might be a dumb question but i was wondering...

[A H]

This might be my dumbest question yet but...
1)How do I figure out my Protein Carb and Fat percentages? I know it is recommended to follow the 40/ 30/ 30 plan but I just want to be sure that I am right. I know that these Macros are usually measured in grams so how do I figure out what percentage of my calories are going to each...

2) I am a pretty religious counter and I am hoping to use that to my advantage in the program but in the past I have been swayed in wrong directions by faulty labels (ex: the spray butter snafu that got me thinking I was maintaining on 700 calories a day....not my high point). Because of this I am a little leary in trusting the number of calories in foods and how I prepare them etc. I eat a lot of fish (Talapia) and vegetables ( brocolli, cauliflower, mushrooms etc) that I put in a pan with non- stick spray etc as well as whey protein, yogurt, apples etc. is there any reason why I should feel that I am misjudging my calories or things I should keep in mind. I would like to slowly increase my calories and protein but I am leary that i will unknowingly eat way more than my maintenance #s. any advice is great...Thanks again for the support

[bcbarnes]

For your first question:

There are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate, 4 calories per gram of protein, 7 calories per gram of alcohol, and 9 calories per gram of fat. What you want to do is multiply the number of grams of each by 4, 4, 7, or 9. That will tell you how many calories of carb, protein, alcohol, and fat you are getting.

Note that with carbs, there is a lot of discussion about how to count fiber. Some say it counts, some say it doesn't, etc.. You can google for "carbs fiber" to find out more details.

For question 2, I've noticed that the food labels are often not precise, and so your own calculations may not match what the food label says. I have read, for example, that if a food contains 5 or more grams of dietary fiber, that fiber may be subtracted from the total calories at the discretion of the manufacturer (who typically won't tell you whether they did or didn't). Also gram values are often rounded. In addition, your body will convert the food into energy more or less efficiently than someone else, so the number of calories of energy you actually get will be different. It really is a game of us consumers trying to get to the truth versus the manufacturers trying to sell a product ...

Ok - I went off on a little bit of a soap box there. Sorry. Anyway, I hope at least some of this helps.

Brian.