Hello to all,

First, I'd like to thank you for your warm reception, it gave me a
warm fuzzy feeling inside to see that people actually want to help =)

I am going to do my best to integrate your advice into my routine.
It's amazing to see how easy it is to rack up 300 grams of carbs
everyday!! However, keeping them under 200 is easier than I thought:
for the past week, I cut the orange juice down to a small glass in the
morning. Drinking water is easier when I drink a couple cups of coffee
or after a long run in the subway (it's soooo hot down there even in
winter!), and I transformed my highest carb meal into a treat every
morning: breakfast!! I actually look forward to getting out of bed
*quickly* now.

As for protein -- I've upped my intake of protein from 10% to around
20-25%, and intend on getting it higher, however difficult it seems
for now.

This brings me to my second question... I'm not really attracted to
the idea of protein shakes, and even though I might start using
protein powder in my recipes, I'd like it better if I could get the
protein from natural sources, i.e.: meat, nuts, beans etc.
But most of these foods also pack a high fat contents. It made me
wonder: what's a good fat % in a healthy diet? While I agree that "as
low as possible" is a good rule of thumb, is 30% a good maximum or
should I bring that down to 25 or even 20?

What I'm trying to do here is keep the carbs low and ramp up the
proteins as high as I can. If I have to trade, though, would it be
best for me to get more fat % or carb % for the rest of my calorie
intake?

Thanks a lot! This is one interesting group.
---
Falfien