[blueyedlvrgirl]

What are good amounts of fiber and protein to be in an 1800 calorie diet? Also what are good fat/carb/protein percentages? I appreciate everyone's experience and input!!!

[j3nn dot net]

45% to 65% of calories eaten should come from carbohydrates.
20% to 35% of calories eaten should come from fat.
10% to 35% of calories eaten should come from protein.

Suggest 1800 calorie ranges:

Carbs: 203-293 g
Fats: 40-70 g
Protein: 60-158 g (for women)
Protein: 75-158 g (for men)

[zenor77]

It varies depending on what "expert" you follow. According to the USDA the ideal is to get 30% (or less) from fat, 10-15% from protein, and the rest carbs (preferably from whole sources.)

I try to get as close to that as possible, although it doesn't always happen. I figure if I have a high fat day and then a low fat day it'll all even out. I eat mostly mono & polyunsaturated fats anyway so I'm not too worried about having a slightly high fat day. Myself, I can't go below 25% on fat or I start having skin driness and hair loss issues, but everyone is different.

Protein wise, I'm going to say something that might be controversial, you really don't need as much as you think. Most people consume too much protein. Your body needs calcium to metabolize protein, so if you eat too much your body may suck the calcium out of your bones (unless you are getting lot of calcium as well.) So, if you aren't weight lifting I'd stay in the 10-15% range. This is based on nutritional info I've read, but maybe someone else will have a different take on it.

As far as fiber, it's recommended that you get at least 25 grams per day. I average between 30 and 40 grams per day. I found that high fiber foods keep me full longer.

[lorilove]

My understanding is the only specific recommendation that the FDA has is that fat should be no more than 30% of your total calories with no more than 1/3 of those calories (10% of your total calores) coming from Saturated Fat.

So for an 1800 calorie diet, you should aim for no more than 600 calories from fat (divide by 9 and this would give you 67 grams of fat per day).

Remember this is the upper limit. You find many of us (including myself) that stay closer to 25%.

As for protein this is a bit more controversal. I don't believe the FDA has a specific recommendation. zenor77 is correct that you don't need as much as you think you need. But there are many successful dieters that stay close to 10% and others that stay closer to 40%. You should play with this number and find out what works for you. Reasons you would stay toward the higher number is if you do alot of weight lifting or you struggle to stay in the calorie limit and want to add protein to every meal. I personally stay around 20%. For an 1800 calorie diet 20% would be 360 calories from protein (divide by 4 and you would have about 90 grams of protein)

The rest would be carbohydrates. To get the grams of carbs just divide the calories by 4.

As for fiber. 25 grams is the recommendation. Women should have more. I generally have a minimum of 40 grams per day.

Lori

[Switzie6]

It's different for everyone. Alot of people like to do high protein or low carb, but personally I can't do that. Eating high protein makes me feel sick (I tried Atkins once and after 2 days I felt like I couldn't keep any food down, had a sandwich and felt better right away) so I stick to about 60% carbs, 20% protein, and 20% fat. That has been working for me and I don't feel deprived.

[JayEll]

OK--I'll just join in to say that I disagree about protein. I think that folks on diets sometimes cut protein too much, instead of eating lower-fat proteins. If someone is exercising, they need even more protein.

The Zone percentages are 30/40/30 protein/carb/fat. When I'm working out 5 to 6 days a week, I aim for 100 grams protein.

Here is a link to a calculator that shows different approaches to nutrient percentages:

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nut...calculator.htm

Notice that none of the approaches goes below 25% protein.

Jay

[blueyedlvrgirl]

Thank you everyone for your replies! I checked out that calculator and that has helped tremendously! Now I know what I should be getting. Next thing is to figure out how to get it! LOL! Thanks again!