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I've been on several sites and I've read many articles on what ratios I should have for my food intake for fats, carbs, protein however each article I read or website I visit, seems to offer different ratios. What is a good ratio to follow? I'm currently on 20/30/50(fats, carbs, proteins), however that doesn't seem to be helping shed body fat. I've tried 20/40/40 and feel that it gave me more energy which is what I wanted but didn't allow me to lose any body fat. I exercise 6 days a week for about an hour(3 days cardio, 3 days weight training). Any suggestions or advice on what would be a good macro-nutrient ratio to follow? Thanks!
There is no magic ratio that works for everyone. So DO NOT listen to anyone who gives you a one-size-fits-all ratio. Some people are more carb-sensitive than others. I know people who can get away with eating as much as 60% of their calories from carbs whereas I can't seem to eat more than 40%. You will have to experiment and see how your body responds. But what also matters is the where your carbs and fats are coming from and when you're consuming them. I practice what's known as carb-tapering, which involves reducing your carbs with each meal. The reason for this is that your metabolism slows down as the day progresses so it makes little sense to eat a lot of carbs with dinner. But for breakfast, your body needs more energy to start the day off right. I also get my carbs from high fiber sources like fruits and veggies and completely avoid grains. So you'll have to take into account what types of foods you get your carbs from. Likewise, with fats you'll obviously want to focus on healthy fats from fish and nuts. But before you start adjusting too many variables, just play around with your macronutrient ratios and see how your body responds, not only in terms of body composition, but also your energy levels.
Which is like the zone diet. If you do that and dip in a couple low carb days it really gets you lean. But I agree you have to find your personal carb threshold. Some people also react to high fat intake the same way the react to carbs.
How long did you give the 20/40/40 to shed fat? Are you counting you calories with a scale?
I did the 20/40/40 for a week and didn't lose anything. Last week I did 20/50/30, fat/protein/carbs and lost one lb. This week I'm trying 20/30/50 to give me more energy cause I'm feeling wasted during my workouts but I haven't gone to 50% carbs in a very long time.
What should I aim for the most? Calories? Or hitting my ratios? I've increased my calories this week compared to last week seeing if this method works. I want to try the zig zag ratio and see how my body responds to that too.
I did the 20/40/40 for a week and didn't lose anything. Last week I did 20/50/30, fat/protein/carbs and lost one lb. This week I'm trying 20/30/50 to give me more energy cause I'm feeling wasted during my workouts but I haven't gone to 50% carbs in a very long time.
What should I aim for the most? Calories? Or hitting my ratios? I've increased my calories this week compared to last week seeing if this method works. I want to try the zig zag ratio and see how my body responds to that too.
I would avoid changing too many variables at once. If you do, then you won't know what changes are having what effect. And if by zig-zag, you're referring to caloric cycling, keep in mind that this is an advanced technique that should be treated as a last resort. Be sure you've exhausted other methods before attempting this approach.
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