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Summary
On episode 102 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan answers a question from the show's Facebook group: what macro percentages should you eat for your fitness goals, and should you measure them in grams or as a percentage of calories?
He breaks down what protein, carbohydrate, and fat actually do in the body: protein as a building material for muscle, carbohydrate as quick fuel that can spike insulin, and fat as a dense, steady energy source, then explains why only fat and protein are truly essential nutrients.
Allan lays out his own high-fat, low-carb approach (roughly 65 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 20 percent protein, 5 to 10 percent carbs) while making clear there is no single perfect ratio, because your needs shift day to day based on training and how your body responds.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Protein is a building material, not just fuel. If you don't eat enough protein, your body will strip protein from muscle it considers less essential and redirect it to muscles it needs most, like the heart and diaphragm.
- Carbohydrates come in two forms and both run at four calories per gram. Simple carbs convert quickly into blood sugar and, in excess, spike insulin and get stored as fat; complex carbs (fiber) are digested more slowly and support regularity.
- Fat is not the villain it's been made out to be. At nine calories per gram, dietary fat is the body's preferred first fuel source, and unlike carbs or excess protein, fat itself is not what your body converts into stored body fat.
- Excess protein becomes sugar too. Using a “100 bricks a day” analogy, Allan explains that protein beyond what your body can use to build muscle gets converted to glucose by the liver and can be stored as fat just like excess carbs.
- Only fat and protein are essential macronutrients. Your brain and cell membranes are partly made of fat, and protein maintains muscle, but you could technically live your whole life without eating a single carbohydrate.
- If you do eat carbs, choose nutrient-dense, fiber-rich ones. Leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, squash, and colorful peppers deliver fiber and micronutrients without the blood sugar spike of bread, rice, cake, or potatoes, none of which are nutritionally required.
- Grams versus percentage of calories is just a math conversion. A roughly 65 to 70 percent fat, 15 to 20 percent protein, 5 to 10 percent carb calorie split converts to about a 35-20-15 gram-based ratio for the same high-fat, low-carb approach.
- There is no single “right” diet. Your needs change day to day: more protein after a heavy lower-body lifting session, more simple carbs timed around a long endurance run.
- Track how you feel, not just the scale. Energy, recovery, and sleep quality are the real feedback signals for whether your current macro mix is actually working; if something's off, tweak it and test again.
“There is no perfect diet. There is nothing that's perfect. There's nothing that's absolute.”
Coach Allan Misner
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 239 – Breaking the stronghold of food with Dr. Michael Brown