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Fat from whole foods

Old 07-08-2010, 10:46 AM
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Default Fat from whole foods

I recently began doing calorie restriction and eating wholesome and healthy foods. I was wondering how much fat I can intake in a day and at what point will it hinder my weight loss.

When eating lean protein and things like mixed nuts, skim cheeses, or eggs the fat can add up quickly. How much is too much? Yesterday of my 2210 calories 26% was fat is that too much? total intake: 65.6g fat 228g carb 186g prot

I'm 5-10 and 220 lbs 20% bf.

I'm not as concerned with an actual weight number, my goal is to gain lean mass and lose body fat.

For the purpose of calorie restriction my goal weight is 185 and I'm intaking about 2200 a day.
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Old 07-08-2010, 05:03 PM
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I try to keep my protein in the 30% range (your example puts you at about 33%), I limit my simple carbs (white bread, white rice, sugar...) and I don't worry about my fat percentage because I know all my fat is from foods like eggs, nuts, olive oil and the lean meat I eat.

The reasoning is that is easier for your body to convert carbs into fat stores than it is to turn fat into fat stores. I have read an analogy that fat is the racing fuel of foods. If you want to go lower than 10-12% body fat then you may have to further restrict fat while compensating with protein to make up the calories. Fat has another benefit when resticting calories, fat has been shown to satiate hunger.

I don't know what your metabolic calorie rate is or how many calories you burn from exercise but I would suggest you aim for a 500-700 calorie deficit per day to help you maintain as much muscle mass as possible.
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Old 07-10-2010, 04:16 PM
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Don't worry about percentage of your calories from fat, just concentrate on total calories and having a deficit of about 500 calories from your maintenance level each day. Fat from nuts, seeds, avocados, olives, coconuts, eggs, and even natural grass-fed beef won't negatively impact your health, but each gram of fat contains 9 calories so the sheer number of calories can stack up fast.

Just remember that fat is very satiating so the higher the percentage of calories you get from healthy fats, the less hungry you'll be throughout the day and the more sustainable your chosen lifestyle. Too much carbohydrate stimulates insulin production, which then causes cycles of hunger and tiredness.

Good luck!
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Old 07-11-2010, 10:11 AM
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thanks, good answers!
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Old 07-19-2010, 03:47 PM
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are you lifting weights any???
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Old 07-26-2010, 10:57 AM
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Originally Posted by midwestj
I recently began doing calorie restriction and eating wholesome and healthy foods. I was wondering how much fat I can intake in a day and at what point will it hinder my weight loss.

When eating lean protein and things like mixed nuts, skim cheeses, or eggs the fat can add up quickly. How much is too much? Yesterday of my 2210 calories 26% was fat is that too much? total intake: 65.6g fat 228g carb 186g protien.

I'm not as concerned with an actual weight number, my goal is to gain lean mass and lose body fat.

For the purpose of calorie restriction my goal weight is 185 and I'm intaking about 2200 a day.
If that is your goal, you need to get your carb total to less than 100 grams per day. Less than 50 if you really want to get serious.

Regular maintenance is at 150 grams per day and you are 78 grams above that level even (on that particular day).
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Old 07-27-2010, 03:40 PM
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I tweaked those numbers since then, I get 2330 calories with a goal weight of 175, losing about 1.9 lbs per weak. My weight is dropping with my graph just as it should, actually faster 7.5 lbs of weight loss in 21 days. But as my goal is increasing lean mass and lowering body fat I am doing great, as I have lost 2.5 inches on my chest, and waist, another 2 from my thighs and 1 from my hips, along with gaining half inch on my bicep and quarter inch on my calves.

Yes I do lift weights 3 times a week along with HIIT. I focus on compound lift supersets with minimal rest. Its intense to say the least, when I leave the gym my shirt is completely wet with sweat. I have been making impressive strength gains as well.

Thanks for the replies but I have my diet right where I want it now.
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Old 08-07-2010, 08:14 AM
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Before you go changing anything you need to know how your body uses the macronutrients. Some people need more carbs than others while some people respond better to low carbs.

I have played around with many ratios and my body works best on 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fat. Some days the ratios are not perfect, but I never go below 20% good fats.

In the past I have tried all of those low carb diets and thought I was going to lose my mind. Then I learned about metabolic types and I have been very happy eating my carbs. I do work out with weights vigorously three days a week, plus two yoga sessions. And when I want to cut some fat off my body I add three days of cardio in between (30 minutes max) and my body sheds 2-3 pounds a week and that is with 2,300 calories a day.

If you feel good and you are losing weight, don't by into any food myths like low-fat or low-carbs. Your body needs carbs, especially complex carbs. Your body needs healthy fats. 26% of your calories from fat sounds good to me. Just make sure NONE of the fats are trans fat (hydrogenated or partially-hydrogenated whatever).

You may want to get a heart rate monitor so it can tell you what you burn from exercise if you start to plateau. In my experience, people don't work out nearly as hard as they think. And the calorie burn monitors on gym machines are HIGHLY inaccurate. Most times the grossly overstate calories burned.
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Old 08-08-2010, 07:41 PM
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4sdowns,

Low-fat and low-carb aren't myths. They're just styles of eating that focus on different macronutrients.

Basic biochemistry dictates that there is no physiological need for dietary carbs. Of course, it is impossible to completely eliminate carbohydrate in the diet — there's a little bit in everything we eat. But our body can generate all the glucose it needs from the protein and fat we put in. The same can't be said for amino acids or fat, so they become the essential macronutrients.

I do agree though that there's no one-size-fits-all diet. Figure out what works for you. If you fare well on 50% carbs, congratulations. I just get cranky on that same amount.
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Old 07-27-2011, 03:33 AM
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what is the daily intake of fat, carbohydrate and protein how do you know what is the correct break down percentage of each. carbohydrate,, fat, and protein
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