Good afternoon SBD'ers. I have been sticking to the SBD even though I didn't lose on P1, upping my veggies and decreasing my sodium... I have started counting my calories though, just to see where I'm at and if that is affecting my weight loss at all. Have been doing this about a week. I have noticed that my consumed fat grams are above my recommended (rec is 32-56, I am usually around 66-69), even though it is all from "good fat", ie avocado, salmon, a small amount of light cheese, the rec amount of nuts, etc. Does anyone think consuming a high proportion of fat can hinder weight loss, even if it is good fat and I am within my calorie range? The thought of eating too much "fat" is scaring me, but it does add up pretty fast. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks!

Everyone is different so you may just have to experiment to figure out what works for you. I did go back and run a 2 year report on FitDay because I was curious and my daily average fat intake is 38 grams. I already know that I need to be very careful of the nuts though, they are my downfall. Are you sticking with low fat dairy and limiting the fats (nuts, olive oil, etc) as recommended?

Lisa, first of all I have a cat that looks exactly like yours. Second, I found (when I was fully committed, which I have not been lately, but that's another story) that as long as I made sure to eat the following each day:
4.5 cups or more of veggies
1 serving of beans
2 servings low fat or non fat dairy
protein at each meal - eggs and lean meats
-that I basically didn't have to watch the fat so much. Of course, if you have a salad and drown it in dressing that is one thing, but I think limiting added fat (i.e. - mayo, oil used to cook or dress etc.) to 1 tbsp. per meal will keep you in an ok place. By the way loads of evidence suggests that as long as the fats you are eating are good fats you do not have to keep the fat grams terribly low.

Also - drink all your water. I think at least 80 oz per day, but if you are dieting you need more because you need water to flush all the burned fat out of your system. It really can make the difference in whether you lose or not. Really. Whenever I not losing and am on plan, it is because of the water. It is really that crucial.

I don't count calories or fat grams but the last time I calculated my usual menus I was getting about 35% of my calories from fat and about 1600 calories per day. That works out to about 530 fat calories or 62 Gms of fat per day. I eat 2 FF dairy, 2 servings of RF cheese, only lean meats, 2 Tbs. almond butter and my 2 Tbs. good fats on a normal day. This works for me and I lost and now maintain on this. Most dietary guidelines recommend no more than 35% of daily calories to be fat, even if it's the healthy kind. If your calories are around 1800 per day, you would be around 35%. Do you measure your fats or are you just eyeballing?

First of all thank you for your responses ladies! You three are perfect examples of why I love 3FC! Cyndi, I feel like I am limiting according to SBD, but 1 TBSP PB for snack, 1 TBSP olive oil at dinner, 1 egg at breakfast, 15 nuts, etc adds up somehow to the 60-70 fat grams I am consuming on average a day. MmcKellen I love the way you spelled out exactly what you eat per day. I am having a very hard time getting 4.5C of veggies in, but it makes sense that I would be much fuller if I accomplished that. I will just have to stop sprinkling lf cheese on them! I like the idea of 1 TBSP per meal, and I have been drinking 2 nalgenes a day at least (64oz), but I could definitely do 80oz and I will start that. Anne I do count my calories and fat grams, but unfortunately I am on a 1200-1550 calorie diet, and so the 60-70 fat grams turn out to be about 40% of my overall diet (with 35% protein and the rest carbs (usually under 28%)). I can see now that perhaps if I added in some more foods (low fat) I can up my calories without the fat. Here we go…

Lisa - I should have mentioned that I am vegetarian, probably easier to keep the fat down. I try to stick to 100 calories packs of nuts because I'm not good with portion control. I also eat very, very little dairy (I know that's not 100% true to plan but get lots of calcium from greens and beans). Generally most of my fat comes from 1 egg and 1 serving of faux meat per day, then rf salad dressing, occasional nuts, and incidentals (small amounts of fat in beans & veggies). Mmc is right on about the overall plan though, keep those vegetables and beans in and there will be a lot less room for fat

One of the things I love about this plan is that it is so customizable to our own eating habits and body.

Lisa
I don't count, but have really started to be more cautious with both my fat consumption and portion size. I only cook with oil when I absolutely have to and will often substitute 1/2 egg beaters when I'm making something with eggs. I've all but eliminated cheese, except when necessary, and only use RF or FF dairy products.

I've been maintaining through the winter, but as soon as I started being more mindful of fat and portions I've started a downward trend again. I do get my veggies and beans in everyday and make a noble effort to get some dairy, too.

Best wishes!

For me, it's necessary every day!