Fats, Proteins, and Carbs

In the last post we determined that in order to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week we would need to create a 500 calorie deficit in our diet. Before you read the rest of this you should make sure you have figured out what your daily caloric intake should be. The formula for this is in the previous post. Now we will look at how to break these calories into the appropriate amounts of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates (carbs). All food can be broken down into these three parts and most foods contain a combination of all three of these things. All of these “ingredients” are necessary for a balanced healthy diet.

Before I go on I must make one point. All of these numbers are estimates. It will be nearly impossible to be perfectly exact with our diets. These numbers are goals and should serve as a general guideline when planning meals and deciding what to eat. As long as we are close to these goals we should see success. Also, these numbers may need to be adjusted (in both directions) as we progress.

The first thing we need to determine is how much fat we need in our diet. That’s right, I said need. Fat is necessary for a healthy diet. Consuming fat does not make us fat, consuming too many calories does. As a rule 20%-30% of our calories should come from fat. So for Joe (who we meet in the previous post), about 593 calories should come from fat. (2371 calories divided by 4) One gram of fat contains nine calories; in Joe’s case this equals about 66 grams. (593 divided by 9) Some good sources of fat include: fish, nuts, and seed.

Next we need to determine our appropriate amount of protein. The USDA recommends a minimum of 0.8 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. People who engage in regular exercise will need more than this. For example body builders and hard core athletes should consume about 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. Each of us will need to determine where we fall. We will say that Joe wants to eat an even half of gram of protein for each pound of body weight. This works out to be 100 grams of protein for Joe. (Half of his 200 lb body weight) One gram of protein equals four calories so Joes target would be 400 calories from protein. Some good sources of protein are: turkey, chicken, fish, lean meat, eggs, and nuts

Next up is carbs. Just like fat is not bad, neither are carbs. Determining your appropriate amount of carbs is easy. We know that Joe will be eating 593 calories of fat and 400 calories of protein. We also know that Joe wants to eat about 2371 total calories. This means that the remaining 1378 calories should come form carbs. Here is the formula: Total Calories-(Fat+Protein)=Carbs. One gram of carbs equals four calories; therefore Joe would need to consume 345 grams of carbs. (1378 divided by 4) Some good sources of carbs are: vegetables, fruit, oatmeal, brown rice, and whole grains

Let’s sum up Joes numbers. Based on our calculations Joe should be eating 593 calories of fat, 400 calories of protein, and 1378 calories of carbs; or 66 grams of fat, 100 grams of protein, and 345 grams of carbs.

Clear as mud? Now figure out your numbers.
Once you know your numbers you can start to keep track of where your calories are coming from. Here are some resources to help you find the nutritional information for the foods you eat:
1. Read the labels
2. www.acaloriecounter.com This is a good site you can use to find things that may not be packaged (apple, potato, carrot, etc.)
3. http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp This website can be used to enter ingredients from a recipe and get the nutritional information per serving.

As I mentioned earlier, all you have to do to lose weight is burn more calories than you consume. This means that if one day you want to eat more protein…no problem, as long as you decrease fat or carb calories, or visa versa . Remember we are looking at total calories. Next I will talk about why you want to eat certain foods and avoid other foods even though you may be consuming the appropriate caloric levels.

P.S.
I am looking for a better title for this post, so if anyone actually reads this post all the way to the end please leave me a comment with a better title.