Wow this is eye opening

smotheredincheese

For months I've been trying to eat healthier but haven't lost any weight and couldn't figure out why. I've been logging for a less that a week but it's been enough to make me realise exactly what the problem is - I'm eating WAY too much fat, even on days when I feel like I've eaten really well I've gone over. I didn't realise that the cheese, yoghurt and butter I eat all contain so much fat, but they do and it all adds up. It's been very enlightening and I can see where I need to make a few changes.
I just wish I'd starting logging sooner!

strong_curves

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

DeguelloTex

strong_curves wrote: »

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

Yes, this.

wannabeskinnycat

I think every day can bring new learnings - it has for me. And I love your name x

smotheredincheese

strong_curves wrote: »

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

It hasn't since I've been logging, but I'm pretty sure that before I was paying attention to what I was eating it did.
I was wondering about that actually, is it ok if I go over on fat as long as I'm within my calorie limit?

DeguelloTex

smotheredincheese wrote: »

strong_curves wrote: »

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

It hasn't since I've been logging, but I'm pretty sure that before I was paying attention to what I was eating it did.
I was wondering about that actually, is it ok if I go over on fat as long as I'm within my calorie limit?

Yes, as far as weight loss goes. You probably want a reasonable amount of protein, too, though.

mantium999

If you are eating within your calorie target, too much fat isn't inhibiting your progress. I venture to say you have selected a particular item, and have blamed it, without seeing the broad picture. Double check your calorie target, and if you are consistently hitting it. If you are, your target is wrong, and reducing fat can reduce overall calories, but within context.

Also, glanced at your diary. It is in direct contrast to your claim, and has very few entries. How, by chance, did you come to this conclusion?

smotheredincheese

mantium999 wrote: »

Also, glanced at your diary. It is in direct contrast to your claim, and has very few entries. How, by chance, did you come to this conclusion?

You're right, I haven't got many entries and have only been over on fat today and yesterday, but today's food is a pretty typical days food for me and it wasn't until I logged everything that I realised how much fat a normal day's food contains for me. I don't eat much meat so tend to fall back on cheese and yoghurt as protein sources but, seeing todays entry and being way over on fat, and under on protein made me realise this isn't the best balance and I need to make changes, like finding less fat heavy proteins.

EmmaFitzwilliam

::hugs:: I had an almost identical epiphany when I started logging. I can tell you - 73 pounds down, and 11 months in - knowledge is power.

It's not about not having the cheese/yogurt/butter/etc. It's about how much you have of them, individually and cumulatively.

You can still have, for example, an ounce of brie on an english muffin. Or, for about the same number of calories (but somewhat different fat:carb ratios) you can have two ounces of brie on water crackers. Or an ounce of cream cheese on a graham cracker (or 2).

Knowledge is power.

tiptoethruthetulips

OP, how tall are you and your current weight? Is your profile set to lose weight or maintain?

RodaRose

You can eat as much fat as you want as long as you get enough protein and stay at your calorie limit for the day.

smotheredincheese

I'm 5'5 and set to lose, current weight is 146 pounds

SLLRunner

strong_curves wrote: »

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

This.

Excess calories make us fat.

You're going over your calorie limit because you're eating too much in general.

SLLRunner

smotheredincheese wrote: »

strong_curves wrote: »

Fat doesn't make you fat. Does all the fat you're eating make you go over your calorie limit?

It hasn't since I've been logging, but I'm pretty sure that before I was paying attention to what I was eating it did.
I was wondering about that actually, is it ok if I go over on fat as long as I'm within my calorie limit?

Still....it's the excess calories, not the fat in your food that caused any weight gain. However, how you choose to allocate those calories is up to you.

smotheredincheese

SLLRunner wrote: »

This.

Excess calories make us fat.

You're going over your calorie limit because you're eating too much in general.

I know, my point was more that I realised my excess calories were all coming from very fatty foods, so to cut my calories I need to cut down on my fats if you see what I mean. And because my protein has been under, I need to shift my calories from fats to proteins. I just never realised how unbalanced my diet was really.

futuremanda

Did you use the yogurt packaging, or pick an item from the database that looked like your yogurt? I ask because 23 grams seems high to me, and other entries that look similar in the database show lower for the same portion. So if you didn't look at your own packaging, you might want to check it, especially if you eat it regularly.

LuckyMe2017

OP, I completely understand what you are saying. Fat tends to loom in the background and you don't always realize how much fat you're eating. You find yourself wondering how you racked up so many calories. I personally had to eat low fat foods to keep my fats under 40% when I was tracking them closely. I found that if I watched my fats, it was easy to stay within my calorie limit.
It's great that you're being conscientious!