Recommended Prot/Carb/Fat Ratio?

What should a typical PCF ratio be?

I am 6'3 and weigh 230 lbs. I have lost 35 lbs since X-Mas by pretty much starving and working out 3 days a week. Gains have been minimal which I expected. I now want to maintain this weight while putting on some muscle. This will result in fat loss as well. As you can see I have been around this board for a long time and I have read a lot. I don't post much but just sit back and emjoy reading. I have learned alot and now want to get serious about putting on some size.

I know I should be eating around 3000 cals per day but just need to know how to break down what I am eating.

Any help is appreciated.

300cals per day????

Do you mean 3000cals per day?

My favorite ratio is 50/30/20 (p/c/f)

What does your diet look like right now?

Can you post a typical daily diet?

I am just starting a new diet today. Actually went grocery shopping last night.

Breakfast (8:00)
1 whole hard-boiled egg
2 egg whites
1 apple

Snack (10:30)
1 whey protein shake (34 g prot)

Lunch (1:00) will be
3 small pieces (approx 8oz) chicken
can pork be substituted here?
1 cup broccolli/cauliflower or carrot

Workout 2:00-3:00

Post w/o (3:00)
Another shake (34g protein) w/ 5g creatine

Dinner (6:00) will be:
8 oz assorted red meat
brown rice
(green beans/peas/corn)

Snack (8:00)
16 oz milk with 1 scoop (17 g ) protein

Do you know your totals?

That looks like way to low calories for someone who is 230lbs.

Also your after breakfast snack. Don't drink whey protien with out mixing it with fat (unless post w/o) or carbs. It is absorbed to quickly. You need to slow that down. Add some flax or heavy cream and maybe some berries to that shake. You need to be eating way more than this.

I think this is what it comes out to.

Rough estimate:

270g Protein
60g Carbs
56g Fats

2380 Total Calories

Now I need help on what to add to this existing meal plan to push the cals and protein up. Correct?

You definately need to eat a larger breakfast...also add something to the whey shakes like a piece of fruit and some flax or something for fat.

As for you ratios....it will largely depend on your goals and lifestyle. You should also try to experiment to see what works for your body since we are all different.

As for 50P/30C/20F...that'll work...question you need to consider is whether you can fit that into a permanent lifestyle change. If not it may ultimately lead to weight gain down the road. Personally I find that 40P/40C/20F can fit well into most lifestyles...as a permanent approach to weight management...and it also gives you enough carbs that you shouldn't have a lot of cravings. I would also recommend keeping cals around 3000.

I am breaking this down correctly:

3000 total calories

40/40/20 Yields
40 percent calories from protein = 1200 calories
40 percent carbs = 1200 calories
20 percent fats = 600 calories

1200 protein calories = 300 g protein
1200 carb calories = 300 g carbs
600 fat calories = 66 g fat

50/30/20 Yields
50 percent calories from protein = 1500 calories
30 precent carbs = 900 calories
20 percent fats = 600 calories

1500 protein calories = 375 g protein
900 carb calories = 225 g carbs
600 fat calories = 66 g fat

Now break these up between 5/6 meals, correct?

you got it

Right on...but not exactly...your pre-workout meal should be smaller with a little less fat...and your post workout meal should be quite a bit larger...prticularly emphasizing carbs and protein. nother personal strategy is to have no carbs with your last meal...only protein and fat.

Ratio's are ultimately up to you. Some people feel like shit when they eat higher carb diets and when they drop the carbs they report feeling better (more energy, better concentration etc). The opposite is also true, some people just can't function without enough carbs. You will have to experiment and see what you like.

I personally like to recommend an isocaloric diet to people who just want to maintain. There is no really overwhelming scientific evidence stating that one ratio is better than the other, so i just like to give each macro its dues

Rough guidelines to follow regarding daily calories:

To lose: 12cals per lb of BW
To maintain: 15cals per lb of BW
To gain: 18cals per lb of BW

Remember these are just rough guidelines and you will have to increase/decrease cals depending on your observations (mirror, scale, BF measurements, how clothes fit etc). These numbers are just suggestions so you don't wind up pulling some arbitrary number out of the air and going with it.

Your carbs should mostly be slow burners (i assume you know what slow burners are since you say you have read this a lot), except maybe pre/during/post workout. The whole post w/o issue is also up to you. You should remember something about it though, if you're going to spike insulin keep fat as low as possible and choose a shake that will be absorbed as quickly as possible (whey with dextrose/maltodextrin would be the best choice). If you are going to try and stabilize insulin levels all day, including post w/o, include fat and fiber in your post w/o meal (so whey with oatmeal and flax or something like that).

Remember not to mix the two approaches together, as you do not want to have fat floating around in your bloodstream when your insulin is sky high.

Originally posted by Yanick

Rough guidelines to follow regarding daily calories:

To lose: 12cals per lb of BW
To maintain: 15cals per lb of BW
To gain: 18cals per lb of BW

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The rough guidelines, the "lb of BW" is that current BW or target BW?

Use your current bw. If you use your target bw your cals will be to low and you will mess up your metabolism.

To lose weight 10-12cals per lb. of bw is good. Start with 12 and if you are not consistently losing weight each week lower cals a little more. I don't feel you should really ever have to go below 10cals per lb. of bw if you start at 12 and slowly lower cals over a couple of weeks.

Originally posted by P-funk
Use your current bw. If you use your target bw your cals will be to low and you will mess up your metabolism.

To lose weight 10-12cals per lb. of bw is good. Start with 12 and if you are not consistently losing weight each week lower cals a little more. I don't feel you should really ever have to go below 10cals per lb. of bw if you start at 12 and slowly lower cals over a couple of weeks.

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P-funk, as we have discussed, I am currently over 300 lbs trying to get to 260-270. I have my calories in the 2500 range occassionally up to 3000 on the weekends. According to your post, this is too low and others have said that.

However, I am not at all uncomfortable at 2500. I have plenty of energy except for about a 2 hour period late afternoon. I "feel" like my metabolism is fine, in fact, running better than before I cut my calories.

So....do I up my calories to 3000 or stay where I am comfortable?

Well, are you osing weight still? How long have you been eating that many cals? How much weight are you losing on a weekly basis? Did you just start out eating 2500cals or did you start higher and you have been consistenly dropping cals and you are now at 2500?

Originally posted by P-funk
Well, are you osing weight still? How long have you been eating that many cals? How much weight are you losing on a weekly basis? Did you just start out eating 2500cals or did you start higher and you have been consistenly dropping cals and you are now at 2500?

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Yes, I am losing weight. I do not weigh often b/c of ridiculous fluctuations make that a waste of time. But I take three photos each sunday night and I see good progress. Enough progress to encourage me but not so much as to be losing it too quickly.

Eating that many for about 3 weeks. Calories go up on the weekend but try to stay just as healthy when I can, just higher in cals.

I started out lower than that and have had to make an effort to keep it at 2500. 2000 is where I seem to want to be.

I am concerned b/c I contiually read that I am way too low and I feel like i am eating all the time now!

Thanks for the help.

I would say pick a day and time to weigh yourself each week (for example I weigh myself every friday at 5am on an empty stomach). That is the best way to gauge results. It will tell you wether you are losing or gaining to much to fast or not at all.

My though as to why you might be losing weight at those cals is that you are so low during the week and then the on weekend your cals go up. It is kind of like a refeed. You are taking in more calories and jump starting your metabolism and raising leptin levels only to have them all come back down during the week when you are eating in such a big caloric defecit.