Fat Grams and Carb Grams

I see a lot of posts about counting calories, but does anyone know how many grams of fat and carbs you should be taking in. When you look on the nutrition menu on the back of foods and you see Fat: 12g Carbs 11g how many grams in both fat and carbs are to much?

For example: Is havinving 12 grams of fat or carbs in once dish the equivilent of having 1025 calories?

What is a "safe" gram count for fat and carbs?

Fri. Jan 13, 12:02pm

One gram of fat is 9 calories; one gram of carbs or protein is 4 calories. So, a dish with 12g fat and 11g carbs (and no protein) has 12x9 + 11x4 = 152 calories.

Since 12x9=108 calories, 108/152 % is from fat = 71% of that dish's calories are from fat, and 29% are from carbs. That's not a good balance, but can be balanced through other foods throughout the day.

In general, you want something like 30% of your calories from fat, 30% from protein, and 40% from carbs (that's the Zone; if you're very into cardio, you'll want more from carbs, etc...)

According to this, if you're eating, say, 1500 calories per day, 1500*.4 = 600 calories from carbs, 1500*.3 = 450 calories from fat and 450 calories from protein.

600 calories of carbs, at 4 calories per gram, is 600/4 = 150 grams of carbs a day. 450 calories from fat, at 9 calories per gram, is 450/9 = 50 grams of fat a day. 450 calories from protein, at 4 calories per gram, is 450/4 = 112.5 grams of protein per day.

Spread these grams throughout the day and throughout your meals. If you have one meal that's very heavy in one of the 3 groups, then try to make the rest of your meals very light in that group and focus on getting in enough of the others.

If you're eating more or less calories than 1500 a day, you'll need to adjust the calculations.

This is a very, very basic explanation. Depending on what diet you're on, different kinds of carbs or fat may weigh differently. You may want to consider how many of your fat grams are from the "good" fats or "bad" fats, and how many carbs are "simple" or "complex" (complex is harder for your body to break down, and therefore better for you - it's harder for your body to immediately store it as fat). But, in general, these are the breakdowns. Do with them as you will.

Friday, January 13, 2006, 12:15 PM

Related Content: How To Lose Weight- The Basics Weight Watchers Points System The Fat Smash Diet The Eat To Live Diet The Beck Diet Solution How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight		How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer How To Burn Fat Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? Tips On Using PEERtrainer Visit The PEERtrainer Community Diet and Fitness Resources
Fitness Weight Watchers Meetings Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are Writing Down Your Daily Workouts Spending Money On A Personal Trainer? How I Became A Marathon Runner		Preventive Health How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot? Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer? Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy Reversing Disease Through Nutrition
New Diet and Fitness Articles: Weight Watchers Points Plus How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program		Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne: Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough How To Delay Short Term Gratification How To Stay Motivated How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule
Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight? Are Protein Drinks Safe? Nutrition As Medicine?		Everyday Weight Loss Tips How To Eat Healthy At A Party How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight The Three Bite Rule Tips On How To Stop A Binge