High protein = High fat

LateOverWeight
LateOverWeight Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

I'm blessed to have a personal trainer as a close friend and she has given me tips on losing weight. She said I need to get protein at every meal to keep my energy up all day. Here's my conundrum: When I get my protein, my fat goes over. So far today I have logged good natural sources of protein: sardines, almond butter, eggs and veggies. I still need 33 protein but have gone over fat by 6 already.

Do I just ignore the fat for the most part so long as I'm getting these natural sources of protein? Are MFPs settings off? It makes me wonder if they're set to comply to a person eating "diet foods" and I try to eat mainly "clean" and always run into problems with the fat and sugar in my log due to this.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • Appalachia7
    Appalachia7 Posts: 28 Member
    I am trying to "up" my daily protein also. Personally I try to stay away from nuts and nut butters as much as possible, the very high fat content packs in the extra calories and makes them hard (for me) to regulate. There are plenty of other higher fat, lower fat protein choices like non- or low-fat cottage cheese (Breakstone makes a really yummy 2% with 80 calories and 10g of protein) or non fat greek yogurt (Stonyfield makes an 80 calorie one with 15 g of ptn). Also poached chicken breast. I hate wasting egg yolk and don't like the stuff in the carton, so I don't worry about the yolk-fat when I eat eggs.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    Look into including leaner fats, like chicken breast and the many types of fish that aren't as fatty as sardines.

    Also, beans will have much more protein than other kinds of veggies, without much, if any, fat.
  • psmd
    psmd Posts: 764 Member
    tuna, egg whites, whey protein powder, and fat free greek yogurt, all easy sources of protein with low/no fat!
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    almond butter, eggs

    These are both high fat and almond butter doesn't have much protein.

    Chicken and egg whites are high protein and very low fat. I mix 3 whites with 2 whole eggs to boost protein and keep some nice fat taste.
  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    High protein and a calorie deficit will get you what you're looking for. Don't freak out too much about fat, although I personally try to keep the saturated fats under control.
  • 123Pari
    123Pari Posts: 16 Member
    Whats the problem with the higher fat? Fat is GOOD! the higher fat meats will keep you satiated for longer. but if you want to go lean protein stop eating sardines and have chicken breast/turkey/egg whites instead....:smile:
  • chardrun
    chardrun Posts: 1 Member
    psmd and usmcmp have the right idea. Things I eat/drink on a daily basis that fit your criteria:

    Optimum Nutrition 100% Natural Whey Protein Powder mixed with water
    Egg Beaters
    FAGE 0% Fat Plain Greek Yogurt (One of my favorite sources of protein)
    Chicken Breast
  • jazzii98
    jazzii98 Posts: 33
    Then choose healthy proteins. It's not hard at all :noway:
  • KHalseth
    KHalseth Posts: 104 Member
    I'm going to add one statement against egg whites.

    When you remove the yolk, you also remove the part that makes you full and some of the nutrients. Eggs are a near perfect food so I disagree with all the people staying to use egg white only. Years and years of research has proven that the yolks are no where near as bad for you as previous thought and that people should go ahead and eat the yolk.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I eat a high protein diet and struggle to get fat in my diet. For my protein, I maily drink lowfat milk and eat fish, chicken, turkey, lean beef, egg whites and occasionally eat edamame for my protein.
  • lrmall01
    lrmall01 Posts: 377 Member
    Cottage cheese is another good one I didn't see listed yet.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/926789-protein-sources
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    I'm going to add one statement against egg whites.

    When you remove the yolk, you also remove the part that makes you full and some of the nutrients. Eggs are a near perfect food so I disagree with all the people staying to use egg white only. Years and years of research has proven that the yolks are no where near as bad for you as previous thought and that people should go ahead and eat the yolk.

    I'd rather eat the calories from yolks in something I like better...that's why I don't eat them.
  • cjthe3
    cjthe3 Posts: 1
    Pick up some lentils. They take some time to prepare, so you'd want to cook a bunch at a time and save the rest, but a single serving has 10g protein and maybe 1g of fat at most. They're also super cheap if you're looking to save some cash too.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    I have the same problem. I'm trying not to stress it for now, and will reevaluate if my health/weight loss starts to go wonky on me.

    (I also use a quarter to half a tablespoon of butter in everything I cook. So, you know, I'm also the problem. No shame. :D)
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    The sources you listed are higher fat sources of protein. I really wouldn't consider almond butter a source of protein. Pick lean meats, cottage cheese, greek yogurt. I can easily get over 200gr protein a day will keeping my fat between 50-60 grams.
  • kaotik26
    kaotik26 Posts: 590 Member
    Not all fats are evil. As long as you are getting those healthy fats that are good for your heart and brain and not the stupid trans fats I wouldn't be too scared. Be careful because sometimes if you get stuff labeled low fat they are high in sugar, which I think is more detrimental to weight loss than those healthy fats.
  • kennie2
    kennie2 Posts: 1,170 Member
    remember that the protein that your body doesn't use up turns into fat too :D
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Worry about the total calories and the protein and don't worry about exceeding your fats. Lower the carbs before the fats. I eat 60-80% fat diet and love it. My lipids are perfect. Egg yolks and butter are excellent sources of fat soluble nutrients so continue to eat them.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    remember that the protein that your body doesn't use up turns into fat too :D

    in a caloric deficit "unused" protein is NOT stored as fat...it is simply converted to carbohydrate and used to produce ATP.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,087 Member
    Beans and legumes will help you meet your goals as well. I love Amy's Organic Soups, especially the Black Bean Vegetable and runner up's the Lentil Vegetable. They are a bit smaller than an average soup can so if you ate the whole thing, the black bean would be 12g protein and 3g fat, Lentil 14 g protein and 8 fat. Even if you don't care for those flavors, using some black beans in a wrap or on a salad would help. I like to put chicken or tuna on a salad, or turkey lettuce wraps would be a good way to get lower fat protein into your diet.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    I often find myself in the same boat, even with a reasonably high fat goal (my macros are based on weight/LBM, but they work out to approximately 40% fat, 30% protein and 30% carbs). I am by no means afraid of fat, saturated or not. I think that my problem comes in that I tend to make a point to eat a decent amount of "good" fats (olive oil, almonds, avocado, etc), so that even a moderate amount of fat associated with animal protein sources sends me over.

    I've found it worthwhile to actually go for reduced-fat products in certain applications, primarily dairy. I don't eat a lot of dairy, but when I do, it's low-fat or fat-free. I also try to focus on leaner meats when possible - lean cuts of beef, pork, chicken. I feel like that way I get a better protein to fat ratio on my animal protein sources, and it allows me enough room to enjoy my fats from vegetable sources.

    Edited to add: I try to keep my fat macro in line not because I think I should eat less fat, I just want to be able to eat more carbs!! Lol.
  • writergeek313
    writergeek313 Posts: 390 Member
    It sounds like the issue is that you're getting your protein from sources that also contain a lot of fat. That doesn't have to be the case. My main sources of lean protein are chicken breast, ground chicken or turkey (I try to get the 93% lean kind), canned tuna, and low or nonfat Greek yogurt. Low or nonfat cottage cheese has lots of protein, too, though sometimes I eat it a lot and then get sick of it for awhile.

    With eggs, I used to just do egg whites, but I missed the richness of the yolks, so I went back to eating whole eggs. When I eat them hardboiled, I take the yolks out because I don't like them. If you eat a lot of eggs, you might try a mix of whole and just whites, but otherwise, I wouldn't worry about that.

    It's also worth considering whether you should raise your fat macro a bit. As someone else said, fat isn't the enemy.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    If you're trying to hit a 25% or higher protein macro, you'll learn real quick that legumes (other than soybeans) and nuts/nut butters are carb and fat sources, respectively.
  • May_Rose
    May_Rose Posts: 119 Member
    There is nothing wrong with fat, as long as it's the healthy kind (unsaturated).
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    remember that the protein that your body doesn't use up turns into fat too :D
    Nope
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/nutrition/excess-protein-and-fat-storage-qa.html
  • dwt122
    dwt122 Posts: 5
    As many before have stated, there are plenty of options to choose from...

    egg whites
    lentils
    kidney beans
    sardines
    tuna
    salmon
    fat free greek yogurt
    fat free cottage cheese
    skinless chicken
    lean beef and turkey
    protein powder (whey or casein...they have non-gmo and natural varieties although they cost more)


    if u are going over your daily fat allowance, obviously minimize the amount of high fat foods such as nut butters. yes it's healthy, but also high in fat content which is probably contributing to going over your fat per day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Hi,

    I'm blessed to have a personal trainer as a close friend and she has given me tips on losing weight. She said I need to get protein at every meal to keep my energy up all day. Here's my conundrum: When I get my protein, my fat goes over. So far today I have logged good natural sources of protein: sardines, almond butter, eggs and veggies. I still need 33 protein but have gone over fat by 6 already.

    Do I just ignore the fat for the most part so long as I'm getting these natural sources of protein? Are MFPs settings off? It makes me wonder if they're set to comply to a person eating "diet foods" and I try to eat mainly "clean" and always run into problems with the fat and sugar in my log due to this.

    Thanks!

    For one thing, dietary fat doesn't make you fat and is an essential macro...20-30% of your diet at minimum should be coming from dietary fat.

    Secondly, your protein sources above are really better sources of healthy dietary fat than protein (not necessarily a bad thing)...and while these things do have protein, you really want to look to lean meats and poultry, greek yogurt, whey, cottage cheese, etc as better protein sources with minimal fat.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    There is nothing wrong with fat, as long as it's the healthy kind (unsaturated).

    saturated fat is not "unhealthy"...
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    There is nothing wrong with fat, as long as it's the healthy kind (unsaturated).

    Actually saturated fat is a very healthy source of energy. It is the building block of your cell walls and hormones. I eat tons of saturated fat and my triglycerides were 57 and HDL 82, basically an ideal lipid profile.

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