Question about 65%30%5% ratio thing

[mothette]

65% Fat, 30% Protein, 5% Carbs

Where did this come from? What is the rational behind it? I looked in the book and can't find it. I may be overlooking it, it may not even be in there but I've seen it in a few posts and am wondering what it's all about.

I made a fitday account and added my foods for yesterday and what I am going to eat today. Yesterdays numbers were 76 % fat, 20% protein, 4% carb and todays will be 73% fat, 24% protein, and 3% carb.

I guess it would help to know that I am on extended induction. I started this 9/21/07

[Bren]

That formula came directly from Atkins Center............ we called back in 2003 when you could still do that! Also, we found that if you plug the menus for induction into Fitday they come up pretty close to that.
Extended induction is no different then induction............your staying in induction longer. Menus etc are still the same!

[Evermind]

Your percentages are what mine always, always are. You don't want to go below 65% fat. But higher is ok.

[mothette]

Thank you so much for your answers. You guys are so helpful.

Did they say why it should be around those percentages? Is there a reason why fat needs to be higher than 65%?

[not2late]

The Atkins Center got it from the Duke University study. Duke studied Atkins dieters. The nutritional analysis for the Induction phase came to roughly those percentages.

The only Atkins book that even alludes to any percentages is Atkins Diabetes Revolution, which gives 30-35% as the number for protein---during all phases of Atkins.

[sallyseachange]

I think it's important not to be too concerned about the percentages. They should be used as a rough guide and the main thing is not to stray ultra wildly, consistently. How your percentages look can depend on where you live and the type of cuisine in the country/area.

Living in Italy, I find it impossible not to have a higher than usual fat intake. Italians use olive oil by the gallon and toss most veggies in it too. The oil, and how they use it, is a huge part of what makes their food so wonderful.

Of course, with a higher fat intake, my protein percentage gets pushed lower, even though I'm still eating the same amount I always ate. Personally, I don't think this matters.

[deec73]

What are some food examples high in fat? And some high in protein?

[LishJustLish]

High in fat: eggs, cheese, butter, mayonnaise, oils, nuts. All good for you, satisfying real foods

High in protein but not necessarily fat: fish and shellfish, poultry, lean meats. Again, very important parts of the Atkins WOE.

[shari_dawn]

my problem is that my protein always seems to be too high. I dunno. I was doing fine before I got so tied up with these percentages and now I seem to get frustrated. See right now I'm at 59/4/38. I know its just midday so now I've got to figure out what to eat later so that I can get the fat percentage up and the protien percentage down. Its a balancing act that I find kind of difficult sometimes. I find it was much easier to eat when I was not worrying about percentages but I like the accountability I have about everything I put into my mouth and on the computer.

[not2late]

Originally Posted by shari_dawn

my problem is that my protein always seems to be too high. I dunno. I was doing fine before I got so tied up with these percentages and now I seem to get frustrated. See right now I'm at 59/4/38. I know its just midday so now I've got to figure out what to eat later so that I can get the fat percentage up and the protien percentage down. Its a balancing act that I find kind of difficult sometimes. I find it was much easier to eat when I was not worrying about percentages but I like the accountability I have about everything I put into my mouth and on the computer.

Don't get too wrapped up in the percentages---they are a guide.

If at the end of the day, you are low on fat, don't run to the kitchen and start gobbling up every high fat object in sight to "get the percentages right".

What you do is look what you ate and the amounts you ate that day. Then tomorrow, you figure out where to put the additional fat. Typically 1 or 2 tablespoons of added fat can change the percentages dramatically. This means adding a tablespoon of olive oil or a tablespoon of mayo is all you need to do to change the percentages.