HELP! I have a question...or two...

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Eyoung8
Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a maxium caloric intake of 1200, but I usually shoot for 1000-1100; just under. I have a maximum fat intake of 40 grams but I shoot for 20-23 grams. This works for me and my body responds nicely to my "revised" personal goals (I slightly revise my goals because I can't bring myself to be right on the boarder-my brain tells me to go the extra mile). But this is not a problem for me right now. I always remain under my 1200 for calories (around my personal target) but sometimes have room for fat at about 15 grams by the end of the day.

I believe this is because I fill my day with healthy, low fat/fat free, low cal snacks and meals. And I realize that you can't go by the packages that say "low fat/fat-free/low cal" because I am aware of the advertising and marketing schemes that build up those slogans only to load you with sugar or salt or some other substance.

That brings me to my first question,

I tried to google this and found nothing, but I figured it was worth a shot to ask some of my fit pal geniuses...

Are there any foods that may have a moderate amount of fat with a low amount of calories? Or do fat and calories go hand-in-hand? I ask because toward the end of the day/evening when my cals are at my maximum and I still have a good amount of fat left to go it would be nice to SOMETIMES have one of two snacking choices without the added calories. And by the way, in regards to those slogans, my cals by the evening are higher, but not because I don't look at labels-I read labels RELIGIOUSLY
My second question is (and this I did not research on the net yet)

I, occassionally, go over on my proteins at the end of the day. Based on what I think I already know about proteins, they are not as detrimental as, lets just say, excess carbs (if unused, left to sit in your body and convert to fat), fats, or cals. I know it isn't good to have too much of an excess of anything, however, if I'm over a small amount of proteins on an occassional basis, should this cause as much of a concern for weight-gain as fat, carbs, or cals would?

HELP!!!

Replies

  • coachjeffay
    coachjeffay Posts: 4
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    Don't sweat the slight protein overage.

    You aren't going to find low-cal fat.

    Fat hits you with 9 calories per gram where protein and carbs hit you with 4 calories per gram. I argue that fat is better for you than carbs but it is higher in calories and if you're trying to lose fat, burn it rather than consuming more.

    If you are under on your calories for the day, I am a fan of a reward snack! I like greek yogurt but sometimes I really go all out and have a 100cal ice cream sandwich or other novelty!

    j
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
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    Yes. Fat and calories DO go hand in hand. In fact, every fat gram has 9 calories whereas other nutrients such as carbs and protein have somewhere between 4-6 calories per gram (I can't remember the exact numbers at the moment). Really, there's no way around that. One thing I have found that's pretty high fat for few calories is unsweetened almond milk. 40 calories per cup (versus 90 for a cup of skim milk) and 3 grams of fat.
  • coachjeffay
    coachjeffay Posts: 4
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    If you want extra food at the end of the day, I suggest carrots, cauliflower, or cucumber! The crunch therapy can do some good and the calories are about the lowest for volume!

    j
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    fat, carbs, and proteins all are a part of calories. I can't remember the units (pretty sure it's grams, maybe), but it's something like 1 fat is 9 calories, where as 1 carb and 1 proteins are 4 calories, something like that. This is why fats get such a bad name, because they are so energy dense. This is also why your body loves to store excess as fat.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Fat and calories do go hand in hand, because fat has 9 calories per gram, while carbs and proteins have 5 calories per gram. Maybe try to get a little more healthy fat throughout the day, like olive oil in a salad dressing or dip?

    As for protein, the guidelines MFP sets are a little low - when I am eating really healthy, I tend to go over on the protein a little bit, and it doesn't hurt my weight loss (in fact, that's when I lose, but for multiple reasons, like I'm eating more veggies and fruits, with lean proteins, so it all works together). In fact, a personal trainer told me the other day that most people should aim for a greater protein to carb ratio as they get older (unless you were doing something like marathon training where you might need more carbs).
  • KELacey
    KELacey Posts: 5 Member
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    Below 1200 calories is probably too low for anyone. It is virtually impossible to take in an adequate amount of nutrients for healthy weight loss... and while you are losing weight now, I'd wager your losses will plateau very soon as your metabolism downshifts to compensate for such a low intake. Just sayin'...
  • Missjulesdid
    Missjulesdid Posts: 1,444 Member
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    I got myself into some trouble in the past during the "low fat" craze, so I'm glad that unlike me, you're smart enough to recognize that your body does need fat.... One food that has some good healthy fat is Hummus. It has fat from olive oil and fat from sesame tahini both are very healthy fats for you AND you get lots of fiber from the garbanzos and the tahini. This is not a "low calorie" food, but it's filling and delicious.
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Don't sweat the slight protein overage.

    You aren't going to find low-cal fat.

    Fat hits you with 9 calories per gram where protein and carbs hit you with 4 calories per gram. I argue that fat is better for you than carbs but it is higher in calories and if you're trying to lose fat, burn it rather than consuming more.

    If you are under on your calories for the day, I am a fan of a reward snack! I like greek yogurt but sometimes I really go all out and have a 100cal ice cream sandwich or other novelty!

    j

    Thanks for the advice.
    ...and I most definately reward myself when I'm under! The treats you mentioned are amongst my favs!
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    I got myself into some trouble in the past during the "low fat" craze, so I'm glad that unlike me, you're smart enough to recognize that your body does need fat.... One food that has some good healthy fat is Hummus. It has fat from olive oil and fat from sesame tahini both are very healthy fats for you AND you get lots of fiber from the garbanzos and the tahini. This is not a "low calorie" food, but it's filling and delicious.

    Thanks-that is quite coincidental, I have some of that in the fridge right now!
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Below 1200 calories is probably too low for anyone. It is virtually impossible to take in an adequate amount of nutrients for healthy weight loss... and while you are losing weight now, I'd wager your losses will plateau very soon as your metabolism downshifts to compensate for such a low intake. Just sayin'...

    Thank you. I understand your concern. As I said, my body responds very well to my intake. I have a low cal requirement mostly d/t the fact that I have a substantial amount of weight to lose. I make the necessary adjustments as my weight begins to drop. I've been pretty successful, past and present, with weightloss so I feel like I'm in the right spot for me! I've plateaued before and I know exactly what to do when that happens. Thanks.
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Fat and calories do go hand in hand, because fat has 9 calories per gram, while carbs and proteins have 5 calories per gram. Maybe try to get a little more healthy fat throughout the day, like olive oil in a salad dressing or dip?

    As for protein, the guidelines MFP sets are a little low - when I am eating really healthy, I tend to go over on the protein a little bit, and it doesn't hurt my weight loss (in fact, that's when I lose, but for multiple reasons, like I'm eating more veggies and fruits, with lean proteins, so it all works together). In fact, a personal trainer told me the other day that most people should aim for a greater protein to carb ratio as they get older (unless you were doing something like marathon training where you might need more carbs).

    Good advice-I will definately keep that in mind! Thanks.
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    If you want extra food at the end of the day, I suggest carrots, cauliflower, or cucumber! The crunch therapy can do some good and the calories are about the lowest for volume!

    j

    Nice! I ate carrots like a BEAST when I was pregnant with my last two children-craved them TERRIBLEY! I would eat them by the bag (and it was ok-I wasn't dangering myself) and now don't even think about them. But that crunch was 90% of the allure at the time. Now for crunch therapy I eat Quaker chocolate rice cakes!Mmmm
    ...but cucumbers are a very nice idea-dont like cauliflower... :(
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Yes. Fat and calories DO go hand in hand. In fact, every fat gram has 9 calories whereas other nutrients such as carbs and protein have somewhere between 4-6 calories per gram (I can't remember the exact numbers at the moment). Really, there's no way around that. One thing I have found that's pretty high fat for few calories is unsweetened almond milk. 40 calories per cup (versus 90 for a cup of skim milk) and 3 grams of fat.

    Now THATS what I'm talking about! NICE POINTER!!! THANKS! I will definately try it, especially since I don't do nuts too much, the omega 3s in them is probably abundant in the milk!!! Thanks again!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Thank you. I understand your concern. As I said, my body responds very well to my intake. I have a low cal requirement mostly d/t the fact that I have a substantial amount of weight to lose. I make the necessary adjustments as my weight begins to drop. I've been pretty successful, past and present, with weightloss so I feel like I'm in the right spot for me! I've plateaued before and I know exactly what to do when that happens. Thanks.

    First, you should never be below 1200 calories. EVER. Every now and then is okay but it sounds like you're making it a habit, so stop. It's not good for your body, you will stop losing weight, you're not getting the nutrition you need on less than 1200, and you're obviously not exercising - or if you are, and you're still below 1200, that's even worse. You're depriving your body of fuel it NEEDS. I know you think you have a lot of weight to lose and having a large deficit is okay. This is true. Having a large deficit with a lot of weight to lose will work for awhile... but you should still never go below 1200. If you want a larger deficit, you need to create one with exercise. Make sure you're lifting weights so you tone up as you lose. If you lose too quickly however, you will have loose skin, i.e.: all the girls still on Biggest Loser... they have muscles and are skinny, yes, but look at their flappy arms.

    Second, you can tweak your fat, carb and protein percentages to whatever you'd like... a good starting point would be 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. The fat you need to be getting from HEALTHY places, not french fries and donuts. Try nuts, cheese, milk (if you're opposed to dairy, try almond or coconut milk). Your protein should be 25-30% of your diet so you could do 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat which I think is what I'm at and it's working great for me.
  • Eyoung8
    Eyoung8 Posts: 107 Member
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    Thank you. I understand your concern. As I said, my body responds very well to my intake. I have a low cal requirement mostly d/t the fact that I have a substantial amount of weight to lose. I make the necessary adjustments as my weight begins to drop. I've been pretty successful, past and present, with weightloss so I feel like I'm in the right spot for me! I've plateaued before and I know exactly what to do when that happens. Thanks.

    First, you should never be below 1200 calories. EVER. Every now and then is okay but it sounds like you're making it a habit, so stop. It's not good for your body, you will stop losing weight, you're not getting the nutrition you need on less than 1200, and you're obviously not exercising - or if you are, and you're still below 1200, that's even worse. You're depriving your body of fuel it NEEDS. I know you think you have a lot of weight to lose and having a large deficit is okay. This is true. Having a large deficit with a lot of weight to lose will work for awhile... but you should still never go below 1200. If you want a larger deficit, you need to create one with exercise. Make sure you're lifting weights so you tone up as you lose. If you lose too quickly however, you will have loose skin, i.e.: all the girls still on Biggest Loser... they have muscles and are skinny, yes, but look at their flappy arms.

    Second, you can tweak your fat, carb and protein percentages to whatever you'd like... a good starting point would be 50% carbs, 25% protein, 25% fat. The fat you need to be getting from HEALTHY places, not french fries and donuts. Try nuts, cheese, milk (if you're opposed to dairy, try almond or coconut milk). Your protein should be 25-30% of your diet so you could do 45% carbs, 30% protein, 25% fat which I think is what I'm at and it's working great for me.

    O...K...well...first of all thank you for your opinion and you made some good points about exercise-I appreciate that.

    I want to explain to you that if I have a daily limit of 1200 cals and am ALMOST always between 1100-1150, an average of 50-100 cals daily is not enough of a deficit to be considered depriving my body's needs, especially if I am eating well-balanced meals and healthy snacks inbetween-which I most certainly am. I know there are a minimum and a maximum amount of nutrients our bodies need to function-but I'd be remiss to say that if any one person eats 50-100 cals per day less than 1200, they are doing their body harm. Especially if that individual looks and feels healthy, indulges in a healthy diet with a variety of nutritious foods, and has HEALTHY weight loss for an extended period of time.

    Which reminds me; I should emphasize that not only do I feel GREAT, better than ever, but I've lost over 25lbs in the past (a matter of about 6 months ago) at 2lb per week intervals doing it the way I am doing it now. NO LIE, CONSISTENTLY right on point, 2lbs weight-loss per week for about 3 months! I NEVER plateaued during this or my last stent of weight-loss (once years and years ago), I most certainly DID NOT deprive myself, AND I gave myself 1 day per week off to eat how I chose. Knowing that 2lbs per week is considered healthy weight-loss and the regularity at which it came off coupled with the fact that I did NOT starve myself and felt great-leads me to believe that I was doing something right.

    The ONLY reason I gained it back is because I didn't stick with it. I was only 10 pounds off, at the time, from my target and should've kept it up, but the holidays got the best of me:( ...not this time! I know EXACTLY what I have to do.

    I should also clarify that I have THREE little children (when I say little I mean 2 of them are toddlers) and I get GOOD exercise, maybe not by means of an exercise machine, or equipment, but I, by no means, live a sedentary lifestyle. Chasing my kids around and working as a registered nurse (which also keeps me on my feet) buys me quite a bit of daily activity (just thought I'd add that).

    I almost NEVER eat donuts, french fries, or any of those types of food, nor does my family. And if we do, its rare. And I'm absolutely ok with that. I have to say I am actually pretty proud of myself for making the awesome food choices I DO make.

    You said one REALLY good thing though. Your last sentence: "which I think is what I'm at and it's working great for me."

    Although I TRULY appreciate your advice, opinions, and support, I am definately not naive, ignorant, or "new" to this. I've always had curves and as an adult am figuring out the PROPER way to keep myself healthy, fit, and in shape. I DO NOT know all the answers, but I do know whats working for me-as we ALL have different needs. Thank you.

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