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Quick question about carbs, fats and protein

Zeddedhed

Zeddedhed

Active Member
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32
I'm trying to get my act together with accurate carb counting (as opposed to hopelessly optimistic guesses) so that I can get a better idea of how carbs affect my weight, mood, energy levels etc.

I'm also trying to lose a significant lump of weight (about 26kg).

What do people recommend when it comes to percentages of the the three macros?

I've read that I should aim for 50% fat, 20% carbs and 30% protein in terms of daily calories (hope that makes sense)

All help welcome
 
Zeddedhed said:
I'm trying to get my act together with accurate carb counting (as opposed to hopelessly optimistic guesses) so that I can get a better idea of how carbs affect my weight, mood, energy levels etc.

I'm also trying to lose a significant lump of weight (about 26kg).

What do people recommend when it comes to percentages of the the three macros?

I've read that I should aim for 50% fat, 20% carbs and 30% protein in terms of daily calories (hope that makes sense)

All help welcome
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The main thing to watch are the carbs. Keep those as low as you can manage, maybe with macro's followed on the Keto Diet App for instance. https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/blog-entry/the-nutritional-thingy.2330/ might help a little, just keep it simple and don't overthink things too much.
 
Zeddedhed said:
I'm trying to get my act together with accurate carb counting (as opposed to hopelessly optimistic guesses) so that I can get a better idea of how carbs affect my weight, mood, energy levels etc.

I'm also trying to lose a significant lump of weight (about 26kg).

What do people recommend when it comes to percentages of the the three macros?

I've read that I should aim for 50% fat, 20% carbs and 30% protein in terms of daily calories (hope that makes sense)

All help welcome
Click to expand...
What is your build?
Natural skinny (I type), natural athlete (V shape) or naturally round (O type).
Your macros to lose fat would be different for each type but assuming you are O type and carb intolerant (diabetic) then I'd go for 40 % protein, 40% fat and 20% carbohydrate.
If you are more athletic then the proportions you suggested above are the classic prescription.
I assume you are working off a calorie total based on your sex, activity levels etc?
Personally I prefer to tell clients with metabolic issues like this (I am a PT) to prioritise protein, fill up on fat and be (very) careful on carbs!
However I know that being disciplined does work for some people who feel they can't judge portions very well or have a real time pressure upon them to lose the weight. I am not saying that is you but do consider that with 26 kg to lose this will require a sustained amount of focus and discipline whereas trusting your appetite may actually be a better long term strategy.
 
Zeddedhed said:
I'm trying to get my act together with accurate carb counting (as opposed to hopelessly optimistic guesses) so that I can get a better idea of how carbs affect my weight, mood, energy levels etc.

I'm also trying to lose a significant lump of weight (about 26kg).

What do people recommend when it comes to percentages of the the three macros?

I've read that I should aim for 50% fat, 20% carbs and 30% protein in terms of daily calories (hope that makes sense)

All help welcome
Click to expand...

I try eat food items that are 5%ish or less carbohydrate unless it is a high impact low weight item.... eg a few pomegranates....
I when started I had an excel sheet that broke everything down and totalled the three macros and tried to keep carbs to less than 30 g a day..... nerdish am I.
 
Zeddedhed said:
I'm trying to get my act together with accurate carb counting (as opposed to hopelessly optimistic guesses) so that I can get a better idea of how carbs affect my weight, mood, energy levels etc.

I'm also trying to lose a significant lump of weight (about 26kg).

What do people recommend when it comes to percentages of the the three macros?

I've read that I should aim for 50% fat, 20% carbs and 30% protein in terms of daily calories (hope that makes sense)

All help welcome
Click to expand...
I aim for as close to zero carbs as possible
Certainly nowhere near 20% my average is about 2-3% of daily cals as carbs Protein about 25% the rest the fats that come with the meat and the cream in my coffee.
 
Thanks for replies everyone.

To give some context (which I should've done in the OP - whoops!):

I used to be quite fit (not sure if athletic is the right word though), working as a hod carrier etc.
Definitely 'V shape', playing football once a week, cycling most days and doing weights twice a week.
Age and laziness (and some work injuries) took over and now I'm 52, 116kg, fat gut, sleep apnoea, type 2, asthmatic......
You get the picture.
I've actually dropped 2kg in under two weeks (probably mostly water) by cutting carbs etc.
Having logged my food intake pretty religiously for that period it would seem that I'm averaging about 60% fat, 10% carb and 30% protein, with the carb element coming in at about 50 - 55 g.
Most of that is coming from milk in coffee (I drink a lot of coffee!!)

Having looked closer at the numbers from Myfitnesspal, it seems I need to up my fibre content as well - currently roughly 15g per day.
 
Zeddedhed said:
it seems I need to up my fibre content as well
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Unlikely as like carbs, fibre is pretty inessential..

For the coffee maybe switch to double cream?
Fewer carbs per 100 ml and less required win win (plus it tastes great too).
 
I think essentially I'm in agreement with @NicoleC1971 in that I don't see how one set of macros can necessarily suit everyone.

So I'm rather unscientific, and am happy to let my body tell me what it needs, and use my meter to check glucose levels and (rarely now) my scales to check my weight. Currently I eat approximately the same amount of protein as I've always done, have cut down on carbs to the point where I'm happy with lower and stable glucose levels, and, as a long term normal fat eater, upped this to compensate for the fuel I was not longer getting from carbs.

Initially when I started losing weight I'd reduced carbs right down (to around 20-25g a day) without increasing fat consumption, so that stored body fat ended up as my main fuel source.
 
Zeddedhed said:
Thanks for replies everyone.

To give some context (which I should've done in the OP - whoops!):

I used to be quite fit (not sure if athletic is the right word though), working as a hod carrier etc.
Definitely 'V shape', playing football once a week, cycling most days and doing weights twice a week.
Age and laziness (and some work injuries) took over and now I'm 52, 116kg, fat gut, sleep apnoea, type 2, asthmatic......
You get the picture.
I've actually dropped 2kg in under two weeks (probably mostly water) by cutting carbs etc.
Having logged my food intake pretty religiously for that period it would seem that I'm averaging about 60% fat, 10% carb and 30% protein, with the carb element coming in at about 50 - 55 g.
Most of that is coming from milk in coffee (I drink a lot of coffee!!)

Having looked closer at the numbers from Myfitnesspal, it seems I need to up my fibre content as well - currently roughly 15g per day.
Click to expand...
Google bulletproof coffee, or try it with double cream. Fewer carbs, extra delicious. ;)
 
I get the really thick cream, put a blob into the mug and held dill with coffee, then whizz it with the blender and fill up the mug - frothy coffee. Child of the 50s - that's me.
I find kitchen toys are really useful in changing rather doubtful looking blobby stuff into something smoother and far more palatable.
 
Liking the double cream in coffee tip. I'll definitely give that a go. Not sure I can cope with butter in my coffee, but I'll try (almost) anything at least once.

Can anyone suggest any decent UK Keto/Low carb recipe sites that don't rely on hours of cooking and 'faffing' around. Time is of the essence when it comes to food prep, and portability for lunches is key.

Also, how long does it normally take to stop craving bread? Watching my kids eat buttery toast and Ham & Tomato sandwiches (a particular weakness of mine) is driving me to near insanity!!

Should I just put the kids up for sale on eBay for the sake of my health?
 
I find this site realistic with UK measurements. Run by a dad and his 2 keto kids. His involving them seems to be key
https://www.ketofitnessclub.com/
Thier Facebook group has lots of ideas and one chap posts his packed lunches everyday and very good they look too.

I found I can resist most things once I've seen on my meter how they spike my sugars. I find it easy to look to bread and think "do i really want this more then my eyesight?". Chocolate is more difficult to resist, of course !
 
Your macros should reflect your personal eating plan to suit your needs and intentions. I try to eat keto, as that's really what my body needs to manage. I started keto aiming for 70/20/10 (fat/protein/carb) but I do it differently now. Rather than percentages, I do NET carb under 20g, protein 80-120g, and the rest in fat. To be honest I don't follow protein that closely, and I'm probably over or under on a regular basis. The carb target is the key. Aside from that I eat more fatty meats and dairy, and add butter to a lot of things, and the protein/fat macros work themselves out.
 
How about getting a waffle maker and making yourself some chaffles? They are cheese and egg mostly with various possible additives. One of those with an extra thick slice of bacon - the bacon chaffy, I have named it, is something to experience - and once the chaffle is cold you can use it like a wrap for any sort of sandwich stuff, or even make a sort of cone and fill it with salad.
 
Howdy! I just stumbled on this post and I'd like to throw my 2 cents in.
I recently started fasting 2 or 3 days a week. It was difficult the first few times, but my body has adapted quite well. My sugars have stabilized (few peaks and valleys) and my need for insulin has declined. I eat a high fat (usually dairy), moderate protein (poultry, fish, and eggs), low carbs (75g to 100g a day) diet. It is time consuming to find 'good' foods in our stores (I live in a small prairie city in Canada) as I have to wade through a ton of processed . The key is lowering carb consumption, increasing fat consumption, and intermittent fasting.
Good luck, and keep your stick on the ice...
 
Zeddedhed said:
Liking the double cream in coffee tip. I'll definitely give that a go. Not sure I can cope with butter in my coffee, but I'll try (almost) anything at least once.

Can anyone suggest any decent UK Keto/Low carb recipe sites that don't rely on hours of cooking and 'faffing' around. Time is of the essence when it comes to food prep, and portability for lunches is key.

Also, how long does it normally take to stop craving bread? Watching my kids eat buttery toast and Ham & Tomato sandwiches (a particular weakness of mine) is driving me to near insanity!!

Should I just put the kids up for sale on eBay for the sake of my health?
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Yeah it’s hard when people around you can eat what they want and for some reason keep trying to persuade you to do the same. I get being polite but some people just seem to keep doing a Mrs Doyle (Father Ted)

I don’t target as low carb as some but I went for 20:40:40 ratio for carb:protein:fat which currently for my weight is about 91g carb. I do measure and weigh but don’t count the milk in coffee so probably underestimating my carbs somewhat

I also do minimum 30 mins exercise on the exercise bike and walk if I can. I also do try to count my calories and keep to 500 below what the calorie calculators think I should have. I know many on here would say not to count calories but I do. I also stopped most fruit, bread, pasta, rice etc... so carbs massively lower than usual.

since May I have lost nearly 30kg (my weight is currently not dropping but it is also Christmas and I’ve dropped off the wagon a little) so something of the above is working (plus hba1c now 38 from 78 and dropped all drugs except 2000mg metformin and have dr appointment a week Monday to discuss if that can be dropped)

I also do have cheat days, probably once a week to be honest.

As for stopping craving. Honestly I still do since May. Perhaps for some of us we never lose the urge, and as I said, I have cheat days but am substantially down as a whole. I personally cannot live my life never having, but it is a struggle and I am aware the cravings are worse when I cheat but as someone else said, I’d rather have my eyesight... hence I am so far managing to restrain

good luck!
 
Zeddedhed said:
Most of that is coming from milk in coffee (I drink a lot of coffee!!)
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Having forced myself to try them, I find that the (alpro) unsweetened soy /almond milks are actually quite pleasant in coffee (other than when foamed for cappuccino, the texture is fine but milk goes slightly sweet when foamed correctly and they don't, so I use milk for capps).
 
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