LCHF/Keto - why eat more protein when losing weight?
richb178
Posts: 47 Member
I've seen various protein requirements ranging from 1g/kg of current weight to 1.4g/kg of reference weight, as well as others. Then there are keto-calcs that suggest higher protein when you input a higher weight than your goal weight. So why is this?
Honestly, even the lowest number is still too high for me to comfortably eat. I'm completely full and sated at about 75% of the lowest suggested grams. I've only been doing this about a week, so should I expect an increased appetite after some time? Maybe my metabolism will speed up and then I'll want to eat more? Right now, I'm just eating two meals, breakfast and dinner, and I have no hunger. I don't feel right force feeding more protein.
Anyway, I did Atkins about 15 years ago and lost 150lbs. I found the old book and looked up the old diet and was surprised to see that there was no mention of minimum protein levels that I could find, or even for fat - just limit carbs to 20 and eat until you're satisfied. I'm sure that when I was on Atkins that I didn't eat anywhere near the levels of protein that I'm seeing suggested above, and I was riding my bike and getting stronger - not losing muscle mass.
Just a little confused (not light headed, lol).
On a related note, Atkins said to just add fat so that you are satisfied. I guess the idea is that your body fat stores supply the extra fat calories missing from your diet. I assume the same is true for LCHF/Keto, and the 75-80% fat level is for maintenance at a higher calorie level, and not for when losing weight? I think maybe I should buy a book.
Thanks.
Honestly, even the lowest number is still too high for me to comfortably eat. I'm completely full and sated at about 75% of the lowest suggested grams. I've only been doing this about a week, so should I expect an increased appetite after some time? Maybe my metabolism will speed up and then I'll want to eat more? Right now, I'm just eating two meals, breakfast and dinner, and I have no hunger. I don't feel right force feeding more protein.
Anyway, I did Atkins about 15 years ago and lost 150lbs. I found the old book and looked up the old diet and was surprised to see that there was no mention of minimum protein levels that I could find, or even for fat - just limit carbs to 20 and eat until you're satisfied. I'm sure that when I was on Atkins that I didn't eat anywhere near the levels of protein that I'm seeing suggested above, and I was riding my bike and getting stronger - not losing muscle mass.
Just a little confused (not light headed, lol).
On a related note, Atkins said to just add fat so that you are satisfied. I guess the idea is that your body fat stores supply the extra fat calories missing from your diet. I assume the same is true for LCHF/Keto, and the 75-80% fat level is for maintenance at a higher calorie level, and not for when losing weight? I think maybe I should buy a book.
Thanks.
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Weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. Eat fewer calories than your body burns is a day - you're in a deficit.
When you are eating in a deficit, your body uses the food you eat, fat stores, and sometimes lean muscle mass for fuel.
Filling foods help you eat at a deficit (and feel comfortable). Protein, fiber, and fat are filling. Different combinations for different people.
Macros are protein, fat and carbs. The combination you choose to eat is up to you. Some people have health issues and need to manage carbs, other don't.
Protein is an important macro because it's like muscle insurance. If you want to minimize lean muscle mass while losing weight......eat adequate protein, strength train, and maintain a moderate deficit.
I don't eat low carb or keto. I've lost weight and re-gained. I won't be eating low carb for maintenance. My diet to lose weight, resembles my diet to maintain. Lifestyle changes for me.5 -
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I also want to add to what the person above stated is that aside from water protein is the most abundant material in the body. So it is really important.1
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OK, great, thanks - I understand and believe all of that, but it doesn't answer my question. I'll be more concise:
Why am I recommended to eat more protein while I'm fat and overweight than when I am at a healthy weight?
As I can't eat as much as recommended w/o force feeding myself, I'm just going to have to go with eating less than recommended for now. Maybe, in time, my appetite will increase and I can add more protein back into my diet. I'll also assume that I don't need to eat such a high percentage of fat while I'm losing weight and my body is supplying stored fat to keep me in ketosis (I suppose the scale will answer that question).0 -
OK, great, thanks - I understand and believe all of that, but it doesn't answer my question. I'll be more concise:
Why am I recommended to eat more protein while I'm fat and overweight than when I am at a healthy weight?
As I can't eat as much as recommended w/o force feeding myself, I'm just going to have to go with eating less than recommended for now. Maybe, in time, my appetite will increase and I can add more protein back into my diet. I'll also assume that I don't need to eat such a high percentage of fat while I'm losing weight and my body is supplying stored fat to keep me in ketosis (I suppose the scale will answer that question).
When I was obese I guestimated my bodyfat percentage and went with the 1g/lb of LEAN mass because I sure as hell wasn't about to eat 240g of protein when I weighed 240. It's a rough estimate so when the calculator guessed I had 125lbs of lean mass I added 15 as a buffer and ate 140g. Do you know your bf% roughly?0 -
The keto-calc gave a BF estimate and recommended 147g of protein if not exercising. I can't eat that w/o forcing it down. For example, today I ate 90g and I'm stuffed. I'm not going to worry about it because I feel great, but I'll look to see if protein starts trending up.0
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You don't need to base protein on your current weight, if you're overweight. Protein is for maintaining your lean mass. You don't need extra to maintain (!?) your fat mass.
If your authority quotes protein gram goals in terms of body weight, use a healthy goal weight as the basis, not your current weight. If your authority expresses it in terms of lean body mass (LBM), estimate that, and use that.
This is maybe one time that the estimate from a home scale (with a body fat % reading) may be adequate. Yeah, they're very inaccurate, but once you do the math to get a protein goal, it's probably within a few grams. Just round up.
Personally, I went with 0.6-0.8g protein per pound of goal weight while losing, but I'm not LCHF.0 -
OK, great, thanks - I understand and believe all of that, but it doesn't answer my question. I'll be more concise:
Why am I recommended to eat more protein while I'm fat and overweight than when I am at a healthy weight?
You aren't. The estimates I respect are .8-1 g per lb of LBM (needs an accurate body fat estimate) OR .65-.85 g per lb of a healthy goal weight (this is the one that converts to 1.4-1.9 g/kg of a healthy body weight. The idea is to protect against losing muscle, which indeed can be an issue with keto (see here: http://caloriesproper.com/protein-ketosis-and-lean-mass/).
You can probably get away with somewhat less anyway, especially if you have a whole lot to lose, as you are less likely to lose lean mass if you have a lot to lose (and also if your deficit is not huge).
That said, I can't imagine how 1g/kg would be tough, especially if one is already cutting carbs to 20 g or some such (I did keto for a bit and my carbs were more like 50 g, as I could not get in enough vegetables or the moderate amount of nuts and seeds I like at a lower level).
When I started and was QUITE obese, a gram per kg would have been about 90 g, which is basically what makes sense to me now -- my LBM is around 95 now that I've lost the weight.1 -
The keto-calc gave a BF estimate and recommended 147g of protein if not exercising. I can't eat that w/o forcing it down. For example, today I ate 90g and I'm stuffed. I'm not going to worry about it because I feel great, but I'll look to see if protein starts trending up.
Try this calculator, with your goal weight-
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/1 -
OK, great, thanks - I understand and believe all of that, but it doesn't answer my question. I'll be more concise:
Why am I recommended to eat more protein while I'm fat and overweight than when I am at a healthy weight?
As I can't eat as much as recommended w/o force feeding myself, I'm just going to have to go with eating less than recommended for now. Maybe, in time, my appetite will increase and I can add more protein back into my diet. I'll also assume that I don't need to eat such a high percentage of fat while I'm losing weight and my body is supplying stored fat to keep me in ketosis (I suppose the scale will answer that question).
The idea is to find low calorie foods rich in protein so that you get all the protein you need within your recommended calorie allotment. I'm not sure what your allotment is but I have little trouble getting 100g of protein, often closer to 115g, in the 1600 calories I eat per day. When I first started and I was not getting that much protein, I changed the foods not the amount of calories I was eating to reach my goal.
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When losing weight, extra protein is recommended to (a) reduce hunger and (b) help preserve muscle as you lose weight. The body tends to cannibalise muscle when losing weight, and eating more protein can reduce this effect.0
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Well, multiple keto-calcs have high protein recommendations when I put in my current weight, and kept those recommendations even on very high caloric restrictive diet plans. Using my goal weight, it was only in the 120's. And the .65-.85g/lbs HGW still gives 123 to 161 g of protein. I forced down about 125g of protein my first day, but it was not easy.lemurcat12 wrote: »You aren't. The estimates I respect are .8-1 g per lb of LBM (needs an accurate body fat estimate) OR .65-.85 g per lb of a healthy goal weight (this is the one that converts to 1.4-1.9 g/kg of a healthy body weight. The idea is to protect against losing muscle, which indeed can be an issue with keto (see here: http://caloriesproper.com/protein-ketosis-and-lean-mass/).
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Interesting. Using my goal weight(s), it came up with 70-80g of protein (and 400g of carbs!). That certainly matches more with what I feel like eating, and what I think I was eating about 15 years ago on Atkins (even though the recommendations is for a high carb diet). I don't exactly trust government recommendations, but if they think less protein is adequate, then I feel better about maybe splitting the difference and shooting for around 100g while losing weight.OliveGirl128 wrote: »Try this calculator, with your goal weight-
https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/interactiveDRI/
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »
Yes, I think I need to look into other sources of protein. I'm sure I could get more protein eating steak, but that's too expensive - maybe once a week.The idea is to find low calorie foods rich in protein so that you get all the protein you need within your recommended calorie allotment. I'm not sure what your allotment is but I have little trouble getting 100g of protein, often closer to 115g, in the 1600 calories I eat per day. When I first started and I was not getting that much protein, I changed the foods not the amount of calories I was eating to reach my goal.0 -
I wonder of this is more of a problem with high carb diets? I've heard/seen/read that with low carb diets, burning ketones rather than glucose tends to preserve muscle.CattOfTheGarage wrote: »When losing weight, extra protein is recommended to (a) reduce hunger and (b) help preserve muscle as you lose weight. The body tends to cannibalise muscle when losing weight, and eating more protein can reduce this effect.
I also wonder if my heavy frame has extra muscle it can afford to lose while I lose about 1/2 my weight? Oh well, can't worry too much about it now. I'm pretty sure I'm not wasting away.
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Carbs are protein sparing - your body's preferred fuel.
So if you have carbs to burn for energy taking protein for fuel (whether from food or from lean mass) is less likely.
Part of the reason recovery drinks after extreme exercise are often 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein.4 -
Well, multiple keto-calcs have high protein recommendations when I put in my current weight, and kept those recommendations even on very high caloric restrictive diet plans. Using my goal weight, it was only in the 120's. And the .65-.85g/lbs HGW still gives 123 to 161 g of protein. I forced down about 125g of protein my first day, but it was not easy.lemurcat12 wrote: »You aren't. The estimates I respect are .8-1 g per lb of LBM (needs an accurate body fat estimate) OR .65-.85 g per lb of a healthy goal weight (this is the one that converts to 1.4-1.9 g/kg of a healthy body weight. The idea is to protect against losing muscle, which indeed can be an issue with keto (see here: http://caloriesproper.com/protein-ketosis-and-lean-mass/).
Some of the calculators don't adjust for the fact that you are going to be higher body fat when you need to lose a lot of weight. It's a problem (even more) with non keto calculators too, if they have a bodybuilding bias.
I generally eat 100 g, and I'm 5'3, 125 (and female), so I guess I'm not seeing what's so tough about 125 for a much larger man, especially if you are consuming only 20 g of carbs. 125 g of protein is 500 cal, 20 g of carbs is 80, so you still have lots and lots left for fat. What were you eating that you found so hard to consume, and what did you eat when gaining?1 -
I wonder of this is more of a problem with high carb diets? I've heard/seen/read that with low carb diets, burning ketones rather than glucose tends to preserve muscle.CattOfTheGarage wrote: »When losing weight, extra protein is recommended to (a) reduce hunger and (b) help preserve muscle as you lose weight. The body tends to cannibalise muscle when losing weight, and eating more protein can reduce this effect.
I also wonder if my heavy frame has extra muscle it can afford to lose while I lose about 1/2 my weight? Oh well, can't worry too much about it now. I'm pretty sure I'm not wasting away.
No, it's not more of a problem with high carb diets -- the opposite, actually. The calories proper link (from a low carb friendly source) I posted above is on topic -- you should check it out.
YES, it is true that if you have a lot to lose it's less of a deal, but for me preserving as much muscle as possible when losing (since you will lose some) was very important, as what's the point of being thin if you still have a mediocre body fat percentage.
I find it hard to understand how you have a healthy diet on keto without easily getting adequate protein, since for me including some lean (or not terribly fatty anyway) meat and veg was key, and the protein would add up easily. When you cut back on carbs so drastically protein tends to be part of what replaces it. That's why I was curious how you were eating. (I'd have a hard time eating just fat -- doesn't seem appealing.)0 -
Yes, I think I need to look into other sources of protein. I'm sure I could get more protein eating steak, but that's too expensive - maybe once a week.born_of_fire74 wrote: »The idea is to find low calorie foods rich in protein so that you get all the protein you need within your recommended calorie allotment. I'm not sure what your allotment is but I have little trouble getting 100g of protein, often closer to 115g, in the 1600 calories I eat per day. When I first started and I was not getting that much protein, I changed the foods not the amount of calories I was eating to reach my goal.
What are your current sources of protein and in what quantities do you eat them?
100 g of cooked chicken breast provides 31 g of protein. 3.5 ounces is a serving size for me, but I imagine yours is bigger. Do you have meat/eggs two meals a day?0 -
It's not inaccurate, there are plenty of opinions based on keto diets. I myself have used it in the past and had great success (in weight loss).. however it made me very sick in the long run.
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born_of_fire74 wrote: »
Yes, I think I need to look into other sources of protein. I'm sure I could get more protein eating steak, but that's too expensive - maybe once a week.The idea is to find low calorie foods rich in protein so that you get all the protein you need within your recommended calorie allotment. I'm not sure what your allotment is but I have little trouble getting 100g of protein, often closer to 115g, in the 1600 calories I eat per day. When I first started and I was not getting that much protein, I changed the foods not the amount of calories I was eating to reach my goal.
I eat a lot of dairy, especially yogurt and cottage cheese. Fish tends to have a good protein/calorie ratio. Broccoli and other green veggies that grow above the ground are good too. You can find plenty of suggestions for budget-friendly, protein-rich alternatives on most any keto site.0 -
Well, this is only day 4 (tracking my meals), so I'm still doing the eggs & bacon thing in the morning, until I get some leftovers. I can only eat 2 eggs and can't image eating a third. Either scrambled in butter with bacon, or a cheese omelette. Also maybe a 1/4C pecans or cream cheese on celery.
I bought a 4-pack of pork loin chops, 8oz each. I had two the first night and thought I was going to explode, then one each other night. Either fried cabbage, salad, or broccoli & cheese sauce as a side. Some berries in cream or maybe pecans fried in butter for dessert.
Tonight I was planning on grilled chicken thighs on a salad of lettuce and spinach, some tomato & onion, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and some hot sauce or other heat that I can get away with. I was thinking 2 thighs, but that would only bring me up to 75g protein. I can probably handle, or maybe even want, a third, which would take it up to 92g.
I have no appetite during the day or evenings (really ever), so just have a cup of broth midday and late evening. I'm kinda doing a 14/10 IF, maybe sliding to 12/12 if dinner gets pushed back. It's more out of convenience with skipping lunch, but I'm also hoping it will help with ketosis.
I could probably eat more cheese (or something) if I really need to add 20-30g of protein. But more eggs in the morning or more meat at night is not really an appetizing option.
I'm actually following more of an old Atkins diet for losing weight (it seems), so I'm not cramming extra fat at this point - just adding it liberally.
Thanks.
PS. before my diet was high carb, high fat, always hungry or eating out of habit. Lots of fast food and snacks. And my home cooked dinners were so tasty I'd go back for seconds or thirds. No energy and always tired and taking pain relievers and anti-acid. After 1 week low carb (day 4 on this site), my appetite is suppressed, plenty of energy, never crashing, feel light on my feet, no pain, no heartburn, and even more regular ...0 -
For me, its quite simple. Protein really helps keep your blood sugar levels stable the longest. You can get your energy from sugars, carbs or protein. Protein is the most complex and keeps your feeling less hungry the longest. I all but live off boneless chicken breast. I count macros so I have do have some fats and carbs as well, but my diet is more protein heavy.
I don't crave foods/get hungry when my blood sugar is more stable. I get more crashes with sugars and carbs which leads to more calories which leads to weight-gain. This is why I swear by high protein.
104 pounds lost so far with this approach.2 -
Nothing wrong with the occasional protein shake and, if you are especially low on protein, you can mix it with milk for an extra blast. Not sure where you are but if you have access to a Costco, they have a good protein shake Kaizen something or other that comes in chocolate and vanilla. It tastes a little like *kitten* IMHO but it's 35g of protein for under 300 calories mixed with water.0
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I don't know much about specific diets, but it seems like other posters have provided you with some resources.
In general, eating more protein helps keep you feeling full for longer. If you think about it, eating a 150 cal chicken breast will be much more filling than eating 150 cal of pretzels. Also, eating more protein can help prevent or at least slow down the loss of lean muscle mass which often happens to people who are dieting.0 -
Phinney and Volek (Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living) advise finding your correct protein level for your goal weight (at TDEE) and sticking to it. The macro percentage of your dietary foods will change based on how much you eat but the actual amount of protein should stay about the same.
In the below chart, you can see that the protein amounts are set for the total calories burned and not the calories eaten. In the adapt phase, when one is eating 1400 kcal, protein ia 20% of all calories burned BUT it is 40% of what you eat because half of all calories burned is body fat.
Low carbers consider carbs a ceiling you want to stay below but protein is a goal you want to hit. While losing my protein intake goal was 80-90g. On maintenance my goal is 80-90g. I have a hard time getting in that much protein and so I need to add protein powder. It's a good cheat for me. I just add it into coffee throughout my day.
The amounts you mention seem high. The minimum protein amounts I've seen for someone who is active and trying to gain muscle is 0.5-0.8 g, and up to 1g per pound. If not active the minimum protein intake is 0.36 g per pound. These are for your ideal body weight and not for what you weigh right now. You can always go a bit higher if in doubt.
If you are eating 147g of protein, and you are active, that means your ideal body weight is somewhere between 147 lbs and 294 lbs. You are probably eating at the high end of what your body needs. You may be able to cut back a bit on protein.
I also wanted to add that it is best to just go with yor reduced appetite, to a point. The extreme reduction in hunger does not last and your appetite will increase - although probably not to where it was before. Enjoy it for now.
Good luck.0 -
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Phinney and Volek (Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living) advise finding your correct protein level for your goal weight (at TDEE) and sticking to it. The macro percentage of your dietary foods will change based on how much you eat but the actual amount of protein should stay about the same.
In the below chart, you can see that the protein amounts are set for the total calories burned and not the calories eaten. In the adapt phase, when one is eating 1400 kcal, protein ia 20% of all calories burned BUT it is 40% of what you eat because half of all calories burned is body fat.
Low carbers consider carbs a ceiling you want to stay below but protein is a goal you want to hit. While losing my protein intake goal was 80-90g. On maintenance my goal is 80-90g. I have a hard time getting in that much protein and so I need to add protein powder. It's a good cheat for me. I just add it into coffee throughout my day.
The amounts you mention seem high. The minimum protein amounts I've seen for someone who is active and trying to gain muscle is 0.5-0.8 g, and up to 1g per pound. If not active the minimum protein intake is 0.36 g per pound. These are for your ideal body weight and not for what you weigh right now. You can always go a bit higher if in doubt.
If you are eating 147g of protein, and you are active, that means your ideal body weight is somewhere between 147 lbs and 294 lbs. You are probably eating at the high end of what your body needs. You may be able to cut back a bit on protein.
I also wanted to add that it is best to just go with yor reduced appetite, to a point. The extreme reduction in hunger does not last and your appetite will increase - although probably not to where it was before. Enjoy it for now.
Good luck.
while I'm not a low carber - this is what I do with my protein - it stays fixed at 140g a day - which is between 22 and 26% depending on where in my carb cycle I am0 -
Well, this is only day 4 (tracking my meals), so I'm still doing the eggs & bacon thing in the morning, until I get some leftovers. I can only eat 2 eggs and can't image eating a third. Either scrambled in butter with bacon, or a cheese omelette. Also maybe a 1/4C pecans or cream cheese on celery.
I bought a 4-pack of pork loin chops, 8oz each. I had two the first night and thought I was going to explode, then one each other night. Either fried cabbage, salad, or broccoli & cheese sauce as a side. Some berries in cream or maybe pecans fried in butter for dessert.
Tonight I was planning on grilled chicken thighs on a salad of lettuce and spinach, some tomato & onion, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and some hot sauce or other heat that I can get away with. I was thinking 2 thighs, but that would only bring me up to 75g protein. I can probably handle, or maybe even want, a third, which would take it up to 92g.
I have no appetite during the day or evenings (really ever), so just have a cup of broth midday and late evening. I'm kinda doing a 14/10 IF, maybe sliding to 12/12 if dinner gets pushed back. It's more out of convenience with skipping lunch, but I'm also hoping it will help with ketosis.
I could probably eat more cheese (or something) if I really need to add 20-30g of protein. But more eggs in the morning or more meat at night is not really an appetizing option.
I'm actually following more of an old Atkins diet for losing weight (it seems), so I'm not cramming extra fat at this point - just adding it liberally.
Thanks.
PS. before my diet was high carb, high fat, always hungry or eating out of habit. Lots of fast food and snacks. And my home cooked dinners were so tasty I'd go back for seconds or thirds. No energy and always tired and taking pain relievers and anti-acid. After 1 week low carb (day 4 on this site), my appetite is suppressed, plenty of energy, never crashing, feel light on my feet, no pain, no heartburn, and even more regular ...
Glad low carb is working well for you!
If you're full on those two meals a day, great. You could always add in a low carb protein bar mid afternoon or before bedtime if you want more calories & protein. Or cheese, like you said.
I'm a little concerned that your deficit is too big, but that might be a subject for another thread.0 -
Well, this is only day 4 (tracking my meals), so I'm still doing the eggs & bacon thing in the morning, until I get some leftovers. I can only eat 2 eggs and can't image eating a third. Either scrambled in butter with bacon, or a cheese omelette. Also maybe a 1/4C pecans or cream cheese on celery.
I usually have a 2 egg omelet (with vegetables) for breakfast. I agree 2 eggs isn't that high protein, so I normally have some plain greek yogurt or cottage cheese too, or else some smoked salmon.I bought a 4-pack of pork loin chops, 8oz each. I had two the first night and thought I was going to explode, then one each other night. Either fried cabbage, salad, or broccoli & cheese sauce as a side. Some berries in cream or maybe pecans fried in butter for dessert.
2 8-oz pork chops seems like a crazy amount of food to me too. Are you including the weight of the bone? If so, you shouldn't -- the nutrition information is generally without the bone. 8 oz would have 44 g of protein, so 2 would be 88 -- one reason I asked is I'm wonder if you are using the right entries. (You may have package information which would be nice, but then you need to make sure you aren't misapplying it as with the bone thing as one possibility.) I do pork chops and they are quite a good source of protein and I generally eat about 150 g.Tonight I was planning on grilled chicken thighs on a salad of lettuce and spinach, some tomato & onion, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and some hot sauce or other heat that I can get away with. I was thinking 2 thighs, but that would only bring me up to 75g protein. I can probably handle, or maybe even want, a third, which would take it up to 92g.
Two thighs is a tough measure. I normally do it with weight, but my estimate has 64 g for 2 thighs. For one meal if you get about 30 at lunch and breakfast, that's plenty. Remember green vegetables and nuts and so on will add a few grams too.I have no appetite during the day or evenings (really ever), so just have a cup of broth midday and late evening. I'm kinda doing a 14/10 IF, maybe sliding to 12/12 if dinner gets pushed back. It's more out of convenience with skipping lunch, but I'm also hoping it will help with ketosis.
Broth will often have some protein too.I could probably eat more cheese (or something) if I really need to add 20-30g of protein. But more eggs in the morning or more meat at night is not really an appetizing option.
Yeah, I admit I'd struggle to hit protein on 2 meals, which is one reason I stick to my three, that and getting enough veg. I hate snacking (personal thing, don't deny it works for others).I'm actually following more of an old Atkins diet for losing weight (it seems), so I'm not cramming extra fat at this point - just adding it liberally.
My approach to keto (which I tried for a while, like I think I said I'm back at around 100 g carbs now) was hit protein, aim for around 50 g carbs, and the rest from fat. I think of the 75% as from maintenance (my maintenance is about 2000 and then deduct the calorie deficit from there, as you are getting the rest from body fat. So in theory I'd get about 1500 calories from fat at maintenance, but only about 1000 at a deficit, so I aimed for around 100-110 g of fat. (That's what I had trouble with, I was usually over on protein.)
Anyway, good luck. You may be eating more protein than you realized.1
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