very confused about fats on my fitness pal

lilyrosieposie3

Ok this is my second week on the plan and I am confused.
I have been going to diet clubs for years who advise us to eat fat free or low fat dairy.
for years I have been buying skimmed milk, fat free or virtually fat free yogurts. Now it appears that I should be eating a set amount of fat a day, so I am buying semi skimmed dairy. Its taking me a long time to get used to the richer flavour. So my question is, are fats now considered good for us, and have slimming clubs got it wrong.
as I have high cholesterol, I am a bit apprehensive to change. Thank you for your help

EmmaR25

Every "diet" has its own way of cutting calories, and with the clubs you have been to that's how they did it. Moderation is the key here, good fats are not the bad guys they are made out to be. If your happy choosing lower fat options that's fine, but itbprobablyh wouldn't do you harm to swap up to some fuller fat versions, what you'll find with lower fat products they tend to have sugar or additives to make them taste good. Also if you have high cholesterol I'd follow any advice you've already been given

lilyrosieposie3

Thanks for your reply. I think I will replace the dairy with good oils and eat avocados and nuts in moderation

MsPudding

I had a session with a nutritional therapist a few weeks ago and one of her key points was NOT to eat low-fat versions of foods; the reason being that the fat is replaced with 'something' and that 'something' is generally sugar.

Fats aren't bad for you, in fact fat is absolutely essential to our diet and health. The key is to focus on 'essential fats' (i.e. fats our body can't manufacture by itself and we can therefore only get through our diet.) Those fats are to be found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados. She was clear that when we have dairy, it should be full fat but less of it.

lilyrosieposie3

Thank you for your reply, it made a lot of sense. As I love avocados, oily fish such as salmon and nuts, I would rather eat the foods than buy full fat dairy.
I have lots of teas and coffees throughout the day, and add milk to them, so I think I might have about 250 ml a day of semi skimmed milk.

editorgrrl

I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums, and ignore fat & carbs. It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

This is a really good place to start: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

ChrisM8971

I would recommend this post for calculating you macro requirements then maybe you can set your own goals for Carbs/Fats?Protein

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

The basic premise is to set your goals of protein and fats based on body weight and let carbs fill in the rest.

In the UK we are still on the "all fats are bad" kick as can be seen by the amount of foodstuffs available with "Low Fat" plastered all over the packaging, however we then pack the products with salt and sugar to put the taste that was removed along with the fat back into the product

Certain fats are essential in your diet and with the exception of trans fats there aren't really any unhealthy fats. I like looking at the Mediterranean style of eating as a pointer because its considered to be one of the healthiest in the world and contains plenty of fats in the form of olive oil and oily fish

Word of caution though fats contain more than double the calories per gram of either proteins or carbohydrates (9 vs 4) so the calories add up quickly, although many people find the combination of protein and fats the most satiating helping with adherence to reduced calorie eating plans

ChrisM8971

I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums, and ignore fat & carbs. It will take trial & error to find what works for you.

This is a really good place to start: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

I track fibre as well and don't think enough emphasis is placed on it as part of a healthy diet

thelowcarbrecipes

I tend to eat about 65% of my calories from farm [30 from protein and 5% from carbs] as I am on a ketogenic diet. There are lots of communites on the internet that do similar] and I feel great and have lost near 60 lbs this way.

I think that it doesnt matter too much where you calories come, as long as you are eating under the amount of calories you can eat per day to maintain weight. That said, I find myself easily satiated when I get most calories from fats.

the only item that i get low fat is cheddar cheese because from 100 grams they only seem to add 2g of carbs yet it reduced the calories by almost 40 percent.

editorgrrl

I think that it doesnt matter too much where you calories come, as long as you are eating under the amount of calories you can eat per day to maintain weight.

That said, I find myself easily satiated when I get most calories from fats.

^^^This.

If you eat at a deficit (meaning more calories out than calories in), you will lose weight. Everybody's different, and it will take trial & error to find how much fat works best for you.

And if you haven't yet, please read the Sexypants link I posted above. So much good information!

FatJockSing

Fats aren't bad for you, in fact fat is absolutely essential to our diet and health. The key is to focus on 'essential fats' (i.e. fats our body can't manufacture by itself and we can therefore only get through our diet.) Those fats are to be found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, avocados.

^^^ THIS!!!!^^^
Dietary fat (up to a certain amount) is ESSENTIAL for certain bodily functions. That's why MOST sites set Protein and Fat as minimums and Carbs as the 'Gap Filler" on your calorie target.