Recommended Protein, Carb, Fat Ratio

[tarawil]

Hey,

I'm 5'3, around 123-125lbs, a bit muscular with some fat I want to lose (6-8lbs). I work out on average 6 days a week rotating muscles and interval cardio each day. For the rest of the day I have a pretty normal activity level. I'm starting to jot down everything I'm eating during the day on fitday and figuring out what's best for my body ... I've been reading articles and I have an idea but I need some help.

Is this a reasonable ratio for my goals and my body? Just for the basics. Is there anything wrong with that?

Daily Nutrient Intake

Total Fat g 25-30 per day
Total Carbohydrate g 170-185 per day
Protein g 170-185 per day

Tara

[SunnyD902]

How many calories a day are you taking in? For your body weight it looks like you might be taking in too much protein and carbs, especially if you're trying to lose fat. 1g of protein per pound of body weight is a good rule of thumb. Most people will recommend a 40:40:20 ratio, but you should determine your BMR, create a deficit for fat loss, and then recalculate your macros based on that.

[Tiffany_P]

I would start with 40-40-20 and tweak it from there.

[tarawil]

Can you give me some more clarification?

40-40-20 based on what?

Are you suggesting I should have an estimated calorie intake and then divide up my calories in that percentage for protein, carbs and fat? Is that what works for you/most?

[tarawil]

In trying to estimate what I should be eating in regards to protein, I read an article that said if I want to build muscle, I should be eating somewhere between 1.4g/kg and 3.0g/kg (or higher)? The article proposed more gain if eating on the higher end of the scale.

True? Not true? Am I doing my calculations correct?

[kaspar_19]

Hey,

I'm 5'3, around 123-125lbs, a bit muscular with some fat I want to lose (6-8lbs). I work out on average 6 days a week rotating muscles and interval cardio each day. For the rest of the day I have a pretty normal activity level. I'm starting to jot down everything I'm eating during the day on fitday and figuring out what's best for my body ... I've been reading articles and I have an idea but I need some help.

Is this a reasonable ratio for my goals and my body? Just for the basics. Is there anything wrong with that?

Daily Nutrient Intake

Total Fat g 25-30 per day
Total Carbohydrate g 170-185 per day
Protein g 170-185 per day

Tara

Hey Tara,

Once you set a number for how many calories (roughly) you will consume a day, you can set the g of each macronutrient. Just eyeballing the figures that you posted, I would say that your g of protein is perfectly fine (I usually shoot for 1 - 1.5 g/lb of body weight, preferably closer to 1.5). You could consume more fats though; the general recommendation for health is about .5 g/lb of body weight. For weight loss, I would eat about 45 g of fat every day. If you don't get enough dietary fat, then your cortisol levels with rise, insulin will likely increase, and your body will want to STORE fat more. There's a healthy balance that you need to try to pinpoint. When one is wanting to lose weight, the macronutrient category that should be lowered is carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are essentially the most efficient source of energy for the body.

Proteins = human body structure
fats = proper hormone function (including control of cortisol)
carbs = energy

If you want your body to tap into your body fat stores as energy, your main dietary energy source should be lowered (which would be carbs). So let's say you are consuming 1600 calories a day for weight loss, which would probably be a good place to start for someone at your weight and activity level:

Protein 180 g x 4 = 720 kcal
Fat 45 g x 9 = 405 kcal

This equals 1125 kcal, so from the 1600 kcal, you have 475 calories left for carbohydrates.

475 kcal / 4 = 118.75 kcal --- we can round that to 120 g carbs.

So to sum, I would recommend approximately: 180 g protein, 45 g fat, and 120 g carbs. If you find that you aren't getting the results you want from this, you can try to change your macronutrients a bit. Everybody is different, so it's important to trust yourself in learning what your particular body and body type requires.

Hope this helps!!

[Going4Lean]

You and I are the same height and weight, and I just started eating the 40%C/20%F/40%P , this week. For about 3 weeks, prior, I was toying with my ratios and was doing the 30/25/45 with no success, at all. My energy level took a nose dive and my workouts suffered.

But with the 40/20/40 ratio, I`m back to dropping weight again (1.5 just today, after a 27 day stall). This time, though, I`m combining ratio counting with calorie cycling, and it is working fantastic.

So, definitely, play around with your ratios. It takes some trial and error..but, eventually, we all can find what works best for US.

[Amanda76]

Hey Tara,

Once you set a number for how many calories (roughly) you will consume a day, you can set the g of each macronutrient. Just eyeballing the figures that you posted, I would say that your g of protein is perfectly fine (I usually shoot for 1 - 1.5 g/lb of body weight, preferably closer to 1.5). You could consume more fats though; the general recommendation for health is about .5 g/lb of body weight. For weight loss, I would eat about 45 g of fat every day. If you don't get enough dietary fat, then your cortisol levels with rise, insulin will likely increase, and your body will want to STORE fat more. There's a healthy balance that you need to try to pinpoint. When one is wanting to lose weight, the macronutrient category that should be lowered is carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are essentially the most efficient source of energy for the body.

Proteins = human body structure
fats = proper hormone function (including control of cortisol)
carbs = energy

If you want your body to tap into your body fat stores as energy, your main dietary energy source should be lowered (which would be carbs). So let's say you are consuming 1600 calories a day for weight loss, which would probably be a good place to start for someone at your weight and activity level:

Protein 180 g x 4 = 720 kcal
Fat 45 g x 9 = 405 kcal

This equals 1125 kcal, so from the 1600 kcal, you have 475 calories left for carbohydrates.

475 kcal / 4 = 118.75 kcal --- we can round that to 120 g carbs.

So to sum, I would recommend approximately: 180 g protein, 45 g fat, and 120 g carbs. If you find that you aren't getting the results you want from this, you can try to change your macronutrients a bit. Everybody is different, so it's important to trust yourself in learning what your particular body and body type requires.

Hope this helps!!

Great info, especially about how much fat you need for optimal health. That's something that often gets overlooked. I've read not to go below .25g/lb of bodyweight, so that's something to consider too. 40/40/20 allows you to kinda slide by with the .25g at 125 lbs so long as you don't go below 1,400 cals. 40/30/30 kinda splits the difference for people who don't feel they'll do well on low carbs for too long. I naturally lean toward eating 50/30/20 on limited cals (actually more like 50/40/10--I gotta work to get fat in...LOL), so I know 30% carbs leaves me feeling fine with plenty of energy. I'll be trying 40/30/30 this year because of the health benefits of eating more fat, to see what I think. Long story short, 40/40/20 is a good place to start experimenting (and would have you eating a bit more fat than you currently are, even at the low end of the calorie range you are currently eating), but you'll receive tons of different ideas about what's "best" and will probably try slightly different things each time you lean back up.

And Tarawill, I bet you can lose fat at 1625 - 1750 cals per day (range based on the macros you already listed) if you're doing cardio. About 1,800 is my maintenance at 125 lbs with no cardio. Unless you have a deadline to lose the weight you want to, keep your cals where they are and see what happens before you drop them. The more you eat (the more slowly you lose) the more likely it will be that the weight will be from fat and not muscle...not to mention the fact that you can continue to at least make strength gains instead of losing strength which is typical while leaning up.

[tarawil]

These are all EXCELLENT suggestions. Thank you all for taking the time to give me some advice. It's much appreciated. I will keep all of this in mind while trying to figure out what's best for me and for my goals.

I'm going to tweak my diet around and start seeing what works. I'm very excited!

[Chalupita]

I am new to this site. I just found this thread. I had the same question, and the same height and weight. This is unbelievable valuable information. Thanks for the insite.

[bobvasi]

I am a bit confused by Kcal. Also, are the ratios the same for men and women?

[nattieice19]

Hi all this information is so helpful but can u help me w figuring it out for myself..Currently I've gained weight and need to take back off for my wedding in 3 months times passing and I can't manage to get it .... I'm 177lbs and 5'7 .......I'm eating a low carb 1200 cal diet and working out on avg 3-5 times a week (burning 500-800cals per workout depending on if it's lifting or cardio).....

My food is mainly protein and healthy fats and try to keep my carbs btw 15-25% of the total, i avg around 17-18, unless I really don't have energy and I have a little more. Protein I try around 30-40% ..... I need to loose at least 20 lbs ....

Please help I'm desperate and can't figure it out so it actually works and I'm not starving or ready to pass out

Thank you!!!
N