Ask the Dietitian: What’s the Best Carb, Protein and Fat Breakdown for Weight Loss?

Between all of the different diet trends and conflicting research findings out there, it seems we’re more confused than ever about what and how much to eat, particularly when it comes to protein, carbohydrates and fat. While there’s no one combination that will make the pounds magically melt off you can optimize your diet for weight loss by adjusting the composition of your calories.

Carbs, Protein or Fat: What makes the most sense to adjust?

When it comes to choosing what to eat more of and what to cut back on for weight loss, consider first what you want to achieve. The goal of losing weight is to reduce fat stores while preserving, or even adding, lean tissue—what we refer to as muscle.

Carbohydrates are an important source of fuel for our muscles during exercise and are the only source of energy for our brain and red blood cells. Fat is equally important, playing major roles in everything from brain function to cell structure, but if you’re trying to lose weight, it may not hurt to trade some carbohydrates and/or fat calories for a boost in protein. Calorie for calorie, protein has the most metabolic benefits for weight loss: it increases satiety, stimulates energy expenditure and preserves muscle, which unfortunately is used for energy along with fat during weight loss.

What to adjust, and by how much?

For most, it is perfectly safe to adjust carbohydrate, protein and fat consumption to optimize the diet for weight loss. You may find it beneficial to trade a percentage of your calories from carbohydrates or even fat, for protein calories.

As a jumping off point, let’s review the current recommendations for carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as MyFitnessPal’s default goals for these nutrients:

Current Recommendations
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating within the following ranges:

• Carbohydrates: 45-65% of calories
• Fat: 20-35% of calories
• Protein: 10-35% of calories

Also worth mentioning here is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates, which is 130 grams per day. This number is based upon the amount of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) required to fuel an adult’s brain, red blood cells and central nervous system. This is important because if we do not get enough carbohydrates from our diet, the body will break down protein (which it can turn into glucose) to maintain blood sugar levels and fuel the brain and red blood cells.

MyFitnessPal’s Current Default Goals
MyFitnessPal’s current default goals distribute calories as follows: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat.

To help you visualize some modest modifications, here’s a table summarizing a couple of options for safely cutting back on calories from carbohydrates and fat while increasing protein intake to optimize the diet for weight loss:

	Recommended Ranges (Percent of Calories)	Lower Carb Higher Protein (Percent of Calories)	Lower Carb & Fat Higher Protein (Percent of Calories)
Carbohydrates	45-65%	45%	45%
Protein	10-35%	25%	30%
Fat	20-35%	30%	25%

For those primarily interested in cutting calories from carbohydrates, a 1,200-calorie diet with 45% of calories from carbohydrates would provide 135 grams of carbohydrates, thus meeting the RDA of 130 grams. Go below that and it becomes incredibly difficult to hit your daily fiber goal (which also helps with satiety) and you may feel more sluggish during workouts. Hypothetically speaking, a 1,300-calorie diet with as few as 40% calories from carbohydrates (below the recommended minimum) would still meet the RDA for carbohydrates.

If you’re currently using MyFitnessPal’s default goals and want to trade some carb calories for protein, the 45:25 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio may be a good place to start.

Don’t forget about quality, too.

While there’s no one magic ratio for everyone, you may find that making some modest adjustments to macronutrient intake can help your long-term weight loss efforts. Feel free to experiment but remember: The quality of the protein, fat and carbs you eat are just as important as the quantity.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you adjust your macros:

1. When it comes to carbohydrates, the more complex the better. Complex carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains, contain fiber which has a beneficial impact both on satiety and blood sugar. Put those on your plate instead of highly refined or simple carbohydrates and sugary treats. This Nutrition 101: Carbohydrates post offers some healthy carb options.

2. Lean protein offers muscle-sparing benefits with very few calories from fat. Check out this great Nutrition 101: Protein post for some great plant-based protein sources as well as some lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish to stock up on.

3. Fats have many benefits ranging from satiety to brain health–especially those rich in omega-3s. Skim over our Nutrition 101: Fats post if you’re looking for some heart-healthy options.

Note: Modest changes in macronutrient intake can be beneficial for weight loss; however, these tweaks may not appropriate for everyone, particularly those with diabetes, kidney disease or other diseases affected by diet composition. As always, it’s best to check with a dietitian or doctor before making these changes, particularly if you have medical concerns.

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What Exactly Happens to Your Body When You Overeat?

Overeating can seem harmless. So you finished that whole bag of chips the other day — what’s the big deal? But as one of the biggest causes of obesity, overeating runs deeper than simply having the occasional case of my-eyes-were-bigger-than-my-stomach syndrome.

“Overeating is when a person eats to the point of feeling uncomfortable,” says Keri Gans, RD, author of “The Small Diet Change.” “You should be able to walk away from a meal feeling satisfied but not stuffed like you need to undo your pants.”

But it’s not just a physical problem. To get to the root of why we do it, it helps to take a closer look at the psychological as well as the physical.

“A lot of it is behavioral,” says Gans. “Since we were children, we were taught to finish everything on our plate, and therefore we’ve lost the ability to recognize when we’re full.”

When you do fall prey to the temptation to overeat, a few things happen to your body.

“The immediate response for people when they overeat is that they feel tired and sluggish,” says Gans. “It takes work to digest a meal, and, if you’re eating a lot of food — especially high-fat foods — that takes a lot of energy for your body to digest.”

Next, you’ll get that uncomfortable bloated feeling. As your body works to digest the high volume of food, your stomach will produce gases, leaving you to deal with the discomfort of your waistband suddenly cutting into your stomach.

You might also experience a separate pain from acid reflux, which can be triggered by downing a high volume of food.

And most importantly (and obviously), any time you consume more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight.

So what can we do about it? First, figure out if you’re actually hungry or if reaching for the plate of cookies in the break room is more of an emotional response.

“One of the first things I always tell my patients is to use what I call the ‘HALT’ method,” says Gans. “Are they hungry, angry, lonely or tired?”

Once you’ve ruled out an underlying psychological state as your motivation for eating, take a look at what’s actually on your plate. A properly portioned meal that’s high in fiber will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied and nourished. Gans recommends following the 25-25-50 rule: one-quarter of your meal should be lean protein like grilled shrimp, one-quarter whole grains like whole-wheat pasta and half filling fiber like grilled veggies.

You can also eat from a smaller plate when possible, since several studies have shown that how big our portion appears relative to plate size plays a big role in how much of it we eat.

Now that you’re sitting at the table, make mealtime an actual event. “Slow down and remove distractions,” says Gans. “Actually focus on eating, tasting and enjoying your food.”

And finally, she recommends drinking water with your meals — it will help to slow you down and fill you up, giving you the upper hand on overeating.

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10 Freezer-Friendly Breakfasts Under 375 Calories

All hail the freezer! Let’s face it — while we’d all love to leisurely dine on omelets and pancakes before work, we’re simply too busy most days. By preparing a few nutritious options ahead of time — like whole-grain oatmeal muffins, hearty granola bars and breakfast burritos — you’ll set yourself up for morning success. Kick-start the workweek with one of these freezer-friendly breakfasts, all for less than 375 calories!

10 Freezer-Friendly Breakfasts Under 375 Calories

1. Banana Granola Bars | Running with Spoons

Having a batch of healthy homemade granola bars in the freezer makes breakfast (or snacktime) a total breeze! Subtly sweetened with ripe bananas, honey and dates, this simple yet hearty gluten-free breakfast treat is packed with nutrition and flavor. Recipe makes 10 servings at 1 granola bar each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 130; Total Fat: g2; Saturated Fat: 0g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 120mg; Carbohydrate: 27g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 3g

2. Gluten-Free Banana Oat Waffles | Kim’s Cravings

Jump-start your day with these fluffy and wholesome banana waffles. Freeze leftovers and reheat in the toaster oven for a light, crispy breakfast in no time! Top with crushed walnuts and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Recipe makes 4 servings at 1 large waffle each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 232; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 93mg; Sodium: 82mg; Carbohydrate: 36g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 10g

3. Lemon Coconut Baked Oatmeal Cups | Hummusapien

This portable option is packed with fresh lemon and coconut flakes for a light, fresh breakfast. Whip up a batch ahead of time, and freeze for a filling, quick and super-tasty grab-and-go option on hectic mornings. Simply pop one in the microwave for breakfast in seconds. Recipe makes 12 servings at 1 oatmeal cup each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 157; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 24mg; Carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 6g; Protein:4g

4. Make-Ahead Mini Frittatas | Clean Eating

When there’s not enough time for an omelet with toppings galore, these Italian-style mini frittatas are the next best thing. They’re totally portable and loaded with fresh tomatoes, lean chicken sausage, mozzarella and fresh basil. As an added bonus, they cook up very quickly in the muffin pan! Recipe makes 6 servings at 2 frittatas each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 291; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 297mg; Sodium:489 mg; Carbohydrate: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 2g;  Sugar: 4g; Protein: 21g

5. Gluten-Free Almond Butter Zucchini Muffins | Eating Bird Food

For those mornings when you wake up with a raging sweet tooth, almond butter zucchini muffins come to the rescue! Chock-full of freshly grated zucchini, these mini muffins make an ultra-moist, healthy and convenient breakfast. Bake a double batch, and freeze leftovers for grab-and-go treats. Recipe makes 24 servings at 1 mini muffin each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 87; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 18mg; Sodium: 58mg; Carbohydrate: 5g; Dietary Fiber: 1g;  Sugar: 3g; Protein: 3g

6. Protein-Packed Breakfast Burritos | Fit Foodie Finds

These savory egg and bacon wraps are perfect to grab before work or school. With a whopping 27 grams of protein, they’re sure to power you through any morning. Make a few extra to store in the freezer for easy reheating during the week. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 371; Total Fat: 22g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 391mg; Sodium: 565mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 9g; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 27g

7. Banana Berry Oat Bars | MyFitnessPal Original Recipe

When you wake up early or have some time on the weekend, bake a batch of wholesome berry oat bars for a sweet workday breakfast. They’re lightly sweetened with ripe banana and a touch of honey. Top with your favorite berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a morning treat you won’t soon forget! (For vegan-friendly bars, substitute pure maple syrup for the honey.) Recipe makes 4 servings at 4 small bars each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 289; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 642mg; Carbohydrate: 62g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 26g; Protein: 6g

8. Whole Food Breakfast Burritos | Simply Sisson

Making your own healthy breakfast burritos to grab on the way to work is easier than you think! This whole food version combines turkey sausage, eggs, veggies and seasoned breakfast potatoes for a fuss-free, freezer-friendly meal. To speed up the process, cook the turkey sausage and potatoes ahead of time. Toss in a handful of fresh greens for extra nutrition! Recipe makes 16 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 297; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 181mg; Sodium: 719mg; Carbohydrate: 37g; Dietary Fiber: 9g;  Sugar: 6g; Protein: 16g

9. Blueberry Breakfast Cookies | Ambitious Kitchen

Put some pep in your step with unique cookies made especially for breakfast! Banana, blueberries, flax and oats make these a tasty and wholesome morning treat. (We like to add walnuts and chocolate chips, but feel free to add coconut, almonds or dried cranberries.) Recipe makes 8 cookies.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 206; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 5g

10. Healthy Flourless Sweet Potato Muffins | The Big Man’s World

A light and fluffy muffin recipe made with whole grain oats and a cup of veggies? Yes, please! You’d never guess there was mashed sweet potato hidden in these vegan breakfast bites. The best part is that you’ll only need one bowl whip them up.  Recipe makes 11 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 166; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 36mg; Carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 8g; Protein: 4g

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Is This Trendy New Bread Healthier Than Regular Bread?

Bread has gotten a bad rap in recent years, but a new trend in baking is trying to change that. A growing number of bakers are using fresh-milled flour—i.e. flour that they’ve ground themselves or gotten from a local mill—in their breads, all in the name of health.

According to the Wall Street Journal, bread made from freshly milled flour not only tastes better, it has more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than bread made from “regular” flour. In fact, they say it’s better for you than bread made from your standard whole wheat flour, which is typically made by mixing white flour with small amounts of wheat bran.

Is this for real? Experts say yes.

“Fresh-milled whole grain flour provides the goodness of all the parts of the grain, so it contains superior levels of fiber, magnesium, selenium, vitamin E, and phytonutrients,” registered dietitian nutritionist Karen Ansel, coauthor of The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight, tells SELF. “Any bread made completely from whole grain fresh milled flour is going to give you the benefits of these nutrients.”

Here’s why: Freshly milled whole grain flour grinds up the wheat kernel, which contains the bran (the outer layer packed with fiber), the endosperm (the starchy middle layer), and the germ (the inner layer). White flour, on the other hand, is made just by grinding just the endosperm so that it’s shelf-stable.

“These breads will likely contain more fiber and nutrients that commercial white bread,” says New York City registered dietitian Jessica Cording. “However, it’s possible that because there is some slight variability between nutrient profiles between different grains, the amount may not be as consistent.”

And, while bread made from freshly milled flour is extremely rich in nutrients, Ansel says it doesn’t necessarily surpass the nutrition of 100 percent whole wheat bread. “As long as the bread you’re buying lists ‘100 percent whole wheat flour’ as the first ingredient, it’s loaded with nutrition and is an equally good choice,” she says.

There is a downside of fresh-milled flour, though: It starts to lose its flavor immediately after milling, and is supposed to be used within a week. Breads made from the flour have a very short shelf life, so you’d need to buy it fresh regularly or even every day. “For many people, that’s not practical,” Ansel points out.

Bread made from freshly milled flour comes out on top, nutritionally speaking, when compared to white bread, but not on all fronts. “It does contain less folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron because these nutrients are added to white flour to prevent nutritional deficiencies,” Ansel says. “A little known fact is that one reason the Dietary Guidelines recommend making half of our grains whole is that if Americans were to cut out all enriched white flour we wouldn’t be able to meet our folate needs.”

But bread made from freshly milled flour can fill you up more because of its hearty grains, registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Living a Real Life With Real Food, tells SELF. And, she points out, it freezes, so you can slice up a loaf, set aside what you want to eat for the next day, and pop the rest in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.

Overall, experts say bread made from fresh-milled flour is a good option if you can get it. But, Ansel says, “if store-bought whole wheat is easier, don’t sweat it.”

—By Korin Miller

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The Upside of a Weight-Loss Plateau

It’s December 31st, 2015. You hop on the scale and you weigh the exact same amount you did on January 1st, 2015. How would you feel?

Happy? Sad?

What if I told you that the average American gains 1 pound every year? And that by not gaining a pound in the year, you’re actually doing well above average!

Most people lose a little bit of weight, hit a plateau, then immediately give up when things aren’t going as quickly as they were before. Most people gain that weight back and then some. This whole phenomenon of quitting when things are going more slowly is a bit like hitting traffic on your way home from work, and abandoning your car on the side of the road because you’re not driving as fast as you wanted. Or getting a flat tire and slashing the other three.

There’s a mantra in Zen: “the obstacles are the path.”

Plateaus happen. We know they’re going to happen. In fact, when we plateau, it means that we’ve made progress! It’s the perfect time to look back and see how far you’ve come because no human endeavor is linear. Learning a language, a musical instrument, how do date, or how to write well all takes time, with improvements coming in waves of easy progress, then stagnation, followed by bursts of more progress.

Diane Fu is a weight lifting coach in San Francisco who tells her athletes, “When you hit that first plateau and you’re not improving as fast as you were before, congratulations! You’re no longer a beginner!”

The same is true with fat loss. Weight loss can be fast in the beginning because the more weight you have to lose, the faster it comes off. The closer you get to your goal weight, the slower things get. So it’s not a sign you’re doing something wrong; it’s a sign you’ve done things right! It’s a sign that you’re completely normal and have hit a point that everyone hits on their weight-loss journey. A plateau is a mark on the road, letting you know you’re heading in the right direction, and that you’ve made a lot of progress.

So now it’s up to you. When most people hit a plateau, all they can think about is that things aren’t going as quickly as they were before, so they quit. The weight comes back on and they’re further away from their goal than they ever were. But plateaus are just part of the journey—a slight bend in the road that is still going to take you where you want to be. Do you turn around to go back? Or do you keep walking?

When you focus on the journey instead of the destination, the plateaus come and go. If you keep tracking, keep making little improvements to your diet, keep walking every day and getting some exercise, then the weeks when things aren’t going as quickly as you want them to will give way to the weeks when everything seems to fall into place.

And, before you know it, it will be December 31, 2015. The average American gains 1 pound a year. The average dieter gains back more weight than he or she loses. So all it takes to be better than average is to keep moving forward.

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Sausage & Vegetable Egg Bake

This yummy sausage and vegetable egg bake is a delicious way to fit a complete meal (and some extra veggies) into one pan. Courtesy of The Lean Green Bean, each mouthful is dense with flavor and eggy goodness! This egg bake can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated and popped into the oven when you’re ready to serve.

Sausage & Vegetable Egg Bake

Ingredients

• 1 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove moisture
• 2 chicken sausage links, chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 4 ounces cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups bread, cubed (Italian loaf or a baguette work well)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Optional: ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

If serving immediately, preheat oven to 350F. Alternatively, you may cover prepared mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for baking the next day.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spoon into a greased 9 inch x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes, until desired degree of doneness is reached.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1/4 of 9″X 9″ pan piece

Per serving: Calories: 387; Total Fat: 20g; Saturated Fat: 10g; Monounsaturated Fat: 7g; Cholesterol: 355mg; Sodium: 465mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 8g; Protein: 23g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 591mg; Iron: 18%; Vitamin A: 102%; Vitamin C: 113%; Calcium: 21% 

Lindsay is a Registered Dietitian from Columbus, OH that specializes in nutrition communications and works as the Nutrition Communications Coordinator for HealthyAperture.com and TheRecipeRedux.com. Lindsay is also a freelance recipe developer, writer, and the author behind the healthy lifestyle blog, The Lean Green Bean. For more, follow Lindsay on Pinterest and Twitter.

Photo courtesy of The Lean Green Bean.

Original recipe can be found on The Lean Green Bean.

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20 of the Worst Restaurant Calorie Bombs

How many calories are you really eating at restaurants? Everywhere you turn there are delicious dishes that turn out to be calorie bombs in disguise. A 2016 study by Tufts researchers found that 92% of 364 restaurant meals — from both large-chain and “non chain” restaurants — serve up more calories than the average person needs in a single meal.

Get this: The researchers found that meals at nonchain restaurants averaged 1,205 calories! (Nonchain restaurants are those with fewer than 20 locations, so they are not required to provide calorie information under the menu labeling law adopted in 2010.) Large-chain restaurants had roughly the same stats. To help you understand how many calories you’re getting, we’ve compiled stats from the study and other sources in this handy infographic. There are some tips to help you order up (just not in calories!).

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