[lilybelle]

Meg, I think she is eating roughly 1800 calories a day. I can see where only 10% daily would be very difficult. Mine right now averages to usually 30% of my daily calories and that is sticking with usually 1400-1600 calories a day. Does olive oil add a lot of fat? I have a hard time getting her to eat veggies, so if I put a little olive oil in the green beans and squash, she'll eat it. The only other veggie she likes is brocolli. She does eat a lot of fruit, but eats awfully large portions of meat. I'm gonna work with her on putting all of her food in Fitday again and see what we come up with.

Since switching from Atkins, we already use only skim milk, low fat cheese, low fat butter, lean meats, wheat breads and wheat pancakes, SF syrup and SF jelly. She loves Peanut Butter and I read somewhere that it is fat free. A lot of things, I can get away with buying the low-fat version but not fat free to satisfy the whole household.

[alinnell]

Lily~unfortunately, peanut butter is not fat free, but it is a better fat than the fats you get from dairy and meat. I've heard talk about a powdered peanut butter that is much lower in fat and those that have tried it say they can't tell the difference once it's mixed. Also, be on the lookout for the transfats that pop up in some everyday food like bread and such. Even a good whole wheat bread might contain transfats so look on the label (I use an Orowheat country 100% whole wheat that specifically states no transfats).

[Meg]

I'm at about 30% of my calories coming from fat too.

If her doctor wants her to be eating low-fat, I think she's going to have to go lower than the two of us, unfortunately. 20% of her 1800 calories would be only 36 grams of fat each day and it's really easy to go over that number fast, if you're not watching.

Since you're eating low-fat dairy already, her biggest fat sources are probably the olive oil, PB, and meats. Even lean beef and pork have a lot of fat. Does she like chicken and turkey breast, fish, and seafood?

Regular PB has a ton of fat in it. I've never heard of fat free? My jar of Smuckers Natural says that 2 tablespoons has 210 calories and 150 of them are from the 16 grams of fat. PB may not be something she can eat very often .

Olive oil has 120 calories per tablespoon and it's all fat, so there's about 13 grams of fat per tablespoon.

It sounds to me like she's going to have to focus her diet even more on reduced fat dairy products, super lean protein, fruits, and veggies. And really be careful about adding in fats, like olive oil and PB.

I'm so sorry that she has to deal with this at such a young age!

[lilybelle]

Allison, thanks I'll check the label on the peanut butter and the wheat bread that I have. I did notice the butter that I buy says no trans-fats. The idea of powdered PB sounds gross to me, but it might taste fine.

Wow, Meg, I didn't know the olive oil and PB had so much fat in it. I use both of these quite often. All I had really been checking was the amt. of calories in it. I can see where I'm gonna need to really read the labels and teach Lacy to read labels. She loves seafood and chicken breasts. Unfortunately the only way she has ever liked fish is fried. I do buy only extra lean beef and such and substitue a lot of ground turkey in my recipes that call for beef. I think ever allowing Lacy to do Atkins with me for a while was a huge mistake. It got her in the habit of wanting to eat much larger portions of meat. I have totally quit buying the bacon and sausage for about 5 months now and I'm sure that has helped some. I'm wondering if veggie burgers taste OK or if they could be used as a substitute? I've never tried them. I can see already that I will need to also lower my fat percentage to help keep her from feeling like "oh you can eat that , so why can't I".

[Meg]

There are lots of different flavors of veggie burgers that you might want to try out. I like Morningstar Farms and especially like their veggie sausage patties (they taste exactly like the real thing to me) and their 'chicken' ranch patties.

Boy, it's tough to go below 30% fat, even if you're eating all-healthy. Do you think it's worth calling her doctor and asking what they'd like her to be with fat? Maybe their definition of low-fat isn't so drastic?

[joyofsix]

Lily, I just saw your post about the low fat diet. I would DEMAND to be referred to a pediatric dietitian who works in the area. I think, because of her age, you need some expert guidance for her. It usually goes better hearing it from someone besides mom too. I hope she's feeling better. My own dd who is 15 will be going in for spinal surgery on June 11th. They mentioned suppositories to her and the look on her face was priceless. I hope Lacy took your advice and can get to feeling better.