What do I do with all this fat???

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glowgirl14
glowgirl14 Posts: 200 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm having diary difficulties.

I have been trying to get my macros back in check after a vacation. I used the mini restart to work out some kinks I've been having with my plan...

I unlinked my fitbit from MFP, and set my calorie goal here to TDEE-% with no exercise logged.

Fitbit has me at about a 400 cal/day deficit from what I'm actually eating, so I'm pretty happy with my calories...

BUT. I'm having a hard time with the macros. I'm getting protien/carbs/fiber pretty close - but always seem to have a ton of leftover fat. I could lower the fat on my list...but I'm going to cry if someone tells me I have to eat more protein, and I don't think I need more carbs.

Currently, macros are set at: 35%protein/35%carbs/30%fat
This gets my protein to 120g a day (close-ish to 1g/lb of body weight).

Sooo. I've prelogged my dinner. Everything looks good. Except for the fact that I have logged only 1300 calories. I need 1400...but the only thing I have left is 26g fat! Short of drinking oil, or adding a 3rd cocktail (on a Monday night!)...I need suggestions. I could replace some of my PB2 with actual peanut butter...But after being programmed to avoid fat for my entire life, I'm not sure how to get it on purpose. (Well. I could get it easily. But I'd be adding a ton more carbs that I don't need, as my carbs are at zero most days!)

This may sound stupid, but what does fat do for you anyway? Energy wise, I mean...I know I'm hungry with a 500 cal deficit, and I'm not going to be hungry anymore. I don't have to be hungry to lose.

But what else can I eat? How do I add in fat without adding so many carbs?
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Replies

  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
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    ...But after being programmed to avoid fat for my entire life, I'm not sure how to get it on purpose.

    (Edited because I pushed the post button before finishing)

    I hear you sister! I'm always really low on fat too, and for the same reason: I "programmed" myself in the past to avoid fat because they used to tell us to. And now "healthy" fat is good for you! Being way too low on fat can -- over time -- cause serious health problems, for instance gallstones. Healthy dietary fats are necessary for proper body function in a number of ways, including digestion and transport of materials throughout your bloodstream. It's also great for keeping your skin, hair, and nails healthy (vanity check!).

    Here are some things that I eat that help me keep my fat between 25% and 30% of calories.

    1. Yes, peanut butter. I eat a tablespoon of peanut butter almost every day now, specifically to help keep my dietary fat up.
    2. Cook with olive or canola oil. (Like you, I've trained myself to use a pretty light hand, but a teaspoon here and there will add up fast). For instance, one of my favorite things is a sweet potato, cubed and tossed with 1 tsp olive oil, and then roasted. Sweet potato oven roasties! High in fiber and vitamin A, and some healthy fat. (Or the same thing with a regular potato for less vitamin A). Or toss your favorite hardy vegetable (I like brussels sprouts, but I get other people don't) with olive oil and roast.
    3. Oily fish like salmon or sardines. YUM!
    4. Whole eggs a couple of times a week.
    5. In moderation: a couple of pieces of dark chocolate once in a while.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    Fat is important for hormone regulation.

    I would recommend milk or cheese.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    ...But after being programmed to avoid fat for my entire life, I'm not sure how to get it on purpose. (Well. I could get it easily. But I'd be adding a ton more carbs that I don't need, as my carbs are at zero most days!)

    How about change your cabs to 40% and fat to 25%, though I'd sue that fat intake as a min, and carbs as a max.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    If you are eating lower/reduced fat items, replace them with full fat items. Like the aforementioned replacement of PB2 with real peanut butter.

    For instance, today you are having "Near East Couscous - Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil (Prepared With No Oil)", prepare it with oil!
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
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    Fats are goooood!!! Bacon, cheese, avocado, PB...all good options for some fat. It is hard to kick the "fats are bad!" mentality, but you really do need them.

    Also, kicking your carbs up to 40% wouldn't be the end the world. I think fats are supposed to be somewhere around .35g/lb bodyweight? Protein at 1 g/lb bodyweight? And then let carbs fill up the rest. (I'm not confident on those numbers...perhaps someone else can confirm them.)
  • anaveryisland
    anaveryisland Posts: 4
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    Getting enough fat is extremely important. You should do some research, because there are a plethora of reasons why eating enough fats on a daily basis is vital. To give you one, oversimplified, reason: If you don't eat a solid, natural fat everyday, your body holds onto the fat that you do have (because it's scared it won't get anymore anytime soon). If you eat them consistently, your body will take what it needs and release the rest.

    I eat 1/2 an avocado a day. Or, I substitute that amount with raw (unsalted) nuts, raw organic tahini, or raw ground almond/peanut butter.

    As for ways I eat these fats:

    1/2 avocado: Lunch salad, or dip raw veggies in avocado/lemon/sea salt
    Raw nuts: Eat them by the handful, or stir them into your favorite cooked dishes
    Tahini: I make a tahini sauce out of tahini/lemon juice/sea salt/water and use it for salads, or as a veggie dip



    Keep in mind that eating a whole, natural fat will ALWAYS be better for your body (easier to digest) than a processed oil, or processed peanut butter.
  • resistance_freak
    resistance_freak Posts: 899
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    you can add in fat without adding carbs with meat. And to answer your question about "what does fat do for you anyway? Energy wise"? Fat contains more than twice the energy per gram than carbs do. Fat is the best source of energy you can get. And if you condition your body to consuming low amounts of carbs (<25% of total calories) and higher amounts of fat then your body will begin to produce more of the hormones necessary to burn fat as its primary fuel rather than burning carbs.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Nuts and olive oil do it for me. I am almost always over on fat. I try to control it, but everything tastes better with fat. I just don't seem to be satisfied with a low -fat meal. I cook or dress most foods in olive oil, and I eat nuts every day. That, plus the little fat naturally in foods always has me going over, even tho I go for lean meats and reduced fat cheeses.
  • kkcruickshank
    kkcruickshank Posts: 59 Member
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    Have a tablespoon of coconut oil!
  • gamerkiwi
    gamerkiwi Posts: 93 Member
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    Fat's super important for hormone regulation. You definitely need lipids in your diet, or else you'll die (it's called rabbit starvation, but that's EXTREME case of low-fat). With your fats how they are, you might have enough (if not, I doubt it's going to pose a huge health issue), but if you wanna make sure:

    Cook your foods with plenty of healthy oils (virgin olive and coconut oils are great choices!), switch to full-fat everything, eat nuts. Also eat fatty fish like Salmon.

    Those are the healthiest choices for you. Remember that you'll have to adjust the rest of your eating to compensate for the added calories from fat. Just take out some carbs and you'll be fine.

    Also, bacon's a great source of fat, it's just not the healthiest of fats. :)
  • lysslax
    lysslax Posts: 64
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    Good fat carries fat-soluble vitamins around the body, it helps maintain healthy skin...omega-3 fats helps promote heart health and reduce the risk of clogged arteries!!

    Like a previous poster mentioned, add some olive oil when you're cooking.

    Eat seafood high in omega-3s like salmon or tuna.

    Full fat cheese and sour cream will also add fat without carbs.

    You can try adding bacon to things or using beef in the place of chicken for some additional fat as well.
  • gamerkiwi
    gamerkiwi Posts: 93 Member
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    Have a tablespoon of coconut oil!

    YES!

    It's all saturated fats, but it's what's called a "medium-chain triglyceride" which is very efficiently used for energy by the body. Absorbed nearly as quickly as carbs, without the blood sugar spike. MCT oil's used on epileptics who are on ketogenic diets (switching the brain to using ketone bodies from fats instead of using carbs for fuel, which reduces seizures in many cases). It's also tasty to cook with.
  • lambchristie
    lambchristie Posts: 552 Member
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    Nuts, avocados, flaxseed oil (capsule form) OR fish oil capsule ...

    Also posted a link on your comment in your news thread.
  • WakkoW
    WakkoW Posts: 567 Member
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    It sounds like the MFP entries might not be accurate. Be very careful when using user entered data. (data with an asterisk). I have found the carbs/protein/fat to be off on many items. Some users just don't care about the macros and only care about the total calories.

    You write you have 26 grams of fat left. Each gram of fat has 9 calories. 26*9=234.

    But you also write that you only need 100 more calories to make your goal. 100 calories of fat would be approximately 11 grams.

    Something is amiss.

    Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
    Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
    Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
    Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    Sooo. I've prelogged my dinner. Everything looks good. Except for the fact that I have logged only 1300 calories. I need 1400...but the only thing I have left is 26g fat!

    You only need 10g of fat. If you use all 26g, you'll be over your caloric goal.
  • lindustum
    lindustum Posts: 212 Member
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    The "fat makes fat" myth had been a hurdle for me back when I started MFP in august. The first time I had 10% fat greek yogurt I was almost waiting to suddenly gain 10lbs, because it felt so forbidden.

    I have reached my goal weight, am size small and still reshaping my body through weightlifting- and I easily reach 70-80g fat a day, if not more. Eggs, cheese, milk, greek yogurt, mince, beef, bacon, almonds are my primary fat sources. I just feel more comfortable with higher fat than higher carbs. It is a personal preference. You will find yours in no time! :)
  • rabblerabble
    rabblerabble Posts: 471 Member
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    Nuts are a good source of healthy fats and have a modest amount of protein too. Might want to try whole fat greek yogurt too.
  • FXOjafar
    FXOjafar Posts: 174 Member
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    I have a flax seed porridge with added chia seeds and full fat cream in the morning to get me started with good, healthy, filling fat.

    Fat is an important energy source, I can't get enough of it. My macro is 65/30/5 fat/pro/carb. The weight just falls off!
  • DoingitWell
    DoingitWell Posts: 560 Member
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    Season your greens with fat back.
  • glowgirl14
    glowgirl14 Posts: 200 Member
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    Thanks for all the responses! I'm usually a huge one for research, but am incredibly busy for the next couple of weeks- and the MFP community has come forth with its wealth of knowledge, as always! : )

    First - I know that I can't eat all 26g of fat TODAY with only 100 calories. But many days I'm pre-logging, and run out of protein and carbs - but still have 1-300 calories left over. And the only group remaining is fat. If I were to use 2T peanut butter, instead of 2T PB2, I'd have twice the fat, and close to the same carbs/protein. I wanted advice on future entries, I just used today as an example. :)

    My calories are so low, because I'm close to goal...and it's habit to find the least calories that pack the most punch nutritionally. High protein, low carb, low fat has been my mantra for months...I'm going to figure out how to replace some of my protein shakes with real food. (What a concept, right??)

    A lot of good ideas in here. I just had 100 calories worth of almonds, and it barely effected the rest of my macros, but added 9g fat, and I'm not hungry. I cut 1oz from the meat I'm having for dinner and I'm now 21 calories from goal, and only over in carbs (2g). And if I eat a bit less popcorn, I'll be fine there...

    I've added several of these items to my shopping list for this afternoon...Sort of excited to see how this works out.

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