I Need to get out of the FAT FREE/LOW FAT Mentality!

Longisland2NC
Longisland2NC Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been yo-yoing up and down with my weight for years.....I have been a size 6 and a size 20 - its a life long roller coaster ride for me. Unfortunatly I am a Stress eater - always wished I could be that person who loses weight when things get tough or stressful, its the opposite for me. And I am a snacker....I do not eat ALOT of food at a sitting - just alot of the wrong things! But I am trying to change that once and for all - MFP has been a great tool so far!

The problem I have is that I still battle the FAT MAKES YOU FAT thoughts in my head! Back in the Susan Powter days (remember her - the crazy crew-cut blonde lady in the 90`s - lol) I did lose alot of weight following her Super low-fat diet technique - but it is almost impossible to KEEP off! And I would avoid ANYTHING that had any real fat in it....its not something you can really maintain!

I know from alot of things I hear and read online that its the *amount of calories you take in* that is the real key....and I am trying to eat healthier now. I want this to be a change of life - not just a diet that I will succeed in (temporarily) & then fail miserably again.

* I need to remind myself EVERYDAY that having Avocado (that I LOVE) with my turkey burger is OK!!!! Yes, there is alot of fat - but its GOOD fat.....

* I need to remind myself that I can use Olive Oil - I can have a piece of steak - I can have a scoop of ice cream or stack of pancakes, as long as I log it and stay within my daily calories.

Are there others out there that have overcome this *it has to be FAT FREE/LOW FAT obsession - and sucessfully lost weight and kept it off! I know most of the products sold with low fat this - or fat free that are filled with sugar and other chemicals that I have no idea what it is, or even pronounce.

Replies

  • Lalasharni
    Lalasharni Posts: 353 Member
    Fats -
    If they are NATURAL fats - i.e. real butter, cream, olive oil, hand made cheese, flax seed oil, rice bran oil - EAT THEM.
    If they are trans fats, hydrogenated fats or low fat spreads, margarine - AVOID like the plague.
    Eat well raised organic meats - select your butcher carefully.
    Keep within your calorie macros
    Exercise.
    That's my theory FWIW.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
    I had to go through a mental 'reset' also. It's so much more fun when you let yourself eat fat without the guilty feeling :) Today I had 8 ounces of top sirloin steak cooked in butter for lunch and my pork tenderloin was cooked in olive oil tonight. And I had regular Hidden Valley ranch dressing with my salad. I love what I ate and I'm within my calorie allotment for the day :)
  • aelunyu
    aelunyu Posts: 486 Member
    I usually have a whopping fat meal sometime during the day, and every month or so, when my joints get creaky, I really go heavy on the good fats for a few days to replenish all the stuff that needs lubrication.

    Fats are good! Just keep them in check, and try to get them from unsaturated sources. I usually have a hard time meeting my fat requirement so I supplement heavily with fish oils rated very high in EPA values.
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    The only bad fat is the trans fats. Eat all the other kinds.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    There's fat and fat honestly. I still eat a lot of fat free/low fat things (cheese, plain yogurt) because they fill me up without extra calories (and I never tolerated fat very well anyway).
  • Shan790
    Shan790 Posts: 280 Member
    the list of ingredients on low fat fat free stuff are HARD to read, I'd rather just make room in my diet for the real stuff and eat less of it.
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
    The only low fat/reduced fat stuff I still use is either flavoured coffee creamers or some cheese. Fat free just never tastes good and they always throw in more sugar and sodium to make up for the lack of fat, but when I want cheese and I'm low on calories a 2% string cheese or slice of old/extra sharp cheddar goes a long way.
  • Longisland2NC
    Longisland2NC Posts: 60 Member
    I have to do some label reading on the coffee creamers. I use a Low Fat Vanilla creamer now - but no other sugar. I also eat FF Greek yogurt...not sure if I should go to the low fat or just full fat. Again, I have to really start reading labels and see what they are ADDING when they are removing the fat for taste!

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