Balancing fat and protein without straight up eating a hunk of butter.
AlyssaPetsDogs
Posts: 421 Member
Hi All. I think I have my carbs under control. My issue has been meeting my fat goal. I am currently at 1200 calories per day and have a goal of 60 grams of protein and 100 grams of fat (and 15 grams of carbs). I feel like I can't strike a balance with the fat and protein. I made a low carb meat loaf for my meal prepping this week and it ended up being 37.6 grams of protein per serving and 23.6 grams of fat. I am feeling like I'm going to have to go over my calories to reach my fat goal every day because there are few things that have just fat in them.
I'm going to switch to heavy cream in my coffee in the mornings, but I'm looking for some other tips on how to up my fat intake without going too far over my protein goal. This week will probably be a wash because I have 7 more slices of meatloaf to eat (and it is delicious) and I'll be working out, but I'm trying to find other changes I can make in the future to meet my fat goal more consistently.
Thank you in advance!
I'm going to switch to heavy cream in my coffee in the mornings, but I'm looking for some other tips on how to up my fat intake without going too far over my protein goal. This week will probably be a wash because I have 7 more slices of meatloaf to eat (and it is delicious) and I'll be working out, but I'm trying to find other changes I can make in the future to meet my fat goal more consistently.
Thank you in advance!
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Sunny Bunny taught me that if I don't meet my fat macro it's all good. As long as I'm not hungry. So I am mindful of it so I don't go binge crazy but I don't get anxious about it any more.
I love avacado, sour cream, heavy cream, butter, cheeses, eggs. Full fat mayo helps too like in tuna fish or deviled eggs and such.5 -
You do not need to meet the fat goal. Fat is meant to fill you up when you have hit your limit in carbs and you still feel hunger. @Catawampous is correct. Don't try to meet it - if you aren't hungry then no worries. Let your body eat up the fat stores you have instead of fat you take in. I tend to eat more protein than my allotment and fewer fat grams most days and I don't worry as long as my protein isn't crazy. So I try to balance them - if I eat chicken I eat higher fat chicken with skin (think thighs) but if I do eat a breast without skin I add cheese or butter to it.3
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Yep don't worry about it.
Are you hungry between meals or otherwise too soon? If not, you're just fine. Please do not add fat unnecessarily. Only eat fat to satiety.
You would want to strike a better balance ONLY if you're finding yourself hungry too soon after eating. Real hunger. Not cravings or boredom.
I know you hear different all over the internet, but your body has fat in its onboard pantry. It'll use it if you don't force down food you're not hungry for.7 -
I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.0 -
I agree with the others that you don't need to meet your fat goals. If you're hungry though or feeling snacky, try making fat bombs. I make mine with coconut oil, a few drops of sweetener and peanut butter, and keep them in the freezer. I use the lowest sugar peanut butter I could find which is the Adams brand, the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.1
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alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.
As I understand it only people with glucose issues - insulin resistant, diabetic, etc. need worry about this unless you are eating so much freaking protein that it's inordinate. Someone smarter than I? @Sunny_Bunny_0 -
It takes a while to find your balance. What works and what doesn't for you. I have protein set at 30%. But I am 54 and have read I need a bit extra in that area than younger folk require. I don't always hit it but if I'm within about 15 grams I'm ok with that. Sometimes I will go over. Like when I'm a pig LOL1
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alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.
This is a classic case of YMMV. I am IR. If I eat too much protein - especially later in the day - my FBG will be elevated the next day. There are others who seem to have no issue with this. To be clear, I am not talking about just a little more protein, I am talking about pushing double my daily goal.4 -
Mascarpone cheese and cream cheese. Highest fat to protein ratio I have found except for oil.3
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I should check out your diary I have no problem reaching fat goals it's my protein that I don't hit and it's usually made up of carbs2
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I'm not sure you need to count calories as a first principle when following a low carb high fat diet. Reducing carbs and eating "real food" seems to result in better and more automatic appetite regulation, at least in my case...1
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alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.
Are you diabetic or think you may be insulin resistant? If not, you don't need to limit protein. You don't want to go crazy but mostly because a consistently very high protein diet can be rough on the kidneys and digestion, but the process of GNG, protein being converted to glucose, is a demand driven process. Normal demand isn't very high. With insulin resistance the demand is higher and therefore more likely to happen. So, it becomes necessary to be mindful of it.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.
Are you diabetic or think you may be insulin resistant? If not, you don't need to limit protein. You don't want to go crazy but mostly because a consistently very high protein diet can be rough on the kidneys and digestion, but the process of GNG, protein being converted to glucose, is a demand driven process. Normal demand isn't very high. With insulin resistance the demand is higher and therefore more likely to happen. So, it becomes necessary to be mindful of it.
Nope, not diabetic or anything like that. Just someone who googled a little too much!
I'll keep that in mind. I exceeded my protein goal, but I won't worry about it!
Thank you!1 -
Yeah, I wouldn't worry too much about going over in protein.
I had the same issue when I first switched to keto. I'd done the Dukan diet in the past and I found myself with high protein and not a ton of fat. Now I get a lot of my fat through heavy cream (30 ml each in my breakfast and lunchtime coffees
), cheeses, fattier meats, bacon, avocado, cream cheese, etc. 0 -
alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »I guess my fear was that too much protein would be harmful to the ketosis. I read excess protein will get converted to glucose.
I need to switch up my breakfast routine because I was starving before lunch, but I'm quite satisfied now and I should be good until after my spinning class tonight.
"too much protein" and "excess protein" are thrown around a lot without hard numbers associated with them. Assuming you don't have some sort of condition (typically diabetes--but not even all diabetics), these terms are referring to amounts of protein that even I find Herculean. We're talking 250-350 grams (or more) daily, for multiple days in a row. I'll hit 250 grams some days and I've broken 300 grams before, it's no big deal. Now, consider the fact that breaking those numbers usually gets me into the 3,000-5,000 calorie range. It's not something you do accidentally while trying to lose weight.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9416027Protein has a minimal effect on blood glucose levels with adequate insulin. However, with insulin deficiency, gluconeogenesis proceeds rapidly and contributes to an elevated blood glucose level. With adequate insulin, the blood glucose response in persons with diabetes would be expected to be similar to the blood glucose response in persons without diabetes. The reason why protein does not increase blood glucose levels is unclear. Several possibilities might explain the response: a slow conversion of protein to glucose, less protein being converted to glucose and released than previously thought, glucose from protein being incorporated into hepatic glycogen stores but not increasing the rate of hepatic glucose release, or because the process of gluconeogenesis from protein occurs over a period of hours and glucose can be disposed of if presented for utilization slowly and evenly over a long time period.
In short, don't worry about hitting 100 grams or 120 grams. Heck, don't even stress about 150 grams. You're likely not even close.1 -
Awesome question! I just got a few answers myself on this thread!0
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I agree with the others that you don't need to meet your fat goals. If you're hungry though or feeling snacky, try making fat bombs. I make mine with coconut oil, a few drops of sweetener and peanut butter, and keep them in the freezer. I use the lowest sugar peanut butter I could find which is the Adams brand, the only ingredients are peanuts and salt.
try Almond Butter -- lot better and healthy for heart1
