I have been looking online trying to figure out where to get the percentages of my calories from. I am finding all kinds of answers. The most common one is 40% calories from carbs & 30% calories from both fats & protein. Is that pretty much the way to go? Other suggestions? Or does anyone just eat the amount of alloted calories & not worry about the rest? I think I am making this harder than it has to be.

Yes

It really depends on you and your goals. A lot of people feel that they do better on higher fats than carbs or higher carbs than fats. You can try various adjustments and see what works best for you. If you eat "balanced" meals in your calorie limits (ie choosing a protein, carb, and fat for each rather than just one type of food), you'll find it usually balances itself out at the end of the day

Personally, I'm 40 P, 35 C, 25 F for my weight training.

I aim for 40/30/30 but day-to-day i find i tend toward less carbs and more protein. As long as I'm getting in plenty of non-starchy veggies I don't worry too much about the actual breakdown.

Sacha, I like your numbers better than what I am coming up with. I would rather the fats be under 30 just because I think it sounds better. I am not an experienced dieter. I've never been on a diet. I gained 49 pounds the last 6 months due to health issues that are being treated now, so I am kind of lost. I have to work really hard to get my protein numbers up. I eat a pescatarian diet, and I only try to eat fish about 3 times a week. I don't like the fake meats so I am getting a majority of my protein from veggie sources.

Thanks for your input. I thought I was making it harder than it has to be.

Dee

Thanks vladadog, that does make me feel better about it knowing I don't have to figure & re-figure my foods to make the percentages come out the same everyday.

Dee

Cottage cheese and greek yogurt are fantastic sources of vegetarian protein (if you eat fish, I assume dairy is ok).

A lot of it comes down to personality. I need BULK. I like to be food. Fat is dense, and I find that if I eat even a moderate amount of fat, I can't get the bulk food in that I want. Other people really enjoy the richness fat gives food, and they find that fat sates them. We are all experiments!

Shmead, yes I do eat dairy. I like the way you put this "We are all experiments!".

Hello, welcome

Overall, it doesn't matter as much as you have some level of balance. I'm about 60% carbs, 20% fat, 20% protein. I eat lots of beans, veggie, fruit, whole grains, etc. Quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat are all good sources of grain like protein, greens are a good source of veggie protein, bananas are a good source of fruit protein and any beans/nuts are decent forms of protein.