Ok, I'm not sure if this is just an Atkins rule but I'm trying to follow the 65% fat / 25% Protein /5% Carbs rule, but I can't do it right...

My protein always ends up around 35, (sometimes more..since I eat alot of meat...), my fat around 50/55 and my carbs always end up around 15....

Do you guys enter your menu's in Fitday before you eat them? Because I even tried doing THAT and getting the %'s right and I still mess up.....lol..

Eck any tips? I'm just wondering how you all stay within the percentages if you're following any..

The only way to get up to 70% or more is to eat lots and lots and lots of fat. I think it's hard, personally.

Here are my stats for today from Fitday:

Total: 1622
Fat: 134 1203 74%
Sat: 56 505 31%
Poly: 24 214 13%
Mono: 38 341 21%
Carbs: 15 47 3%
Fiber: 4 0 0%
Protein: 91 365 23%
Alcohol: 0 0 0%

I know I could use more carbs, but I'm sick of salad and I HATE veggies. And since I'm eating more veggies than I did before, I still think I'm ahead in this game.

I've gone to using 1T oil in my dressing to 3T. I use 2T of butter when I make eggs.

I would like to find a better way to get my oil in. Plus I rarely have up to 20 g of carb (especially if I take out the fiber). Soon, when I feel very comfortable with the plan, I'll add some nuts and stuff and hope to increase carbs.

Yea its deffinetly hard. I think it sucks though because it seems like you're not even eating any food..just fat, which is boring..

Atleast you can eat 1600 cals, I have to stay around 1200-1400 or I don't lose, .. so I'd have to make like, what? 800 calories worth of butter....

It'd probably be easier if I stayed at 0carbs or something, but I feel better at 40.... and only about maybe 10 end up being from veggies lol =X

Well, with 40 carbs, your ratios will change a bit. I am usually between 60-70% fat and around 10-15% carbs and I eat between 35-40 g of carbs a day.

Try adding some olive oil to whatever you are eating and also some cheese. Sometimes I just add a tablespoon of olive oil to my veggie burger.

I don't follow any "rule" but I do try to eat enough protein to keep me HAPPY




Cin

I've been trying to find the Atkins percentage rule in the book, but I can't find it. Can somebody point me to the chapter I can read about it in DANDR?

Thanks,
Tom

The percentage is not in the book. I learned about the percentage off websites. Personally, I try to hit that 65% fat mark but rarely get there unless I eat a block of cheese of chug on oil..ugh. I am usually somewhere between 50-60% and losing.

Good information, Yvonne. I've looked all over for it in the book and finally gave up. I'll check the Atkins site to see if there's some info there. I just want to understand the logic behind it better. According to Fitday, I'm about half and half on protein to fat. Carbs are about 4% or so I think.


Thanks,

Tom

Atkins doesn't mention percentages, but quite a few other low carb plans do. All the percentages are different. A lot depends on if you are following a ketogenic diet (like Atkins). If so, your percentage of carbs will be very low. On other low"er" carb plans (ie. The Zone, Sugarbusters, Somersize, etc.) the percentages are more like 40%/30% fat/Protein, 30%carbs.

I did Atkins for the first 4 months. Lost great on it, but stalled out. Now I'm doing my own low-carb plan using approximately the above percentages. I also found that on Atkins I didn't watch percentages OR count calories and I still lost (until the stall). NOw I have to count calories and keep them 1200-1400. I'm not hungry though, so I guess that's what it's all about. I DO have to be careful though--with a higher carb allowance it's easier to overdo. I'm following a pretty conservative version of sugarbusters. They allow 2-3 servings of what they call "starchy carbs" (ie. 1/2 C. brown rice, 100% stone-ground whole wheat bread 1 slice, 1/2 C. oatmeal). I never go over 2 servings in a day, and I spread them out throughout the day.

I just took a look at my fitday stats and for the last month, averages are 72% fat/ 22% protein / 6% carbs. To keep the fat high, I use 18% cream in my DD coffee, butter, mayo, real salad dressings, some cheese and I eat beef quite often.

I was eating a lot of macadamia nuts and heavy cream (35%) but I found that both slowed my weight loss. Probably wouldn't have been a problem if I could have been reasonable about the amounts, but I love whipped cream, and who can eat just a few nuts at one sitting?

High fat hasn't been a problem for me, but keeping calories up has been difficult. I didn't realize how low my calories were without all those high carb foods until I started recording at Fitday.

Sure, I'd like to twitch my nose and have the weight fall off, but losing 32 lbs in four and a half months isn't bad. I'm happy. Oh, and BTW, I'm one of those "older" bodies who are supposed to have a much harder time losing weight.

judy