Keeping In Check Sugars and Fat
Phil1632
Posts: 13 Member
Hi I'm new to this app and I would love to know how people have managed to keep in check their recommended fat and sugar intake? I'm 224 lbs and have allocated 1500 calories a day diet to help me lose weight. I've noticed I can't eat my quota of calories and sometimes I can't remain under the recommended fat and sugar scores. Can anyone tell me how they have managed with this? Also do people have cheat days such as the weekend they eat what they want? Thanks.
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Replies
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Can you open your diary for us?
Also, unless you have a medical reason for cutting down on sugars and fats, there's no need unless most of your calories comes from sugar and fat. All that is needed for weight loss is the calorie deficit. Make sure you eat adequate protein, too.
1500 shouldn't be all that difficult to achieve, though. Check out this list of calorie dense foods to help you meet your calorie goal:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10142490/a-list-of-calorie-dense-foods3 -
I treat mfp's fat goal as a minimum, and don't worry too much about sugar, especially since most of mine come from fruit, veggies, milk, yogurt etc etc , aka naturally occuring sugar.1
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Eat enough fat and protein. Eat more if you need to get to 1500: peanut butter, butter, avocado, hummus, eggs, cheese, larger portions, tuna, dark meat chicken, small steak, pork chop.
Sugars do not matter as long as they are not interfering with fat and protein.2 -
Make cheat day every day by eating what you want within your caloric goals, with an eye on nutrition. 1500 seems a pretty aggressive goal... how are you feeling with it? Sustainable?
As for sugar and fat goals, those can be somewhat arbitrary. If you're at deficit, but over on those micros/macros, you're still in good shape pending any intolerances or medical recommendations.
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Thank you for the advice everyone. I gather that sugars and fat are not to be worried about when I'm consuming below the 1500 calories; so long as I'm not exceeding that. I picked 1500 calories a day as that should bring my weight down to what I would like to be at, 185 lbs / 13 stone as aposed to maintaining 224lbs/16 stone on 2300 calories. However my aim is to loose weight and enter a healthier lifestyle. So far 1500 calories hasn't been a struggle. I'm hoping it continues so.
Right now I'm just willing to learn about nutrition and exercise.1 -
Didn't MFP tell you how much calories you should be eating with your activity level? Or is 1500 what it gave you?0
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Reducing your fat intake an sugar is equally important. Those two affect your health the most. If your looking to stay healthy and reduce your chance of disease I would try to stay under for each. At the point I would only do a once a month cheat day. You'll ruin your whole week if you do it weekly.1
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MFP probably did recommend 1500 calories but it's also the amount I was prepared to limit myself too. I was planning in having a cheat day weekends and to stay within the 1500 calorie range. I suppose that would still keep me loosing the weight?0
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Ok well I was just wondering as I've seen a lot of posts lately where MFP gave someone more calories and they picked an arbitrary number and went lower that what MFP suggested. Then come the posts of folks being hungry and tired, etc. So I was just checking
Personally I don't even look at the sugars. Fat is my struggle and it's in my head. Nothing more. They aren't "bad" and if it's within your calories then no harm no foul!1 -
Reducing your fat intake an sugar is equally important. Those two affect your health the most. If your looking to stay healthy and reduce your chance of disease I would try to stay under for each. At the point I would only do a once a month cheat day. You'll ruin your whole week if you do it weekly.
Only if OP has a medical condition that requires to do so... which they haven't.
And cheat days? If OP works in treats into his daily goal, there is absolutely no need for cheat days.
A once a week cheat can can easily erase a deficit. Why do a cheat day if you can just count treats into your daily calories? Avoiding cheat days is a great way to stay in your calorie deficit and enjoying foods that you love.3 -
All calories are not equal in the body and the real secret is that there is no secret. Stick to lean meats and vegetables, some fresh fruit and a modest amount of grains (not refined carbs) and you will have no trouble. You will also stay full.1
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Male and 224lbs and you're only eating 1500 calories ? Seems too low to me
Ok that's the recognised average minimum at which it's possible to hit your nutritional minimums if you're careful with nutrition
But whether that is an appropriate goal for you personally I would very much doubt as it depends on your activity level and purposeful exercise...even at lightly active a (let's imagine you're 30 and 5'8) 224 lb male would be able to lose 2lb per week on average eating 1900 calories
If you'd like to have a "cheat day" (personally I eat what I like within calories daily) you could use a weekly calorie goal...so if you stick to your nominal 1500 calories 5 days a week at the weekend you would have an additional 2000 calories, plus your 1500 calories a day so 5000 calories available... That's if you go for a decent calorie goal per day2 -
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Thanks for the help guys. I am 34 yr old male 5ft11inch (some would say 6ft) and I was 227lbs but now at 218lbs by keeping my calories around 1500 a day. I'm not at all athletic but trying to change that by walking at least 10,000 steps a day and introducing some strength training too.0
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All calories are not equal in the body and the real secret is that there is no secret. Stick to lean meats and vegetables, some fresh fruit and a modest amount of grains (not refined carbs) and you will have no trouble. You will also stay full.
^Agreed.
How many of us have lost weight while including refined carbs and sugar their diet?3 -
Thanks for the help guys. I am 34 yr old male 5ft11inch (some would say 6ft) and I was 227lbs but now at 218lbs by keeping my calories around 1500 a day. I'm not at all athletic but trying to change that by walking at least 10,000 steps a day and introducing some strength training too.
Just to give you some perspective, my husband is 5'4" and 148 pounds,and a lot older than you and he is losing with 1500 calories. I think you are way undereating. I worry you are going to be losing more muscle than you want to.0 -
I don't eat all my calories in favour of keeping my sugar and fat level at the recommended levels. I'm usually left with 400 calories? I eat a lot of turkey, chicken, some salmon, omlettes, 3 cups of coffee with skimmed milk a day, no bread, rice, cheese, potatoes, unless it's sweet potato. I have a smoothie with berries and coconut milk once in a while too. I have 3/4 cup of pasta with 30 grams of basil pesto if I can fit it in. I drink about 6-8 cups of water a day.0
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I don't eat all my calories in favour of keeping my sugar and fat level at the recommended levels. I'm usually left with 400 calories? I eat a lot of turkey, chicken, some salmon, omlettes, 3 cups of coffee with skimmed milk a day, no bread, rice, cheese, potatoes, unless it's sweet potato. I have a smoothie with berries and coconut milk once in a while too. I have 3/4 cup of pasta with 30 grams of basil pesto if I can fit it in. I drink about 6-8 cups of water a day.
Wait. So you're actually eating 1100? How are you figuring your calories? By "leaving" 400 calories, that's what you're saying. You say you're aiming for 10000 steps? Do you have a fitbit or some device that is tracking that?
Fat is a good thing, you need it. EAT!1 -
OP, are you sure you are using correct entries in the database and accurately measuring your food?
I am female 5'4" 125 lbs and I would be starving eating less than 1500 cals!
You don't have to cut all those things out of your diet if you don't want to. Restricting yourself too much can often lead to a nasty rebound once you reach your goal. Make sure you are getting enough nutrition and please take care of yourself!0 -
That's a dreadfully low calorie goal and very restrictive food choices.
Think there's a good chance once the initial enthusiasm wears out you will burn out.
Worth a read....
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819055/setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets/p10 -
I don't eat all my calories in favour of keeping my sugar and fat level at the recommended levels.
Don't do this. Eat all your calories (especially since you are on pretty low calories and want to avoid losing more muscle than necessary), but look over your diary at the end of the day and figure out what adjustments you could have made and then do that the next day -- that's how we learn.
That aside, maybe your goals aren't right for you. Fat is fine, there's nothing magical about the MFP goal. Are you doing those or a custom goal? Ideally, for muscle maintenance at a deficit, you'd aim for around .8 g/lb (of your goal weight, not the current weight) for protein, and then split the rest as you like.
The MFP sugar goal can be ignored -- fiber is a better measure of how nutrient-dense your carb sources are. If you are getting lots of added sugar, sure, cut that down and add in more nutritious carbs, but I wouldn't worry about sugar from fruit, sweet potatoes, milk, etc.0 -
I don't eat all my calories in favour of keeping my sugar and fat level at the recommended levels. I'm usually left with 400 calories? I eat a lot of turkey, chicken, some salmon, omlettes, 3 cups of coffee with skimmed milk a day, no bread, rice, cheese, potatoes, unless it's sweet potato. I have a smoothie with berries and coconut milk once in a while too. I have 3/4 cup of pasta with 30 grams of basil pesto if I can fit it in. I drink about 6-8 cups of water a day.
1. You should be hitting your calorie goals
2. If you're going over on fat and sugar, the above would make me think you are using erroneous entries.1 -
I get hungry at 1500 calories unless I am on a ketogenic diet. It is an extreme diet but that fits my personality. That is what my doc recommended for me to also help reduce inflammation, eliminate most gluten Etc. Check it.0
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I wanted to add, that people on a ketogenic diet rarely feel like eating above 1500 calories. It's kind of a magical secret. A lot of diabetics do this diet. It requires careful supervision and regular monitoring of ketones and eventually blood glucose. It is a strict lifestyle.0
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NVM1
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Reducing your fat intake an sugar is equally important. Those two affect your health the most. If your looking to stay healthy and reduce your chance of disease I would try to stay under for each. At the point I would only do a once a month cheat day. You'll ruin your whole week if you do it weekly.
OP ignore this..
you only need to avoid sugar if you have a medical condition ...
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All calories are not equal in the body and the real secret is that there is no secret. Stick to lean meats and vegetables, some fresh fruit and a modest amount of grains (not refined carbs) and you will have no trouble. You will also stay full.
this is false..
all calories are equal in that the provide the same unit of energy; however, their nutritional profiles are not the same.2 -
If you are getting your sugars from low fat processed foods, you should reduce the consumption of those type of foods. When they reduce fat, they add sugar to those products. If you are getting your sugars from fruits, veggies, and yogurt...etc. then it's not so bad. For many years, I focused on my calories. I ate low fat foods and never really looked at sugars. I then noticed by blood sugar was starting to creep up and A1C was borderline pre-diabetic. I now eat very low carb (less than 23 grams per day) and my sugar consumption is under 5 grams per day. I eat 20-30% more calories than I did when I focused on low fat, but I still lose as much weight on average. Everyone is different, so you have to find what works best for you. I don't have planned cheat days, but on the weekends I tend to be less strict with my carbs...however I don't go overboard.1
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dcristo213 wrote: »If you are getting your sugars from low fat processed foods, you should reduce the consumption of those type of foods. When they reduce fat, they add sugar to those products. If you are getting your sugars from fruits, veggies, and yogurt...etc. then it's not so bad. For many years, I focused on my calories. I ate low fat foods and never really looked at sugars. I then noticed by blood sugar was starting to creep up and A1C was borderline pre-diabetic. I now eat very low carb (less than 23 grams per day) and my sugar consumption is under 5 grams per day. I eat 20-30% more calories than I did when I focused on low fat, but I still lose as much weight on average. Everyone is different, so you have to find what works best for you. I don't have planned cheat days, but on the weekends I tend to be less strict with my carbs...however I don't go overboard.
as OP has indicated no medical condition, I don't really see how this advice is relevant.
Additionally, sugar = sugar, so source of sugar is not a concern.
hit your calorie deficit and meet micros and macros, lets not over complicate a simple concept.2 -
People keep saying that low fat foods have more sugar added. I've yet to see any actual examples for this. The main things with reduced fat I can think of are cheeses and meat products which obviously neither have any sugar added to it, and dairy products which achieve low fat by substituting skim milk.3
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