New to this - concerned about % of diet from fat
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kkerri
Posts: 276 Member
I just started Paleo a couple days ago (I am eating 1 greek yogurt (plain) a day). My fat just seems so high and I am worried (I am a throwback to the '90s and it really freaks me out to see how much fat I am eating).
My day today was 22% carbs, 53% fat, and 25% protein.
I thought for sure my day would be higher in protein. I am tempted to do more chicken/egg whites and less nuts/added fats.
I don't have a lot to lose and am doing this more to see if it helps an autoimmune thing I have going on, but I certainly don't want to gain and would like to get off a few pounds.
My day today was 22% carbs, 53% fat, and 25% protein.
I thought for sure my day would be higher in protein. I am tempted to do more chicken/egg whites and less nuts/added fats.
I don't have a lot to lose and am doing this more to see if it helps an autoimmune thing I have going on, but I certainly don't want to gain and would like to get off a few pounds.
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I totally understand! I've been eating this way for about a year and it freaked me out at first too. I remember trying to eat only 10g a day years ago! You're fat should be high and it should come from quality sources. Fattier cuts of meat should be grass fed/pastured but if your budget does not allow (as mine does not always), stick to leaner cuts. Trader joes has good options. enjoy plenty of avocados, eggs, and good oils. Just keep doing what your doing. Keep the protein high and don't go crazy with nuts. Don't worry about the fat. Your body needs it! Paleo has changed my life. I no longer have the stomach issues that plagued me for the past 20 years. Have you considered going completely dairy free?
Hope this helps
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First off, disregard percentages/ratios. Largely irrelevant, count in grams.
Secondly, there is no harm in consuming more grams of fat. I don't know how many calories a day you're consuming but I'm willing to wager I consume more fat grams daily than you - and I also consume a lot of carbs, making fat a lower percentage of my calories. I would not recommend eating many nuts, however, due to their high Omega-6 content, caloric content and tendency to be overeaten, unless you really enjoy them, and there is no need to needlessly add fats.
Paleo is not necessarily low carb, remember, it's primarily whole-food based. Opening your diary would make it easier to give advice.0 -
I will open my diary, but disregard anything prior to 2 days ago.
I am just doing fat free greek yogurt b/c I am worried meat will be hard on my stomach (so far so good, but I haven't eaten red meat in 15 years - was vegetarian/vegan for a long time).0 -
Okay - it's open.
This is just a huge change. I am reading books now, so just learning, but it's counter-intuitive to everything I have believed for the past 20 years (Dean Ornish, et al).
I am doing all grass fed, organic, free range meats.0 -
Oh, I also need did have a bit of chocolate and need to get rid of the coffee creamer (baby steps). I am hoping to phase out stuff. Giving up grains and eating more meat are big changes for me.0
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Fat is good!
And EAT ALL THE EGGS! And full-fat yogurts!
Okay, I really need to go to bed... but seriously, skip the egg white crap and eat whole eggs. The yolk is where the nutrients are, whites are pretty much just protein. Not bad, but the whole eggs is better.
As for fat percentages or even grams, both are going to be kind of high, especially if your carb number sits on the lower end (<100g) and your calories are more than 1200.
For example, I have 2000 calories to use. I work best on about 100g of carbs or less. I also weight lift and practice martial arts, so I need a good amount of protein. At .8g per pound of lean body mass, that puts me about 125g of protein.
For 2000 calories, 100g of carbs is 20%, and 125g of protein is 25%, leaving me with 55%, or 120g, of fat. If I do ketosis mode (<50g carbs), and keep my protein the same, that bumps fat up to 65%, or 145g!
Both the 100g and the 50g of carbs are common for someone wanting to lose weight, which means the fat number is that high (and sometimes even higher, if the person is lighter, but more active, thus requiring less protein).
So yes, it's common for the fat to be high. No, it's not a bad thing. In fact, it's generally considered a very good thing.
The problem with the low fat craze is twofold - 1. all the "low fat!" stuff is generally made edible by adding lots of sugar, and 2. there was never any differentiating between fats from responsibly-sourced foods (grass fed beef and butter, for example) and the crap fats from fried foods and Little Debbies (the same goes for the anti-meat crap - they didn't differentiate between hot dogs, which barely qualify as meat, and a grass fed and finished steak).
A thousand people repeating a lie a thousand times does not make it truth.
So, again, enjoy the whole eggs and full fat yogurts!0 -
If you are doing this for Auto Immune reasons,there are more things to be eliminated.
Eggs and nuts and also soy are part of that.
It's amazing to me in the research I have been doing,how many vegetarians have ended up with an auto immune disease(myself included).
I am currently doing the Auto Immune Protocol of the Whole 30.
It's been very helpful.
I'm know it must be overwhelming but one day at a time.
Fat is your friend and it will help to heal you.There are loads of people on here to guide you and a tremendous amount of resources online.
Here are a few great links
http://autoimmune-paleo.com/about/
http://www.thepaleomom.com/autoimmunity/the-autoimmune-protocol0 -
I have started to read the autoimmune paleo diet and hope to ease into that. I figured starting with eliminating grains and increasing meat is a good start for now. I do have to get rid of the soy creamer. I have eating so much soy over the past 10 years that this is miniscule by comparison though!0
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When I first started paleo, I too was VERY worried about the fat. But once you start to see the weight come off and how much better you feel, you will forget you were even worried in the first place! Don't stress about it too much but try to enjoy all the great fat sources that we have available to us.
To think, I've been in love with avocados my whole life, and I used to stop myself from eating as much as I wanted for so long. Now we have a great relationship
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I have started to read the autoimmune paleo diet and hope to ease into that. I figured starting with eliminating grains and increasing meat is a good start for now. I do have to get rid of the soy creamer. I have eating so much soy over the past 10 years that this is miniscule by comparison though!
Now that I've had some sleep (I missed the autoimmune part last night)...
Generally speaking, autoimmune type issues will stick around unless you completely eliminate the offending item(s) from your diet. You might do better in some instances (shortness of breath, weight, sleep problems, acid reflux, etc), but get worse in others (eczema or other skin issues, etc), until you start removing stock Paleo foods, such as nightshades (peppers, tomatoes), nuts, and seeds.
So, cut the eggs out entirely, and when you've healed, try to incorporate them and see how you handle them. But still - eat either the whole egg or not at all. You're not doing yourself any favors by just eating the whites, even if you're not sensitive to them.
Here are a couple of blogs of women who have done well on autoimmune protocol paleo:
http://www.againstallgrain.com/
http://www.thepaleomom.com/0 -
I have my fat% set to 65% and yes it took me a little while to get over the CW (coventional wisdom) fat mantra!!! But I feel so much better eating this way and will continue doing so until I can't anymore.
I'm going through menopause, so it's been difficult for me to lose any weight, but like I said I feel soooooooooooo much healthier and have more energy and my menopause symptoms have been greatly reduced :drinker: At this point even if I don't ever lose another pound I will still eat this way FOREVER!!!!!!!
Also my cellulite on my butt and legs have been reduced too (another bonus).
Don't focus so much on %'s just eat real food and eat some fat with your meals to help keep you satisfied longer. And please drop the FF stuff becuase when food companys take away the fat they add in fillers like sugar & modified food starch to give the food a similar mouth feel & texture of the whole fat foods.0 -
I am new to this lifestyle as well (3 months) and started the change with a succsessful Whole30. I was amazed at how satisfied I felt and had little to no desire to snack between meals. My clothes fit better and I have more energy. All this is attributed to.....drum roll please.......FAT!!!!! I love it, I have always followed the idea of low-cal, whole grain to lose weight and have struggled with my weight for years. Now that I follow a paleo/primal lifestyle, the pounds are dropping and my body is changing. Oh yeah and, my joint pain has almost dissapeared.
Keep at it, you will get used to it and be happier for it. Good Luck!0 -
Thanks everyone - appreciate it!0
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I also posted in response to your fat concerns somewhere else. 50% is still too low. You have lots of great advice above. Trying to be low fat and Paleo is a FAIL because Paleo is about HEALTH first and foremost. A healthy body will lose weight. I promise.
I've lost every one of those 66 pounds by eating 70-80% of my calories from fat. Nevermind that, I have resolved a list of health problems as long as my arm by eating lots of healthy fat.
Please dump the fat phobia. We've been LIED to.
PS, please, please, please, dump the soy. Anything is better than soy. Real cream=way better than soy. Imo, soy is even worse than wheat. Both soy and wheat are on my NEVER eat list. EVER.0 -
I can't have lactose, so I need to find something other than cream.
I hear what you are saying re: fat, but I am still a little nervous. I am already eating way over what I am comfortable with. 50% fat is not low fat by any stretch. That seems to be what I am landing at naturally w/out going out of my way to increase my fat intake. I need to do this for a few weeks and see what happens. So far, my weight has stayed the same, but it's only been 5 full days so I am going to give it a few weeks. I only have about 10 pounds to lose so I am in that area where it's remarkably hard to lose weight (I am not overweight technically). Increasing fat still seems counterintutive still, but I am still learning.0 -
I also can't say that I find low-fat to be bad. I lost weight about 10 years ago going low-fat and my husband eats low-fat and is very thin. That said, I do agree that consumption of refined foods is bad.0
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I also can't say that I find low-fat to be bad. I lost weight about 10 years ago going low-fat and my husband eats low-fat and is very thin. That said, I do agree that consumption of refined foods is bad.
It might help you if you start reading and doing much research on how the low fat advice came to be and how it is persisting so strongly (profits) even in light of the mountain of evidence against it. I am always learning new things with strong interest in anthropology, food politics, human physiology and a million other things. Anthropology (and especially the work of Dr. Price) with a focus on nutrition, is extremely illuminating. Food politics is extremely depressing.
Imo, 50% fat IS low. You might do ok, but it is not optimal (in my opinion and experience). I know that we have been told to eat far less. I'm not arguing with SAD recommendations because I know them to be wrong. Almost everyone is extremely sick these days, with multiple health problems, and reducing healthy saturated fats is one of the main factors. Many aboriginal people had diets much higher in fat (similar to what I am doing) and had no "diseases of civilization". Yes, they did sometimes die young due to infection, accidents, and starvation (not that common, but moreso among the Inuit). We are genetically still the same as hunter/gatherers. The diets varied across the globe but one thing that all hunter/gatherer societies had in common is that they always ate the highest fat foods available. Hmmm....
I lost weight in my late teens and early 20s by eating almost no fat and living on pasta, rice cakes and salads, 1200 calories or less. I damaged my health very badly from doing that, and obviously it did not work because over time I just got sicker and fatter. I developed binge eating disorder in my 30s, which was actually malnutrition (same with depression). No amount of "sticking with" low fat dieting is going to cure malnutrition. I am still suffering the effects of damaging my metabolism with that insanity, which was in line with the recommended nutritional guidelines of the time.
I'm not trying to sabotage you, I'm trying to share my experience with you to help you be able to understand that fat is not bad and we need more than we are told. 50% is a hell of a lot better than 30%. I'm trying to convince you to NOT try to go lower, since you seem to be struggling with that. However, this seems to be mostly about weight loss for you, and it sounds like you still think fat is more fattening (that's why some research will help-cuz it isn't) so I suppose I'm not helping. Btw "thin" does not equal "healthy". "Thin" is no longer my measure of success at all, but I am losing weight/fat without even trying.
PS. I put coconut oil (organic, extra virgin) and butter in my coffee. It would likely be just as delicious with ghee instead of butter.0 -
This all makes sense, but I just need to keep reading. It's not all about weight loss for me, but I just don't want to gain. I am doing this to see if it helps my vitiligo which is spreading. Everything I read pointed me to Paleo, but I just need to keep reading at this point. I started before I had read everything (and I am not 100% yet, clearly, but trying to get the parameters). If I lose normally, I go low-fat, lo-carb. I struggle because my former personal trainers (when I went that route) look amazing and they eat pretty low-fat, high protein, but with lots of powders and things that I don't want to take. I do think whole foods are best.
I also know that when I was at my thinnest, I ate low-fat. I agree that being thin doesn't translate into healthy, so I am trying to bring health into the equation here and try something that is more sustainable for health, while re-righting the auto-immune stuff that I have going on (vitiligo, positive ANA, etc.). I can see that this stuff is a problem so I want to fix it. That being said, I also am terrified of gaining weight.0 -
I can't have lactose, so I need to find something other than cream.
Coconut cream, if you do coconut.0 -
On the subject of fats......if you have problems with lactose, start incorporating moderate amounts of ghee for your cooking. This has virtually all milk solids removed as the butter is clarified.0
