Need to increase my fat intake but don't eat nuts - help!

ljmiller11

Hi All,

Sorry if this has been asked a million times before but I can't seem to find any answers.

I am doing fairly well with my new routine, the weight loss is slow but then I only have 10 more lbs to lose so I guess this is to be expected.

I am 5' 5'', 142lbs and am currently eating 1,500 cals per day plus half of my exercise calories. This is in line with my TDEE so I think i am on the right track. My macro's are set to 45% carb, 25% fat and 30% protein. I nearly always hit these (usually over a little on carbs) but i find it so hard to hit my fat macro without indulging. I'd love to increase this by consuming more healthy fats but I really HATE nuts and advocado which I know are good sources of healthy fats.

Does anyone have any other suggestions apart from oils? Currently I don't cook with oil (due to the healthy eating) but maybe I should start using more olive oil when I cook?

I'd appreciate your suggestions. My diary is open if you want to take a lot.

Thanks! x

babydiego87

olive oil is fine to use for cooking. butter also.

SadKitty27

If you like fish, you could get some healthy fat from the fattier variety of fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel, herring, trout, and sardines to name a few.)

Scottjt

The whole idea of 'good' and 'bad' or unhealthy fat is overrated/out-dated/complete nonsense!
Hummus (Houmous, Humus?) is about as healthy as it gets and has plenty of fat in it from olive oil. Egg yolks are great for fat and protein and also have lots of vitamins in them believe it or not. Cheese is good too. Hope this helps.

ljmiller11

Thanks all. I do love cheese so maybe I should introduce it back into my diet without thinking of it as 'bad'. I will also stop worrying about cooking with oil or adding butter to my jacket potato. Hopefully this will all help. Thanks!

charmarbobar

Avocado would be a good healthy fat option...IMO.

charmarbobar

Ahhh...missed the line that said you don't like avocado....so that's out, sorry lol

But cheese and olive oil (or coconut oil yumm) are great choices too.

Mokey41

Quit using fat free yogurts and cheeses to start with. Fat doesn't make you fat so there's no reason to buy the synthetic fat free diet foods.

LoraF83

olive oil is fine to use for cooking. butter also.

In addition to olive oil and butter, I like to use sesame seed oil - it adds a nice flavor to stir fried veggies.

OP - you need to get over the idea that "fat is bad" and reintroduce fats into your diet. It's fine to avoid trans fats and saturated fats, but you shouldn't avoid all fats.

Use full fat products like yogurt and cheese - the low fat versions often have extra calories, sugar, and sodium anyway (to make them taste better).

Also, here's a little info (it's WebMD - not the greatest source, but has good info about why your body needs fats):

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/good-fats-bad-fats

NYCNika

If you are eating nuts from a package, I can understand why you don't like them... But taking fresh unsalted nuts and toasting them yourself... So yummy! I pretty much can't eat my yogurt or oatmeal without them. Almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios...

What are your feelings towards say fresh cashew butter on toast with a bit of jam and a hot cup of coffee?

Cr01502

Steak
Whole milk (full fat dairy)
Eggs
Avocado
I'm trying really hard to not say something about the title of this post
Fish

niki87lewis

Eat some houmous!!

geekyjock76

Full-fat Fage Greek yogurt
Avocado
Sunflower seeds

MercenaryNoetic26

I cook with coconut oil. I easily meet my fat requirements that way.

bcattoes

Extra virgin olive oil is my fat of choice. I cook almost everything in it, and I use it to make dressings for salads and sandwiches.

askeates

I have found that as long as I keep a little bit of olive oil in my diet, or the nuts (which I know you don't like) it makes a HUGE difference!

I will take my fresh veggies and toss them in about 1-2 tbs of olive oil, fresh garlic and a little cracked pepper, broil or grill them for about 5-7 minutes and it is amazing! It adds the (haha) "good" fat, and the flavor that it brings out in the veggies is simply amazing!

askeates

another thing you could try is adding a little more meat or beans to your diet... that will help with both fat and protein which are needed! Try lean meats, like chicken breasts or fish (tuna is a great source).

74johnnyb

cottage cheese. Or instead of cooking with oil, just add it directly to your food.

lynn1982

I've started cooking with coconut oil. It smells amazing and adds a delicious hint of coconut goodness to stir-fried veggies. It's supposedly more "stable" than olive oil at high temperatures since it has a higher smoking point. (Whatever that actually means...) Just make sure you get extra virgin. Also, have you tried hemp seeds? I sometimes sprinkle some on a salad.

daffodilsoup

Coconut oil and peanut butter!

Also, broccoli sauteed in walnut oil is pretty heavenly.

Scottjt

another thing you could try is adding a little more meat or beans to your diet... that will help with both fat and protein which are needed! Try lean meats, like chicken breasts or fish (tuna is a great source).

Chicken, tuna and beans are all almost fat free. Quite confusing to recommend them as a fat source.

Something to remember with olive oil: it's about 120 calories per tablespoon! so if your are controlling your calories, don't go crazy with it. It's probably the most calorie dense food there is so if you do eat it make sure to measure it carefully.

jmlosingit

I've replaced the creamer in my morning coffee with 1 Tbsp Coconut oil. It sounds like it would be gross but it brings out the flavors in the coffee (esp vanilla) and is the same consistency of adding creamer. I just drop 1 tbsp in my hot coffee and stir till disolves. I also use 2 packets of splenda.

I've read that cooking with coconut oil is acutally better for you then Olive oil. It's a solid so you just liquify it in water first.

Another health fat is avocado. I add 1/4 of it to my salads or sandwiches. Or sometimes I'll put a little lime, salt, and cilantro on half and eat that. There are tons of other recipes out there too. To save the other remainder I put a little lime or lemon juice and wrap tightly with saran wrap. This prevents it from browning and eat within the next 3 days.

AvsFreak

Eggs, dairy, red meat. (Grass fed is better if you can afford it.)

Cooking with oil is great too. Olive oil and Coconut oil are my favs. Even make a stir fry and add some sesame oil and sriracha. Mmmm.

jumpingsparrow

I'm trying really hard to not say something about the title of this post

Hahaha!


I agree with everyone else; eggs, fish, olive and coconut oil, butter, cheese, whole milk yogurt. Have you tried almond butter instead of eating nuts? Or natural peanut butter?

ahamm002

Does anyone have any other suggestions apart from oils? Currently I don't cook with oil (due to the healthy eating) but maybe I should start using more olive oil when I cook?

Cooking with oils is very tasty, but it's not a good way to get "healthy" fats because cooking oils changes their composition. Instead put olive oil on your salads. Or just eat olives!

Honestly though, I hear so many people always claiming to "hate" this or that entire group of foods. It's rubbish. Guess what, it's really not that hard to develop a taste for almost any kind of food if you want to. In your case, all you'd have to do is experiment with a few types of nuts until you find ones that you can semi-tolerate, and then eat a little bit reguarly. Pretty soon you'll find yourself liking more and more types of nuts! Even if you have to start out with roasted salted ones, it's still worth it in the end. You can switch to raw unsalted later.

cosplayerkyo

Mmm hummus and avacado... so tasty.

WendyTerry420

Switch to full fat dairy. Dairy fat is healthy. And start stir-fying veggies in olive oil. That should help.

bcattoes

Switch to full fat dairy. Dairy fat is healthy. And start stir-fying veggies in olive oil. That should help.

What makes you say dairy fat is healthy?

rjmudlax13

Fish - Especially Salmon.
Steak - Yes, red meat is OK if you eat in moderation.
Pork - In moderation like steak.

Peanut Butter - I know you said you hate nuts, but it's peanut butter, who doesn't love it?
Hummus
Guacamole - I know you hate avocados, but it's Guac! Yum!
Eggs
Cheese - Fresh mozzarella is the best imo.

Saturated fats are fine. It's the trans fats you want to avoid. Don't go by the nutrition facts though. Companies can legally label foods as having 0 g trans fats even though it may still have 0.5 g or less. Avoid partially hydrogenate anything. Also, avoid deep fried food all together.

WendyTerry420

Does anyone have any other suggestions apart from oils? Currently I don't cook with oil (due to the healthy eating) but maybe I should start using more olive oil when I cook?

Cooking with oils is very tasty, but it's not a good way to get "healthy" fats because cooking oils changes their composition. Instead put olive oil on your salads. Or just eat olives!

Honestly though, I hear so many people always claiming to "hate" this or that entire group of foods. It's rubbish. Guess what, it's really not that hard to develop a taste for almost any kind of food if you want to. In your case, all you'd have to do is experiment with a few types of nuts until you find ones that you can semi-tolerate, and then eat a little bit reguarly. Pretty soon you'll find yourself liking more and more types of nuts! Even if you have to start out with roasted salted ones, it's still worth it in the end. You can switch to raw unsalted later.

Olives are gross.

duckiec

Just wanted to say thanks for posting, and all the tips- I have the same problem! Trying to stay low in cals, but high in protiens/fats, and am apparently weird for not liking avocados, almonds/nuts, or bacon.