How much fat is too much?

MoniqueHoltman

A couple months ago I cut out bad carbs from my diet - bread, pasta, potatoes etc and now only eat carbs in things like fruit and vegetables. The problem is I'm a vegetarian as well which means that a lot of my diet revolves around nuts, olives, cheese and other dairy products. This means I have a VERY high fat diet. I'm sometimes shocked when I look at Fitness Pal.

I'm just wondering how much fat is too much? Even though it's all good fats could there be any detrimental effects to following a high fat diet long term?

Lizzy622

How much of the fat is coming from saturated sources (dairy)? The most important thing is balance even when you think you are eating healthy omega fats, make sure you are not overdoing omega 6 or omega 9 fats. I never considered potatoes a "bad" carb. The bad part comes with loading them up in fat.

MoniqueHoltman

I think too much is coming from dairy. I tend to have cottage cheese for breakfast, with my lunch I will have a natural yoghurt and some Laughing Cow and sometimes also have something cheese related with my dinner. That was to try and get my protein up as I'm a vegetarian but maybe I'd be better off reducing the dairy and having a protein shake instead?

sirabbadon

Low carb, high fat diets are gaining popularity. There are numerous studies showing that high dietary fat intake does not correlate to high body fat or even higher cholesterol levels. Google the ketogenic diet or search the forums here. There's a ton of information about it. Carbs are not "bad." Dietary fats are not "bad." Even if the keto thing isn't for you, it demonstrates that fat isn't bad. Mix it up, find what works for you. Stay under your calorie goal, get enough protein and you'll be fine.

WaterBunnie

The 3 major food groups are protein, fat and carbs. If you cut down your carbs you probably are going to end up with a higher percentage of protein and/or fat.

Surely bad carbs would be white bread, sugar, cakes, biscuits etc - not healthy foods like potatoes and rice etc?

MoniqueHoltman

I understand things like boiled new potatoes aren't bad for you as in unhealthy but I'm trying the low carb thing as a last resort really.

I've always had to work harder than the average person to maintain my weight which I don't understand because I have always been active and nobody else in my family struggles. I've tried everything and even had tests at the doctor and everything comes back fine. I turned 30 in December and put on nearly a stone despite not changing my eating or exercise habits. Absolutely nothing was working so thought I would try the low carb thing. I lost 6 pounds initially but seem to have stalled again. Story of my life!

camilloapril

I started eating a ketogenic diet about a month ago. I have lost 15 lbs. I am also vegetarian. I use GNC wheybolic protein shakes to supplement my protein intake. I feel better than I have felt in a very long time eating this way. I, too, get a lot of fat in my diet, but it is from healthy oils & natural dairy. I have had no bread, sugar, etc. since the beginning of this change in diet. I can't begin to say how fantastic I feel. I wish I had known about this a long time ago.

MoniqueHoltman

I was just telling someone the other day how great I feel following this diet!

What kind of foods do you eat then? I'm slowly but surely running out of ideas and tend to eat very similar foods day in and day out!

Springfield1970

I understand things like boiled new potatoes aren't bad for you as in unhealthy but I'm trying the low carb thing as a last resort really.

I've always had to work harder than the average person to maintain my weight which I don't understand because I have always been active and nobody else in my family struggles. I've tried everything and even had tests at the doctor and everything comes back fine. I turned 30 in December and put on nearly a stone despite not changing my eating or exercise habits. Absolutely nothing was working so thought I would try the low carb thing. I lost 6 pounds initially but seem to have stalled again. Story of my life!

That's because you lost 6lb of water and glycogen, and food in the system. Maybe a bit of fat.

A lot of us have had amazing results by learning to log and count food and exercise properly.

I myself have been set free from a lifetime of emotional and fad dieting.

I eat and drink whatever I like nowadays, just the correct amounts of it. I've lost 10% body fat.

lalepepper

I'm not on low-carb, but I generally eat vegetarian and have found my fats seem high some days. Although I don't have a gallbladder (which can pose some complications with higher fat intake) I only ever have had issues if I consume a lot of dairy or meat-based fat, which hasn't happened since I've been losing weight. My doctor told me if I wanted to keep eating the same things I had been before I'd need to move to a low-fat diet, but if I was willing to change to plant-based fats I would be a lot less likely to have problems. However, I do need to be sure to get in more whole grains and fiber to balance those higher-fat days.

Fat won't make you fat if you're continuing to eat at a caloric deficit. You do have to keep in mind that each gram of fat is more calorically dense than a gram of protein or carbs, but fats are also often more satiating for people than carbs, especially simple carbs. A lot of people have had luck not worrying too much about the actual grams of fat and focusing more on how satiated they feel. While most days I'm under 50-75 grams on carbs, I'm over on protein and fats, but feel no hunger.

As long as you're feeling well and maintaining a balance between carbs, fat, and protein that you feel well on, you should be able to continue eating a higher fat diet, barring any health issues or negative effects. If you have any concerns, I'd recommend consulting your doctor. Most advice here is anecdotal, and it can be very difficult to really determine which eating style will work best for you. Ultimately it's my belief that for basic weight loss, focusing more on what works best for you and helps you stick to goals is more important than whatever the scientifically "ideal" approach may be. There's so many complicated factors and chemical interplay that it would be exhausting to apply every single principal of an ideal program!

camilloapril

Sorry it's taken me until now to reply. I don't really look at blog post replies often. Please feel free to inbox me! I eat tons of stuff. I feel fantastic eating this way. I get that this lifestyle is not for everyone, but it's fantastic for me. My thyroid function is normal now...it hasn't been for years. I found tons of recipes using cauliflower & eggs instead of bread. I have adapted well to eating like this. Please, feel free to message me! It's just too much to post on here! It's wonderful! I hope to always be able to eat like this & feel this good.

camilloapril

And to answer your question - 65% of my daily caloric intake is from fat (healthy fats - avocados, olive oil, almonds, grass fed butter, etc.). 30% from protein. 5% from carbs.

Raynne413

To be honest, I never really look at fat. If I want peanut butter, I'll eat it, regardless of anything else I've had that day. I've found that if I am within my calorie allotment, I'm usually within my fat allotment. My fat intake generally ranges from 30-40%.

merisaOct3

I understand things like boiled new potatoes aren't bad for you as in unhealthy but I'm trying the low carb thing as a last resort really.

I've always had to work harder than the average person to maintain my weight which I don't understand because I have always been active and nobody else in my family struggles. I've tried everything and even had tests at the doctor and everything comes back fine. I turned 30 in December and put on nearly a stone despite not changing my eating or exercise habits. Absolutely nothing was working so thought I would try the low carb thing. I lost 6 pounds initially but seem to have stalled again. Story of my life!

From your photo and profile, you only started out wanting to lose 12 lbs. And you have "2 to go." "Last resort" for what? I would tend to think that you're probably within your goal range right now.

Yes, too much dairy for an adult is a problem. It has a fair amount of saturated fat. I personally eat a low-ish carb, high-ish fat, high-ish protein (100g/day goal) diet, but I limit dairy to one serving a day. I know so many vegetarians who are "bread and cheese" vegetarians and don't consider alternate sources of protein. Lentils, eggs, nuts, quinoa are good protein sources that are low in saturated fat.

dlkingsbury

i'm usually over on fats, although they come from healthy sources so i don't worry too much about it. the research i've done from it seems to suggest its fine as long as it's not animal fats (meat/dairy) and i'm still losing weight.

agrasso88

Saturated fat is a good energy source and is not harmful. See the recent Time magazine article.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/time-magazine-we-were-wrong-about-saturated-fats/

vegkitten

You said you were eating dairy to get more protein? How about beans, tofu, or lentils? I'm fairly certain they have less fat than dairy espicially cheese.

ozone000

You've received some good advice here. You are going to have a hard time as a vegetarian ( who presumably doesn't eat egg whites but does eat dairy) getting the important macronutrient to count, protein. If you can find a way to get the .36-.74 g of protein a non-bodybuilder needs a day within your calorie limit with your preferred foodstuffs, the type and quantity of the other macronutrients will fall into place with a varied diet. The more active you are, the more you need.

That being said, difficulties in losing weight occur for mostly 2 reasons.

The first is trying to lose too much too fast and exceeding your bodies ability to transport the fat into the bloodstream for metabolism. The closer you get to your goal, the less fat you have to transport, and less gets metabolized. Caloric deficit is compensated by metabolic slowing or muscle catabolism, neither of which you want because that lowers your non-exercise activity calorie burning.

The second is the normal human inability to accurately count calories. An obese person may have no idea what a calorie is or think that a large Coke has 100 of them, but thinner people can also fall into that trap. At one time it may not have mattered if you ate 1500 or 1550 calories today, but now that you are only eating a 500 calorie per week deficit that 3% rounding error makes a pretty significant difference on a monthly basis.

A common way to get around those traps is weight lifting or HIIT with sufficient protein uptake. Your muscle doesn't catabolize (in fact it should anabolize) and you burn enough calories everyday that accidentally adding a few calories here and there doesn't put you back into the caloric black. With exercise, you can find that you simply have a hard time eating the calories that you are allowed to maintain a deficit. For instance, I exercise about 1000 cal daily (easy at my weight and muscle mass) and I have a really hard time eating the 2500 calories it would take to have a 1000 cal a day deficit. Even if I wanted to maintain, 4000 calories is a lot of food!

RockstarWilson

Saturated fat is a good energy source and is not harmful. See the recent Time magazine article.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/time-magazine-we-were-wrong-about-saturated-fats/

More sources:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20140320/dietary-fats-q-a
http://authoritynutrition.com/saturated-fat-good-or-bad/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/saturated-fats-affect-heart-health/

all credible sources, with references.

I am on a ketogenic diet, I get my fat from animal sources, mainly, have been doing it for a month now (this is my fourth week). I feel awesome. given that you haven't gone completely vegan, you can still have milk and eggs, butter, cheese and fish, etc. From what I hear, it is very hard to do this diet as a vegan. One tip of advice, based on experience, too much nuts will give you some acid reflux, because they are very acidic. I had 2 cups of mixed nuts one night and felt like I just downed a shot of Fireball for half a day. So pay attention to the amount you eat.

peter56765

More sources:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20140320/dietary-fats-q-a

The name of the article you linked is: "Saturated Fats Not So Bad? Not So Fast, Critics of New Analysis Say" I think it's making the opposite point to what you were claiming. Also in the article:

"Mainly I think the findings should be disregarded," says Walter Willett, MD, chair of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. While the analysis suggests that ''saturated fat is not quite as bad as its reputation, it depends on what you compare it to," he says.

"If you replace saturated fat with carbohydrates or refined starch or sugar, you are not changing your heart disease risk," he says. ''If you replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, you do get a reduction in heart disease risk."

Also noteworthy is that after reviewing the findings, the American Heart Association decided not to change its recommendations with regards to saturated fat.

RockstarWilson

More sources:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20140320/dietary-fats-q-a

The name of the article you linked is: "Saturated Fats Not So Bad? Not So Fast, Critics of New Analysis Say" I think it's making the opposite point to what you were claiming. Also in the article:

"Mainly I think the findings should be disregarded," says Walter Willett, MD, chair of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. While the analysis suggests that ''saturated fat is not quite as bad as its reputation, it depends on what you compare it to," he says.

"If you replace saturated fat with carbohydrates or refined starch or sugar, you are not changing your heart disease risk," he says. ''If you replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, you do get a reduction in heart disease risk."

Also noteworthy is that after reviewing the findings, the American Heart Association decided not to change its recommendations with regards to saturated fat.

I reread the article, and while yes, it is criticized, it is criticized by an organization that doesn't change opinions too quickly and is skeptic of anything that contradicts their flagship findings. It is also criticized by a heart surgeon, who was probably trained for 10 years on conventional wisdom that saturated fat= heart disease and high blood pressure. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks. However, he didn't dismiss the findings as a whole, because he disclaims that it matters what it is compared to. Yes, saturated fats found in potato chips, hotdogs, or processed cheese foods, for instance, is bad because the food is crap. Dairy sources and avocados, on the other hand, are natural fats.

The article is neutral, because it presents both sides of an argument and doesn't offer an opinion. That is why I selected it. Btw...look at the end about how the study was funded.

RockstarWilson

Oh, and here is a report on the organization that is not changing their recommendations:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryhusten/2012/06/04/subway-meals-get-american-heart-association-endorsement/

If their "findings" change, then so do their funds. Money is a big motivator not to change, and Subway only has it's profits in mind. They buy that label for its sandwiches, because the public will buy that sandwich because "the AHA says it is healthy for me." They lose that sticker, they lose profits. Point blank. Read that first bullet point list about what is on that sandwich. you cant have cheese because it is not healthy. CHEESE! Who eats the sandwich they are recommending? Nobody.

I hardly care what the AHA thinks at this point. While they are a good organization and do a lot for humanity, they are held hostage by who pays them. Subway is not a place to go if you want to lose weight and eat healthy. Most of the meat they serve is processed stuff that you can buy in an Oscar Meyer package.

parasshelawala

I am a veggie head too and I found my carb / fat / protein balance leaning high on the carb and low on the protein side but I have been taking a protein supplement to balance it out to the default MFP balance and that's ok for me.

neanderthin

More sources:
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20140320/dietary-fats-q-a

The name of the article you linked is: "Saturated Fats Not So Bad? Not So Fast, Critics of New Analysis Say" I think it's making the opposite point to what you were claiming. Also in the article:

"Mainly I think the findings should be disregarded," says Walter Willett, MD, chair of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, who was not involved in the study. While the analysis suggests that ''saturated fat is not quite as bad as its reputation, it depends on what you compare it to," he says.

"If you replace saturated fat with carbohydrates or refined starch or sugar, you are not changing your heart disease risk," he says. ''If you replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat, you do get a reduction in heart disease risk."

Also noteworthy is that after reviewing the findings, the American Heart Association decided not to change its recommendations with regards to saturated fat.

The main reason why heart disease risk drops with an increase in polyunsaturated fat is because that quartile/demographic are more health conscience and have also reduced their sugar and refined carbs.......it's not rocket science and good ol' Walter has a hard time connecting the dots some times, especially if animal products are present.