How much fat to eat on Paleo..or does it really matter?

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chammich
chammich Posts: 104 Member
How much fat to eat on Paleo..or does it really matter? I usually just watch my caloric intake because Paleo is about eating healthy fats. Any advice?

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  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    This is how I got my fat grams....

    1) I figured up how many pounds of lean body mass I have and that's how many grams of protein I need (if i'm lifting weights which i am) that was 120 for me. (to calculate that you have to measure your body fat %)

    2) I set how many carbs I wanted to stay under and made the rest fat!
  • chammich
    chammich Posts: 104 Member
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    Thank you! I also just read that the measurements are 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs of the daily caloric intake.
  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    I just went to look at what mine was set to. it's 40/45/15 on a 1200 calories diet (i go over quite often though and sometimes under) just depends if i'm hungry or not. and on days i don't lift weights i eat less protein and more fat.
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
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    Thank you! I also just read that the measurements are 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs of the daily caloric intake.

    That is EXTREMELY high fat... where did you get those percentages?

    Also, carbs aren't bad for you, not sure why you're cutting them below 25%.
  • rebeccap13
    rebeccap13 Posts: 754 Member
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    I am at 35% Fat, 45% Protein and 20% Carbs. I upped my protein and carbs a little once I started CrossFit.
  • Meganne1982
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    Yeah, I think everyone is gonna find a different macronutrient ratio that works best for them. I have insulin resistance in my family so I find it best to keep my carbs pretty low, and therefore my fat pretty high. I feel best when I'm at about 10% carb, 30% protein, and 60% fat. Just make sure those macronutrients come from the best sources, no matter what your percentages are :)
  • sweet110
    sweet110 Posts: 332 Member
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    I do 15% carb, 20% protein, 65% fat. For weight loss.

    When I was living on maintenance, my carbs tended to be closer to 25%, and fat went down to 55%.

    I"m not so sure that its the fat percent that matters...but many of us are adjusting the carb and protein percents, and then the fat is whatever is left over. Which is to say...I don't think it matters much (nutrition wise, that is) whether fat intake is at 50% or 70%, but I do think it matters what the other percents are, and that they match your goals and nutritional needs. I feel better on slightly less protein than alot of people. I eat meat and/or eggs daily...so I don't feel like I'm missing out. It just falls out that way. (I sometimes struggle to eat even that much protein.) So...the rest ends up being fat.
  • monkeydharma
    monkeydharma Posts: 599 Member
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    Your answer wins. :)
  • Anathama
    Anathama Posts: 82 Member
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    How are you all able to get so much fat into your diet?

    I'm having a really hard time increasing the fat. I'm going for 10% Carbs, 30% Protein, and 60%fat, however, I've only been able to do 35-50% fat regularly.
  • warutledge
    warutledge Posts: 8 Member
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    Did you ever figure out how to increase fat? I never did.

    I tried the 4-hour body diet, which is mostly paleo, but fell off. Going back to mostly paleo, after flirting with keto. I just couldn't get the fat.

    I got bored with eggs and bacon for breakfast, which still wasn't enough fat. Mainly, I couldn't eat a big breakfast any more, an for 4HB, you should be getting 30g protein in the mornings. I'm going to stick with that, but cut out all grains, and no more wine.

    I've done well on paleo, lost 20lbs or so in a month last year, mostly kept it off, but the food eventually drove me nuts. I felt restricted, bored, and anxious. I dropped off on a vacation and never went back. We'll see this time.

    I wonder what is the right ratio of carb-protein-fat. On keto, it was 5-65-30. I never hit the fat mark, most likely never went into ketosis. If I follow the MFP recommendation, they want 50+% carbs, which isn't good. I'd like to put in numbers that are realistic and don't make me anxious about what I'm eating.
  • PaleoMichelle
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    I would suggest that you not try to overthink this.

    My focus has been to keep my carbs under 60g/day (about 15%). By monitoring that macro alone, the rest generally falls into place (25% protein, 60% fat).

    - I cook with coconut oil.
    - I'm not shy with olive oil in salads.
    - I don't trim the fat on cuts of meat.

    Cheers!
  • pattyproulx
    pattyproulx Posts: 603 Member
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    As someone has said, generally I let the fat work itself out.

    I aim for 1g of protein per lb of body weight, and I try to limit my carbs to about 15% of my calories.

    For me, that generally works to about 50/35/15 for fat/protein/carbs.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    My profile is at 50% I think but I generally concentrate on my protein and let the rest follow
  • Jindra12
    Jindra12 Posts: 256 Member
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    As someone has said, generally I let the fat work itself out.

    I aim for 1g of protein per lb of body weight, and I try to limit my carbs to about 15% of my calories.

    For me, that generally works to about 50/35/15 for fat/protein/carbs.

    Same.

    I need to work to pump up with proteins. Salmon is the key to pump it up.
  • blinkinglight
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    I shoot for 100g+ protein and under 50g carbs everyday... so my fat just kind of falls somewhere. It's usually around 80-100g. I have my percentages set to 55/30/15 F/P/C.
  • nursevee
    nursevee Posts: 344 Member
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    Did you ever figure out how to increase fat? I never did.

    I tried the 4-hour body diet, which is mostly paleo, but fell off. Going back to mostly paleo, after flirting with keto. I just couldn't get the fat.

    I got bored with eggs and bacon for breakfast, which still wasn't enough fat. Mainly, I couldn't eat a big breakfast any more, an for 4HB, you should be getting 30g protein in the mornings. I'm going to stick with that, but cut out all grains, and no more wine.

    I've done well on paleo, lost 20lbs or so in a month last year, mostly kept it off, but the food eventually drove me nuts. I felt restricted, bored, and anxious. I dropped off on a vacation and never went back. We'll see this time.

    I wonder what is the right ratio of carb-protein-fat. On keto, it was 5-65-30. I never hit the fat mark, most likely never went into ketosis. If I follow the MFP recommendation, they want 50+% carbs, which isn't good. I'd like to put in numbers that are realistic and don't make me anxious about what I'm eating.

    I'm quite shocked that you think paleo foods are boring! Initially (meaning when I first heard about the lifestyle) I jumped to conclusions and decided I could never live like that but between subscribing to some great websites/blogs on the primal/paleo lifestyle and googling paleo recipes, I found some amazing alternatives that don't leave me lusting after my old lifestyle. Might I suggest that you spend a good couple of weeks scoping out recipes you like the look of, print them off and compile a folder for easy reference? Meal planning is an excellent way to achieve variety... (It doesn't just have to be eggs and bacon for breakfast! Try a meat omlette, try paleo granola, fruit salad, veggies and egg whites, breakfast pizza..!!!) Make sure you look into the milk alternatives, the flour alternatives etc. Once you find a groove, it's not that different. A little moreplanning, less convenience foods but hey, much healthier!

    I eat nuts and avocados for a real winner on the fats. I try and keep my carbs reasonably low but I like my fruit and vegetables. Simply omitting starchy carbs/sugars seem to work well for my body so I don't tend to fuss over the details. It's nice to see everything say within the parameters but I certainly don't focus on it. I think my carbs are set a little higher than most, to 100 grams. Calories are about 1600 and protein is about 130 grams. I let my fat percentage just do it's thing.
  • Cerebrus189
    Cerebrus189 Posts: 315 Member
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    How much fat to eat on Paleo..or does it really matter? I usually just watch my caloric intake because Paleo is about eating healthy fats. Any advice?

    I do 60% fat, 25% protein and 15% carbs. As long as my carb intake is around 60 for the day, with no more than 20-25 grams of sugar (fruit), I'm good to go. I eat avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, and ghee by the bucket. When I'm not working out, I do a minimum amount of protein, usually around 85 grams of protein. When I am working out, even with strength training, I eat no more than 95 grams (lbm*.8) of protein a day, as I've heard it's too hard on the kidneys and the body actually starts using it more like carbohydrates for fuel. I don't have to think too hard about fat, because sometimes mine goes up to 70%. Usually when my carbs are low such as 60 grams or under, with fat around 60-65%, and adequate protein, with fruit only a few times a week, I tend to lose fat the easiest.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    How are you all able to get so much fat into your diet?

    I'm having a really hard time increasing the fat. I'm going for 10% Carbs, 30% Protein, and 60%fat, however, I've only been able to do 35-50% fat regularly.

    My go-tos are...almost daily avocado(s), olive oil on my daily plate of veggies, eggs cooked in coconut oil/bacon grease, fattier cuts of grassfed beef (not sure I'd want to get a significant amount of dietary fat from grain-fed beef fat), kerrygold butter, and MCT oil. Honestly, I don't pay much attention to my macros, but I just happen to eat around 60/20/20 F/P/C.