Much needed fat?

[Raenstoirm]

I have a question for those who know. I have been following a low cal (1700 a day) and low fat plan for 6 months. I have lost some weight, but not as much as I would like. Granted I have not been 100% perfect either, so it is not really the plans fault. Even when I have been "naughty" it is always low fat (slow churned ice cream (lots), sugary candy, etc). I am going on vacation next week and I have a lot to do before then, so I sort of decided to blow off the gym this week so I could get everything done without being so crunched for time. That led to "well you're not going to the gym so you can indulge a little on other things." Which led to me buying peanut butter (one of my vices). For the last two days, I have been eating PB (probably a 1/4 cup) and a tall glass of milk for breakfast. Nothing else. I eat breakfast around 7 and then I have built in a 10 am snack since I am usually rather hungry by then. It is almost 1:00 and I am just feeling the first tingle of hunger since breakfast. It is not a protein thing, since technically I am getting less protein with my current breakfast thing then I do when I am "good" so it must be the fat.
When I get back and back on a rational eating plan, I am thinking of adding a little PB to breakfast. Too bad it is 190 cal per serving!

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

I WISH I could give some good constructive comment, but I don't have one as nutrition is not easy for me. I think I've heard PB is a better choice than some other things, but I'm not certain how to advise you of your choice. I do know many who are running/walking/jogging or what your choice of stepping would be use PB and a 1/2 bagel to start out their day before a LR so it must be a good idea.

I'm not certain of your portion sizing in your case since your calories are a bit more than mine and I usually have less PB when I have it.

It sounds like it held you up for the time until your next nutrition intake so that is good.

Pep talk: I'm happy to hear that you are exploring and learning. You are doing it! Keep on keepin' on! You will get there. Calories in must always be less than calories out and you will find yourself melting. Keep a steady flow of nutrition to fuel your body and you will do it! You are doing it!

 

[HockeyKat]

1700 seems a bit high on the calories, honestly. I do 1100-1200 and I try to get at least 20g of fat and 60g of protein and 25g fiber. Fat is definitely important to keep you full and keep your body satisfied. PB is good, has protein as well as fat, but it is really calorie-dense so I avoid it. 6-8 almonds is more my style.

I do have a cheat night about every 2 weeks where I can eat anything I want. Somehow that seems to help keep me honest the rest of the time. I still track it, though, even though sometimes it hurts.

Maybe when you get back, try a week or two at 1500?

How do you track? Fitday, sparkpeople, or just a written journal? If you use a web-based product it will do all of your nutritional info for you. I find that very helpful in keeping balance.

 

[Raenstoirm]

Technically I am supposed to be at 1900, but I am going against advice since it is so hard to eat that much. I am extremely athletic, so all the tests (from 3 docs at this point) my BMR is a little over 1900.

 

[HockeyKat]

I don't mean to be rude or harsh and I hope I don't offend... but if you are eating 1700 and not losing weight as fast as you want to, perhaps it is time to try to go a bit lower? BMR is to maintain, I think... you want to create a deficit in order to lose.

I also try to stay about 100 calories below my cap in case the labels are lying to me or I am underestimating. And I drink 64+ oz of plain water and take a multi-vitamin, and eat tons of fresh fruits and veggies in addition to lean proteins.

I play 1-2 hours of ice hockey twice a week, do at least 45 min of arc/elliptical trainer 4 times a week, and weight train twice a week. Maybe that doesn't count as extremely athletic, but I eat 1200 calories a day and I have lost 55 lbs in a year. Not just that, my body fat has reduced by over 15% and I have done the calculations to figure out that is about 3 lbs of muscle mass and 52 of pure fat.

 

[JudyS]

Raenstoirm, so is your question whether you'd be better off with a higher proportion of fat in your diet?

I think this varies a lot from person to person. For many, many years I followed the standard low-fat advice. In fact, for a while I did an extremely low-fat vegan diet of nothing but whole grains, fruit, vegetables, and beans (not even any soy, corn, peanuts or even oatmeal -- I considered them all too high in fat.) When I was on this diet I was quite obese, and had diabetes, liver problems and high cholesterol, but I was terrified that if I aadded fat to my diet, things would get even worse.

Eventually, I switched to a reduced-carb diet, which meant that most of my calories were (and are) coming from fat. It was hard to make the switch, because I was (and am) still a vegetarian, so giving up grains meant there wasn't much for me to eat! However, the reduced-carb diet led to huge improvements in my diabetes and my liver function, and some improvement in my cholesterol, too. So, with my particular metabolism, reduced-carb/higher-fat seems a necessity. Most people don't have the metabolic problems that I do, though.

I also want to add that if you actually ate 1/4 C of peanut butter, that is a substantial amount -- almost 400 calories. So, that could be the reason you didn't feel hungry. I find it very hard to estimate peanut butter accurately; I generally high to weigh it with a digital scale to get an accurate measurement. (Another option to to buy those "Jiff to Go" cups and eat, say, 1/2 of one.)

.... BMR is to maintain, I think... you want to create a deficit in order to lose.....

BMR (basal metabolic rate) is how many calories a person burns at rest, without any activity. So, even if someone just does a little activity (anything other than staying in bed all day), they should be burning more than their BMR. However, it is very hard to tell what a person's BMR really is, unless you actually measure how much carbon dioxide they are exhaling. People vary a lot in BMR, even if they are the same height, weight, gender, and age.

 

[3DisneyKids]

I have to agree with Kat on this one. 1700 calories is too much. I, too, had my BMR calculated, etc. And I used the number they gave me. Nothing happened. No loss at all.

Like you, I am very athletic. I run 20-30 miles per week, box twice a week, weight lift 3 times per week, and tennis twice per week. All total, I work out 10-12 hours per week. Anywhere from 90 minutes to 2 hours 6 days/week.

Even with all of this exercise and fitness, if I ate 1700 calories per day...YIKES! No way I would see a loss. VERY slow loss, maybe. But not a motivating loss. My range is 1200-1500 calories per day. And I reserve the 1500 days for my long run (currently 8 miles) because I just need more fuel to get through a run like that. Yesterday, for example, I had 3 hours of fitness--and I stuck to 1200 cals. Had to. Otherwise all of that exercise would just cancel out my food and I would not see any loss or difference.

As for peanut butter....is it natural or regular? Regular (commercial) peanut butter is LOADED with sugar. If you have to have PB, use the natural stuff without all of the added sugar and crap. However, if you are needing a bit more fat in your diet, I would go with some ALMONDS. A far better and more healthy source of fat. I often grab a quick snack of 10 almonds and that woks well. But with a 1/4 cup of PB a day, I doubt you will see a loss.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[princessrunner]

Hi Carla, I am here to offer my 2 cents in.

First, PB is a "good" fat, a MUFA (monounsaturated fat) as long as it is natural. You can grind your own at the health food store. Almond butter is yummylicious too. Adding a MUFA to each meal is a good thing and is supposed to help you lose weight. MUFA foods are olives, avocado, nuts, some oils, you can research them on the internet.

As far as your BMR and your intake, my BMR is 1850 and I have tried to take in that much and just cannot do it. I run, a lot, 20-30 miles too and I have taken the time to adjust my protein intake versus carbs to get them more on a 40% protein and 50% carb ratio which is working better for me. Granted I am not losing weight but I am not gaining either. I take in approximately 1500 to 1600 calories a day.

As far as the "naughty" times. If you cheat, do not beat yourself up about it. An indungence here and there is not a bad thing for you mentally. Depriving yourself of something that you want is a bad thing. Keep your indulgences to a minimum. Ask yourself if you really want it. Try a half a serving. There are a lot of ways to deal with this issue. Drink a big glass of water and you will probably only want half a serving. I keep mini peppermint patties frozen on hand and I can only chew 2 before my jaw is tired but I get my sugar fix and chocolate fix and we are done with it.

I hope this helps. You have some great advice here to work with. Keep up the good work and if nothing else, don't give up!!

 

[NancyIL]

From what I've read, fat isn't the enemy...it's sugar! When I lost 25 pounds 4 years ago, it was because I was on a high protein/moderate fat/low carb diet. Unfortunately - over the years I went back to my old ways of eating and the weight crept back.