Gram and Calorie Calculator for Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat

June 26, 2007 by Jimson Lee

70-20-10?
50-25-25?
40-30-30?
60-15-25?

I wish I had one dollar for every new diet book that was published. I can think of at least 4 diets that emphasized carbohydrate, protein, and fat ratios off the top of my head.

First, I was a big fan of the Robert Haas “Eat to Win” diet back in the 80’s when I was in College. It followed the same guidelines as the the Pritkin diet, which recommended 70% carbohydrate, 20% protein and 10% fat. After all, I was training at least 3 hours a day.

Second, now Dr Haas has a new book called “Eat to Win for Permanent Fat Loss”, he created a Mediterr-Asian diet that combines the best and healthiest aspects of diets from the regions where people live the longest. His approach features a ratio of 50 percent carbohydrates, which includes grains, fruits, and vegetables; 25 percent protein; and 25 percent fat.

A third diet, the extremely popular “The Zone Diet” by Dr. Barry Sears, has the ideal ratio of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is 40-30-30%, respectively.

And forth, there is the infamous high-protein, high-fat Atkins diet. I am afraid to know these ratios. I love meat, but I love my carbs too.

No matter how you slice and dice these ratios, this handy calculator will help you find your ideal ratios. However, it doesn’t go into the whole picture. Carbs can be divided into two groups, simple and complex, and fats can be divided into saturated and non-saturated fats. These will be discussed in later articles.

I personally like 60-15-25. People think 15% is too little protein. However, my guideline is always eating between 1 gram of Protein for every lb. to kg of your body weight. If I have to, I will supplement it with a protein shake.

If you wish to download this handy Grams and Calorie Calculator for Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat, click here for the Excel spreadsheet.

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, this on-line calculator is currently unavailable. It will be fixed soon!

What your results mean in English

A male weighing 188 lbs with an average activity ratio (0.68) and suggested ratios (60% Carbs, 15% Protein, 25% Fat) should eat about 3068 “Food Calories” (or kCal) of approximately 460 grams in Carbohydrates, 115 grams in Protein, and 85 grams in Fat.

Note the guideline of eating between 1 gram of Protein for every lb. to kg of body weight. In this example, the suggested serving of 115 grams of protein falls between the values of 85 kg and 188 lb.

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Written by Jimson Lee · Filed Under Nutrition, Fitness Testing

Comments

2 Responses to “Gram and Calorie Calculator for Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat”

Speedendurance.com » Can You Lose Weight with the Atkins Diet? on July 1st, 2007 6:12 am

[…] my recent article Gram and Calorie Calculator for Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat , I mentioned the Atkins diet as one of the several types of fad diets out there. I received several […]
Carnival of Nourishment: 4th edition on July 3rd, 2007 8:54 pm

[…] Lee at SpeedEndurance shares his thoughts on carbs, fats and protein. He also has provided a calorie counter for all […]

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