Ok, I've been tracking my food on FitDay.com.... and was shocked to find out just what I'm eating, and how much carbs I've consumed a day! It's embarrassing yet easy to see, that even though I eat just above what I should be, it's WHAT I'm eating that's the problem! I think if I replace the fat and carbs with veggies and protein, that will change alot of things, right? Am I totally wrong?? I'm totally new to this, so I'm figuring this out as I go! Haha! I'm buying a resistance band set, I can't afford to go to a gym.... so I hope that will help with toning, and strength....is that a good place to start? Are they worth it???

HELP!!!!

Can you tell us your percentages? Carbs, fat, and protein? How many calories?

Ok here's the breakdown....for Today!

1910 Calories Total

Fat: 68g = 33%
Carbs: 275g = 56%
Protein: 53g = 11%

Here I am butting into the 20's again. Fitday is an awesome tool, yes? very enlightening! I'd try to get that protein up, the fat's not toooo bad but you don't need all those carbs.

Of course refined carbs are not good, but it's ok to get between 50 to 65 % carbs if they are good carbs. Of course adding some protein and lowing your fat would be good.

I love fitday it totally keeps me on track. And resistance bands are a great start. I no longer have a gym member ship either and I have still lost about 12 pounds since I quit going and just working out at home. You can buy stuff little by little.

It's great when stuff clicks isn't it!

Definitely check where your carbs are coming form - I usually have really high carbs because I eat a ton of fruits and veggies, but they give me energy - I worry more when my carbs are coming from breads and stuff... or, sigh, my beloved vanilla soy milk, because it's kinda high in sugar. Plus, if you up your protien, you'll feel fuller longer - I know a can of tuna can stay with me a lot longer than a sandwich. And finally... see where you're getting your fat from - if it's a good fat, like from fish, than it's not a big deal - we need some fat and that type is good for our brains... if it's from cookies, though...

re the resistance bands. i am looking at getting some too.

i workout at home and only have free weights (1 through to 5kg) and a yoga mat.

i highly recommend getting free weights for strength training. i want to get the bands as there are some moves that you just can't do with free weights. moves that mimick a rowing machine, or a lat pull down machine - can't remember the technical term - pulling movements, not pushing movements.

another thing i am looking at getting is a stability ball. you don't need much stuff to do your workout at home - would love a treadmill or an elliptical trainer though

re the nutrition - i have only just started tracking my foods through calorieking program that i bought. i found the food in fitday too difficult to navigate and were very US specific. its a great way to see where you are at though - good on you for seeing the trend

I've just been motivated to start a fitday... I'lll see how I do

Ahh... Horrible! Mine was out of control, this fitday thing seems sort of cool, and motivating. Having to think about everything I ate today was thought provoking... Sad how I really don't keep track

http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm

"The United States Department of Agriculture suggests that approximately 50% of your calories come from carbohydrates, about 30% from fats, and approximately 20% from protein sources. 1 gram of protein has about 4 calories, 1 gram of fat has about 9 calories, and 1 gram of carbohydrate has about 4 calories."
make sure the fats arent coming from saturated fat, or trans fat I think u call it there.
carbs are fine, stick with complex carbs, less simple ie white rice, white bread.
try to keep the obv. carbs away from the end of your day.

Saturated fats are different from trans-fats. Trans fats are what we call hydrogenated - they've been chemically altered to become more stable. However they do BAD things to your arteries and heart, so stay away from refined fats!

Some sources of "good" carbs are OATS - these are the best! , wholegrains e.g couscous, brown rice (or wild rice even better). If you choose bread, try to pick something that's got 100% wholewheat flour and as little salt as you can find. Wholewheat pasta's ok, but it's still very refined. Also, try and get the majority of your carbs from fruit and veggies, not only do they fill you up, but they help to flush out the retained water from your system since they contain a lot of potassium, which balances out the bloating effect of sodium.

As for protein, lean chicken breasts, cottage cheese, tuna, fish, lean red meats such as lean pork, turkey, cottage cheese, legumes (beans, peas) - vegetable proteins are not complete proteins, so you have to mix your legumes with dairy, or with a wholegrain to get the complete protein package, however if you're not veggie I wouldn't worry about that!

Fats - as people have said, oily fish is good, flax oil, sesame seeds, it's all good. But the bad fats are from highly processed foods, eg twinkies, pudding cups, doughnuts, margarine

Here endeth the lesson

I think 2frustrated already said everything I was going to say! Yeah, trans fats and saturated fats are different--both are bad, but it is suggested that you try to ELIMINATE trans fats (found often in peanut butter and solid butters and margarines), while some saturated fat is okay, so long as most of your fat consumed is unsaturated. You can't cut fats out completely because we need fat in order to absorb Vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Despite what Dr. Atkins would have you believe, carbs are not the enemy. Refined carbs are the bad ones. Getting carbs from fruit, veggies, whole grains (whole-wheat products, oatmeal, brown rice, etc.), and low-fat dairy products are not bad, and having more than 50% of your calories from carbs (being primarily "good" carbs) will not hinder your weight loss efforts

As I progressed along my weightloss journey ( doesn't that sound philisophical I realised that I wanted a lean slender body that could use up some calories (I like to eat). So I went looking for food plans that claim to help with that (something along the lines of fat loss and increased muscle mass). I found Body For Life's website. I like their simple, plain foods approach. They advocate 40% protein, 40% carbs and 20% fats. It's hard to do but I shoot for that. Usually end up closer to 30/40/30 over time.

I'm a bit cautious around suggestions of what the average American, or Canadian for the matter, should eat. I'm not sure we want to be average.