Too little fat

juliafromrf

Hey everyone,

I'm falling short of my fat goal almost daily, sometimes I'm very close but other times I will only have half of what MFP suggests I should eat. I don't really like "fatty" things and I usually think fat is not worth its very high amount of calories so it's the macronutrient I tend to neglect a bit. I've heard different opinions on how necessary fat intake is for weight loss, but I would appreciate your opinions (or scientific facts).
Can too little fat hinder my weight loss or have bad long-term effects on my health?

TavistockToad

too little fat can definitely have bad long term affects on your health. you need fat to metabolise vitamins and minerals... not enough fat, cant absorb vitamins, no vitmains, bad hair, skin nails etc. plus fat is yummy! Mmmm, peanut butter!

usmcmp

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/patientinstructions/000104.htm

Carbohydrate 4 calories per gram
Protein 4 calories per gram
Fat 9 calories per gram
Alcohol 7 calories per gram

The reason that foods with higher fat content have more calories is because there are 9 calories per gram. Avocados and nuts have fat, so it doesn't have to be animal fats.

aalbert_82

I agree with the poster above. One of my peeves is people using fat free salad dressing all the time. Vitamins A, D, E, K are fat soluble, so if you don't have some fat with your salad you will not absorb these.

I set my fat macro to 40% and have found that it keeps me very satiated, which has helped me lose weight. I don't have to eat any so-called "junk" food to hit it. I have nuts, olive oil., avocado, meat and I hit it no problem.

mamahannick

Yes, fat is important. That's why it's a macro.

Find a nut butter you like and either add it to smoothies or to a banana or apple.
Cook with butter or oil.
Avocados/guacamole, nuts, trail mix.
Avoid low fat or fat free dairy and eat the full fat.
If you eat eggs, eat the whole egg and not just the whites.
Have some chocolate at the end of the day, or any treat that you personally enjoy.

Lots of options!

juliafromrf

Ok, thanks for your input. I suspected fat is very important, that's why I asked.
I know all the foods that contain high-quality fat, but I'm not too fond of most of them so I usually have something else I enjoy more. It's just too tempting to have a lot of fruits instead of a tiny amount of something high in fat if my caloric budget is limited.
Anyway, I will find a fat source that works for me if it's indispensable for my health.

@aalbert_82: Haha, salad dressing is actually the only thing I use "pure" fat for because I know how important it is to eat vegetables in combination with fat. It's not that I don't eat any fat at all! But way too little obviously.

Swiftdogs

I did that when I first started and caused skin problems and, let's say, colon issues. You have to make room in your calories for enough fat. Have some dairy with your fruit and you'll stay full longer, too.