Fat gram intake?

My doc wants me to keep my fat intake under 20 grams a day; has anybody else been given this kind of advise before? It's almost impossible to keep my calories to at least 1200 while keeping my fat grams under 20.

Replies

  • Why?
  • centexhusker
    centexhusker Posts: 115 Member
    Your Dr may have a reason for setting the fat intake so low. I would want to know why. I use the following guidelines to set my fat intake each day on MFP.

    http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/Knowing-Your-Fats_UCM_305976_Article.jsp


    The American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:

    Limit total fat intake to less than 25–35 percent of your total calories each day;
    Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories;
    Limit trans fat intake to less than 1 percent of total daily calories;
    The remaining fat should come from sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats such as nuts, seeds, fish and vegetable oils; and
    Limit cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg per day, for most people. If you have coronary heart disease or your LDL cholesterol level is 100 mg/dL or greater, limit your cholesterol intake to less than 200 milligrams a day.
  • ShannonMpls
    ShannonMpls Posts: 1,936 Member
    I am also wondering why.
    It's almost impossible to keep my calories to at least 1200 while keeping my fat grams under 20.

    Well, it would be pretty simple, and it would require you to substitute lean protein and carbs for the fat. So, chicken breast, tuna, ground poultry, vegetables, fruit, grains like rice, pasta, bread. I could very easily eat 1200 calories of protein and carbs.

    That fat limit would make me stabby, though, and I'd end up eating a lot more crap to reach my calorie goal with such a low limit.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
    20 grams? That's really low. :-\ I eat 115g a day and keep my calories to 1600...(as of recently, lol)
  • denise8986
    denise8986 Posts: 42 Member
    you don't want to know my fat grams..lol.. but then again i'm doing Keto
  • Roxxc85
    Roxxc85 Posts: 4
    I can't really answer "why". I honestly don't understand it myself. I heard of this diet program from a friend and decided to go to her doctor to give it a try. The doctor's instructions were simple: eat no more than 20 grams of fat a day, no fast food, no sugary drinks, drink plenty of water, and workout at least 20 minutes a day 3-5 times a week. She didn't give any direction on protein or carb intake. She didn't even say how many calories I should be taking in daily. (I was distracted the day I started this program and seen the doctor, so I didn't even think to ask those questions)

    I'm going to see if I can't get some more nutritional guidance from her when I go in for my weigh-in.

    I'll have to figure out some more lean proteins and carbs to add to my diet.
  • Ivanna_B
    Ivanna_B Posts: 23 Member
    I love what Shanampls suggested.

    Are you sure she wants you down to 20 GRAMS of fat per day and not 20 PERCENT?

    I'm on a 20grams or less per day fat-intake diet -- but I'm on it because I'm part of a research study. I haven't successfully maintained 20 grams of fat yet but will HAVE TO get there by next week (we were given 8 weeks to get down to 20 grams of fat)

    There are certain foods you have to completely avoid (nuts, coconut, avocado, most cheeses, most if not all red meats) to avoid using up your fat grams too quickly. Also, try using cooking spray rather than oil wheneever possible (since a tbsp of oil has 14grams of fat).

    Upping your protein helps with satiety. I drink Jay Robb's Egg White Protein (has no fat yet has 24g of protein per serving). I also eat skinless chicken breast, 99% fat free ground turkey, egg whites (no egg yolks), nonfat cottage cheese (lucerne from safeway has the best taste by far out of all the cottage cheese I've tried), tuna, greek yogurt (namely, 0% fage), and tofu.

    Eating LOTS of vegetables helps with satiety and nutrition as well. Because I'm trying to lose weight, I'm limiting fruits but most fruits are low in fat so you can actually eat lots of fruits if you'd like as well.

    There are also a LOT of fat free products that can fill up your caloric needs like fat free rice cakes, potatoes, etc. You can even have fat free milk, fat free ice cream and a lot of other stuff like that. I hope all of this helps and feel free to be-friend me if you want to compare any new food ideas! I'm struggling along with it and could always use the help!