I'm 5'9", 158. Plan on shedding 10 pounds of fat and gaining muscle. I hope to get into amazing shape. (I'm already in shape, but I'm aiming for getting cut!)
I'm curious what I should aim for in terms of my Protein/Fat/Carb ratio?
I generally eat around 1,500 calories per day.
You need to consult a sports nutritionist. There are FAR too many variables that affect your metabolism and how you digest food to tell you what you need.
That being said, you can take a few things into consideration.
1) You have to consume calories if you want to lose weight.
-If your body is needing 2,500 CAL/day, and you are only consuming 1,500 your body will think you are starving. This does not mean eat a 2,000 CAL burger, you still have to be responsible with your calorie consumption.
2) Carbohydrates are needed to burn fat.
-Therefore, you CAN NOT burn fat without carbohydrates in your diet. You will lose fat size; but, you will not actually burn the fat. Mike S. is correct about the varying degrees at which people burn carbohydrates. This is one of the reasons you need to consult a sports nutritionist.
3) After a certain point, protein consumption becomes inefficient and you pee out excess. -This level is different for everyone and is another reason you need to consult a professional. The United States Registered Dietitian's Association states that it, "recommends 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of ideal body weight per day." A sub-point to be made here is that natural sources of protein are more beneficial that supplements. The exception to that rule is when you can not consume enough protein by eating regular foods and need a supplement.
Most diets that are followed before competition by body-builders are low-carb ones. Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It also strongly advocates keeping carbs to absolute minimum.
You need protein to keep your muscles grow. The most your body can process 2.2g to 2.5g per kilogram, which in your case amounts to 173g of protein. Which is roughly 46% of your 1500 calories/day.
What I suggest is 10% Carbs 45% Fat 45% Protein
I follow this very same diet, and the results are quite satisfying.
Some people can burn carbohydrates more efficiently than others. I'm currently on 50,30,20 (pfc) and I've had good results. I'd definitely try lower carb first as that has the best success rate. If you have trouble putting on muscle I'd add in more calories 200 at a time.
Your appetite can be directly linked to your metabolism and so that would be my guess as to why you don't feel like eating any more than you are. The best way to increase your metabolism is to eat more and more often (ironically), which will in turn increase your appetite.
Here is a diet plan which equates to about 2800 calories (50,30,20) (protein,fat,carb).
Meal 1: 4 eggs + 1 piece of toast + 40g protein shake
Meal 2: 230g meat + 200g vegies + 50g rice
Meal 3: 25g almonds + 40g protein shake
Meal 4: 230g meat + 200g vegies + 50g rice
Meal 5: 25g almonds + 40g protein shake
Meal 6: 230g meat + 200g vegies + 25g + almonds (no rice)
Add to that a quality fish oil, a multivitamin, and probiotics for digestive health. All weights are uncooked and 'meat' refers to anything lean (chicken breast skinless, lean beef mince, tuna, etc). Veggies excludes potatoes - just stick to green fibrous like broccoli. Protein powder must be low carb as possible (no sugar). Drink plenty of water (at least 3.5 litres) but not on top of a stomach full of food!
Remember, its mostly about FOOD. As well as all this, you should be training about 3 or 4 times a week and HARD. Train every set to failure. Record your reps/weights and ensure you are always adding reps or weights (ever increasing intensity). There is a lot more to it all but this will be a good start. 15-20 reps on the compounds like squats and deadlifts will burn the most fat whilst growing (or at least maintaining) muscle. Forget cardio - and forget situps.
It sounds like you already have a grasp on listening to your body. At first you will feel like you are forcing food in and intuitively you will feel like you are eating too much. This will quickly change as your metabolism gets up a gear. You will enjoy sustained energy levels throughout the day.
Good luck.
1:1:1, or 33% to 33% to 33%, or anything else to that effect, however you want to look at it. You probably won't nail it exactly, but the most important thing is to get a good balance of all the macronutrients, so your body can decide how to use what it needs.
A good rule of thumb I go by is to make sure I've had at least one of each throughout the day, and at least 3 different sources of protein, carb and fat each throughout the week. Then you won't be seriously deficient in anything, even if you're not particularly balanced.
