Is this too much fat?!
 

okkkkkkkk so I just got curious to know about how much I am eating intuitively so I tracked my calories for the day on Dailyplate just to get a rough estimate! I dont think I would gain on these stats but is it still possible too lose or is it just too much fat and calories? I just wanted to get all of your opinions Every day isnt this high in fat and cals but Im sure a lot of them are like this.. (i stopped tracking)

Calories - 1800 Fat - 75g Carbs - 165 fiber - 28 Protein - 100

What do you all think?! Too much fat and cals?!

I think it depends on the source of the fat. Unsaturated fats help lower cholesterol by upping your "good" cholesterol levels. Saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, which causes arterial damage and can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, etc.

That being said, not everyone responds to fats the same and if your cholesterol numbers are fine, i wouldn't worry about it. 75 grams isn't that much for a day, I believe the AHA recommends around 65 grams each day, or 30% of your diet, with no more than 20 grams saturated. The average American eats something like 3 times that.

It's been shown that low-fat diets have no benefit on weight loss over higher fat diets. In fact, most people do not thrive on a low fat diet because fat keeps you full and it's hard to be sated without it - so they eat more refined carbs and empty calories trying to stay full.

What are the fats composed of? It also depends on what they are. Things like olive oil and avocado are good fats :)

I think your fat percentage is around 37.5% - I try to get 35% fat so that's not too bad.

Thank you for that information!! That makes me feel 10000 times better. My cholesterol and blood pressure are great! The food is coming from mostly clean food. Here, Ill actually post the food. Man oh man, if this works for weight loss ill be the happiest girl ever!!! Because I love this food and dont feel deprived or stressed! You can see my meals are carb heavy but its what keeps me satisfied

Breakfast - Slice of ezekiel whole grain bread w laughing cow cheese, .5 ounces of whole almonds, and 2 egg whites

Snack - Slice of ezekial whole grain bread, 1 low fat string cheese, .5 ounces of whole almonds, and 100 calorie kettle popcorn

Lunch - homemade ham and cheese sandwhich (publix ham and laughing cow cheese)

Snack 2 - (after 2.5 mile run) Naked Pizza. Its a new pizza that came out that is made with all fresh ingredients. Fresh mozzarella cheese, whole grain bread and tomatoes. No preservatives or anything. You can look it up online

Dinner - Cranberry walnut chicken salad with a slice of ezekial bread and laughing cow cheese

2 glasses of wine :)

All of that gives me the stats above!!

Wow youre good!! Dailyplate says my percentages are Fat - 38% Carbs - 38% and protein - 22%

Kind of annoying the protein is so low because Im getting 100g!!!

Haha oops I went and edited it out after you posted but I think 38% isn't too bad.

haha thats so funny. I edited my post after I re-read yours thinking I missed read your fat percentage! lol

I just read an article yesterday about low fat diets being kind of pointless. Your nutrient levels look good. I do think your protein seems slightly low, but you're already on to that. Is there a source of protein that you particularly like that's also fairly low calorie? I'm a big fan of Greek yogurt, peanut butter, and veggie burgers. Peanut butter has a lot of fat and sugar, but one teaspoon is a great pick-me-up if you don't have time for a full meal but need something to take the edge off to get you through a workout or a day when your meal times are a little irregular. 4 grams of protein per tablespoon.

Ugh really? I thought 100g of protein was a lot. So I need more than that? I love chicken, egg whites, eggs, nuts, etc. I guess I could eat more. Unfortunately I have to stay away from peanutbutter. I just CANT stop at 1. I will eat the whole container :(

Don't you eat vegetables and fruit?

Yes I love fruit! It just wasnt in todays agenda.

But no I do not eat many vegetables. Yesterday I had broccoli at dinner and today I had a whole cucumber. But I know I need way more veggies!! I dont not like the taste of them but I dont love it. If it doesnt have butter or oil, it tastes so bland to me :(

Try steaming your veggies in lemon juice and adding just a touch of non-sodium spice blends like Mrs. Dash or even just some pepper. After a while, you'll get used to not having sauces or butter on them, and steaming really brings out the natural flavor.

This is a dubious source, but Jillian Michaels had a thing on her podcast the other day that it takes 3 months to "retrain" your palate to like foods with less spices/salt/sodium in them. Once you're used to the lower salt content, overly salty/spiced food tastes ridiculous. I can tell a difference when it comes to sugar, too. I make my own spaghetti sauce from fresh and steamed vegetables and use whole wheat pasta, no added salt or sugar. Now when I go out to a restaurant and have their pasta dish, it tastes like an entire salt and sugar container spilled out all over the food! :barf:

You know, I actually really believe that! I too have stopped adding salt on things and you are right, when I go out and eat something that clearly contains a lot of salt, its almost too much to handle! I think its more of a convient thing when it comes to veggies. I dont have time to cook them. Ok nevermind. That was a typical lame excuse. Ok please dont yell at me, but how do YOU steam your veggies?

Hee hee. I'm not going to yell at you, silly. ;)

I steam my veggies in a little metal collapsible device that looks like a stovetop popcorn popper. It looks kind of like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-Large-S...9705739&sr=8-1

I think I got mine at Target, so they're not hard to find. Anyway, just heat water on the stove, put the veggies in the steamer, and let them sit atop the boiling water for a while. You can also do it in the microwave in a glass covered dish and no water; just be aware that they'll get REALLY hot that way, so use oven mitts to retrieve and don't let them cook much longer than 5 minutes MAX, depending on the strength of your microwave.

There's also some great instructional videos on YouTube if you search for "how to steam vegetables." Many, many different methods out there.

I don't belong in this forum but saw this post up front and wanted to put in this little bit: When I'm short on time the Steamfresh veggies are a lifesaver. Pop em in the microwave for 4 or 5 minutes and you've got yummy veggies that don't have any added fat, salt, sugar or preservatives.

Thanks Kat!! I think Ill stop by Target on my way home and get one and make some tonight for dinner! Yum! Im excited :)

Gale Do you just buy fresh veggies and season them?

Gale everyone is welcome to post here!

Yes I use that colander device too! I steam veggies with a few cloves of garlic. I then add Lemon Pepper Seasoning (McCormicks) and/or a squeeze of lemon and/or a few shavings of Parmesan. Yummmm.

Spinach is also easy to get a bunch of if you open a can of tuna over it, a dollop of yogurt (in replacement for sour cream) and crack some pepper over it. Mix well, and you've got a low fat high protein tuna salad with vegetables.

I also make a cauliflower carrot puree soup which is so tasty and basically just a bunch of pureed vegetables with vegetable broth. I don't even like soup or cauliflower but I try to make this soup every few weeks and eat it over the course of a few days- it definitely delivers 1-2 servings of vegetables (or more) per serving.

I think kat said earlier something about low-fat diets being pointless, but for me I definitely see a difference when I eat low versus high fat. I lose weight more slowly when I eat more fat.

Indiblue, that was just something I happened to read this week. I try to eat a balanced diet of whole, mostly vegetarian fare and pay attention to calories, which usually means my meals are fairly low-fat as well. When I finally move into maintenance mode, I think I'll pay more attention to macronutrients than I do now.

Kat, it could be totally true though! I have no idea. Atkins people seem to do well on it. I personally need to keep a lower fat intake, but that could just be me. I wouldn't doubt if research has shown that most people do fine with consuming a greater percentage of fat.

So I just randomly came across an article on freedieting.com that says the percentage breakdown of macronutrients depends on body shape and where the fat deposits are located. Apple-shaped women tend to lose weight on a low-carb diet, while pear-shaped women on a low-fat diet. I am pear-shaped so that helps explain why my body responds better to a low-fat diet. No idea how widely supported this theory is but since we were just talking about it thought I'd share!

That's very interesting! Thanks for sharing! As a fellow pear, I think I really probably should be paying more attention to my fat intake! :) Also, I know I would just be insane on an Atkins-style low-carb thing. :dizzy: Not that high-carb is a good idea, but unless I get a balanced diet, I'm beyond cranky!

I normally buy fresh veggies and cook them myself. But what I was talking about are the bags of veggies in the frozen aisle (Steamfresh is the brand name, there are others too). You just pop the bag into the microwave and you've got lovely cooked veggies in just a few minutes, no prep work required. I usually season those a little with some sea salt, lemon pepper, or garlic/garlic salt.

don't be afraid to have some butter or oil on your veggies, the fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals. and saturated fat has been proven time and time again to be not bad for you. it's usually the white flour and sugar that is accompanying the sat. fat that does people in. and like other people have said here, more studies are showing that low-fat diets arent a sure thing anymore. neither or low-carb diets per se. it's all about preference. but, dont be afraid of fats!

look into the paleo/primal diet or even good ol atkins for the research. i can't post links yet :(

Oh man that is SO TRUE. I had forgotten about this little bit of nutritional trivia regarding water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins. Thanks for throwing me back to my 10th grade chemistry class :-D

My first response to the title was "no such thing!"
As I understand micronutrients, protein is mainly used to make new cells-it can be used for energy, but the body really doesn't like to do that. Fat and carbs have the same molecular makeup, but fats are more calorie dense, which is why people avoid them. The energy that I get from fats keeps my blood-sugar stable, crushes hunger, and I'm dropping weight at a satisfactory and healthy pace.
The main problem I see with lowfat yogurt and the like is that with the loss of fat come a loss of flavor-which is replaced with sugar.

I agree with you! However, I try to eat as clean as possible and stay away from sugars. I know a lot about protein and carbs, but when it comes to fat, I just dont understand what they consider too much! But you are right, fats give you good energy. I just dont want to overdo it! Thanks for your input.