Is 50% fat ok?
margbarco
Posts: 128 Member
I’ve been logging for 30+ days. I’ve intentionally reduced refined carbs (cookies, cakes, bagels, etc.) because I find it makes a dramatic difference in controlling my hunger and cravings for sugar.
I’ve been educating myself about healthy fats, macro and micronutrients and I’m still learning.
I’m 5’5”, 150 lb, female. (SW 157 lb)
My macro percentages are set to 45% carbs, 30% fat, 25% protein.
The “problem” I’m encountering is this: When I don’t check my macro split throughout the course of the day, I naturally hover around 50% fat. (Usually from whole eggs, salmon, walnuts, whole or reduced fat yogurt.)
The only times I am able to keep fats to 30% is when I use a protein powder or nonfat Greek yogurt (which gives me heartburn) or when I intentionally eat more veggies or carbs and check my pie chart throughout the day. (Which I’m happy to do if I need to.)
My question is: Is 50% fat ok if it’s mostly from “healthy” fat? Or, should I keep track throughout the day and make sure I stop at 30% fat?
I weigh my foods with a kitchen scale
Thank you in advance for your advice!
I’ve been educating myself about healthy fats, macro and micronutrients and I’m still learning.
I’m 5’5”, 150 lb, female. (SW 157 lb)
My macro percentages are set to 45% carbs, 30% fat, 25% protein.
The “problem” I’m encountering is this: When I don’t check my macro split throughout the course of the day, I naturally hover around 50% fat. (Usually from whole eggs, salmon, walnuts, whole or reduced fat yogurt.)
The only times I am able to keep fats to 30% is when I use a protein powder or nonfat Greek yogurt (which gives me heartburn) or when I intentionally eat more veggies or carbs and check my pie chart throughout the day. (Which I’m happy to do if I need to.)
My question is: Is 50% fat ok if it’s mostly from “healthy” fat? Or, should I keep track throughout the day and make sure I stop at 30% fat?
I weigh my foods with a kitchen scale
Thank you in advance for your advice!
0
Replies
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Is the fat keeping you from meeting your protein goal? Most people consider fat and protein minimums to hit and fill the rest with carbs.5
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Is the fat keeping you from meeting your protein goal? Most people consider fat and protein minimums to hit and fill the rest with carbs.
I'm not sure... it seems that I eat the most fat while trying to reach my protein goal. But I hardly ever reach my protein goal - unless I use powder or nonfat Greek yogurt. Maybe I just need to eat more chicken and veggies/greens to stay at 30% fat.0 -
I’m not a health professional, but I’m pretty sure that, as long as you’re still using healthy portions and staying satiated, I’m pretty sure it’s fine. If your goal is to build muscle, you do want to make sure that you’re getting at least 25-30% from protein though.
Thank you, I'm not (yet) trying to build muscle but I will be soon! So trying to meet my protein goal is something I need to learn to do. I'm just not sure if the high fat (50ish% on most days) is an issue...0 -
It's fine. But try harder to reach your protein goal. You need enough protein in order to hang onto muscle. You need enough fat for proper hormonal functioning and vitamin absorption. Sounds like you've got the fat down and that's great. Now focus on protein.
(Last sentence edited because I'm a doofus.)4 -
It's fine. But try harder to reach your protein goal. You need enough protein in order to hang onto muscle. You need enough fat for proper hormonal functioning and vitamin absorption. Sounds like you've got the fat down and that's great. Now focus on carbs.
Yeah? Thank you! I will try harder to eat more carbs in the form of veggies, greens, fruit, quinoa, etc.2 -
It's fine. But try harder to reach your protein goal. You need enough protein in order to hang onto muscle. You need enough fat for proper hormonal functioning and vitamin absorption. Sounds like you've got the fat down and that's great. Now focus on carbs.
Yeah? Thank you! I will try harder to eat more carbs in the form of veggies, greens, fruit, quinoa, etc.
Nooo! Wait!!!
Holy cow. That was a complete typo or screw up or whatever you want to call it. I meant: Now focus on PROTEIN.
I am so sorry!
4 -
It's fine. But try harder to reach your protein goal. You need enough protein in order to hang onto muscle. You need enough fat for proper hormonal functioning and vitamin absorption. Sounds like you've got the fat down and that's great. Now focus on carbs.
Yeah? Thank you! I will try harder to eat more carbs in the form of veggies, greens, fruit, quinoa, etc.
Nooo! Wait!!!
Holy cow. That was a complete typo or screw up or whatever you want to call it. I meant: Now focus on PROTEIN.
I am so sorry!
Got it! That does make more sense.
(I just assumed you meant focus on carbs to decrease the fat percentage.)
So, more (lean) protein?
Thanks!0 -
Swap out some of your fattier meat choices for lean meats. Or, limit your consumption of additional fats (oil, nuts, avocado) in favor of something with more protein.
For example - If you want an omelette with 3 whole eggs, do not add any additional fat. Or, eat an omelette with 1 whole egg and egg whites and then add avocado or cheese.1 -
Swap out some of your fattier meat choices for lean meats. Or, limit your consumption of additional fats (oil, nuts, avocado) in favor of something with more protein.
For example - If you want an omelette with 3 whole eggs, do not add any additional fat. Or, eat an omelette with 1 whole egg and egg whites and then add avocado or cheese.
Thank you, good advice
So you think 50% total fat is too much? I kind of knew it was, that’s why I asked. I can only imagine how high it was before I started logging and eating more conscientiously!1 -
Percentages aren't really useful though. Actual gram minimums are better. I follow a minimum of .4 grams of fat per pound of bodyweight minimum. At 175 lbs that would be 70 grams or 630 calories. Depending on how much you eat, that could very well be 50% of your calories and very appropriate.2
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Excuse my ignorance, but I'm confused about these percentages. Where do we find this in the MFP chart??
I usually note the total grams on the chart, but I don't see % at all.0 -
Swap out some of your fattier meat choices for lean meats. Or, limit your consumption of additional fats (oil, nuts, avocado) in favor of something with more protein.
For example - If you want an omelette with 3 whole eggs, do not add any additional fat. Or, eat an omelette with 1 whole egg and egg whites and then add avocado or cheese.
Thank you, good advice
So you think 50% total fat is too much? I kind of knew it was, that’s why I asked. I can only imagine how high it was before I started logging and eating more conscientiously!
It's not that 50% fat is too much. It's that you said you're not meeting your protein goal. So you need to add protein and cut calories somewhere else, and at 50% fat (with fat being more than twice as energy-dense as protein and carbs by weight), it's likely going to be easier to cut some fat calories to make room for more protein than it would be to cut carbs to make room for more protein. Plus, absent the occasional pure carnivore, most people are going to want to at least have enough space for carbs to fit in a few servings of veggies and maybe one or two servings of fruit. Plus, if you're getting a lot of your protein from dairy (you mentioned yogurt, at least), you need to leave room for some carbs from dairy.
The easiest thing would be to add another serving of lean meat, poultry, or fish each day and see where that gets you. But do you eat meat and poultry? You don't mention any examples of those in your diet, so if you're pescetarian, it would be helpful if you would clarify.
Have you tried low-fat cottage cheese? Does it give you heartburn like the non-fat yogurt? What about skim or nonfat milk? Nonfat kefir?
There's always seitan or legumes. Legumes come with a fair proportion of carbs, but are very low fat, so the calorie tradeoff works in your favor compared to many of your current protein sources.4 -
Swap out some of your fattier meat choices for lean meats. Or, limit your consumption of additional fats (oil, nuts, avocado) in favor of something with more protein.
For example - If you want an omelette with 3 whole eggs, do not add any additional fat. Or, eat an omelette with 1 whole egg and egg whites and then add avocado or cheese.
Thank you, good advice
So you think 50% total fat is too much? I kind of knew it was, that’s why I asked. I can only imagine how high it was before I started logging and eating more conscientiously!
Not necessarily. But you want to make sure you hit your other minimums too. You can continue to eat a higher fat diet, but don't skimp on your protein.
We all have different taste preferences and if you prefer fats over another macro, it's not a problem. Personally, I enjoy a high protein diet and I have to make an effort to include fats and carbs. I try to hit what my body needs for proper function and then fill with what I actually want.1 -
OP, here. Thank you to all who replied! I’m still hovering around 50% fat per day unless I make a direct, conscious effort to try to reach my protein goal.
Just wanted to say that today is the very first day out of 100+ days that I’ve not only met my protein goal but surpassed it. I noticed many other threads talking about meeting protein (and fat) goals first, then letting the other macros fall where they may. It worked, and my fat % for today isn’t quite as high 😊6 -
Yes, 50% fat can be just fine. You'd just want to also hit your protein and fiber goals and to eat a nice variety of veg. I often eat around 50% fat, since I just find it more satisfying than carbs.0
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Hitting your protein goal is the important thing. Whether you use fats or carbs for energy/fuel is a choice people make on food preferences and health.
I an usually between 65 and 80% fat, but I eat a ketogenic diet, and even among keto'er's I eat lower carb than most (because it works best for my health issues). For me, eating that high of a fat level has improved my health and made weight loss easier (due to steadier energy & hormones, and greater satiety - YMMV).
There is no need to restrict fat if you find that works for you.0 -
I aim for my protein target first (which is usually around 20-25% of my calories) and then fat to ensure I keep full (35-40%) and then carbs - I try to eat at least 400g of fruit and veg per day.
Getting that much fat is fine as long as you're hitting your protein and getting some fruit and veg.0 -
OP, here. Thank you to all who replied! I’m still hovering around 50% fat per day unless I make a direct, conscious effort to try to reach my protein goal.
Just wanted to say that today is the very first day out of 100+ days that I’ve not only met my protein goal but surpassed it. I noticed many other threads talking about meeting protein (and fat) goals first, then letting the other macros fall where they may. It worked, and my fat % for today isn’t quite as high 😊
Yay.
I think it's about using lean(er) protein sources. Obviously we all love the fatty meats like bacon, sausage, beef but that does tend to make it harder to get enough protein and stay within calories because of the high calories in fat.
I have my macros set at the default, but I'm always over on fat so I fall close to 40-45% on most days. I do have to really focus on protein. Greek yogurt is a quick hit. I eat eggs and some kind of meat at breakfast, and 3-5 ounces of leaner meat in my second meal. There is protein in whole grains, nuts, milk. I've never used supplements or protein bars, just plain old food.
I'm betting someone else already said all that. ^^ It's early, I haven't had coffee and I just like to hear myself type.0
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