How much fat can I have a day?

alladriksne
alladriksne Posts: 5 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone just started my healthy diet, and I'm not sure what's the ratio of healthy fat , carbs and protein to have a day? I'm having about 33% of each at the minute, but only good fats : salmon, nuts olive oil. help pls.
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Replies

  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    Depends on who you listen to; best judge is what works for you. Protein & fat help you feet satisfied and carbs are needed for energy (especially if you workout). If that ratio is working for you, keep it; the only advice is I would watch the starchy/sugary carbs (if you do eat them keep them for before or after your workout) and maybe up the protein a little (helps with muscle building).
  • TylerNorris57
    TylerNorris57 Posts: 54 Member
    Me I like carbs so I am %0% carbs and 25% fat and protien
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Protein at 0.82 g per lb of body weight.
    Fat at 0.35 g per lb of body weight.
    Carbs get the rest.

    Whatever that works out to for how much you are going to eat as a % doesn't matter much except that is how MFP displays it.

    But when setting your goals, you can keep increasing the % until you hit the grams desired.

    That's one simple way, since % doesn't really scale well in actual use.
  • errollmaclean
    errollmaclean Posts: 562 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Protein at 0.82 g per lb of body weight.
    Fat at 0.35 g per lb of body weight.
    Carbs get the rest.

    Whatever that works out to for how much you are going to eat as a % doesn't matter much except that is how MFP displays it.

    But when setting your goals, you can keep increasing the % until you hit the grams desired.

    That's one simple way, since % doesn't really scale well in actual use.

    ^^this!
  • fr3smyl
    fr3smyl Posts: 1,418 Member
    As much as you want just don't exceed you're calories.
  • lindsayk324
    lindsayk324 Posts: 54 Member
    Hey OP, like others have said, just pick a certain macro split to start (doesn't really matter which split, 40/30/30 or 50/25/25 or anything). Then, spend a few weeks trying to meet that macro split. Depending on your progress after a few weeks and depending on how you feel (fatigued? mental fog? skin/hair brittle?) adjust your macros appropriately. After a few different trials, you'll probably figure out what works best for you and your lifestyle!
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    The fats you listed I don't think they're the healthiest.

    I'm confused -- I thought oils from fish, olive oil, and nut oils were all some of the healthiest dietary oils. What do you think are heathier oils and why are the oils OP posted not the healthy?
  • xstevedx
    xstevedx Posts: 9 Member
    Best bet is to just take a an hour and research "counting macros" through google and youtube. The information that's available will allow you to easily fine tune your next step into being on track for your specific goals.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I use .4 g fat per pound of bodyweight as my minimum. But I rarely get close to going under that so I tend not to worry about it.
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    edited May 2015
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    Hey OP, like others have said, just pick a certain macro split to start (doesn't really matter which split, 40/30/30 or 50/25/25 or anything). Then, spend a few weeks trying to meet that macro split. Depending on your progress after a few weeks and depending on how you feel (fatigued? mental fog? skin/hair brittle?) adjust your macros appropriately. After a few different trials, you'll probably figure out what works best for you and your lifestyle!
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    The fats you listed I don't think they're the healthiest.

    I'm confused -- I thought oils from fish, olive oil, and nut oils were all some of the healthiest dietary oils. What do you think are heathier oils and why are the oils OP posted not the healthy?
    But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated.

    "But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated."

    This is totally incorrect, bad advice !

    by Elle Penner, MyFitnessPal Registered Dietitian

    Saturated Fat Mostly solid at room temperature, these unhealthy saturated fats are largely found in animal-derived foods–like red meat and dairy products made from cream or whole milk. While some plants like coconuts and avocados are also rich in saturated fats, it’s important to remember that different fats behave differently, even when grouped in the same family. It’s the animal-based saturated fats that we should be most concerned about when watching our intake of these fats because these have been found to increase LDL cholesterol.
  • lindsayk324
    lindsayk324 Posts: 54 Member
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    I am not saying they're bad, don't get me wrong. A lot of the fats that people think are unhealthy play a vital role in health as well. 50% of cell membranes are of saturated fats. If the cell walls aren't ridged enough they can't function properly, if they're too ridged they can't do their job properly either. A combination of saturated fats and unsaturated fats are recommend. But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated. Butter's, creams, things like that. And obviously trans fats aren't good for humans. They are a byproduct of hydrolysis.

    I'm still confused, but it's been many years since my last biochem/molbio course! :tongue:

    From what I understand, the claim is that a greater portion of dietary fat should be saturated (as opposed to unsaturated). That disagrees with conventional medical recommendations.

    The second part that's confused me is the idea that "50% of cell walls[sic] are of saturated fats". I think you meant cell membrane, cell walls are made of glycans and are found in plant cells, not human cells, if I remember right. Either way, saturated fats come (almost?) entirely from animal sources, so if this were true, I'd imagine that vegans/vegetarians should be dying off left and right due to inability to generate cellular membranes! The hypothesis behind this claim seems to be that the phospholipid bilayer of cellular membranes is composed of dietary saturated fat -- is that correct? I can't find anything about the phospholipid bilayer fatty acid component being soley created from saturated fat precursor molecules. If you could link me to some literature, I'd love to read up on this, I've never come across this idea before!
  • Hollywood_Porky
    Hollywood_Porky Posts: 491 Member
    Here's one article - you can search throughout authoritynutrition.com for solid advice cited by reputable sources:

    http://authoritynutrition.com/saturated-fat-good-or-bad/
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited May 2015
    It doesn't really matter what I set my macros too, I can never get them spot on, 9 times out of 10 I go over or under. I look at them as a minimum.

    For me, it's calories first, everything else second..
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    edited May 2015
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    I am not saying they're bad, don't get me wrong. A lot of the fats that people think are unhealthy play a vital role in health as well. 50% of cell membranes are of saturated fats. If the cell walls aren't ridged enough they can't function properly, if they're too ridged they can't do their job properly either. A combination of saturated fats and unsaturated fats are recommend. But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated. Butter's, creams, things like that. And obviously trans fats aren't good for humans. They are a byproduct of hydrolysis.

    I'm still confused, but it's been many years since my last biochem/molbio course! :tongue:

    From what I understand, the claim is that a greater portion of dietary fat should be saturated (as opposed to unsaturated). That disagrees with conventional medical recommendations.

    The second part that's confused me is the idea that "50% of cell walls[sic] are of saturated fats". I think you meant cell membrane, cell walls are made of glycans and are found in plant cells, not human cells, if I remember right. Either way, saturated fats come (almost?) entirely from animal sources, so if this were true, I'd imagine that vegans/vegetarians should be dying off left and right due to inability to generate cellular membranes! The hypothesis behind this claim seems to be that the phospholipid bilayer of cellular membranes is composed of dietary saturated fat -- is that correct? I can't find anything about the phospholipid bilayer fatty acid component being soley created from saturated fat precursor molecules. If you could link me to some literature, I'd love to read up on this, I've never come across this idea before!

    Yes you're right cell membrane, and yes the phospholipid bilayer. I mean it won't kill you if you get most of your sources of fat from unsaturated fats. I am not saying it's bad, i am sure it's good, but i believe it can be better.

    "Young adults are very responsive to dietary-induced changes in plasma cholesterol even when an isocaloric replacement of saturated fat with n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is not achieved. Replacing saturated fat with either n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is equally efficacious at reducing the total to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354

    kind of related
    " The resulting systemic low-grade inflammation promotes insulin resistance, reallocation of energy-rich substrates and atherogenic dyslipidaemia that concertedly give rise to increased CVD risk. We conclude that avoidance of SAFA accumulation by reducing the intake of CHO with high glycaemic index is more effective in the prevention of CVD than reducing SAFA intake per se"
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21978979

    "A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/

    I was posting these studies on Saturated fats, but i didn't realize what you where asking, i realized you where asking how a phospholipid is synthesis.

    "
    Phosphatidic acid synthesis begins with the addition of a fatty acyl-CoA, usually saturated, to glycerol 3-phosphate at the sn-1 position to produce lysophosphatidic acid. This reaction is catalyzed by glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase and is rate-limiting for phosphatidic acid synthesis. There are two forms of this enzyme; one found in the outer mitochondrial membrane, while the other is found in the endoplasmic reticulum. A second fatty acyl-CoA, often unsaturated, is added to lysophosphatidic acid at the sn-2 position by acylglycerol-3-acyltransferase to form phosphatidic acid. This occurs primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum. "
    http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/animbio/phospholipids/.htm

    and here's a 2min video, ther are longer ones of phospholipids synthesis, but this one is short.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHN7e52Gh4U

    P.S. the medical community has an agenda.They mus have, it's clearly stated through the literature for a long time that saturated fats aren't bad, they help. But major organizations don't change their guidelines.

    That'a a whole lot of stuff that doesn't say the majority of your fats be saturated. It's still bad advice !
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    Dietary cholesterol does not raise blood LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) levels. That is a myth. Just like eating animal fat doesn't make you fat.
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    I am not saying they're bad, don't get me wrong. A lot of the fats that people think are unhealthy play a vital role in health as well. 50% of cell membranes are of saturated fats. If the cell walls aren't ridged enough they can't function properly, if they're too ridged they can't do their job properly either. A combination of saturated fats and unsaturated fats are recommend. But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated. Butter's, creams, things like that. And obviously trans fats aren't good for humans. They are a byproduct of hydrolysis.

    I'm still confused, but it's been many years since my last biochem/molbio course! :tongue:

    From what I understand, the claim is that a greater portion of dietary fat should be saturated (as opposed to unsaturated). That disagrees with conventional medical recommendations.

    The second part that's confused me is the idea that "50% of cell walls[sic] are of saturated fats". I think you meant cell membrane, cell walls are made of glycans and are found in plant cells, not human cells, if I remember right. Either way, saturated fats come (almost?) entirely from animal sources, so if this were true, I'd imagine that vegans/vegetarians should be dying off left and right due to inability to generate cellular membranes! The hypothesis behind this claim seems to be that the phospholipid bilayer of cellular membranes is composed of dietary saturated fat -- is that correct? I can't find anything about the phospholipid bilayer fatty acid component being soley created from saturated fat precursor molecules. If you could link me to some literature, I'd love to read up on this, I've never come across this idea before!

    Yes you're right cell membrane, and yes the phospholipid bilayer. I mean it won't kill you if you get most of your sources of fat from unsaturated fats. I am not saying it's bad, i am sure it's good, but i believe it can be better.

    "Young adults are very responsive to dietary-induced changes in plasma cholesterol even when an isocaloric replacement of saturated fat with n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is not achieved. Replacing saturated fat with either n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is equally efficacious at reducing the total to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354

    kind of related
    " The resulting systemic low-grade inflammation promotes insulin resistance, reallocation of energy-rich substrates and atherogenic dyslipidaemia that concertedly give rise to increased CVD risk. We conclude that avoidance of SAFA accumulation by reducing the intake of CHO with high glycaemic index is more effective in the prevention of CVD than reducing SAFA intake per se"
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21978979

    "A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/

    I was posting these studies on Saturated fats, but i didn't realize what you where asking, i realized you where asking how a phospholipid is synthesis.

    "
    Phosphatidic acid synthesis begins with the addition of a fatty acyl-CoA, usually saturated, to glycerol 3-phosphate at the sn-1 position to produce lysophosphatidic acid. This reaction is catalyzed by glycerol 3-phosphate acyltransferase and is rate-limiting for phosphatidic acid synthesis. There are two forms of this enzyme; one found in the outer mitochondrial membrane, while the other is found in the endoplasmic reticulum. A second fatty acyl-CoA, often unsaturated, is added to lysophosphatidic acid at the sn-2 position by acylglycerol-3-acyltransferase to form phosphatidic acid. This occurs primarily in the endoplasmic reticulum. "
    http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/animbio/phospholipids/.htm

    and here's a 2min video, ther are longer ones of phospholipids synthesis, but this one is short.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHN7e52Gh4U

    P.S. the medical community has an agenda.They mus have, it's clearly stated through the literature for a long time that saturated fats aren't bad, they help. But major organizations don't change their guidelines.

    That'a a whole lot of stuff that doesn't say the majority of your fats be saturated. It's still bad advice !

    Actually it's good advice, to state other wise, would be bad advice, such as in your case.

    "In humans, diets high in saturated fat and cholesterol raise HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. "
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC288145/

    Saturated fats raise HDL cholestrol which has been greatly associated with a longer life span. HDL is the GOOD cholesterol. Saturated fats also reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease.

    "In conclusion, the hypothesis-generating report of Mozaffarian et al draws attention to the different effects of diet on lipoprotein physiology and cardiovascular disease risk. These effects include the paradox that a high-fat, high–saturated fat diet is associated with diminished coronary artery disease progression in women with the metabolic syndrome, a condition that is epidemic in the United States"
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/5/1102.full

    Monounsaturated fats, LOWER HDL(the good kind which is linked to life span)
    "The high-MUFA diets lowered total cholesterol by 10% and LDL cholesterol by 14%."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10584045

    "with polyunsaturated fat has been shown to decrease TC and LDL cholesterol by lowering LDL cholesterol production rates and/or increasing LDL clearance rates [2•]. Although replacement of saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat has been shown to decrease HDL cholesterol, it decreases LDL cholesterol even more substantially;"
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943062/

    Helping someone to live longer and prevent cardio vascular disease isn't "BAD ADVICE"

    "But a greater portion of your fat source should be saturated."

    Call me dummy, but could you highlight for me where is says saturated fat should be the majority of your fats.
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    Nutrition 101: Fats

    by Elle Penner, MyFitnessPal Registered Dietitian


    You may remember the low-fat/high-carb craze back in the 1990s. Butterless bagels were consumed with reckless abandon and reduced-fat cookies, crackers and chips occupied most of the prime real estate on grocery store shelves. Thankfully though, the field of nutrition has recovered from this misunderstood fat-phobia due to more recent research that’s shown certain types of dietary fat can actually improve our health, lower our risk for heart disease and the function and development our brains.
    In addition to tasting good and giving foods moisture, fats are a dense energy source, play an important role in brain function, and also slow down digestion. This contributes to our feelings of satiety after a meal and slows the rate at which sugars from carbohydrates enter our blood stream.

    Fat Digestion and Metabolism
    Shortly after a meal, dietary fat is digested into small chains of fatty acids in the gut. These fatty acid chains are then picked up by our intestinal cells, reassembled and packaged into vessels called chylomicrons, which are sent off to muscle and fat tissue. Once the chylomicrons arrive at the tissue, fatty acids are again released to be taken up by muscle and fat cells. If you go for a walk after eating a meal, more fatty acids, as well as glucose, will be delivered to your active muscle tissues to meet their energy demands. If you lay down to take a nap, more of those fatty acids will be stored away in fat tissue simply because they’re not needed immediately for energy.


    Types of Fat
    There are four main types of dietary fats–trans fats, saturated fats, mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The structure of these fats is what makes them behave differently in the body, and ultimately determines how they impact our health. The unhealthier fats have a reputation for negatively impacting our blood cholesterol which increases our risk for heart disease.

    Here’s a brief rundown:

    Trans Fat Though it does occur naturally in some foods, most trans fats are synthetically made during food processing. To make trans fats, perfectly healthy unsaturated fats are blasted with hydrogen molecules so they look and act more like their saturated counterparts. These fats are more stable which means the food products they’re added to will last longer on supermarket shelves, spread easier and are easier to cook with. Unfortunately, these are also the worst offenders when it comes to our health. They’ve been shown to not only increase our bad (LDL) cholesterol, but decrease our good (HDL) cholesterol–a double whammy.
    Saturated Fat Mostly solid at room temperature, these unhealthy saturated fats are largely found in animal-derived foods–like red meat and dairy products made from cream or whole milk. While some plants like coconuts and avocados are also rich in saturated fats, it’s important to remember that different fats behave differently, even when grouped in the same family. It’s the animal-based saturated fats that we should be most concerned about when watching our intake of these fats because these have been found to increase LDL cholesterol.
    Mono- and Polyunsaturated Fats Also known as MUFAs and PUFAs, these fats are generally recognized for their potential health benefits. They’re found in many vegetable and fish-based foods like plant-based cooking oils (i.e. olive, canola, grape seed oils). ground flaxseed, avocados, olives, nuts and seeds, and fatty fish like salmon or mackerel. These fats to be liquid at room temperature and work together to moderate things like inflammation, blood clotting, muscle contractions, as well as improve blood cholesterol levels and protect against heart disease.
    The IOM recommends a diet comprised of 20-35% of calories from fats, but as you can see, choosing the right or wrong ones can impact our health in two very different ways.

    Tips to Maximize the Benefits and Enjoyment of Eating Fats:

    Choose more plant and fish-based fats. Add foods like avocados, nuts, seeds and nut butters and fatty fish like salmon into your weekly menu. Cook with oils like olive or grape seed instead of butter or lard. Make salad dressings with flaxseed oil for a healthy dose of Omega-3s. You can even substitute some avocado for butter when baking!
    Start reading ingredient lists. Avoid those that refer to any ingredient as partially hydrogenated – it’s code for trans fat! Keep your eye out for the biggest culprits–partially hydrogenated oils are commonly found in foods like peanut butter, baking mixes, commercial baked goods like cookies, crackers and cakes as well as some some margarines, lards and fried foods.
    Pair nutrient-rich foods with healthy unsaturated fats. The fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K, are better absorbed when eaten with some fat. Add oil-based vinaigrettes to those colorful salads and choose 1% over skim milk to get more Vitamin D!
    Fats have a place in every healthy, balanced diet–which is great because they add delicious flavor and texture to food as well as keep us feeling satisfied. The key is to choose more of the healthy and less of the bad fats–though in moderation, those are okay too!
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    This is the American Heart Association Recommendations for saturated fat.

    LDL cholesterol is affected by diet. Knowing which fats raise LDL cholesterol and which ones don't is the first step in lowering your risk of heart disease and stroke. Your body naturally produces LDL cholesterol. Eating saturated fat,and trans fat raises your blood cholesterol level even further.

    For adults who would benefit from lowering their LDL cholesterol, the American Heart Association recommends:

    Reducing saturated fat to no more than 5 to 6 percent of total calories. For someone eating 2,000 calories a day that’s about 11 to 13 grams of saturated fat.
    Reducing the percent of calories from trans fat.
    The American Heart Association’s Nutrition Committee strongly advises these fat guidelines for healthy Americans over age 2:

    Eating between 25 and 35 percent of your total daily calories as fats from foods like fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.
    Limiting the amount of saturated fats you eat to less than 7 percent of your total daily calories. That means if you need about 2,000 calories a day, less than 140 calories (or 16 grams) should come from saturated fats.
    Limiting the amount of trans fats to less than 1 percent of your total daily calories. That means if you need about 2,000 calories a day, less than 20 calories (or 2 grams) should come from trans fats.
    For good health, the majority of fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated.
  • lindsayk324
    lindsayk324 Posts: 54 Member
    Pu_239 wrote: »

    Yes you're right cell membrane, and yes the phospholipid bilayer. I mean it won't kill you if you get most of your sources of fat from unsaturated fats. I am not saying it's bad, i am sure it's good, but i believe it can be better.

    "Young adults are very responsive to dietary-induced changes in plasma cholesterol even when an isocaloric replacement of saturated fat with n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is not achieved. Replacing saturated fat with either n-6 polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat is equally efficacious at reducing the total to high density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11593354

    kind of related
    " The resulting systemic low-grade inflammation promotes insulin resistance, reallocation of energy-rich substrates and atherogenic dyslipidaemia that concertedly give rise to increased CVD risk. We conclude that avoidance of SAFA accumulation by reducing the intake of CHO with high glycaemic index is more effective in the prevention of CVD than reducing SAFA intake per se"
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21978979

    "A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat."
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2824152/

    These are solid publications, but they only address the myth that saturated fats are linked to CVD. I've never tried to imply anything about that, I agree that there's nothing wrong with eating saturated fats. The issue I have is with your recommendation that dietary fat should be preferentially saturated sources, not unsaturated sources. And that one reason to source dietary fat is because cell membranes are made from saturated fat sources. I have never heard these two arguments, and was looking for sources on these claims.
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    I was posting these studies on Saturated fats, but i didn't realize what you where asking, i realized you where asking how a phospholipid is synthesis.

    Maybe I should have rephrased the question. My question was about the claim that dietary saturated fats are necessary for phospholipid synthesis, as opposed to unsaturated fats. I can't find any literature indicating that fatty acids required for phospholipid synthesis are only created from saturated fat sources. I'm fairly confident that the phospholipids in a cell membrane can be made from fatty acids from any precursor -- once it's a fatty acid, it doesn't matter where it came from. As far as I know, there haven't been isotope studies like this, where we could track phospholipid synthesis from isotopically-labeled dietary precursors. It'd be a really cool study, which is why I asked if you had some literature on it. And if it doesn't exist, I'd love to submit a grant proposal to do it myself!
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    P.S. the medical community has an agenda.They mus have, it's clearly stated through the literature for a long time that saturated fats aren't bad, they help. But major organizations don't change their guidelines.

    I'm part of the medical community, specifically biomedical research...
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    This is the NEW 2015 Recommendations.

    Nutrition and Your Health:
    Dietary Guidelines for Americans

    U.S. Department of Agriculture

    PART E: TRANSLATING THE SCIENCE INTO DIETARY GUIDANCE

    Table E-14. Maximum Daily Amounts of Saturated Fat To Consume To Keep Saturated Fat Below 10 Percent of Total Calorie Intake

    Total Calorie Intake Limit on Saturated Fat Intake
    1,600 18 g or less
    2,000* 20 g or less
    2,200 24 g or less
    2,500* 25 g or less
    2,800 31 g or less
    *Percent Daily Values on Nutrition Facts Labels are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Values for 2,000 and 2,500 calories are rounded to the nearest 5 grams to be consistent with the Nutrition Facts Label.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
    "The myth goes something like this: arteries are like pipes; cholesterol is gooey, sticky gunk. When you eat cholesterol, it winds up in your blood. If the cholesterol level in your blood gets too high, it starts caking up the pipes. Thus, if you don't want your pipes clogged, don't eat foods rich in cholesterol.

    Such is the basic logic behind advice to avoid eating nutrient-dense foods like liver and egg yolks.

    Eating Cholesterol Does Not Raise Blood Cholesterol Levels:

    The truth is, however, that there is no direct connection between the amount of cholesterol you eat and the concentration of cholesterol in your blood. In most people, eating cholesterol has little or no effect on this amount. In about 30 percent of the population, eating cholesterol does in fact increase the concentration of cholesterol in the blood — but it increases the "good" cholesterol.

    To put it in more scientific terms, eating cholesterol "results in a less atherogenic lipoprotein profile."

    ^this is the same thing I learned in Biology II in college. As a science major I've learned my fair share of biology, specifically human anatomy. Scientists did once believe that eating cholesterol= increased LDL cholesterol in the blood, but have since found out that that is not accurate. So... Go ahead and eat some eggs.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    Depends on your eating plan. I eat low carb, so the majority of my calories come from fat, then the second most is protein and the last bit are carbs from veggies or other small sources. So if you're eating low carb, your fat needs to be high. Fats are good for you, especially if you're female. They help regulate hormones.
  • Charliegottheruns
    Charliegottheruns Posts: 286 Member
    PU_239 Your advice that Saturated Fat should be higher than Unsaturated does not concur With the MFP Dietitian, American Heart Association, or the "NEW" Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It's always appreciated if you do more research before posting opinions.
  • lindsayk324
    lindsayk324 Posts: 54 Member
    forgtmenot wrote: »
    The truth is, however, that there is no direct connection between the amount of cholesterol you eat and the concentration of cholesterol in your blood. In most people, eating cholesterol has little or no effect on this amount. In about 30 percent of the population, eating cholesterol does in fact increase the concentration of cholesterol in the blood — but it increases the "good" cholesterol.

    To put it in more scientific terms, eating cholesterol "results in a less atherogenic lipoprotein profile."

    ^this is the same thing I learned in Biology II in college. As a science major I've learned my fair share of biology, specifically human anatomy. Scientists did once believe that eating cholesterol=cholesterol in the blood, but have since found out that that is not accurate. So... Go ahead and eat some eggs.

    Nobody argued that -- I think most people know now that dietary cholesterol != blood cholesterol. This discussion about sourcing the fat macro from saturated/unsaturated fats was born out of this exchange:
    [...] but only good fats : salmon, nuts olive oil.

    Pu_239 wrote: »
    The fats you listed I don't think they're the healthiest.

    There is nothing wrong with getting dietary fat from salmon, nuts, and olive oil. I wanted to make the point that these are perfectly healthy fats, and Pu_239 should not be recommending that people must replace the majority of their fish/nuts/olive oil with saturated fats.
  • forgtmenot
    forgtmenot Posts: 860 Member
    edited May 2015
    Never mind, I misread the post about cholesterol.
  • lindsayk324
    lindsayk324 Posts: 54 Member
    Pu_239 wrote: »
    I can't forsee any other way for a phospholipid to be synthesis. Due to the fact one of the tails is a saturated fatty acid chain. The other tail is not, hence half is saturated fats. It takes a lot of energy to break a double bonded carbon the types in unsaturated fats. To convert an unsaturated fat in to a saturated fat just doesn't seem realistic. Since Molecules takes the path of least resistances and go to the lower energy state. There might be some exceptions in certain situations but I don't see it being the norm.

    Ah, I see where the confusion is coming from now! To be clear, this is NOT a personal vendetta against saturated fats -- my diary's open, so you can see that I have ~20g/day of unsalted butter during the workweek.

    Dietary fat is mostly triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids. We aren't really arguing cholesterol here (a totally different discussion, I think, and one we agree on based on what you've said previously), we're talking about triglycerides and phospholipids. The original discussion was sparked from the question/claim that cellular membranes are made of phospholipids, so we should eat more saturated fat than unsaturated fat to synthesize more cellular membranes.

    FA.png

    The phospholipid bilayer is made of up phospholipids (duh), a mix of saturated and unsaturated (the kinked tails are unsaturated, straight ones are saturated, which I think you know already but I'll just restate for the benefit of lurkers).

    This leads me to ask what, if any, is the difference in composition (TGs, phospholipids) between saturated and unsaturated fat? That lead me here, and to this handy chart:

    AMBw9H8.png

    Awesome, I think this can help answer my (our?) question! A line in that link says, "Thus, cells of all species have mechanisms to change the relative amounts of saturated fats and unsaturated fats in their cell membranes. The higher the cell's growth temperature, the less unsaturated material; the lower the temperature the more unsaturated material. This turns out to be essential for survival."

    This makes sense. This is why your diet can be vegan (unsaturated fat sources like nuts and seeds) or keto (saturated fat sources like beef and butter), and you'll be fine either way, it'll just convert whatever it has a surplus of into whatever it has a dirth of. NEAT!

    caveat: this doesn't get into the essential fatty acid discussion...
  • dmurrizi
    dmurrizi Posts: 4 Member
    There are websites that calculate your macros based on your goals & your current weight and height and whatnot. I used one to get mine and it made things a lot easier for me, even tho I adjusted mine to include more fat & less carbs because that's what I think would work best for me. Try one out and experiment and go from there :)
  • alladriksne
    alladriksne Posts: 5 Member
    griffinca2 wrote: »
    Depends on who you listen to; best judge is what works for you. Protein & fat help you feet satisfied and carbs are needed for energy (especially if you workout). If that ratio is working for you, keep it; the only advice is I would watch the starchy/sugary carbs (if you do eat them keep them for before or after your workout) and maybe up the protein a little (helps with muscle building).

    Thank you of the advice! yes i feel great so far, the weirdest thing is that I'm not hungry at all, i don't crave anything and I'm feeling good! the only sugary carbs i have is fruit!
  • alladriksne
    alladriksne Posts: 5 Member
    Depends on your eating plan. I eat low carb, so the majority of my calories come from fat, then the second most is protein and the last bit are carbs from veggies or other small sources. So if you're eating low carb, your fat needs to be high. Fats are good for you, especially if you're female. They help regulate hormones.

    Yes thats what i do! ok sounds great! thanks!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Protein at 0.82 g per lb of body weight.
    Fat at 0.35 g per lb of body weight.
    Carbs get the rest.

    Whatever that works out to for how much you are going to eat as a % doesn't matter much except that is how MFP displays it.

    But when setting your goals, you can keep increasing the % until you hit the grams desired.

    That's one simple way, since % doesn't really scale well in actual use.

    Protein should be at LBM not bodyweight ...0.8-1g protein per lb of LBM, agree with fat at bodyweight

    These should be viewed as minimums
  • FunkyTobias
    FunkyTobias Posts: 1,776 Member
    I find it hilarious that many of the same people who trot out the "carbs are not essential" argument also love to recommend high intakes of saturated fat. I guess their low-carb gurus never told them that there are no essential saturated fats either.
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