What percentage of carbs/protein/fat should my diet consist of?

[crash13]

I just read a few studies that are quite contradictory. I'm trying to nail down what percentage of each food component I should intake daily. Some reports say: 40/30/30, others say 70/20/10....I'm confused...
What works for you? Or, what have you heard?
Any information will be quite helpful!

[Enthalpic]

Well 40/30/30 is great on days where you don’t work out all that much. However, when you have a big workout day the additional calories should mostly come from carbs. This will shift the percentages significantly.

Say on an off day you ate 2000kcal using the 40/30/30 ratio. That would give you 150g protein. Now on a workout day where you ate 3000kcal and the extra 1000kcal came from sport drinks and gels (straight carbs) you would still have the 150g protein needed but the percentage protein would only be 20%. Clear?

[aikigreg]

Honestly, so much of that is individual. 40/30/30 will work for most people. For some it's 10/60/30. The best thing you can do is log your food intake (fitday.com will work) for 3 months and log how you feel and your body measurements. Then look at the scale measurements and see if you lost fat or achieved your goals. Then change the diet by 10 percent and go another 3 months. Look again. It takes a good year to figure out how carb tolerant/intolerant you are, but once you get it it's worthwhile.

For me I've learned that on non-training days, I function best when my carbs come from fruit, nut, and veggies only, which ends up being a lower % of total intake. My own non training day looks like 15/55/30.

Ethalpics's post is a great place to start.

[crash13]

Thanks for the info...I seem to be eating the same amount of calories everyday instead of increasing caloric intake on days that I'm actually riding. (except for a couple gel packets and a bottle of Cytomax). I don't think I'm eating enough lately. I get dizzy when I stand up and light headed within an hour after I eat...

[CastIron]

Google up the government food pyramid. The only folks offering diet advice who aren't trying to sell you something.

[deolmstead]

Google up the government food pyramid. The only folks offering diet advice who aren't trying to sell you something.
Actually, the government food pyramid is determined by the US Department of Agriculture. And if you think they aren't selling anything, then I've got a bridge to sell you.

[aikigreg]

Actually, the government food pyramid is determined by the US Department of Agriculture. And if you think they aren't selling anything, then I've got a bridge to sell you.

And I'm sure all the lobbying groups aren't talking to the USDA at *all!*

[jamesstout]

Google up the government food pyramid. The only folks offering diet advice who aren't trying to sell you something.
they're trying to sell you everything!

[EJ123]

I thought it was 40-30-30.

[andre nickatina]

Google up the government food pyramid. The only folks offering diet advice who aren't trying to sell you something.

HAHA.

i was gonna type up a nice response to this but you guys beat me to it :)


aikigreg (http://www.bikeforums.net/member.php?u=23357) wins the prize for right answer by the way. There really isn't a set macronutrient ratio of what you should eat, contrary to some popular belief held by whatever diet/weight loss book is the flavor du jour. What's actually important in the macronutrients debate is the quality of your macronutrients, for example the quality of your protein (eggs and whey are the best, but a varied diet is crucial), quality of your carbs (obviously complex carbs are healthier than simple ones on the body, but when you're actually out riding, simple ones aren't bad), and the quality of your fats (lots of good, healthy non-rancid omega-3 oils, and monounsaturated fats as well; hydrogenated trans-fats shouldn't be in your diet at all).

But what's also important to look at is the quality of your micronutrients, something so overlooked today in sports nutrition. The body needs more than carbs, protein and fats after all.

[Richard Cranium]

Some reports say: 40/30/30, others say 70/20/10....I'm confused...I won't even comment. This idea that the value of diets can be described by the percentages of food composition is a simplistic, inaccurate perspective toward nutrition.

[ericgu]

Carmichael suggests a few things in food for fitness.

He says to set the amount of protein you eat based on a number of grams per kg of body weight rather than a percentage.

IIRC, carbs are set based on a similar approach, and then fat makes up the rest.

And the amounts changed based on what part of the year you're in.

That's a bit complex for me.

I'm probably around 50/30/20 for what I eat normally, and then I add in extra carbs (and some protein) around my workouts.