Is Low Fat Part of the Problem?

cheryldumais

I'm curious if any of you have found that you are more sated with a bit more fat in your diet. I have been low fat since I lost weight but have noticed an odd phenomenon. Whenever I have a higher fat meal I don't want to snack all the time. Although I am in maintenance my calorie level is still pretty low so I have continued to keep my fats low most of the time but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm hungry all the time because of that. Maybe if I were to add more fat back and lowered my refined carbs a bit I wouldn't need to snack so much? Thoughts?

puffbrat

Higher fat is huge for my satiety. Protein and fiber really help too, but I increasingly think fat is actually the most important macro for me.

pinuplove

puffbrat wrote: »

Higher fat is huge for my satiety. Protein and fiber really help too, but I increasingly think fat is actually the most important macro for me.

Same here. Luckily I'm not a volume eater. I also tend to get a headache when I eat too low fat. I have my fat macro set at 35%, protein 20%, carbs 45% but it wasn't unusual for me (when I was tracking) to be over in fat and under on carbs. It never affected my rate of loss. Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm not tracking much but my eating habits are virtually the same as when I was losing.

PS. Peanut butter makes a great snack!

bjkoziara

I am not in maintenance so perhaps my thoughts aren't relevant, but I learned as I was starting that fats tend to keep me more satiated than carbs. One of my absolute favorite salads is very low carb but very high in fats and proteins and that sucker keeps me full for hours! There may be benefits to keeping fats low that I'm not aware of once you hit maintenance, but I personally think fats keep me fuller.

mph323

Sure, fat helps with satiety for many people. Why not try tweaking your macros for a few weeks to add in more healthy fats and see if that helps with snacking in the longer term - sounds like you've got excellent observational skills and good sense of what works for you. Best of luck

steveko89

I honestly don't pay too much attention to my fat macro. How much fat do you usually consume?
I'd start by checking that against these guidelines: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2000/document/choose.htm

lemurcat2

I don't find fat helps me with not being hungry, but it helps me with feeling more satisfied with my diet overall, which makes it more sustainable for me.

NorthCascades

Fat is delicious. I have something high in fat, and I want more.

spinnerdell

I'm also in maintenance with a low calorie allowance. For me, higher fat levels are key to keeping me satiated. Much as I love carb-rich foods, I'd rather cut back a bit on the refined carbs in favor of my beloved butter, olive oil, and cream. The down side is lack of volume, so this wouldn't work for everybody.

estherdragonbat

I generally focus on protein and iron and let the rest fall where it falls. I'm usually slightly below 30% fat, and typically hit fiber without trying and it works well for me. I've personally never noticed being more satiated with fattier foods, but I'm not following a low-fat diet either, so I suspect I'm getting what I need.

kimny72

I don't find fat satiating at all, in fact it's very easy for me to overeat. But others do find it very filling, that's one of the reasons low-carb can be advantageous for some people. So yes, it's possible that bumping up your fat a little and reducing your carbs a little will help with your appetite. Can't hurt to try!

nooboots

I find fat very satisfying, I think I have a fat tooth like some people have a sweet tooth. Im a bit cross at all the years I spent on 'low fat diets' particularly the likes of slimming world where I was eating mountains of pasta and rice (its freeeee) and just simply not learning a) what satisfied me and b) adjusting my portions to get my mind and tummy used to what its actually meant to eat in terms of portion size

sardelsa

I like some amount of fat in my food and meals but I don't find it filling. A whey protein shake with little to no fat can keep me full for hours. Typically when I'm trying to gain my fat tends to go up since it's so calorie dense and easy for me to eat and get the calories in.

Sometimes it takes some experimenting to see what works for you.

NovusDies

Seems like it is worth an experiment. Perhaps eat higher fat for 4 days or so and make note of when you feel hungry.

whoami67

After decades of eating low fat, I discovered the wonders of a higher fat diet about ten years ago. While I can certainly overeat very easily when eating more fat if I'm not careful, I find fat very satiating. And it's done wonders for my health, my hormones, skin and joints. I never knew how much damage I was doing all those years by following dietitians' recommendations for a "healthy" lowfat diet.

kshama2001

Around 40-50% carbs, 30% plus fat, 20-30% protein seems to be the sweet spot for me. If I am too far off on any of those, I don't feel satisfied.

Lillymoo01

I really don't like foods that are high in saturated fats. The taste and texture isn't for me and never has been. However, in recent years I have found that adding just a few nuts to my meals throughout the day, really makes a difference with satiety. We are all so different but I have found that a macro split of 40 C/25 P/35 F works most effectively for me to incorporate the foods I enjoy eating and the foods I find are most satiating.

wenrob

Yep, got to have fat and protein in my meals to feel and keep satisfied.

karahm78

Yes, I like to add healthy fats and it has a big effect for me. Nuts, add avocado to salad or slice on sandwich, olive oil, and cream in coffee.

AnnPT77

It's so individual, it seems like: Fat isn't terribly satiating for me; I tend to need protein and volume (usually veggies & fruits). Fat is the macro I'm most likely to undereat, if I don't pay attention . . . and I do need to pay attention, because I've learned that eating too little of it has a negative effect on my digestive system.

NorthCascades

whoami67 wrote: »

After decades of eating low fat, I discovered the wonders of a higher fat diet about ten years ago. While I can certainly overeat very easily when eating more fat if I'm not careful, I find fat very satiating. And it's done wonders for my health, my hormones, skin and joints. I never knew how much damage I was doing all those years by following dietitians' recommendations for a "healthy" lowfat diet.

You legitimately need fat in your diet for many reasons, including hormone health. I don't think most people in the 1st world are deficient in this, but it's worth knowing (because fat used to have such a bad reputation).

Fat is delicious. Removing it often means adding something else to compensate. I don't think processed food is toxic poison like some people do, but I do think people who are aware of nutrition tend to make better choices than companies whose goals are to make hyper palatable good and to reduce costs.

Plus, it's legitimate to enjoy good food. You can't take it to the extreme, but eating something you don't like because you feel you have to is less than ideal.

Anyway, long winded way of agreeing with you.

LyndaBSS

All of the above posts prove why there is no one "diet" that works for everyone.

mmapags

AnnPT77 wrote: »

It's so individual, it seems like: Fat isn't terribly satiating for me; I tend to need protein and volume (usually veggies & fruits). Fat is the macro I'm most likely to undereat, if I don't pay attention . . . and I do need to pay attention, because I've learned that eating too little of it has a negative effect on my digestive system.

Same here except that I don't really need to pay much attention to it. Protein and fruits and veggies are most satiating for me. My fats have been coming in around 50 to 60 grams. I currently weigh about 185. That seems to be fine for me with no ill effects.

amusedmonkey

I need some fat for satiety, up to a point. It's a balancing act for me, too little and I feel hungry, too much and I feel hungry because it's calorically expensive so my meals are smaller and less satisfying. About 45 to 60 grams seems to be my sweet spot. It is the macro I tend to undereat sometimes when I'm calorie compliant because volume and starches play a bigger role in my satiety. I have to consciously remind myself sometimes that fat does contribute to satiety somewhat. When I go over calories, fat is usually the culprit, so yeah, it's a balancing act. Too little leaves me hungry and too much is too delicious not to overeat.

Edited to change from percentages to grams.

Darren225g

Fats are very important. It helps your body absorb nutrients, and helps with your hormones. I fell into the lowfat fad years ago, and man, my hormones were out of wack. I remember breaking out with acne, my skin was dry, and it was hard concentrate. All of those problems went away when i added a sufficient amount of fats back into my diet.

liz0269

cheryldumais wrote: »

I'm curious if any of you have found that you are more sated with a bit more fat in your diet. I have been low fat since I lost weight but have noticed an odd phenomenon. Whenever I have a higher fat meal I don't want to snack all the time. Although I am in maintenance my calorie level is still pretty low so I have continued to keep my fats low most of the time but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm hungry all the time because of that. Maybe if I were to add more fat back and lowered my refined carbs a bit I wouldn't need to snack so much? Thoughts?

Perhaps swapping out the refined carbs for whole foods? Not all carbs are the same. I can easily stay within my calories when I focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains - not whole grain products but actual whole grains. But I struggle with hunger and I am more likely to overeat when I eat refined carb products or higher fat.

staticsplit

I'm always a little too high on my fat according to MFP's default macro split. It's just how I like to eat. Peanut butter FTW.

yirara

AnnPT77 wrote: »

It's so individual, it seems like: Fat isn't terribly satiating for me; I tend to need protein and volume (usually veggies & fruits). Fat is the macro I'm most likely to undereat, if I don't pay attention . . . and I do need to pay attention, because I've learned that eating too little of it has a negative effect on my digestive system.

Fatty food doesn't satiate me at all. But I don't seem to digest fatty food very well. On a vacation in a country where I mainly got very fatty, meaty food I felt miserable the whole time and had lost weight when I was back home. Mind you, I do have gallbladder issues, and probably had those for ages.

This aside, I'm a volume eater, and especially grains, rice, potatoes, pasta fill me up, but so do veggies. Fruits though are hopeless.

Mouse_Potato

I am a fat eater as well. Veggies, while delicious and nutritionally important, do nothing for my appetite. A single slice of cheese will keep me going a lot longer than a salad. Needless to say, I am not a volume eater. I prefer small, but calorically-dense meals.

PAV8888

Over time I've added judicious amounts of fat in food I prepare and it does make a positive difference to satiety for me between absence and adding a few grams.

However that cost benefit win is not there for me when there is an over abundance. That's when the extra calories pile up faster than the extra satiety!

TheMrWobbly

It is correct that each person is different, what we do know that the government supported theory that 'fat is bad, gives you heart disease' has no proven basis. I won't go on about LDLs and HDLs here though everybody should understand more about them. Anything to excess is bad but an amount of fat is necessary and it does make you feel fuller (generally). Just keep away from trans fats.