Will I still lose weight If I only look at the calories and

fightingthebulge · July 2010

I just realized that I only tend to look at the calories and not the fat. should I be looking at the fat consumption too, in order to lose weight?

jrsmith · July 2010

well everything i have been told is that u must look at calories, fat and sugars!!! good luck

StarryEyedGirl · July 2010

ahh the golden question... I would love to know this answer as well!

metizzy2 · July 2010

I believe you do need to keep your fat intake down in order to lose weight. But there's good fat and bad fat. The bad fat makes you fat! The good fat such as olive oil, and fish oil are GOOD for you.

ggkatie · July 2010

i'm trying to keep everything low/as fitnesspal suggested. it's really hard cause sometimes i still have like 400 calories for the day, but sugar or fibers are all used up.

i would definitely start looking at fat, sugar, etc. though.... i think that's the main reason i wasn't successful in the last years: i counted calories, but not fat or sugar or fibers.

good luck !!

Ryhenblue · July 2010

I look at these on the label when deciding what to eat. Calories, Carbohydrates, fat, sugar, sodium, protein, and fiber. I look for foods that are high in fiber and protein to help me stay full longer. Also I look at foods that are low in sugar and sodium as those can add up quickly. I do not limit my fruit intake because those have natural sugar I just limit processed. Just because something is low in fat and calories doesn't mean it's good for you.

Edit: I try to get 60g of protein, 25g of fiber and I don't track sugar because I'm always over from the fruit. So I'm normally over for the day on those. I try to get less that 1800mg of sodium and stay within my Calorie, fat, and carbohydrate allotment.

Becka77 · July 2010

I've only been looking at calories and have been losing.. I do pay attention to the other nutrition items but my main focus is staying under my calorie goal.

NanaAtaa · July 2010

Ultimately, it is your caloric expenditure that will determine your rate of weight loss and the quantity of weight loss.

Since fat is the most calorically dense nutrient (9 calories/gram) and can affect many things besides weight gain (like cholesterol and triglyceride levels), you do need to pay attention to your daily totals (grams) of fat. A little bit of fat packs a lot of calories.

For a healthy heart, you are expected to have less than 30% of your total calories from fats. And most of those fats should be the ones healthiest for you - the unsaturated fats and ones with omega-3 fatty acids (flaxseed, canola oil, olive oil, salmon, avocado, walnuts, almonds, etc). No matter how many calories you eat, you should not indulge in saturated fats (animal fats) and trans fats (fats in pastries and fried foods).

If you eat more grams of fat (any type of fat, since all fats carry the same caloric density) , then you will need to expend a whole lot of energy (via increased physical activity) to reach and sustain a calorie deficit.

Also, if you eat even just a few foods that have more grams of fat, you might be stuck eating a smaller volume of food, which can leave you hungry, which will lead you to eat more total calories than you should each day. All proteins and carbs, by the way, have only 4 calories/gram. When you have more whole grains, plenty of lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, with a small amount of healthy fats (within the guidelines calculated for you by MFP) , you are able to actually have a greater volume of food, feel satisfied after you eat, without adding runaway calories.

BetterVersion · July 2010

I want to just say before I post my answer that I fully understand and in no way disbelieve that ALL aspects of your food intake are important. Fats, sodium, sugar, carbs, calories, etc. However, my formal opinion on the topic is no, you don't have to worry about every little thing, including fat. I've lost over a hundred pounds and I probably did the first sixty of it without even glancing at my fat/sugar/carb intake. Since then I've educated myself on what to watch for with those things, but I find that just with changing the way I eat to get the most out of my limited calories every day, most of those other things tend to fall in line almost all the time.

fightingthebulge · July 2010

Thanks guys, Yea I was just confused but I think I'm going to look at the fats now too cause I just want to be healthy. But thanks for all your answers~

pickledlilly · July 2010

Your body needs fat but good fats. Olive oils and pure butter is OK. Nothing processed. I understand that, for example, you have a baked potato and put a 25 g of butter on it slows down the absorbtion rate of the carbs making you feel more satisfied. Theres nothing nicer than a slice of brown bread with just a thin speading of butter, you don't need anything else on. There is a scientific explanation but I'm no scientist. The only thing I know is I've put 2lbs on but I'm sticking with it as I think it will work in the long run. I've been a member of the fat free dieters club and I craved and craved until I caved in, the stuff I was eating had sugar in but I was still not satisfied. Get a tin of tuna with olive oil and it will certainly make you feel better than having it in brine.
Eh, don't blame me if this goes tits up, I'm only repeating what has been said from the diet police.

MzBug · July 2010

What you track is up to you and your health situation. If you have a cholesterol problem be dilligent on the fat tracking, if it is diabetes be careful of the carbs and sugars, if its high blood pressure watch the sodium and potasium. If you are generally healthy and just want to loose weight stay within the amounts suggested by MFP using healthy choices. We all made bad choices in the past or we wouldn't be here :ohwell:

Will I still lose weight If I only look at the calories and

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