Protein/Fat/Carbs on myfitnesspal

[mypaperhouse]

Hi,

 

I've finished my Whole30 - all went super.

 

I'm wanting to now eat a bit more vegetarian - and will be gradually reintroducing some things to see how they fit.

 

I've also started working out, so I'm really conscious that I'm getting the right nutrients into my body. I've started an account with my fitness pal - not to monitor calories as such, but to check I'm getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals.

 

Can anyone recommend what I should generally (and I know everyone's different!) regarding my fat/protein/carb intake in percent? Or is there a way of working this out based on body weight etc? 

 

Again, this isn't something I'm using to be rigid to, just to make sure that when I start reducing my meat intake, my protein levels are still the same.

 

Thanks

 

Sarah 

[kirkor]

Best bet will be to ask around on a different forum. We try not to discuss specific measurement stuff here.

[mypaperhouse]

Best bet will be to ask around on a different forum. We try not to discuss specific measurement stuff here.

 

Thanks, do you mean on another section of this forum, or on a different forum to the Whole30 Forum?

[Tom Denham]

There is no section of the Whole30 forum where entering food into an app instead of listening to your body is considered a good idea. 

[jburth7]

I can also tell you - I used my fitness pal for about two days when I did my Whole30 - just as a means to write down what I was eating so I could make sure I was following the template.  Why two days?  Well, that was about how long I could go with the 'alert' that I was eating too much fat when I would enter 1/2 avocado with my breakfast... not even getting to the fat for the rest of the day, lol.

[mypaperhouse]

There is no section of the Whole30 forum where entering food into an app instead of listening to your body is considered a good idea. 

 

Thanks but I was looking for some help not patronising.

 

So, no part of the Whole30 advocates proportioning your meal against protein/fats/carbs? I thought the meal plan gave guidelines of how much fat/protein to eat at each meal? Isn't this equal to say a rough percentage of each meal should be xxx?

 

I feel that now I'm off the Whole30 I need to maintain a template of eating a balance within my meals, my main concern being that protein will fall if I eat less meat. Also, as I've only just completed my Whole30, how do I know that I'm listening to my body instead of my mind/cravings? 

 

@jburth7 - You can change the myfitnesspal settings for the fats/carbs/protein %, which is why I was looking for some form of guidance. You can also turn off those tracking things altogether.

[jburth7]

This might not help, but I don't think Tom was trying to patronize you.  I feel for me that the biggest benefit of Whole30 WAS listening to my body and what it needed.  After years of disordered eating through calorie restricting, eating too many 'zero' point foods on WW and other 'fad' diets, it was nice to just be able to follow a general template for eating (protein, fat, veggies), eat until I was full, stop and then repeat two more times each day.  Going back to my fitness pal to try to fit into a percentage of protein, fat, carbs is similar to counting points or using little containers to eat, etc.  After the Whole30, you should hopefully feel you've improved your relationship with food enough to trust your body to tell you what to eat.  Somedays that is more fat, somedays that is more protein, etc.

 

I think the 'problem' you might be having is you're trying to use the Whole30 to adapt to a more vegetarian lifestyle.  Whole30 is not a vegetarian diet.  I'm not saying that people that are vegetarian can't do whole30, but I think it is harder to adapt the meal template when/if trying to restrict meat.  So... you are sort of looking for guidance on a Whole30 forum when you're not really doing a Whole30 diet.  Sorry if that's harsh... I'm not trying to be harsh.  When I did my second Whole30, I totally fell into the trap of trying to restrict a little more here and there, got anxiety if I ate a banana, etc.  and I had to remind myself that there's no perfect Whole30 but if I'm striving for the template AND making sure I'm eating enough, then the magic will happen.  I think it's easy after your Whole30 to try and improve it... when in reality, I don't think there's much room for improvement following the Whole30 diet.

[mypaperhouse]

 

 

I think the 'problem' you might be having is you're trying to use the Whole30 to adapt to a more vegetarian lifestyle.  Whole30 is not a vegetarian diet.  I'm not saying that people that are vegetarian can't do whole30, but I think it is harder to adapt the meal template when/if trying to restrict meat.  So... you are sort of looking for guidance on a Whole30 forum when you're not really doing a Whole30 diet.  

 

 

No, I don't think it was intentional patronising now I've come back but it's important to understand that I'm asking for help because I don't know something and just want input from people.

 

I guess what I'm trying to do with myfitnesspal is just to make sure that my protein levels are enough - I'm guessing they are on Whole30 because I eat protein every meal. I don't want to eat legumes and grains, I'd rather eat more eggs or protein veggies/seeds/nuts but I'm conscious that I don't really know the protein values of these, that's why I'm going to log on myfitnesspal. I'll be using it to check I'm getting enough - not to restrict my eating. I know if my proteins at 5% for example that the meat substitutes aren't protein dense enough.

 

Does that make any sense? 

 

I know from the meal template that protein should be 1-2 servings - I just wanna know how much of each meal should roughly each macro make up?

[ladyshanny]

So, no part of the Whole30 advocates proportioning your meal against protein/fats/carbs? I thought the meal plan gave guidelines of how much fat/protein to eat at each meal? Isn't this equal to say a rough percentage of each meal should be xxx?

 

The meal plan gives guidelines of how to best compose your meals using animal protein, vegetables and fats.  It does not give you a "box" to fit into at the end of each day based on what your meal composition was because humans are dynamic and flexible creatures whereas apps and technology are static and logical.  Think back to our grandparents & great grandparents, before the obesity crisis, before smart phones and the internet and apps.  They didn't "count" anything or try and fit their food into specific macro percentages. They ate meats, veggies and fats.  Do this.

 

Also be aware that if you give yourself any criteria to meet every day, you are giving your phone/internet/chart the control over telling you how much to eat rather than listening to your body.  If you are extra active one day, coming down with a cold next month, having your period (assuming you are female) and you force your consumption to match exactly what your phone tells you to eat, you are disrespecting your body.  We are dynamic and so we go through periods of increased hunger, decreased hunger, periods where we need to eat all the starches, periods where starches feel horrible in our bodies.  You have to learn to listen to what your body is saying.

 

As far as making sure you get correct vitamins and minerals, if you eat whole foods in adequate quantities with a focus on variety, you'll be totally fine.

[ladyshanny]

 I know if my proteins at 5% for example that the meat substitutes aren't protein dense enough.

 

Please also note that the protein from plant sources is not complete and is not utilized in the same way that protein from animals is, therefore the two are not comparable.  If you really want to go to a vegetarian diet/protein source, I encourage you to do some research outside of the Whole30 forum and make sure that you are well informed.  While Whole30 can be done as a vegetarian, it is not how the program is designed and the "technical" support for vegetarians may be lacking on the forum as none of the moderators and very few of the advanced members have experience living a Vegetarian Whole30........and your mods and advanced members are the ones that shell out the advice based on the program rules, recommendations and lived experiences.

 

Please don't take this to mean that vegetarians are not supported here, we love everyone.  Just that the questions that you are asking are really on the very outer edge of the scope of this forum and its moderators.

[mypaperhouse]

Hi,

 

Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

I still feel like my main question is being understood - I want to eat less meat, not become a full vegetarian. This is for ethical and environmental issues. Also because I'll be living in India later this year where I can't eat meat three times a day.

 

I think (correct me please) that different animal proteins have different protein values, therefore I'm using myfitnesspal to look at my protein intake so I can work out the foods which give me the most protein for less servings - does that make sense?

 

Also, I would prefer (ethically) to add in nuts/seeds/vege that are high in protein to replace an amount of meat.

 

From the comments though, I guess I'll be flying solo with this one and just have to work it out on my own.

 

The only thing that puzzles me is that on the Whole30 meal plan, there is a suggested amount of protein/fats/carbs, as a guideline, yet no-one will say, yeah so as a guideline 30% protein, 20% fat and 50% carbs (veg). I completely understand that some people use trackers and get all obsessed about the numbers and hitting calories etc. As I've repeatedly said, I'm aiming to use it just to check I'm eating the right protein amounts and getting nutrients.

 

Thanks for all your help though everyone.

[SugarcubeOD]

I don't want to pile on here and I do come bearing a gift of a link that might be helpful to you...

 

Because the Whole30 is a scientific experiment of one and you're used to that... why not try just eating and logging on a piece of paper what you ate and how you feel... if you find that the meat substitutes are working and you feel good then the ratio doesn't matter.  You will for SURE know if it's not working because you will start to feel off... and at that time you need to go back to your journal and see on which days you felt better and on which days you felt worse... maybe yogurt is a good option (not saying it is, I have no idea how you do with dairy) but the seeds/nuts are not... then you tailor YOUR way of eating to you... just like anyone else that finishes Whole30... it's riding your bike... you're choosing what you're comfortable with eating and you're going to be mindful of how that makes you feel and then adjust accordingly.  No percentage is going to help you because even if you eat to an exact percentage that someone here tells you, that's no guarantee that it's the right percentage for you... if you get me?

 

Here's a link that lists protein grams by food item... bear in mind it does not indicate bio-availability... animal protein will always be the most bio-available.

 

https://www.healthaliciousness.com/articles/foods-highest-in-protein.php