I'm going on a low carb diet asap, but I don't know what ratios actually constitute low carb. What should I be aiming for as far as % of protein, carbs, and fat?
Sport ratios for low carb diet
- Thread starter Roadrunner52
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Sport Fitness
I'm not looking for amounts in grams. I'm asking for percentage. 100g if you're at 2000 calories per day is much different than at 3000 calories per day, ya know?
Thanks 
. Just out of curiosity, where did you get that info from? Oh and what should my protein and fat ratios be at if I'm doing 20-25% carb? Is there a limit to too high of a ratio of protein or fat?
. Just out of curiosity, where did you get that info from? Oh and what should my protein and fat ratios be at if I'm doing 20-25% carb? Is there a limit to too high of a ratio of protein or fat?Thanks
The 25% I looked up on google, the 5% I remember from the Anabolic/Ketogenic diet.
Protein and fat ratios are up to you. If your going 25% carbs I'd go 40% fat / 35% protein / 25% carb.
Thanks
Protein intake (on any diet) should be within the range that is suitable for you and your activity level. The minimum for inactive people is 0.4g per pound of body weight, but you shouldn't be inactive; you can check web sites listing minimums for various levels of exercise which range from 0.5g to 1.0g per pound of body weight (search for "protein requirements for athletes"). Elite-level strength athletes may require even more for some periods of time. 1.0g per pound of body weight is commonly thrown around these forums because it covers all ranges of recreational athletes (though it may be more than necessary for some) but is not dangerous for people without kidney or other problems that are aggravated by excess protein.
Yeah, but keto is a virtually no carb diet. I mean I know you do have some, but it's just basically what occurs naturally in the foods you're eating. I want to go low carb, not no carb. I don't think I can mentally handle zero carbs lol
Will do, thanks for the tip
so when I go on this low carb diet, do I have to restrict bad fats? It doesn't seem that way in the things I've read. They pretty much say to eat whatever protein and fat you want (bacon, full fat cheese, sausage, etc) as long as the carbs aren't there. Is this true? Or should I still stick with healthy fats?
Well I wouldn't mind too much. I love almonds, cashews, and almond and peanut butter
. But anyway, I'll definitely have eggs, chicken, and some red meats, but I just wanted to know if I should still watch the saturated fat intake, or does it really not matterWell I wouldn't mind too much. I love almonds, cashews, and almond and peanut butter
Doesn't really matter. When people low carb or no carb it they tend to dramatically increase their fat intake, both healthy and saturated fats. They would eat lots of eggs and beef. Saturated fat increases testosterone, don't be afraid of it.
Well I wouldn't mind too much. I love almonds, cashews, and almond and peanut butter
The depends on whether increased saturated fat intake pushes your blood cholesterol levels to the danger zone for heart disease. Your individual genetic profile has a significant effect on whether that is the case, so you may want to have your blood cholesterol checked.
Thanks for that tip. I don't know my cholesterol, so maybe I'll look into that. Last time I checked was years ago and it was before I started eating healthier and it was in the low 100's (under 110), so I'm sure I'm fine. Do you think I should track it along the way during this diet though?
Oh, and I know this is going to sound like a stupid question, but how come saturated fats aren't bad? If there's nothing wrong with them, why do people constantly advocate only unsaturated fats and steer clear of anything containing a higher sat. fat content?
Thanks again. Really appreciate the help guys
Edit: One more question, while I think of it. I know that there have been uses of ratios like 30/10/60 or 35/5/60 for p/c/f on these diets, but can those be adjusted and still get the same results? For example, could I do a 40/10/50 ratio? I don't know if I want to take the plunge into that much fat, at least not right away. Just a little nervous I guess because my diet hasn't exactly been in check recently and I don't want to risk any fat gain. Thanks again.
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The fat gain will come if fat and carbs have to compete as usable energy systems. So by lowering your fats and raising your carbs, you're bringing the ratio's closer together...meaning that fat will be more easily stored because you have an abundance of both fat and carbs. If you're going to raise carbs, lower fats. If you raise fats to 65 and lower carbs to 5, you WILL NOT get fat.
On a traditional Protein 30 Carb 40 and Fats 30 diet, saturated fat coupled with inactivity is bad for you. On the Anabolic diet, you use fat for fuel and so studies have shown bad cholesterol level going down. This would be in the Q & A of any decent resource on the Anabolic Diet if you look it up.