Not sure how to read the analysis chart.

Hi Everyone:

Having a hard time trying to read the Analysis chart. I am a little confused as to what is a good amount of carbs %, Fat % and Protein %. Am I suppose to figure out all these or just pay attention to having my calories less than my fat burner chart.  I am still at the same weight I was on October 31st. Have not moved a notch on my scales. Tonight I ate breaded chicken fingers, breaded shrimp and a few potatoes, so I guess you could say I have lost interest.- in loosing weight.

Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I eat 1000-1200 calories a day, although I feel like I am pushing food into myself constantly ( i never ate this much before I started to diet). I started at 208 and now down to 198 but it has taken since October 14th and that all went the first week and nothing since then. I am 5' 3" and I exercise every day with either walking, working out at the gym or doing exercises in front of the tv ( dumbells). I think I am missing something on the analysis chart that I don't understand or maybe not following the right intake. I thought this was all just about calories, not everything else.

Let me know, someone what I am doing wrong. I have truly been watching my Cal, Carbs, Fat and Protein and eating healthy foods. Working out and have a journal that I record everything I eat and then I record it on this website, something is definately wrong. I am making sure also that my calories everyday are lower than my burn meter.

Help !!!

First things first, you are not eating enough. That's probably why you haven't lost much weight. You need to reassess the number of calories you need every day to maintain a deficit of 500-1000 calories per day.

Once you've done that, then you can figure out what ratio of carbs/fats/protein works for you--it's different for everyone and there's no real "magic ratio" that works for every person. You can also make sure you're getting enough nutrients from your food using the analyzer. What sorts of grades have you been getting?

Not sure what you mean when you say grades!

My grades have been B, A, A- always great grades on a daily basis.

My grades have been that as well, but i would NOT grade myself that....

i would grade myself liek a C when they give me a B...because i do eat the calories i should but i will get like a B and not have any nutriotional foods like fruits or veggies when that is what is needed.

Just keep going. breaded chicken/shrimp/potates wont get you anywhere!!! Just an FYI. you had one fall out, its ok...pick it back up and go again. try and limite startchy foods and carbs (Potatoes, pasta, breads etc) SOME carbs are good but dont overload on them thinking its healthy to eat it because i might be "low in calories"

Original Post by debramatthews:

My grades have been B, A, A- always great grades on a daily basis.

 The food grades only rate nutritional value, not calories.  A good grade doesn't mean you will lose weight.  You do want a balanced diet so you can be healthy.  Look up the USDA food pyramid to see how much of each food group you should eat.  The reccomended percentages of fat, carbs and protein can vary widely. 

Follow this guideline - 
Fat: 20 - 35% of total calories 
Protein: 10 – 35% 
Carbohydrates: 45 – 65% 

Use the tools to find out your BMI.  Then use the Burn tool to find out how many calories you burn in a day.  From that number, deduct 250 to 1000 calories, never going below 1200, to get the amount you should eat to lose 1/2 to 2 pounds a week.  Since it takes 3,500 calories to make one pound of body weight, 500 calories less than your burn will lose you 1 pound a week.  Don't try to lose more in a week.

I always suggest that everyone has a look at the Advice section.  If you look at the past answers in the Ask Mary Q&A section, you'll learn all kinds of useful things. 

Original Post by jay2daq:

My grades have been that as well, but i would NOT grade myself that....

i would grade myself liek a C when they give me a B...because i do eat the calories i should but i will get like a B and not have any nutriotional foods like fruits or veggies when that is what is needed.

Just keep going. breaded chicken/shrimp/potates wont get you anywhere!!! Just an FYI. you had one fall out, its ok...pick it back up and go again. try and limite startchy foods and carbs (Potatoes, pasta, breads etc) SOME carbs are good but dont overload on them thinking its healthy to eat it because i might be "low in calories"

 You need to see the following websites:  Using a Food Pyramid  and  The World's Healthiest Foods  where you will find a List of the World's Healthiest Foods.

I found both to be very helpful in correcting my own misconceptions about nutrition, what's good for you, and how much of eat food group to eat.  Right now I'm losing on a high carb diet following the Mediterannean Food Pyramid from the first website. 

Good Luck!