Calorie Ratios? Whats a good one?

What is a good calorie ratio for Carbs/Protien/Fats for a 24yr woman 118 lbs?
I have heard of 40/30/30 or 50/30/20 or the 1..2..3.. method(cals divided by 6 then take that number and multiply fats by 1 ,protien by 2 ,carbs by 3. Is this really important , which of course you should go overboard on fats or carbs, will keeping fats low help you rid that extra pudge that just won't budge? It is hard for me to do the 123 method cause i just cant seem to get below 28 grams of fats nor get enough carbs.(my cals 1500 at the moment).
If anyone is following something please share your wisdom!!!

Thu. Nov 29, 4:10pm

I think all of that is somewhat necessary, but unnecessarily fiddly. I monitor my protein intake by setting myself a daily target range (70-85g) and find that the rest falls into place as long as I minimize high-fat junk food. Works out to be the 50/30/20 approach all by itself...just remember that carbs include fruit and veg, not just starches. The Atkins/South Beach fad has really messed people up with the whole "all carbs are created equally evil" approach.

Thursday, November 29, 2007, 5:46 PM

I don't think it's so important to cut down the fats more than you are - if I did, I'd be starving all the time! Just try and get your fats from healthy sources - fish, nuts, avocados, etc., rather than overly processed trans fats.

40/30/30 is the Zone diet, so it certainly isn't impossible to lose weight doing that!

In my opinion, it's always been about the calories to me. And having a higher percentage fat in my diet allows me to eat fewer calories overall. When I eat too many carbs, I'm hungry and just want to eat more. Fat is satisfying to me. It keeps me full for a long time.

So, I'd say just see what works for you. If you're eating 1500 cals/day and the fat won't budge, try eating 1400 cals/day instead. I don't think changing the ratio will do much, unless you have some unknown allergy to some food group or something.

Friday, November 30, 2007, 3:02 PM

I TOTALLY agree with the PP - find the balance of foods that allows you to not be too hungry and yet stay within a good calorie range (I'm usually between 1200-1500). If I eat too many carbs, I'm hungry all the time. If I eat lots of fatty foods, I'm hungry (because they're so calorically dense that I can't eat enough to fill me up within 1500 calories!) I think rather than focusing on fiddly numbers, try to get your proteins from lean sources, lots of veggies and fruit, and complex carbs as often as possible (brown bread, whole wheat pasta, grains, etc.) I have not counted a single fat gram and have lost 45 lbs!

Friday, November 30, 2007, 3:39 PM

I focus on the quality of the calories- how nutrient dense or nutrient rich the foods are. this is a much easier approach.

Friday, November 30, 2007, 4:12 PM

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