Calorie/Protein ratio question

[feadog]

Hello, I'm new to Protein Power and am still trying to work out the nutr. allowances. For each 1,000 calories, how many grams of protein and carbohydrates are needed for the 65/35 ratio recommended in the books?

[Mitra]

Welcome :).

I'm not sure where you saw those numbers. There isn't a fixed protein/carb ratio in Protein Power. The number of carbs is 30-40 for the intervention stages, while the amount of protein depends on your size, so the ratio varies depending on your size. A small person might need 60g protein per day, while a larger person could need twice that much or more.

The number of calories isn't specified. Most people don't need to count calories, at least in the early stages. If you are overweight and stop losing, then you may need to look at how many calories you're getting, but there is no particular calorie level specified in the plan.

[feadog]

Thank you :0)

I read the numbers in the Protein Power Lifeplan. I'm paraphrasing a lot here, but if I understand correctly, the authors explained that a paleolithic diet probably consisted of 65% (or perhaps greater) protein to 35% carbohydrates and that one of their concerns with the "typical American diet" was the reversal of that (we're getting half the protein we need and double or more the carbohydrates). I assumed that that was the guide used in determining how much protein a person needs on the graph, but I could be wrong.

I know that by listing your height and weight, you're supposed to find your recommended requirements on the graph, but I am not very active, have a small frame for my height, and am PCOS to boot, and I've found that similar graphs used to determine caloric needs tend to overestimate my needs, sometimes by as much as 700 calories. I already know how many calories I'm eating a day, though, so if I know how much protein the diet recommends for someone eating x amount of calories a day, I could figure out what I should be getting.

[LisaS]

I believe the min for females is 27g per meal, assuming 3 meals per day - but don't have PPLP right in front of me to confirm. It isn't based on how many calories you are eating though, more on your assumed LBM based on your weight and height. That said, the table only goes so low - and all would be at that at a minimum.

[Mitra]

Just to clarify, I've just had a look in PPLP, and the 65/35 ratio isn't protein to carb, it's the ratio of animal food to plant food. So the 65% would include quite a bit of fat as well as protein. And the 35% could include some protein and fat, depending on which plants were eaten.

There isn't a protein recommendation as a percentage of calories. The amount of protein you need depends on your lean body mass - the weight of muscle, bone &c in your body. The original Protein Power book had a calculation based on waist and hip measurements (for women) and, I think, waist and wrist for men, that also included a factor for how active you are. It gave a more accurate figure than the simplified tables in PPLP. If you want to use a more accurate protein calculation, the one here (http://www.he.net/~zone/prothd2.html) gives very similar protein requirements to the original PP calculation. (If you decide to try this calculation, ignore the "ideal body weight" that it quotes. For some reason this site says that 22% is an ideal body fat for a woman - which is not unreasonable - then goes on to quote an ideal weight that would require a much lower body fat. But as long as you just use the body fat and protein requirements, it's fine.)

Lisa, there are just a few slots at 20g per meal in the PPLP table - for women who are less than 110 lbs, and not very tall.

[LisaS]

no wonder then that I've blocked them out of my mind as not applicable :D :D thanks.

[feadog]

Thank you for clearing that up, that makes more sense. I guess I need to check the original book out from the library to get that equasion.

[Mitra]

It's worth reading - but the link I posted above will give you more or less the same numbers as the PP equation. I think there's another one linked from the resources section of this board, too. So you don't need to wait until you get hold of the book to find out your numbers.