makes me feel good.  Just do what works best for you, and don't make yourself crazy about it.

 same here!!!

I have a different experience from most people on here. For the past year I keep my ratios at about 15%-20% fat, 50% protein, and the remainder in carbs.

Contrary to what most people believe, carbs actually PROMOTE feelings of hunger due to the spike in blood sugar levels and the relatively quick way the body breaks down carbs. I feel satisfied for much longer when I eat protein. This makes sense since there is much less of a blood sugar spike when eating protein, and protein takes longer to digest. Protein promotes a sense of fullness in the body.

One thing many people forget is that if you're trying to lose weight, the only way to do so without also losing muscle is to boost your protein intake while cutting fat and carbs. In order to lose weight safely, you need to create a calorie deficit of about 3500 calories per week. But if you just cut down on everything, you'll lose muscle too. So the only way to cut your total calories down while maintaining muscle is to cut fat way down, cut carbs somewhat, and maintain or even sometimes boost protein intake. A good goal for daily protein intake is about 1 gram per pound of body weight. 

I eat about 4 or 5 small meals a day.

Each meal, except for my after-breakfast snack, I take in at least 40grams of protein. Fats are usually about 5-8g, and carbs are between 20 and 50grams

I don't recommend "no carb" diets. They are virtually impossible to stick to. Your cravings will become so strong you'll end up sitting and eating three whole pizzas to satisfy them. I DO recommend giving yourself a cheat day if you follow a ratio like mine. I give myself one cheat day each week to eat pretty much anything I like, though I still try to avoid lots of fat. But that's enough to get my carb cravings out of the way until the next week. 

What this really boils down to is that different things work for different people.  Here's a basic overview of what works for me, with some additional thoughts.

Some of us need more carbs; some need more protein.  Some of us should eat 4 - 6 times a day; some of us do better with three squares.  Some people are lucky and can just do whatever's convenient.  Some people do 'cheat days,' some just factor in a treat now and then.  The key is always a combination of understanding your specific needs (without micromanaging, which makes most of us crazy) and allowing for pure 'wants' in moderation.

For me, a higher-protein diet is best; my roommate needs a diet with more carbs and less protein.  His diet would destabilize my blood sugar and render me anemic; mine would flat out kill him (he's one of those poor souls who could eat nothing at all and still wind up with high cholesterol).  He has high blood pressure and has to avoid salt; I have low blood pressure and I waste salt like crazy when I sweat, so if I avoided salt like he does, I would have problems (my sodium intake is usually ridiculously high, btw, and except for lung problems resulting from asthma, which isn't salt-related, I'm one of the healthiest people I know).

I don't log in advance, because -- for me -- logging in advance feels like obsessing.  It also irritates my powerful rebellious streak -- the minute I log my dinner in advance, I will feel compelled to eat something else, LOL.  Likewise, I don't obsess about food choices: while my diet is almost always about 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs.  I didn't pick those numbers, then structure my diet around them.  Instead, I structured my diet around what works for me (e.g., what makes me feel satisfied and keeps me losing weight at a reasonable pace without making me lethargic or inciting reactive hypoglycemia), and when I log my food, that's where the numbers fall. 

They do vary -- frequently, my protein percentage will be higher and carbs lower; once in a while (like last night, when I decided to have a Blizzard at Dairy Queen for dinner, LOL), the protein percentage will be a bit lower and the carb percentage a bit higher.

The nice part about CC is that it breaks the numbers down for me, so I can get a sense of my dietary percentages, etc., without wanting to destroy something out of frustration.

To make a short story long, it sounds like you already have a sense of what does work for you.  If you do know, stick with it -- comparing it to what works for other people leads to old, tired analogies involving fresh produce.  Why compare apples and oranges, when you could just eat them instead?  :D

For the record, GI Jane's advice is just about always spot-on for almost everyone :D  So, if you have to pick just one of us to listen to, listen to her!

I am extemely sensitive to carbs and blood sugar spikes/hunger from them. When I do eat carbs, it is always balanced with a source of protein and fat. My carbs ratio is usually only at 20% of my daily diet.