Fat intake

se015
se015 Posts: 583 Member
hey gainers! So I'm trying to figure out why fat intake should be no more than 30% even when bulking at least that's what I keep reading in my research. But I also know that fat doesn't necessarily make you fat so what does it matter the % of fat in your daily calorie consmption compared to the other mighty macros; carbs and protein and yes I know the ol 1 g of protein per lb body weight or more ish rule. Any guesses? Thanks!!

Replies

  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs
  • Giolis
    Giolis Posts: 1,204 Member
    edited August 2015
    My guess would be that since fat has 9 calories per gram it's easy to start using up calories towards your daily allotment. Which in turn could make it harder to get your carbs and proteins in. I could be wrong but if you just look at it as a math problem it works.
  • se015
    se015 Posts: 583 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs

    Oh really? Okay I'll use that!
  • se015
    se015 Posts: 583 Member
    Giolis wrote: »
    My guess would be that since fat has 9 calories per gram it's easy to start using up calories towards your daily allotment. Which in turn could make it harder to get your carbs and proteins in. I could be wrong but if you just look at it as a math problem it works.

    I agree with you there but what I'm saying is like if your fat is 35% is that too much and if so why?
  • Pinnacle_IAO
    Pinnacle_IAO Posts: 608 Member
    Seth1825 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs

    Oh really? Okay I'll use that!
    Yep, that's about where I am as well...

  • Giolis
    Giolis Posts: 1,204 Member
    edited August 2015
    Seth1825 wrote: »
    Giolis wrote: »
    My guess would be that since fat has 9 calories per gram it's easy to start using up calories towards your daily allotment. Which in turn could make it harder to get your carbs and proteins in. I could be wrong but if you just look at it as a math problem it works.

    I agree with you there but what I'm saying is like if your fat is 35% is that too much and if so why?

    I think 30% is the target because lower than that you affect the amount of hormone production, like testosterone, that you only get from ingesting fat. Eating more doesn't necessarily give you more benefits. Guys that are bulking on a low carb diet eat a higher % of fat to make up for the missing carbs and they swear about the results.

    Most of the literature talks about the importance of high carbs in a bulk. I like carbs so I tend to follow those guide lines. Although I'm just recomping for now.

    Overall I think it's trial and error, in terms of how much energy you have and how well you're progressing. Everyone's different, for me if I eat too many fat calories I tend to get sluggish.
  • se015
    se015 Posts: 583 Member
    Giolis wrote: »
    Seth1825 wrote: »
    Giolis wrote: »
    My guess would be that since fat has 9 calories per gram it's easy to start using up calories towards your daily allotment. Which in turn could make it harder to get your carbs and proteins in. I could be wrong but if you just look at it as a math problem it works.

    I agree with you there but what I'm saying is like if your fat is 35% is that too much and if so why?

    I think 30% is the target because lower than that you affect the amount of hormone production, like testosterone, that you only get from ingesting fat. Eating more doesn't necessarily give you more benefits. Guys that are bulking on a low carb diet eat a higher % of fat to make up for the missing carbs and they swear about the results.

    Most of the literature talks about the importance of high carbs in a bulk. I like carbs so I tend to follow those guide lines. Although I'm just recomping for now.

    Overall I think it's trial and error, in terms of how much energy you have and how well you're progressing. Everyone's different, for me if I eat too many fat calories I tend to get sluggish.

    Oh ok that makes sense. It's hard for me to eat carbs well I mean especially carbs without any sugar. I do find it easier to meet my calories with fat. Not sure about the energy I haven't payed much attention n to that but I'll try to lower fat and up my carbs to see if there's a difference in that case.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Giolis wrote: »
    Seth1825 wrote: »
    Giolis wrote: »
    My guess would be that since fat has 9 calories per gram it's easy to start using up calories towards your daily allotment. Which in turn could make it harder to get your carbs and proteins in. I could be wrong but if you just look at it as a math problem it works.

    I agree with you there but what I'm saying is like if your fat is 35% is that too much and if so why?

    I think 30% is the target because lower than that you affect the amount of hormone production, like testosterone, that you only get from ingesting fat. Eating more doesn't necessarily give you more benefits. Guys that are bulking on a low carb diet eat a higher % of fat to make up for the missing carbs and they swear about the results.

    Most of the literature talks about the importance of high carbs in a bulk. I like carbs so I tend to follow those guide lines. Although I'm just recomping for now.

    Overall I think it's trial and error, in terms of how much energy you have and how well you're progressing. Everyone's different, for me if I eat too many fat calories I tend to get sluggish.


    When talking about targets, it really should be directed at grams not percentages because your 30% and my 30% can be vastly different numbers.


    The recommendations I see are .35g-.6g of fats per lb of lean body mass... quite a large range right?
  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs

    BW is a pretty loose multiplier. That is to say, you should probably use LBM rather than BW.

    .45 is high, on a cut, in my opinion, and there is little scientific data to suggest you should keep your fats high during a cut as protein and carbs are more important, and testosterone is an entire subject in and of itself - but I'll save that for another discussion. In general, lower fats during a cut is beneficial bc you save room for more carbs and proteins. As long as you don't go below .25 for too long, you should be okay. (It's totally dependent upon the person, but I normally prefer a range between 50-75g's on 2200kcals [that's 20.45%-30.68%]).

    .30-.45 is what I normally go with while maintaining, and sometimes up to 50% when bulking.

    Quite honestly, make your macros fit what you prefer, and if you're not getting results over time, then tweak them but understand calories are king, always.

  • sjohnson__1
    sjohnson__1 Posts: 405 Member
    edited August 2015
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs

    BW is a pretty loose multiplier. That is to say, you should probably use LBM rather than BW.

    .45 is high, on a cut, in my opinion, and there is little scientific data to suggest you should keep your fats high during a cut as protein and carbs are more important, and testosterone is an entire subject in and of itself - but I'll save that for another discussion. In general, lower fats during a cut is beneficial bc you save room for more carbs and proteins. As long as you don't go below .25 for too long, you should be okay. (It's totally dependent upon the person, but I normally prefer a range between 50-75g's on 2200kcals [that's 20.45%-30.68%]).

    .30-.45 is what I normally go with while maintaining, and sometimes up to 50% when bulking.

    Quite honestly, make your macros fit what you prefer, and if you're not getting results over time, then tweak them but understand calories are king, always.

    This study suggests even lower fats (15-20%) as acceptable for both off-season and pre-contest prep diets for bodybuilders. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15107010 (This doesn't cover whether or not they're talking about "natural" bodybuilders or not, however).
  • mantium999
    mantium999 Posts: 1,490 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    .6 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight
    .45 grams of fat per pound of body weight
    fill in rest with carbs

    BW is a pretty loose multiplier. That is to say, you should probably use LBM rather than BW.

    .45 is high, on a cut, in my opinion, and there is little scientific data to suggest you should keep your fats high during a cut as protein and carbs are more important, and testosterone is an entire subject in and of itself - but I'll save that for another discussion. In general, lower fats during a cut is beneficial bc you save room for more carbs and proteins. As long as you don't go below .25 for too long, you should be okay. (It's totally dependent upon the person, but I normally prefer a range between 50-75g's on 2200kcals [that's 20.45%-30.68%]).

    .30-.45 is what I normally go with while maintaining, and sometimes up to 50% when bulking.

    Quite honestly, make your macros fit what you prefer, and if you're not getting results over time, then tweak them but understand calories are king, always.

    I think using BW, even if its a loose multiplier, is effective as most don't have a clue what their LBM is, and honestly, its really difficult for the average person to try to accurately assess.

    Not sure why the discussion of cutting in a bulk thread, but I do agree with calories are king and adjusting macros over time.

    For most who are asking, which implies they have little experience in the area, I think NDJ's targets are a spot on starting point.
  • Cynthiamr2015
    Cynthiamr2015 Posts: 161 Member
    edited August 2015
    Why my daily fats at 75? Is that to high?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Why my daily fats at 75? Is that to high?
    Can can never be too high. But the standard mfp setting is 30% of your calories.
This discussion has been closed.