40 30 30 Diet

So what exactly is a 40-30-30 diet? Well it’s not as complex as it might look. The numbers stand for a diet that consists of 40% Carbohydrate, 30% Protein, and 30% Fat. This diet moves away from the extremes of low-carb diets which can be difficult for many people. Remember that food pyramid where the grains and wheat products were the large portion on the bottom? Well it turns out a diet consisting of 70% carbohydrates might be the reason for the amount of overweight and obese people in the world.

The 40 30 30 diet is somewhat based on the same principle it just distributes the types foods in a more balanced way. A diet consisting of thirty percent fat might seem like a lot to you, but the truth is fat doesn’t make you fat. It is our constant consumption of sugar that makes us fat.   And it’s hidden in a lot of places that people might not pay attention to like smoothies, shakes, and coffee drinks.    So with the reduced intake of carbohydrates, especially simple sugars, and in increase of fat, our body is less reluctant to let go of it in a caloric deficit.

Click Here To Learn the 10 Easy Rules to Dieting and Fat Loss!!

 The basis for the 40 30 30 diet has been used by Barry Sears, PhD with his well know “Zone Diet.” His theory goes into more depth than just the caloric breakdown of our diet, and he has many books that explain his theory.   But the benefits are said to be balanced hormones, more energy, faster metabolism and spending all day in “the zone.”

So let’s get to the practical stuff…how exactly to you know if you’re eating 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein, and 30% fat?  It’s not as hard as you might think.  It just takes some simple math.  First it is important to know that there are 4 calories per gram in carbohydrates; 4 calories per gram in protein, and 9 calories per gram in fat.   Just right there you can see why it important to keep a watchful eye on your fat intake because it is over twice as calorie dense as carbs or protein. 

Next we want to figure out how many calories your body needs to maintain its current weight.  To find out this number, use this scale:

·         10 Calories/Pound – Sedentary

·         13 Calories/Pound – Low Activity(No planned physical activity)

·         15 Calories/Pound – Moderate Activity(Planned activity;30-40 min 2-3 times a week)

·         18 Calories/Pound – Strenuous Activity(60 minutes of activity 4-5 times a week)

A healthy and not very extreme way to get fit and shed the extra weight is to reduce your calorie intake by 20% of your maintenance number. So if you’re a moderately active person weighing 170 Lbs, you would figure out your goal calorie intake like so:

·         170 x 15= 2550

·         2250 x .20(20%)=510

·          So a 20% decrease in calories would be 2550-510=2040

Now we can break down your total daily caloric intake in to the 40 30 30 diet:

·         40% Carbohydrates = 816 calories (Divide by 4 to get number of grams=204)

·         30% Protein = 612 calories (Divide by 4 to get number of grams= 153)

·         30% Fat = 612 calories (Divide by 9 to get number of grams= 68)

Now you can use this formula to calculate the amount of calories and further more carbohydrates, protein and fat required for the 40 30 30 diet.