Cannot reach fat intake 50 , help needed

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minkatinka2017
minkatinka2017 Posts: 21 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have just started my journey...
By logging my foods over the past days and I have now noticed that there is hardly a day when I manage my fat intake.Protein is also a struggle but easier to change. I am on 1200 kcal a day and feel good with that. I don't go hungry but I have noticed difficulties concentrating and switching between languages as I have to for work... could that be related? Also, I am terrified increasing my fat intake as I am afraid to stop losing weight.... has anyone experienced similiar? Thankful for any tips...

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  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    It is hard to ignore the myth that fat is bad for you after hearing people say it for so long.

    To get more fat, eat fat cuts of meat. Avoid the words lean. Eat dark chicken meat and the skin, instead of white meat. Add butter, cheese, or other fats like olive oil to your foods. Avoid labels that say fat free.

    I found my thinking improved when I increased fats. If you are losing any water weight you may need to increase your salt intake. Low sodium can cause brain fog. Fluctuating blood glucose levels can do that too.
  • minkatinka2017
    minkatinka2017 Posts: 21 Member
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    Thank you! Yes indeed it is hard believe that fat might be good for you...I attempted to cut all external fats, except about 1 spoon of plant oil a day in my lentil salad. Thanks for the tip with the salt!
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Your food sounds yummy and exotic. I have a couple of suggestions: Replace some of the marmalade with meat, fish or cheese spread - can you find liver paté? Use full fat cheese and milk. Pair your apple with peanut butter (no sugar added).

    Fat intake will not impact your weight loss, you just have to stick to a calorie deficit.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,979 Member
    edited March 2017
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    Avocados and nuts are good, so is coconut oil, olive oil, butter, fish...and what they said ^^

    I had my fat macros set to 50% (so 50% of my calories come from fat) for years because that's the way I like to eat normally and it does not affect weight as long as I stay within my calories. I still eat a pretty high fat diet, I've kept my weight off for ten years now. Fat is very satisfying to me and it keeps my skin and hair much healthier...so I have to believe it's good for everything.
  • EricLFC1892
    EricLFC1892 Posts: 85 Member
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    Peanut butter.. job done!!
  • minkatinka2017
    minkatinka2017 Posts: 21 Member
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    Peanut butter :-) haven't thought about it! Not very common here in Europe but will try the 'speciality section' in our supermarket. Will also try the Avocado and cheese tip. Would it be problematic to cut down the fat intake to 40g ?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,979 Member
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    What is your reasoning behind cutting fat? Low fat comes with problems.
  • minkatinka2017
    minkatinka2017 Posts: 21 Member
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    Cmriverside, well, I am a bit afraid that I will not lose weight. Also, I love carbs and wouldn't mind changing a bit of fat for that... so, was considering 40 instead of 50...
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    minkatinka2017 wrote: »
    Cmriverside, well, I am a bit afraid that I will not lose weight. Also, I love carbs and wouldn't mind changing a bit of fat for that... so, was considering 40 instead of 50...

    I think the problem with fats is that they come in a small "package". An oz of cheese does not take up much space compared to celery. People who are volume eaters sometimes do not enjoy eating more fats because it reduces the volume of food you can eat.

    If you can get used to eating smaller portions, you can eat a lot of fat if you wish. I follow a low carb high fat diet that is very low carb (ketogenic) so my fat intake is about 70-75% of my calories. I lost 40 lbs in under 6 months eating between 100-120g of fat per day. I was still in a caloric deficit though so I lost weight - about 2 to 3 lbs per week. ;)

    When I eat dinner, my servings can look small, but it still has a lot of calories. My chilli last night was just a small soup bowl with extra grated cheese on top. It was about the same calories as my 14 year old son's dinner but instead of cheese, he put his chilli on a bunch of rice. His dinner definitely looked bigger.

    Fat foods won't make you fat. In fact, for those with IR, fatty foods (lower in carbs) often lead to a slight increase in weight loss (about 6lbs in a year).

    I would not use too many vegetable oils though. They are higher in omega 6s than we often need. Omega 3 foods are often what western people get low in.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
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    Eating fats won't make you fat, but it can be a bit of a sticky widget to hit that macro when you're only allowed around 1200 calories. I had a hard time with it too but found that a tablespoon of olive oil on a salad, and say...a half tablespoon of butter on my veggies gave it a good boost. With the remainder of my usual foods added on...I stated managing to hit my goal.

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