Fat macros ... grrrr

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When reviewing my nutrition macros I have a serious problem interpreting my FAT macro.

I have cut back on fats, 2% milk, 85% lean ground beef, low/ fat free products, and am doing well. However, I take a tbs of olive oil and 3- 1000 mg fish oil capsules daily.

My problems is that I always seem to be in the 38- 43% range. How do I interpid this considering Olive Oil and Fish Oil are GOOD FATS?

Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited October 2017
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    Fat is still fat. "good fats" still have 9 calories per gram, and eating too many (putting you over maintenance) would lead to weight gain.

    Why do you "take" olive oil? I can think of nicer ways to incorporate healthy fats in my diet.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    How many grams of fat are you getting, and how many calories are you eating. I'm thinking 40% has to be at least 90g of fat, and I can't imagine how you'd get that much while trying to eat low fat.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
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    Unless you are trying to eat low fat, I would not worry about restricting fats as long as you are eating at a deficit.

    Eating fat does not make you fat unless you are eating way too much overall. For example, I eat a high fat diet, and fats can make up to three quarter of my diet. I lost all of my weight eating that way... The when I ate too much, I regained a bit back. ;)
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
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    Your supplements and olive oil, plus your low fat diet is too much fats, period. Regardless of being good or bad, they are throwing you over your goal. A tsp of olive oil is about 7% your RDA, and a fish oil tab is around 5%, multiplied by 3, so that's another 15%. Right there is 22% of your RDA, and you haven't even ate anything yet. Food wise you're only consuming about 15-20% fats in your meals/drinks...but that doesn't matter.

    Either eat foods with no fats (good luck with that), or drop the olive oil and/or cut back to 1 or 2 fish oil a day. Better yet, drop them all together, cook with olive oil, and just eat fish...that way you still get the best of both worlds (good fats, benefits of supplements, stay under you macro ratios as well keep in your daily calorie goal).
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
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    I wouldn't worry about it unless you're going over your calorie goal. Some of us find fat more satiating and find it easier to stick to calorie goal if we bump carbs down a bit and fats up a bit. Totally up to you though.
  • sgt1372
    sgt1372 Posts: 3,988 Member
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    Just eat more lean protein and carbs.

  • MoBetta4Sure
    MoBetta4Sure Posts: 7 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. It was a great help.
    Someone asked why fish oil/ olive oil? Fighting high cholesterol, HDL vs LDL.
    In the meantime I will reduce my fish oil and olive oil, but for a few days I will track my meals as always, minus the 2 oils. That will set my baseline and I can adjust from there.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. It was a great help.
    Someone asked why fish oil/ olive oil? Fighting high cholesterol, HDL vs LDL.
    In the meantime I will reduce my fish oil and olive oil, but for a few days I will track my meals as always, minus the 2 oils. That will set my baseline and I can adjust from there.

    If you are taking a tablespoon each that's 240 calories you're not accounting for if you stop tracking. You don't have to "take" olive oil. Add it to salad, add it to hummus, add it to savory greek yogurt, I can think of many ways that would make your meals delicious without having to swallow it by the spoon. I had to reduce olive oil by a lot when I started dieting because it's so calorific, so yes don't stop tracking them.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
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    Thank you all for your responses. It was a great help.
    Someone asked why fish oil/ olive oil? Fighting high cholesterol, HDL vs LDL.
    In the meantime I will reduce my fish oil and olive oil, but for a few days I will track my meals as always, minus the 2 oils. That will set my baseline and I can adjust from there.

    I'm not sure the point of the health message is to take extra olive oil.... I think it's to replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats.