Lower fat intake?

jrmartinezb

So, I’ve set my MFP goals to 25%fat 50%carbs and 25%protein (that’s 47, 213 and 106 grs respectively). However I did a quick survey of my diary and I find I am more near 35%, 45%, 20% (66f, 191c, and 85p grs). I usually stay near my overall calorie goal, but I consistently go over in fat. I usually do not go over the sat fat goal of 18grs.

Most recommendations I’ve read say your diet should be no more than 35% fat. So my questions are: Do you think 35% fat is too high (references would be much appreciated)? What would you recommend to lower my fat intake without reducing my protein any further (I would rather not use protein shakes)?

My diary is open and I’m 34yo, 5’7’’ (170cm) and 167lbs (76kg).

drmerc

What are your goals?

taso42

Do you feel satiated the way you eat? If yes, then you're a-ok.

UsedToBeHusky

The guideline that I try to follow (but rarely stick to) is 40/30/30. Of course, it is my understanding that macros do not have a serious impact on your results unless you are already at a low body fat percentage.

jrmartinezb

What are your goals?

Right now my goals are "general health". I want to get/keep my BP, LDL, triglycerides and blood sugar at normal levels. I also want get a waist circumference of less than 85cms (so my Index of central obesity will be less than 0.5) and get a normal BMI.

Do you feel satiated the way you eat? If yes, then you're a-ok.

Usually I do, though there are days wen I go overboard at lunch and I still feel hungry after dinner.

drmerc

What are your goals?

Right now my goals are "general health". I want to get/keep my BP, LDL, triglycerides and blood sugar at normal levels. I also want get a waist circumference of less than 85cms (so my Index of central obesity will be less than 0.5) and get a normal BMI.

Do you feel satiated the way you eat? If yes, then you're a-ok.

Usually I do, though there are days wen I go overboard at lunch and I still feel hungry after dinner.

You are alright then. Calories will dictate weight loss, move your macros around to what works best for you

TR0berts

Just took a quick look at a couple of days in your diary. You seem to like cheese. Try lower-fat cheeses (or no cheese). Also, nuts are mostly fat, so you could cut those out - you'll only lose a couple of grams of protein. Egg yolks have a lot of fat too, so you could either get rid of the yolks completely, or at least go 50/50 whole eggs and egg whites.

I don't know that you need to cut your fat intake, but those are some ways to do so.

UsedToBeHusky

Just took a quick look at a couple of days in your diary. You seem to like cheese. Try lower-fat cheeses (or no cheese). Also, nuts are mostly fat, so you could cut those out - you'll only lose a couple of grams of protein. Egg yolks have a lot of fat too, so you could either get rid of the yolks completely, or at least go 50/50 whole eggs and egg whites.

I don't know that you need to cut your fat intake, but those are some ways to do so.

Those are all healthy saturated fats. The body needs those to avoid the feelings of hunger. I wouldn't recommend cutting those things out.

BackTatJIM

I see no problem with it IF it is healthy fats such as, eggs, avocado, nuts, olive oil,sunflower oil,soymilk, tofu, fatty fish ... and things of that nature ... Bad if it is all from dairy, packaged snack foods, candy, fried food and things like that

JessieTangerine

Fat isnt a problem when it comes from healthy sources like fish, nuts, avocados, and olives. I would say just focus on keeping your saturated fats (animal fats and anything solid/semi-solid at room temperature including coconut oil) under 10% of your calories and not to worry so much about overall fat. Saturated fats are the fats associated with heart and artery disease.

taso42

Usually I do, though there are days wen I go overboard at lunch and I still feel hungry after dinner.

i think we all have these days, regardless of our macros

krickeyuu

looked at your diary and you eat a lot of restaurant/fast foods. You will have trouble keeping your saturated fat and sodium levels down if you continue that eating plan. This will affect your BP and other blood serum results. IF health is your primary goal, you need to start eating more fresh foods made at home. Add more freash fruit and vegetables and lean protein--limit the restaurant and fast foods to once a week or less.

jrmartinezb

looked at your diary and you eat a lot of restaurant/fast foods. You will have trouble keeping your saturated fat and sodium levels down if you continue that eating plan...

It's amazing how biased I can be when assesing my own habits. I honestly wasn't aware of how often I eat out and not at home. I counted my diary for the last 30 days and it turns out I have my main meal at restaurants 34% of the time, Fast food 23%, and at home 27%. (The other 6% is eating with relatives, dinner parties, etc). I'm not really sure how much I will be able/want to reduce my restaurant meals, but at least now I know I have to be mindful of that.

Anyway, thanks a lot for taking the time to look at my diary. Your comments are truly appreciated.

aproc

It all depends on the individual and goals. Some people do well on higher fat diets while others do best on low fat. If what your eating now is working, then don't change it. Not saying a lot from processed junk is good, but whole foods...sure. I've been eating pretty high fat lately. Saturated fat can be good for you as well as long as it's from the right foods and in moderation of course.

krickeyuu

looked at your diary and you eat a lot of restaurant/fast foods. You will have trouble keeping your saturated fat and sodium levels down if you continue that eating plan...

It's amazing how biased I can be when assesing my own habits. I honestly wasn't aware of how often I eat out and not at home. I counted my diary for the last 30 days and it turns out I have my main meal at restaurants 34% of the time, Fast food 23%, and at home 27%. (The other 6% is eating with relatives, dinner parties, etc). I'm not really sure how much I will be able/want to reduce my restaurant meals, but at least now I know I have to be mindful of that.

Anyway, thanks a lot for taking the time to look at my diary. Your comments are truly appreciated.

If you can't limit eating out then you might want to research healthier options at the places you like to go. If you add sodium to your macros for monitoring for about a week you will proabbaly be shocked at the soduim levels in food eaten a restaurtants. Anyway--good luck on your journey--slow and steady baby steps work. :happy:

axialmeow

I've lost 100lbs total and never watched my fat intake. I only noticed improved cholesterol/triglyceride levels when I limited processed carbs and it was a dramatic improvement

Akimajuktuq

For many people, a low fat diet is actually detrimental to weight loss. It's not just fat that makes us fat. Fat is also the good stuff.

I eat 65% fat. That's what it takes for me to keep from being hungry, to continue losing weight, and to get all the fatty acids that are healthy for me. Do what works for you and monitor how you feel. But going "low fat" won't speed up your weight loss and definitely won't improve your health. If you find yourself struggling with hunger on such a low level of fat, then you might want to increase it; if not, and you are well, then don't.

Akimajuktuq

Just took a quick look at a couple of days in your diary. You seem to like cheese. Try lower-fat cheeses (or no cheese). Also, nuts are mostly fat, so you could cut those out - you'll only lose a couple of grams of protein. Egg yolks have a lot of fat too, so you could either get rid of the yolks completely, or at least go 50/50 whole eggs and egg whites.

I don't know that you need to cut your fat intake, but those are some ways to do so.

No. Keep healthy fats. Please.

Akimajuktuq

Fat isnt a problem when it comes from healthy sources like fish, nuts, avocados, and olives. I would say just focus on keeping your saturated fats (animal fats and anything solid/semi-solid at room temperature including coconut oil) under 10% of your calories and not to worry so much about overall fat. Saturated fats are the fats associated with heart and artery disease.

Sort of some good advice, but the saturated are healthy too and have been falsely demonized. Coconut oil is especially beneficial. I add it, or MCT oil, to almost every meal.

Akimajuktuq

Usually I do, though there are days wen I go overboard at lunch and I still feel hungry after dinner.

i think we all have these days, regardless of our macros

No. Some ways of eating do eliminate the need to over eat completely. Hence my high fat diet.

Melo1966

Is lunch eating out? Maybe make a healthier wrap. High fat and sugar does not curb the appetite. Perhaps more protein. I would think that a male would need more than 100g.

TR0berts

For the record - I'm not saying to eliminate ALL those foods. Just stating the obvious that those are the high-fat foods OP's been eating. And - as should be obvious - if he wants to lower his fat intake, he should lower the amounts of those foods he's eating. That's all. By all means, keep the healthy fats in your diet. Just, if you want lower fat levels, consume less fat...

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Inb4 ketards

maqsmj

basics first

you will need to go for 1 g protein for 1 LBM ( Lean body mas ) .5 g fat for 1 LBM and the rest is carbs

thats how i do it and honestly im more concerned about my protien intake than anything else

BTW fat intake is essential for you not to go mad, confused, forgetable etc etc etc so eat them

taso42

Usually I do, though there are days wen I go overboard at lunch and I still feel hungry after dinner.

i think we all have these days, regardless of our macros

No. Some ways of eating do eliminate the need to over eat completely. Hence my high fat diet.

Oh, well please excuse me. I was just making a light hearted general comment. I wasn't trying to alienate people such as yourself who have a holy grail diet.

jrmartinezb

Thanks for taking the time to reply. After this post and reading some more on the topics discussed I think I can make a couple conclusions.

As it usually is with biological stuff, the deal with fat is much more nuanced than would be thought at first glance. High fat intake was thought to cause cardiovascular problems but then we learn it is not all fats, but actually sat fats, and then we learn it is not all sat fats, but actually just some of them. Then you have to add the complexity of how your fat and everything in your diet/lifestyle relate to each other; hormones, cholesterol, sugars, protein, electrolytes, activity, age, vitamins, and who knows what else. If there could be a formula for the optimal diet it would be insanely complex.

Is my diet the best I could have? Probably not. Is it adequate? I think so. I must be doing something right since my general health and fitness have definitely improved.I can only be sure I’m trying my best to make the better choices.

I guess I’ll just have to learn that worrying too much about the details is an exercise in futility, and that the best way to find my optimal diet is through trial and error.

taso42

Is my diet the best I could have? Probably not. Is it adequate? I think so. I must be doing something right since my general health and fitness have definitely improved.I can only be sure I’m trying my best to make the better choices.

I guess I’ll just have to learn that worrying too much about the details is an exercise in futility, and that the best way to find my optimal diet is through trial and error.

:drinker:

Firefox7275

It doesn't need to be insanely complex, a lot of the work of distilling published nutrition and dietetics research has been done for you by healthcare professionals and all the packaging of nutrients has been done for you by Mother Nature. Just eat real foods - nine or ten servings of non starchy vegetables and low sugar fruits in the full rainbow of colours, protein at each meal and snack, healthy whole fats little and often (limit saturated animal fats because the body finds it easy to convert these to body fat), three servings of reduced fat dairy a day, oily fish regularly daily if possible, mineral rich foods several times a day (nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, wholegrains). Avoid or limit processed sugar, white refined carbs, man made trans fats, any product with multiple ingredients, extracted fats (butter, oils, cream, try to eat these things in their natural, whole form).

If you do that you will get a balance of all the nutrients your body needs and it's fairly flexible, you can eat higher or lower carb/ fat/ protein as long as you replace the nutrients with another food group that supplies the same nutrients - so if you didn't eat cereals/ grains you would need to eat far more nuts, seeds, beans or lentils. Being apparently healthy or improving in fitness doesn't demonstrate your diet is healthy it just proves you are successfully overloading your muscles, if you had a full health workup a doctor would look at signs as well as symptoms. If you go back a couple of hundred years when people did a lot more manual work you would see many measurably fit people despite a poor quality diet and high risk of premature death.

bcattoes

So my questions are: Do you think 35% fat is too high (references would be much appreciated)?

I do not think it is. My reference is that I've been eating high fat for decades without problems. I know I could eat more (as in bulk) if I cut it because fat is so much higher in calories, but I really just am not satisfied with low fat foods. I tried for years to go lower fat, and since I'm in my 50's back in the day when "low fat" was good I even tried that. Doesn't work for me.

But here I am, 51 yo, and no health problems at all (no diagnoses, no meds, no controllable risk factors for disease). Like you, I rarely meet the sat fat goal. I'm more than happy with fat from olive oil and nuts (my main sources).

sydneymatz

It's not fat hat creates body fat its carbs

drmerc

It's not fat hat creates body fat its carbs

can you explain how a carb can become fat? And which scenarios it is likely to happen in?