Correct Portion Size in Carbs+ Protein+Fats etc = Calories

[allsorts600]

He All, I have just joined the NHS 12 Week diet plan. I feel stumped before iv'e even started, so I really hope you can give me some advice. What is the correct portion size for the Protein+Carbs+Fat per Day in grams.or ounces. As this is a healthy eating plan/diet its about getting the right balance. I can't work out just total calories, as I could end up eating to much meat or pasta.The total Carbs per day will help me work out, portion size and the calories in that portion.The same for Protein=Meat etc. Really hoping you can help. Many thanks

[GoogleMe]

The NHS plan suggests some free places to use for calorie counts such as MyFitnessPal, and they generally give protein/fat/carbohydrate amounts too, along with an indication of how much of each is appropriate per day. Do have a good read through all the material - I know it is a lot to take in but in practice it is easier than it looks

Worth remembering too that nothing is really as precise as it looks and each individual day is probably not that important. You'll probably get lots of opinions from people who feel they have been successful using a different balance eg low carb, very low calorie days etc. The most important thing is to make a start.

[victoria-plum]

GoogleMe says it! I use MyFitnessPal, which gives a nice little pie chart of your carb/protein/fat split along with 'ideal' percentage split, but I just log my calories and rarely look at the graph and it usually works out about right, especially over a week. If you're just eating a healthy balanced diet of nutritious food rather than some weird 'eggs and grapefruit' or 'spinach soup for a month' lunacy, it's fine, so don't get hung up on the detail, just get in there!

[lorary]

Have you looked at the wellfood plate, it gives you your ideal plate without too much science, I would worry abit about it all being exact, nothing in life is exact so please dont over stress yourself x

[NovaLee]

Meal replacement shakes are quite a good option, as these contain a measured portion of carbs + protein + fats so you can really fine tune your daily intake and take the guess work out. novadetox.co.uk/acatalog/me... meal replacements that are also fortified with vitamins and minerals make sure that you are not missing any important synergistic vitamin and mineral combinations. These products are also gluten, wheat, sugar and dairy free. So great for vegans or people with food allergies.

[Renka in reply to NovaLee]

meal replacement shakes are a load of chemicals put together. This is not the place for advertising and we can do without 'spam'!

[NovaLee in reply to Renka]

Hi Renka if you take a look at this product you will notice it is food form not artificial products in it at all, there are no chemicals. That is why i added the link here. Thanks,

[motivated in reply to NovaLee]

I agree with Remka's comment... they are indeed full of chemicals and you cannot say that they are healthy and balanced for you...you say they are all natural, but have you actually read the labels on them. One of the components = psyllium powder, which is a laxative medication that can be prescribed ( does not sound very natural to me) just read numerous side effects that this can cause), chocolate flavor = any favoring is derived through science... the rest says either powder or something liek that and although is derived from natural sources is still fortified... if you want to use meal replacement drink some freshly made smoothies same effect, cheaper and you actually know what you put into one!!!

[NovaLee in reply to motivated]

Its not a laxative medication it is the husk from the seed of the plant and it has the effect of helping to keep your bowels clean, this is not a chemical it is plant based. Helps maintain regular G transit, (meaning keeps you regular) and also bulks out in your stomach (exspands) making you feel full so you dont have to keep eating snacks (therefore defeating the object) of regulating your intake of protein, fat and carbs. Also chocolate flavour, is that such a bad thing? Basically the question was regarding a way to regulate intake of Protein fat and carbs, this is a solution.

[motivated in reply to NovaLee]

Hi Novadetox, i understand your point but we obviously have a very different opinions on what "natural" means... i am not saying chocolate flavor is bad makes it more attractive what i am saying though is that you cannot verify the content of that powder... unlike you can verify what you put in your smoothie or shake if you make it yourself. The question initially is around portion size and nutrients, so i would like to know how using this "meal supplements" powder is sustainable long term? i agree this looks healthier then other meal replacements but really even if you take it ingredient by ingredient and read on side effects that still does not impress me really! if you put milk, banana and blueberries in a blender and wizz surely you know what the source of your meal replacement is then! i agree to disagree on your point though we all are entitled to our own opinions and beliefs

[NovaLee in reply to motivated]

OK but milk, banana and blueberries does 1. Not have the array of vitamins and minerals in controlled quantities, 2. does not contain an exact amount of protein, carbs, fat ect. So yes your shake may be healthy, but it would not be sufficient sustenance to enable you to meet your dietary requirements. So I understand your point but to refer to the original question "correct portion size" then my reply was really to address that point, about how to easily discern your intake of these three constituents fat, protein and carbs.

[motivated in reply to NovaLee]

This controlled shake sounds like a good way to brainwash people and make them lazy and not learn about nutrition fortified itself means added =they added it through artificial method!!!same way you take multivitamins they are not coming from any natural origin!!!I this is my last post on this as I said before I agree to disagree!!!

[Renka in reply to NovaLee]

This stuff contains cellulose (an indigestible plant derived substance used to make paper and card) which is what these chemical drinks use as 'bulk' and psyllium, which is both plant derived AND a laxative which has to be added because the cellulose causes constipation. So saying these meal replacements are plant derived means nothing. The so-called vitamins etc are chemically contrived.

As for portion size..it isn't difficult to ensure you have the correct intake of protein/carbs/fats.

It's your choice of course,although why one earth would anyone want to put this stuff in their body when they can eat a healthy balanced diet providing all the protein, carbs, fat and nutrients they need is a mystery. I can only put it down to being too lazy to bother cooking.

However, since you seem to be either brainwashed or a seller - the subject, as far as I am concerned, is closed.

[Divided in reply to Renka]

I don't quite believe this detox person has said the shake she is promoting has the right balance of nutrients when real food doesn't. We evolved eating real food. Our bodies designed themselves around the available food source. As we don't yet understand every response our bodies have to the foods we eat, it is impossible for anyone to create a shake that will be anywhere near as good for you as the average blueberry, not matter what it says on the label.

[Hidden]

Hi allsorts600,

Personally, I didn't get too deadly serious about calorie counting in any great exactitude.

But I DID develop an insight and awareness into what foods contained what kind of level of calories, through internet searches, reading packets and the like.

I bascially trimmed out or signficantlly cut down on all "the usual suspects", fried food, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, confectionery, fizzy drinks, fatty foods, creamy foods, sugary foods, etc., etc.

I found after a while I became quite a good judge of how many calories something would be.

But, I do recommend careful portion control - as in weighing pasta, cereal, rice, etc.

There's not much point in counting a portion (45g) of cereal as 120kcal when in fact you're serving yourself 140g bowls of it in the morning!

And you really do have to count E V E R Y T H I N G - even the lattes, the G&Ts, the glasses of wine, the sauces, the toppings, the gravies, the deserts, etc., etc.

Good luck with your weight loss efforts.

[albionjen]

I wouldn't worry too much about protein vs carbs vs fat, if you eat a balanced diet you should manage to get enough of all of those. Try to have plenty of vegetables with some lean meat/fish and a sensibly sized portion of carbohydrates (e.g. pasta, rice, potatoes). Most packets have suggested serving size for carbs, so perhaps start from there?

Just to give you an idea what I do at the moment, I looked up the recommended recommended intakes for fat and protein, which I seem to remember was about 50-60g protein and 40-50g fat (I'm a fairly short woman). Then I worked out how to split up my calories to meet those minimum requirements and allow some extra wiggle room. Beyond the minimum requirements it is kind of personal preference how much carbs to have vs allowing more protein or healthy fats. For me I settled on aiming for protein 90g; fat 50g and carb 170g for a total of 1500kcal. Of course nothing is 100% carbs or 100% protein, e.g. I had 75g of rice for dinner last night, which contained 60g carbs and 5g protein, 0g fat (plus 10g of other stuff I suppose :)) I use myfitnesspal to do all the number crunching for me so I can see whether I am managing to maintain the balance that I want. Hope that helps a bit!

[motivated]

Hi allsorts600, if you want to learn a bit more about balanced diet you can use this as a starting point: nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pa...

Understnading food labeling is critical in the process and each food label will also give you the RI (Recommended Intake for each of the category of the intake) then you can work out what the daily recommendation is (they are usually based on 2000 calories ) . You can also use recommended portion size ( for example Shreddies recommend 40 grams per intake) and the package will give you calorie intake and will show you the breakdown as well for sugars, salt, saturates and so on! Once you are more familiar with the labels you will know how to make healthier choices! good luck with the weight loss!

[Hidden]

Hi folks,

Such shakes are perhaps useful, on occasions, for some people. However, by their very nature, they are highly 'processed' foods and I do find it odd how people are so very keen to mention that such products are 'gluten-free'.

Gluten is a protein and isn't anything to particularly avoid unless you suffer from coeliac disease / gluten intolerance. (But it's very trendy - in the US in particular - to have gluten free things, a bit like de-caf was a while back). Oh and the suggestion that a gluten free lifestyle assists those with Autism seems to lack evidence to support it.

Avoiding gluten is actually likely to encourage you to gain weight as a lot of gluten-free food contains higher amounts of fat.

My view remains that these various "diet" shakes, like other "diet" food (replacement meals, etc.) have the simple problem of "what happens when the person reaches his/her target weight?"

Do they just keep eating the "diet" branded foods and drinking the shakes for the rest of their lives?

I think it's probably better to plan your way to becoming a healthy weight and finding a way of remaining there by ensuring you're eating a fully nutritious healthy diet - i.e. get yourself into some "good" habits about your eating and activity/exercise.

In my book it's preferable to get all your nuitrients (at least most of the time) from real food as much as is possible in your own particular personal circumstances.

[allsorts600]

Thank you all for some words of wisdom. It has given me a better idea of what I need to be doing. It is all about the numbers. I'm ok with healthy eating cooking etc ,its the cake iv'e got to leave alone and get my portion size under control and move more. I will go onto my fitness pal website. In reply to Novadetox I have tried a very well known branded meal replacement before. I did lose 3 stone but put it all back on again because you cant live on shakes alone I know you wasn't suggesting that so thank you for your advice.I really have tried many diets but have come to realise there is no quick fix, Its a life style change that I need and I'm ready to give it a go. Many thanks every one.

[Hidden]

I have reported this comment as it is made in very bad taste. This person is also slowly joining all the different sites with exactly the same message.