Okay, I am in a dilemma. My Fit Day for today says that I am at 15% for fat, 55% for carbs, and 31% for protein, my calories are at 1,440. I had a big lunch today because I have class tonight so I won’t get to have dinner…or I will have dinner really late. My question is this…I have been playing around with Fit Day to see what I can eat to balance out the percents better. I have some left over pork chops from dinner last night that I can have when I get home from class. According to Fit Day, the pork chop will make my percents 21 for fat, 46 for carbs, and 33 for protein. I like these numbers better of course, but my calories will go up to 1,786. Is this okay? Yesterday I ended up eating 1,448 calories with 20% for fat, 49% for carbs, and 31% for protein. (And I must say I was still hungry when I went to bed). Any advice?
That really depends on what your maintenance calories look like. Is 1800 still in the losing zone for you? Protein is good, but restricting calories is necessary for weight loss. Could you have a smaller portion of pork chop along with some veggies to keep the calories down? By adding the pork chop to your day, the only real benefit to your %s is more fat and fewer carbs. I'd rather have more carbs in the form of veggies or salad than a higher fat %.
I think you're worrying a little about the percentages too much. All three of the stat combos you gave are within healthy ranges, and even if they weren't it doesn't matter so much if your diet is balanced each and every day as much as it does that it balances over time, maybe a week or even month.
Unless you're using a diet plan (like the Zone) that stresses a certain combo, you might be obsessing over trivia. I know for the Zone diet, every meal and snack is supposed to be 40% carb calories, 30% fat cals, and 30% protein, the theory being it is the optimum for hunger control. Personally, I didn't find that true while I was on it (and had difficulty balancing out the numbers at each meal).
If you're still hungry on 1500 calories, maybe 1800 would be a better choice. By your ticker weight, it would still seem like a reasonable calorie alottment. Maybe 1500 is just too low.
For me, even a small amount of refined carbs (sugar, white flour, processed foods and snacks) or even too many good carbs (starchy veggies and whole grains) make me extremely hungry no matter how many calories I eat.
I also use the principles of Volumetrics (make your food look bigger and it fills you up more). If you're choosing nutrient dense food, you could be hungry just because you're not giving your digestive tract much to work with. High fiber, high water content food often helps with hunger (this is the principle of Volumetrics, if you eat more foods with non-caloric fillers (like water and fiber) you stay full longer. That's just the common sense in saying an orange is more filling than the same calories of orange juice, or 20 grapes is a lot more filling than 20 raisins. Or a pasta salad that is mostly veggies is going to be more filling, and lower calorie per serving than the same salad minus the veggies).
According to a Web site I went to (http://www.inch-aweigh.com/dcn.php) I would need to consume 2,695 calories to maintain my current weight (thats a lot!). It also says that to lose one to two pounds a week I should subtract 750 calories form this figure...that would be 1,945 calories. I'm not on any programs.
I won't send my body into starvation mode...will I?
Last edited by silversparkle; 09-11-2007 at 06:22 PM.
Different people have different results. Not all dieters experience starvation mode, even on very low calorie diets. Others find that exercise can prevent or "cure" starvation mode effects. You often have to just experiment and see what happens. If you don't lose one week, it isn't necessarily starvation mode, though as that usually takes weeks or months to develop.
Generally, I understand it to be best to eat as much as you need to in order to lose no more than about 1% of your body weight weekly (don't worry about the first 2 - 3 weeks though, as you'll often lose double this in the first few weeks of a new eating plan).
Starvation mode is highly over-reported. You won't starve on 1800 calories a day, but you probably will lose. Try going up to 1800 for a while and see what happens. If you lose too quickly you can increase your calories, if you lose too slowly you can decrease them.
And, as Colleen said, don't sweat the percentages too too much. Lots of protein is a good thing, but a balanced diet with plenty of veggies and fiber within your calorie range is best. 30%, 35% doesn't really matter so much--it tends to even out over time.
Protein or Calories?
