Eating a lot of fat to hit calorie goal, is this okay?

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NASAbound
NASAbound Posts: 27 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
Hi all,

TL;DR: I increased my calorie goal and find I have to eat a lot of fats (eggs and nuts mostly) to reach my new target. Is this unhealthy or harmful for my body?

Recently I noticed I had very little energy and most of my lifts had plateaued, so I started looking more critically at my diet. I realized I wasnt eating nearly enough and have started logging my food again to ensure that I reach my calorie goal (I settled on 1700 based on various online calculators).

I'm definitely feeling better and find that I'm recovering much better now that I'm eating more. However, I'm not used to eating this much and find I'm eating a lot of fats because they're calorie dense and help me reach my target. You can look at my diary, but most of this fat is from almonds, eggs, and peanut butter.

I'm concerned because I keep exceeding my fat macro goal. Is this okay as long as I'm consistent with my calories? Ifind that I feel better on a lowish-carb diet and I like the fat sources in my diet, I'm just concerned about how my body will respond to 60+ grams of fat each day.

Just FYI, I'm a 20 yo female, 5'2, 116.8 lbs, weightlifting 4-5 days a week

Replies

  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Fat is not the enemy. You're fine. If fat was a concern then people would not do keto
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Fat is not the enemy. You're fine. If fat was a concern then people would not do keto

    Pretty much this. Your fat intake is under 33% of where mine hovers.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    When I'm food logging I regard protein and fat as minimum goals not maximum.
    Not really seeing any problem with your fat intake unless you are struggling to adhere or meet your overall calorie goal.
    Starchy carbs are an easy way to bump up your calories as an alternative?
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Fat is fine. I was eating about 120g per day while losing.
  • fishgutzy
    fishgutzy Posts: 2,807 Member
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    Fat is essential. Lowers bad cholesterol, raises good. Lowers triglycerides.
    Also essential for proper brain function.
  • pbryd
    pbryd Posts: 364 Member
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    I've seen people saying it doesn't matter, but carbs and fat are different and the body must process them differently.

    On a calorie deficit or maintenance it may not make a difference, but I'd like to find out for sure whether there is a difference when on a calorie surplus.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    You macros look like mine. :) You are feeling better by this change and you are recovering better, that is your answer. Keep doing that. And as every stated, fats are essential to your diet.
  • Lizarking
    Lizarking Posts: 507 Member
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    Yes.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
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    pbryd wrote: »
    I've seen people saying it doesn't matter, but carbs and fat are different and the body must process them differently.

    On a calorie deficit or maintenance it may not make a difference, but I'd like to find out for sure whether there is a difference when on a calorie surplus.

    I'm currently in the process of investigating this for myself. Running a two month strict keto bulk, then switching to a modified CKD for the same period of time, then back, and back once more, then finally a more balanced macro approach. This should give me a pretty good idea of how they compare on my individual level.
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
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    Keto and high fat aren't
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Fat is not the enemy. You're fine. If fat was a concern then people would not do keto

    IDK if i'd go that far.

    High fat on keto is a lot different than high fat with moderate carbohydrate. I would imagine in the presence of insulin eating too much fat COULD cause issues in some people? I could be totally wrong, of course.
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
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    I typically eat higher fat (100g or more) because I like fat and it helps me reach my goal as well. I have a very high cal intake. When I was bulking I was up to 120g with no negative effects on muscle gain (at least that I was aware of)
  • Return2Fit
    Return2Fit Posts: 226 Member
    edited August 2016
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    Remember, fat makes you fat. That's what all the experts claim...oh, wait...
    THEY CHANGED THEIR MINDS - again...
    :p
    Seriously, as folks here are saying, you're fine, but I remember well the mass indoctrination to the foolish notion of "fat makes you fat".
    "Experts"...lol

    et5kulwudymz.jpg
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    bclarke1990 wrote: »
    Keto and high fat aren't
    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Fat is not the enemy. You're fine. If fat was a concern then people would not do keto

    Lol but it's true...I'm not going far at all. And physiologically things will be different between high fat/ high carb compared to keto, but in terms of weight loss or gain, there will be no difference if calories are constant

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