Is anyone else counting fat grams and not calories?
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Paperchains38 wrote: »Obviously i am just a fluke of nature.
Obviously not. You restricted something (fat in your case), which resulted in overall decrease in calories and you lost weight. When that strategy didn't work anymore, you counted calories. Sounds like the majority of people as they get to calorie counting.
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TriShamelessly, too funny! May wind up having some healthy "joints"!0
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Thanks all, for your input. Gave me a lot to think about. So far, lost 7 lbs in 3(?) weeks, am exercising daily, and feel and look great. Am concentrating on 30 fat grams/day, but am also using an old Weight Watcher's daily "diary", that allots you daily, 2 fruits, 2 dairy, 3 veg, 3 "meat group", 5 "starch group", must drink 8, 8 oz glasses of water daily, also. Tends to keep your calories down, too. That being said, I probably will go to the calorie counting on MFP at some point. Am mainly starting out the first month this way to "jump start" my weight loss. If I don't see a good bit of progress at first, I tend to become discouraged. Also, Maru84, I do sometimes feel "unsatisfied" at days end, and I guess that is the lack of fat. Again, thanks all for your input!0
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No...dietary fat is essential to a healthy diet. Dietary fat is very important for hormone regulation...which is important for pretty much everything where your body is concerned.
As I recall, the low fat/no fat craze of the 80s and 90s was an epic fail...not to mention, obesity rates, diabetes, heart disease, etc all went up when everyone was eating low fat.0 -
The prediabetes program I'm in targets fat grams. The idea is that fat is the most calorie-dense part of one's nutrition and relatively easy to track. It's not a dramatic no-fat diet; there's a reasonable budget (based on starting weight) we're supposed to target. For those trying to get started on healthier eating, it's a reasonable approach.
The result after five weeks is a consistent calorie deficit that is having positive results. It's a sixteen week program with the overall goal of changing eating and activity habits long term.
This program sponsored by the YMCA seems pretty solid. Weekly meetings with a different topic each week including things like portion sizing, increasing activity, etc. Food logs are turned in every week for the facilitator to review. A coworker convinced me to start it with him and I'm glad I did.0 -
This kind of thinking is what gave us Snackwells cookies and fat-free cheese. Nobody should have to eat fat-free cheese.0
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The prediabetes program I'm in targets fat grams. The idea is that fat is the most calorie-dense part of one's nutrition and relatively easy to track. It's not a dramatic no-fat diet; there's a reasonable budget (based on starting weight) we're supposed to target. For those trying to get started on healthier eating, it's a reasonable approach.
The result after five weeks is a consistent calorie deficit that is having positive results. It's a sixteen week program with the overall goal of changing eating and activity habits long term.
This program sponsored by the YMCA seems pretty solid. Weekly meetings with a different topic each week including things like portion sizing, increasing activity, etc. Food logs are turned in every week for the facilitator to review. A coworker convinced me to start it with him and I'm glad I did.
So are they also tracking overall calories and carb intake as well? I wish you well and hope you can avoid T2 DM.0 -
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amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?0 -
Anyway, to the OP - I read your update, and as long as you can stick to that basic structure it will probably work, at least for awhile. Weight loss is all about eating less calories you consume - however you get there (within reasonable healthy limits, of course) is entirely personal preference and makes no difference, as long as you are satisfied and can stick to it. Using MFP or otherwise counting calories is an excellent way to do it, because then you KNOW (within a margin of error) how many calories you're consuming vs. how many you are burning, but it's certainly not the ONLY way to achieve it.
With specific regard to fat....fat is good for you, as others have said. Science has largely moved away from that "low fat" mindset that WW plan was based upon, for the general public. Down the road, you may want to consider re-evaluating your macros (carb/fat/protein distribution) and eating a little more than that.0 -
I sorta am. I'm basically ignoring MFP at the moment and just tracking. My fat count is much higher than it has been in the past and I am watching that. As far as calories go, I'm basically starting back at square one and trying to figure out how many I can eat and still lose. So far so good. I'm not sure if that's what you're asking, though. I'm not counting fat to lose weight exactly, just seeing where I need to be in order to lose, if that makes sense. Sort of like tracking your expenses so you can create a budget.0
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amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
I suggest using your favorite search engine to look for maple sugar candy shipping (or free shipping). This is a staple of businesses with "Vermont" in their names.
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amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
That's maple sugar and should be available from some place like Amazon. It's ubiquitous in Canada and they probably make it in Vermont and Connecticut too.0 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
I suggest using your favorite search engine to look for maple sugar candy shipping (or free shipping). This is a staple of businesses with "Vermont" in their names.
No kidding. As I live nowhere near Vermont, I had never even heard of maple sugar candy before this very moment, but it certainly sounds magical. I will exercise my favorite search engine right this second!0 -
Wheelhouse15 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
That's maple sugar and should be available from some place like Amazon. It's ubiquitous in Canada and they probably make it in Vermont and Connecticut too.
Oh lordy. My first random website I found also offers me maple fudge, maple popcorn, maple hard candy, maple mustard, maple coated nuts and maple cream cookies. I think I shall just stop now and forget any of this ever existed...perhaps one day I'll visit Vermont and "remember"
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
That's maple sugar and should be available from some place like Amazon. It's ubiquitous in Canada and they probably make it in Vermont and Connecticut too.
Oh lordy. My first random website I found also offers me maple fudge, maple popcorn, maple hard candy, maple mustard, maple coated nuts and maple cream cookies. I think I shall just stop now and forget any of this ever existed...perhaps one day I'll visit Vermont and "remember" .
Sounds good but just try to eat more than two candies in a sitting. If you can you qualify as an honorary Canuck.;)0 -
Wheelhouse15 wrote: »
So are they also tracking overall calories and carb intake as well? I wish you well and hope you can avoid T2 DM.
Just fat grams at the start, although the forms have a column for calories. We're only five weeks in and I assume overall calories will be addressed in a future session. Regardless, using MFP means tracking calories and that's working.
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Wheelhouse15 wrote: »amyrebeccah wrote: »As tempting as it is to tell myself I can eat a giant pile of maple sugar candy and still lose weight. . .
But then, I think you get the point people are making about calories.
The reason I chime in is that I also run into problems when I over-restrict on fat--I get to the point that then if I eat even a little, it makes me really sick.
How would one obtain this candy? No, really, do they ship?
That's maple sugar and should be available from some place like Amazon. It's ubiquitous in Canada and they probably make it in Vermont and Connecticut too.
Oh lordy. My first random website I found also offers me maple fudge, maple popcorn, maple hard candy, maple mustard, maple coated nuts and maple cream cookies. I think I shall just stop now and forget any of this ever existed...perhaps one day I'll visit Vermont and "remember" .
Sounds good but just try to eat more than two candies in a sitting. If you can you qualify as an honorary Canuck.;)
Oh, I'm sure. I'm not even much of a "sweets" person - I LOVE the flavor of maple syrup, but one of my favorite applications is basted onto roasted chicken, lol. I'm certain they're way too rich to binge on (though I might shoot for 3, just for the honorary title ). I'm just afraid I'll "accidentally" order one of everything, haha. 0 -
Congrats on 7 pounds in three weeks! I don't count fat because I can eat a lot of low-fat foods like chili and go over my calories. At least if you plateau, you know what an easy change would be.0
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