More Protein or More Carbs?

Ok, I want to get a consencious on what people think is the best breakdown for losing weight.  I used to be on a 50% Protein, 35% Carb, 15% fat meal plan.  But I've found that when trying to decrease my soy intake a 50% Carb, 35% Protein, 15% fat daily intake was easier to achieve. 

Which do you think is best for losing weight when doing Moderate exercise.  I'm not a gym rat...I walk about 30 to 45 minutes a day. 

Why don't you keep your protein intake at 50%, increase your carb intake to 40% and decrease your fat intake to 10%? You work out everyday so you need a good amount of carbs too. :)

50% protein is way too much!  Your kidneys won't be able to handle that longterm - and 10% fat would be really unhealthy too.  We need good fats for our skin, hair, etc. to be healthy.  40-55% carb, 20-30% protein, 20-30% fat would be pretty good. 

Susiecue, that's what I thought but I watched DietTribe the other night and they put the girls on a 50% protein diet...but it is only for 90 days.  I seem to be pretty close to the percentages you mentioned maybe a little less fat, but I think I'd have a hard time going lower than 15 to 20%. 

Thanks!

It must just be for the 90 days (and they do often do not-so-healthy things on TV weight loss shows to get dramatic results - even if the weight's likely to come back).

And I can totally relate to having a hard time getting the fat levels up.  I tend to struggle with that myself (I'm a carbaholic - whole grains, fruit, veggies, all that good stuff).  I don't much like snacking on just nuts, but they seem to help a lot of people.  My solution is to bake muffins with stuff like nuts and flaxseed in them.  I've also tried to up my egg consumption to help with the fats.  My current exercise program recommends 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat - but I'm doing well to get the fats up to 25%!

I've always worked with 50-60% carbohydrate, 15-25% protein and 25-30% fats.  I find if the fats drop too low my skin, hair and nails suffer.  If I try to eat a lot of protein at the expense of carbohydrates my dinner plates just look small and empty.  But with 50-60% carbohydrate I can have lots and lots of vegetables, some fruit and a modest amount of grains.  On a practical level, I find the rest of the world simply isn't low-carb.... so it's easier to stick to when out of the house and at the mercy of buffets, hotels, friends' cooking, restaurants etc.

Original Post by susiecue:

50% protein is way too much!  Your kidneys won't be able to handle that longterm - and 10% fat would be really unhealthy too.  We need good fats for our skin, hair, etc. to be healthy.  40-55% carb, 20-30% protein, 20-30% fat would be pretty good. 

 If you have healthy kidneys, high protein (probably even higher than 50%) isn't going to cause any problems.

 I agree with the fat being too low, 30% is probably a good number to shoot for, but even higher wouldn't hurt (as long as you aren't eating any trans fats), several studies have shown that people on a high fat, low carb diet (like 65% fat and 15% carbs) have shown greater improvement in cardiac health, cholesteral levels and lost more weight than those on a higher carb, lower fat (~60% carbs, 20% fat) diet, and the high fat group who lost more weight actually ate more calories than the high carb group.

50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat was ideal from when i read something but then again i could be wrong

Thanks everyone!  I do like nuts, pb and avocados which have lots of good fats, but I generally don't eat them becasue they also use up a lot of my 1500 cals per day.  I may try flax seed in my greek yogurt.  I've had it in cereals, but never on it's own.  Again, thanks for the advice!

Original Post by jodiferjuniper:

Susiecue, that's what I thought but I watched DietTribe the other night and they put the girls on a 50% protein diet...but it is only for 90 days.  I seem to be pretty close to the percentages you mentioned maybe a little less fat, but I think I'd have a hard time going lower than 15 to 20%. 

Thanks!

You definitely shouldn't create a diet regimen based off a television show, even if they are run by nutritionists.  Those shows are trying to make money, not healthy people.  They care more about weight loss results than health because you can measure weight loss. 

50% is dangerously high, especially since higher protein diets can lead to osteoporosis (too much is highly acidifying to your body, so your body pulls calcium from the bones to alkalize itself).  Ideally, as long as you get most of your carbohydrates from fruits and veggies and other complex sources, you will be fine with 60% carbs, 25% protein, and 15% fat easily.

though im not exactly a bodybuilder, their diet promotes fat loss, muscle gain and retention, and provides energy for workouts- i follow that at a 45% carbs, 35% protien, and 20% fat ratio. whatever anyone sayd, dont go below 20% fat, healthy fat is needed for good health and to feel satisfied and so you dont get constipated to be quite honest.