What percent?

juni

juni

New member
I tried to find the answer to my question in the stickies but couldn't so am asking here. Bear with me, please, if this has been asked many times here. Or perhaps someone can point me to the link where this issue is discussed?

Ok my question:

What percent of your food should be carbs when you are trying to lose weight? I eat healthy carbs (who food, multi grain bread, fruits and avoid white bread, sugar and rice). Pls let me know. I am 5ft 3 inches and weight 134lbs. I do yoga three times and day and walk a lot and count calories.

Thank you so much.
 
Hi Juni. I think I may have already answered your question in your diary, but I'll just answer again in case. :)

A standard split of macro nutrients is 40/30/30 ... that's 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% healthy fats.

Some people tweak that some, but the carbs portion tends to be between 30% - 50%.
 
play with the percentages a bit to find your ideal balance, you will know when you have got it right cause you will feel energised after your meals, not crave anything sweet, have mental clarity and generally feel "GOOD". good luck
 
Thanks Kara, Ben- I have been watching the nutrient portion. I do feel energized after I eat but am STILL craving sweets. I used to crave all kinds of sweets, but I think that has improved a bit in the last few weeks. Thanks you both for your input. Muchly appreciated!!
 
Hey Juni, I too crave sweets more than just about anything, and I have a hard time not binging when I started. I will agree with Ben to a degree though. I think the healthier you eat the less you will crave.

I know allowing myself some healthy sweet stuff like dried or fresh fruit, a little honey stirred into my greek yogurt, even some chocolate syrup in lowfat milk after a workout help keep the desert cravings down.

Also, I noticed that most of my cravings are a knee-jerk response from my "reptile brain". Belly say hunger, brain say carrot cake, I say grilled chicken with dark greens, and everyone shut up when belly say full. Tallymebanana.
 
Something else you'll notice too, is that after a while, sweets that you used to crave will taste almost sickeningly sweet to you.

For a while a few summers ago I was really craving fresh fruit and I ate a ton of it. Then one night I picked up a candy bar or something - don't even remember what it was, but something that I used to eat a lot of, I'm sure. I took 2 bites and it was so sweet that I had to put it down. Anymore I can't finish a whole dessert at a restaurant or eat a whole candy bar at a sitting because after eating mostly fresh fruit and things like that, regular desserts are too sweet for me.

So your taste buds really do change as you add more healthy food to your diet. :)
 
My cravings have gone down a lot since I started eating healthy. I think I just need to be patient. I would love to get to where you are Kara. When we go out to eat I look forward to the dessert more than the main meal. :smash: Then I feel totally disgusting afterwards. I may have had the greatest meal but then I ruin it with a dessert. I would love to be able to reach that point in my life when I look forward to the meal and not dessert.

I also have another question (I seem to be full of them these days)- So whenever I have protein, I feel full for longer. Like yesterday, I had a scrambled egg and two pieces of toast, and I was not hungry for about four hours. I am trying to eat six small meals, but when I am not hungry I cant eat. Should I eat something anyway (cucumbers, almonds, a fruit), so am I supposed to eat only when I am beginning to feel a lil hungry?

Also, those who have six meals a day, how do you manage? I am advised not to eat anything before my yoga classes (which is at 6), I come back and have breakfast at around 8, snack at 11, lunch at 2 snack at 5 and dinner at 7. Those are only 5 meals.

All inputs muchly appreciated.
 
The thing is ... when you're "supposed" to eat is all very personal.

There are only two times that you really do NEED to eat, no matter whether you're hungry or not: breakfast is a must because our bodies are designed to break the sleeping fast with some kind of nutrition, and right after a workout because you need a combination of carbs and protein to help speed the recovery process.

Oh, and you NEED to eat enough calories each day.

As to when you eat? Other than those two times, it really really really doesn't matter.

The whole six meals a day thing is a myth. The main reason to eat 5-6 times a day is to manage your appetite. A lot of people have a hard time not binging at meals, so fitting in snacks helps to control hunger.

Me? I eat breakfast in the morning, and often I don't eat again until right after my workout - which is at 5:30. Then I eat dinner, and an evening snack and go to bed.

Other times, when I'm not working out or I know that my dinner might be later, I'll eat a couple of snacks in the afternoon, rather than wait until 8 p.m. .. because I know I'll be starving and will eat too much then. :)

Don't force yourself to eat 6 meals if you don't want to. Eat when you're hungry, and when you eat make sure you get some protein every time. It'll help manage your hunger much better.

Hope that helps! :)
 
KaraCooks said:
Something else you'll notice too, is that after a while, sweets that you used to crave will taste almost sickeningly sweet to you.

For a while a few summers ago I was really craving fresh fruit and I ate a ton of it. Then one night I picked up a candy bar or something - don't even remember what it was, but something that I used to eat a lot of, I'm sure. I took 2 bites and it was so sweet that I had to put it down. Anymore I can't finish a whole dessert at a restaurant or eat a whole candy bar at a sitting because after eating mostly fresh fruit and things like that, regular desserts are too sweet for me.

So your taste buds really do change as you add more healthy food to your diet. :)
Click to expand...

I'm with you on this Juni. This is definitely something I am looking forward to :) I'm such a sweet tooth, especially around the TOM. Oddly enough though i also crave salty foods during this time which doesnt help with the water retention and bloating :ack2:
 
Hey Juni, 6 meals is - IMO - kinda rough. Even at 2400 cals or more it feels like all I do is eat when I try that. I do much better with a less-structured 3-5 feedings a day and just kinda wing it. Sometimes I do eat a little something when I am not that hungry, if I know I need to add the cals and nutrients, but with smaller portions (even of protein) I find it's not too bad. The occasions where I am not that hungry it's not like I'm still close enough to full to overeat and feel stuffed. I also feel like I do much better managing more frequent meals after a month or two on it.
 
Wonderful inputs. Thank you everyone.

MGR: I know what you mean by six meals being rough. I am constantly thinking about food (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Whilst I used to think of all the bad food I could eat before, now I think about healthy options. I think it is how your brain starts functioning after while.

What I am finding extremely difficult right now is upping my protein intake. I am not that big a fan of meat (i'll have occasional chicken and bacon, but I've never liked beef or pork). I love fish. I don't cook chicken or fish at home. It is a little complicated- I work really long hours, so I have someone cook for me and she is a strict vegetarian so wouldn't even touch it. Other than breakfast, I dont quite make stuff at home. This is not because I don't want to cook, it is because I just don't have the time. I am gone by 9.30 and by the time I come back it is 7.30 or later and I am working even from home. I have kinda stressful job. Sometimes I work through the weekends. The last few weekends have been crazy. I am not complaining, believe me. I love my job but it just gets a little difficult to think of myself when I am at the office all day, and half the night.

Still, I take the time out and at least be with friends on Saturdays. That is the time I go out to eat and make it a point to order chicken or fish.

I have been eating an egg everyday, and I am thinking about upping my yogurt intake from once a day to twice. I looooove yogurt and I wouldn't have problem eating even three times a day. Now yogurt I am very particular about- I make them at home (no market stuff can beat homemade yogurt).

Would love ideas on protein snacks. I have been advised to take almonds and other kinds of nuts, but what else can I have? Thank you so much.
 
all agreed on the get healthier and the cravings will be much less apparent, also when you get your macronutrient ratios perfect for you, you will notice it even less. i find you will crave a lot more if you eat emptier carbohydrate foods such as grain based and sugar, just becuase the brain is tricked into to getting nutrients its not. also if cravings are still an issue then the work of Julia Ross on amino acids is very effective as symptomatic approach but again comes down to a lack of protein i find.

alternative protein sources - i always have whey protein in the cubboard so that if i dont have enough protein at a meal i just have a shake also and that helps me keep my energy tip top. just look for a clean one with isolate or concentrate as the main ingredients.

more sources.......
- All animal meats (pork, chicken, beef, lamb, game etc)
- Fish (cod, prawns, haddock, crab, lobster etc)
- Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt, whey)
- Nuts & seeds (walnut, pumpkin, peanut, sunflower, sesame etc)
- Legumes & Pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans etc) pulses tend to be
30% protein / 70% carbohydrate, so not a high protein content.

also hemp

just a few. hope that helps. ben
 
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