Too Much Daily Fat?

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wowisforstuds1238
wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Looking for opinions on hitting daily macros. I have a problem almost every day hitting my fat macro which for me I have at 20% or 38 grams. I find that I am constantly going over even though I am eating healthy almost every day. My question is, if you go over your fat macro, but are able to stay under your carb macro. Would the increased fat make up for the carbs your missing and level out? Or, does going over any daily macro hinder weight loss and or general health over time in regards to exercising and performance?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    Fat is an important nutrient. It's way better to be over on fat than under.

    Why have you set your fat so low? Set it back at 30% and make that a Minimum Goal to hit. Fat is needed by the body, carbs not so much.

    When I was in weight loss mode I ate about 45% fat.

    Fat doesn't make you fat, it's calories calories calories. :)
  • wowisforstuds1238
    wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
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    Well I set my macros at 35% for protein, 45% for cabs and 20% for fats. I am considered obese and I was told that was a good split for weight loss. So should I make it 35% carbs and make fats 30%?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,969 Member
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    I think the protein is overkill. A 40C 30F 30P is a better split, do some research on the role of fats in nutrition. I don't think you need that much protein - and you do need the fat.
  • wowisforstuds1238
    wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
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    Well I appreciate your opinion, I would really like to get a diverse set of opinions on this matter, but I will research those links. Thank you.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited March 2021
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    Fat is an important nutrient. It's way better to be over on fat than under.

    Why have you set your fat so low? Set it back at 30% and make that a Minimum Goal to hit. Fat is needed by the body, carbs not so much.

    When I was in weight loss mode I ate about 45% fat.

    Fat doesn't make you fat, it's calories calories calories. :)

    ^^this

    I have always had my macros at the 50 carbs/30 fats/ 20 protein default split and never changed them. I went from 241lbs to 170lbs and never paid much attention at all to where my fat and carb macro counts fell. As long as I am getting close to my protein macro, that's really the only thing I worry about. Macros help keep you satiated and protein plays an important role for helping to protect muscle and other vital things, but weight loss comes from a calorie deficit.
  • wowisforstuds1238
    wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
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    Thanks. Really. I appreciate you guys opinions. I’m new still on my weight loss journey and learning as I go here. Trying to take everyone’s advice and strategies and find something that fits right for me so I don’t backslide.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
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    No specific macros are going to be best for weight loss. It's going to come down to what is most sustainable for you.

    Protein is important, but the usual advice when losing weight and/or active (there are good studies and more information cited at Examine.com, a reliable site) is 0.8-1 g per lb of lean mass or, since many people don't have a good estimate of their lean mass, about 0.6-0.85 g/lb of a healthy goal weight. Because protein can be satiating, many of us tend to aim toward the higher end (I use 0.8 g/lb). So for example, my goal weight is 120, and so my goal is 96 (although I think more of a range of 85-105 and don't worry too much if I'm occasionally lower or higher).

    If my calorie goal is 1500, then 96 is about 25%, and that's what I set my percentage to, if using percentages (I don't actually use percentages, I look at totals).

    You can do the math for yourself and see where it ends up. 35% seems awfully high for protein to me, and if I was setting it so high I'd cut carbs some to make room for more than 20% fat or simply not worry about how carbs and fats fall (unless you are someone who eats super low fat without watching it, but it doesn't sound like that's an issue).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    wowisforstuds1238 wrote: »
    Well I set my macros at 35% for protein, 45% for cabs and 20% for fats. I am considered obese and I was told that was a good split for weight loss. So should I make it 35% carbs and make fats 30%?

    It doesn't really matter. Weight loss is about calories, not what you have your macros set to. There is no one universally optimal macro ratio. It's very individual and a lot of it boils down to compliance in a calorie deficit...they can also matter for fitness/athletic performance...but a favorable macro ratio is going to be pretty individual specific. I think a lot of people also cause themselves undo and unnecessary stress doing a bunch of hand wringing over macros and trying to hit them bang on.

    I don't log and haven't in years...from experience, I'm vaguely aware of my macros...in particular protein...but that's about it...I have zero clue what that exact number is, and it's not remotely important to me and I'm dropping my COVID Lbs no problem.

    When I did log, I set my macros to what was at the time referred to as the "zone"...40c/30P/30F...but I never worried about being bang on.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    I found when cutting that the first thing to go are carbs. I'm perfectly willing to have days where I'm 50% fats, 25% carb, 25% protein. I try to eat high-quality fats from nuts and oils (olive, avocado) and also fish and meats. In general, I find I can control my apatite better at higher fat levels. The only issue with going higher than 25% on protein is that it steals out of the carb/fat allocations, which are your daily fuel. Protein is a very poor fuel, so if you over-eat it, you can end up feeling a bit sluggish.

    So, as I've written in many other places, you can adjust your macros by the way you feel. If I'm doing a 1hour run, ride, or swim, for example, I eat a few more carbs (and fats) to compensate.

    In the end, you need to figure out what works for you based on your apatite, energy level, etc.

    Best of luck!
  • wowisforstuds1238
    wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
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    I alternate cardio with weight lifting currently. Yes I’m novice and only basic lifting, even still, would that change my macros a little from 30% protein to what I’m currently doing which is 35%?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,195 Member
    edited March 2021
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    wowisforstuds1238 wrote: »
    I alternate cardio with weight lifting currently. Yes I’m novice and only basic lifting, even still, would that change my macros a little from 30% protein to what I’m currently doing which is 35%?

    Really: Figure out how much protein you should be eating in grams, then set your percentages. The percentages can be a simplification, a convenience, but they're not helping you here.

    Many people here are going to give you protein suggestions in the realm of 0.6-0.8g daily per pound of healthy goal weight, which for many people will fall in the range of 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass. Or, if you have anything like a rational estimate of body fat percent, go for the 0.8-1g per pound of lean body mass (current weight minus fat weight). This is one case where a BIA scale estimate of body fat may be adequate, if you have multiple observations (not just one that could be an outlier). It's not that the body fat percent is correct (probably isn't), but that by the time you do the arithmetic to get a protein gram goal, we're typically quibbling about a small number of grams that just aren't a huge issue in the big picture.

    The Examine.com research-based recommendations were mentioned above (they sell research summaries, and give some away for free: they don't sell protein supplements). They're generally regarded as up to date, and neutral. Find them here:

    https://examine.com/guides/protein-intake/
    https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

    Once you have a gram goal, eat to the gram goal. Or, set your percent so you reach that gram goal at typical daily calories.

    You need some fat. It's an "essential nutrient", which means the body can't manufacture it from other nutrients. (Protein is also an essential nutrient; carbs are not, in that sense. Your body can manufacture carbs, if it needs to.) Getting extra fat is not a problem, if within reasonable calories, unless it drives out other need nutrition (protein, or the veggies/fruits you need for micros and fiber, for example).
  • wowisforstuds1238
    wowisforstuds1238 Posts: 77 Member
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    Ok. Thank you very much! 😊
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    cmriverside wrote: »
    I think the protein is overkill. A 40C 30F 30P is a better split, do some research on the role of fats in nutrition. I don't think you need that much protein - and you do need the fat.

    Agreeing that this is a better split.

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