Calories VS Fat
 

I have been tracking my food via FitDay for about a week now and I am noticing a trend in how I eat--while I am good at staying under my calorie limit, I am always over my fat limit. If I am still creating my 500-calorie deficit and exercising, how will the fat affect me? I am asking just out of curiosity, not because I want to keep eating this way (though I do love the pizza!) I am on a 2-step challenge right now--quit smoking, then get fit via exercise. While quitting, I am learing about my eating habits with the FitDay, so that when it is tim to hit the gym for real, I know what I am facing.
Does this make sense?

All food has calories, and some calories "cost" a lot more than other foods~mainly due to the fat content. I use Fitday and I try to keep my fat %age at less than 30% per day (I strive for 20%, but rarely make that!) as well as keeping my calories around 1200 and I exercise to get that deficit. Hope this helps!

I've been on this walnut kick the last few weeks, so my fat % has been coming out like 37% a day. But I've been feeling less hungry so I think this is helping me and since I know all the fat is coming from a healthy source (except for today's small steak), I'm not worried. On the other hand, I notice when I eat just one regular McD hamburger with NO cheese (this is a rarity in an emergency) and a small order of fries, my fat content is so high that day and I know that's not good. So I think it depends on the type of fat you're getting.

DEFINITELY!! In fact, in the past I've had problems with getting too little fat. Mostly the problem was lack of satiety. Good fats, like the Omega-3s in walnuts, are good for your heart AND help you feel satisfied, as food fats trigger feelings of satiety.

It definately depends on the kind of fat you are eating. NOT ALL FATS ARE CREATED EQUAL! We should be completely avoiding trans fats, limiting saturated fats. However the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (I think they are called) kinds are good. These are the kinds you would find in things like olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc. If you are getting alot of your fat from healthy sources, I wouldn't worry too much unless you were getting something crazy like 40%+ of your calories from fat consistantly as then I would worry your diet isn't balanced enough.

you're right. I wasn't specific enough. I meant to say stay away from the trans fats that you find in processed foods. I still eat my nuts (although in moderation).

Look at your ingredients. Don't eat it if it has partially hydrogenated vegetable oil~that's the worst!

"your fat limit" is also not set in stone. If you are satisfied where you are great, if not it might need to change. I can not go too low or I get ravenous.

Agreed. Good fat vs bad fat is the main issue. The recommended amount of fat to get is 30%. But that fat needs to come from good sources.

Nuts, lean meats, olive oil, etc.

thanks for all the answers you guys--I forgot about Good vs Evil fats. Most nights I have some sort of chicken for dinner and I use olive oil (maybe 2tb) and that always kicks up the Fat in what I eat. I'll try to remember that Olive Oil fat is much better for me than Lil Debbie fat (but, oh, I love her so...)

Not only is olive oil "much better" than saturated fats, "good" fats are actually NECESSARY for heart health (and probably other body systems).