How should Protein/fat/carbs look?

[Vydor]

I guess this post realy belongs over here...

I put some what close matches to my last few days in to fitday and I see...

Day 1 = 64% fat, 18% carbs, 17% protien - 1185 cals
Day 2 = 61% fat, 12% carbs, 27% protien - 2260 cals
Day 3 = 63% fat, 14% carbs, 23% protien - 1720 cals

Only have the last 3 days in, and a few places I had to pick things "close" to the real thing, and make up alot fo new food items.. but it should be ballpark right I think. This is dramacitly dif then how I use to eat. Pre-Atkins day was...

(use splenda to sweeten everything that needs it)

Breakfast - espresso and tea
Lunch 2 waffles and syrup and tea
Snack small quatniy of chips, or a candy bar
Dinner 1 chicken pattie, roll, and fries, tea
Dessert Bryers low carb (diabetic nieghbor so I had lc stuff even then) ice cream

I just put that in to fit day and got...

pre-atkins = 20% fat, 68% carbs, 12% protien - 1105 cals

Comparing that how to how I eat now is almost sickening Its such a radical change I am not 100% sure I am on right track?

But how should my fat/carb/protien look?

[adkpam]

I do:

Fat 66%
Carbs 8%
Protein 26%

Which is pretty close to what I try for, at 1700 calories a day.

One thing that amazes me is that it would be TOUGH for me to restrict myself on calories previously, when I would count all the calories and cut out fat...yet, Tuesday I had only 1218 calories, and 92 grams of it were fat!

And I wasn't hungry.

[Vydor]

So, based on your numbers I may need increase my protein a bit. hmmm

[Kristine]

I don't think you necessarily need to increase your protein. IMO, percentages are a bad way to compare maintenance diets. I don't know about Pam's activity level, but lazy, inactive, 135-lb Me is going to need a lot less protein than male, probably-more-active You. You should figure out a ball-park daily protein requirement based on your size and activity level, add in your carbs, and round out the rest with fat. :thup:

[adkpam]

Heck, you said you were following Atkins for Life, so I'd say your percentages were darned good. Look how much you've dropped those carbs!

Personally, I seem to get along with a high fat percentage (and maybe I'm just running a deficit from 10 years of low fat eating.) But every body is different.

[Vydor]

Heck, you said you were following Atkins for Life, so I'd say your percentages were darned good. Look how much you've dropped those carbs!

Personally, I seem to get along with a high fat percentage (and maybe I'm just running a deficit from 10 years of low fat eating.) But every body is different.


Well I am still reading the book, only get to read on breaks and stuff so will take a few days to get through it.

Yesterday acording to fitday I was 57/13/30, but I have not counted anything besides carbs. I am currently testing 60-65 carbs a day, as the 50ish level had me losing weight.

I guess Im still shell shocked a bit by eating that much fat! LOL Might have been better if I never looked. :D

[Vydor]

I don't think you necessarily need to increase your protein. IMO, percentages are a bad way to compare maintenance diets. I don't know about Pam's activity level, but lazy, inactive, 135-lb Me is going to need a lot less protein than male, probably-more-active You. You should figure out a ball-park daily protein requirement based on your size and activity level, add in your carbs, and round out the rest with fat. :thup:

How do you figure out a ball park protien need?

[Kristine]

There are different ways of estimating it, but a rule of thumb is 1 g per lb of lean body mass - a little less if you're sedentary, more if you're very active. I don't have a lean body mass calculator bookmarked, but you should be able to find one easily using google. :thup:

Take them with a grain of salt, though... they're really just estimates.