What's your opinion of Low Fat?

[Swampdoggie 477]

There's so much contradictory info out there. My NUT wants me to eat low fat. I have read some many articles and books about how fat is not the enemy, so long as its healthy and it definitely increases satiety. For me. I strive for Protein first, but I make sure to add in some fat - avocado, nuts, and I tend toward eating higher fat meats, because the low fat is so hard to get down.

So my question is whether anyone has tried high and low and had more success with one of the two.

[Miss Mac 6,262]

Fat still has calories. Two ounces of turkey breast (100 calories) will carry you a lot farther than one tablespoon of Peanut Butter or an ounce of cheese. I find that that nuts are a major slider for me and it is easy to eat 1/2 cup of nuts without realizing I have consumed hundreds of calories.

I still scramble my eggs with a teensy bit of real butter, but can't really afford the calories in coconut oil. Although my doctor would prefer that I eat more chicken and fish, I do cook one three-ounce steak a week. I have stalled out about fourteen pounds from goal, so I think I will hold off with Peanut Butter and cheese until I hit a maintenance weight that I am comfortable with.

[mrsbailey921 117]

for me, NORMAL is key. i just want to eat NORMALLY. like HEALTHY people do. i want to have a VARIED diet with all nutrients, minerals and Vitamins, and yes, fat too.

i was once on a strict no fat diet...my body was retaining the weight and i was always sick. then i started adding fat again but in more limited quantities and i started losing.

i also had a relatively high fat diet that did not include bread or Pasta and i lost a good amount of weight, and always had energy.

fat is not the enemy and i do not listen to any advice that tells me to cut it from my diet.

[bikrchk 1,313]

I don't do low anything if it means I'm trading something natural for something processed. For example, I eat real eggs and real butter and at least 2% cheese\milk now. Always did margarine, plastic fat free cheese and Egg Beaters before. I can't say I don't use artificial sweeteners, but a few drops of stevia in my tea is way less offensive than the gallons of Diet Coke I used to drink. If I'm baking, I use sugar.

I do try and tilt recipes to make better choices. I found one for a "Protein cookie" I just love, made with almond butter eggs, sugar and Protein powder. No flour. I'm not anti-gluten, I just prefer this recipe. It's NOT low fat, or low sugar really but it has more "food" in it than if I'd gone to Panera and bought a brownie to squash that craving.

While I was losing I logged everything, used the recipe analyzer in MFP so I'd know what I was consuming and made sure my meals fit within the parameters I was trying to hit. 1000-1200 calories per day, 75g + Protein and balance the rest among carbs and fat though I wasn't tracking those hard. I tracked for over a year. Long enough to develop new eating\cooking habits and understand what I was putting in my mouth. I only track now if I've gained outside my maintenance zone, (rare).

[NikkiDoc 312]

I am willing to do some low fat products such as cheese, milk, yogurt, sour cream, mayo, ground beef. I will not eat no fat things that should have fat such as sour cream, cheese, yogurt. I am fine with skim milk.

I will eat dark meat chicken rather than breast meat. Sometimes breast meat is too dry.

I find that for certain things I will eat the no fat version and it leaves me unsatisfied so I graze on "healthy" things looking for that taste. I would rather eat a 1/4 cup of ice cream than a 1/2 cup of ice milk or one slice of real cheese versus 3 of fat free cheese.

[JamieLogical 8,708]

I don't track fat, but my general rule, when picking out foods, is to just check that it has more Protein than fat. The one exception to this rule that I occasionally eat is Peanut Butter. As long as I get my 100g of protein per day and most of the things I'm eating have more protein than fat, then I'm happy.

[Cyrine 0]

What is MFP tracker?

[JamieLogical 8,708]

What is MFP tracker?

My Fitness Pal:

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/

[LipstickLady 25,682]

I eat real food. Real cheese, real dressing, real mayo, eggs and butter.

Lower fat foods tend to be higher in sugar and therefore, carbs. I personally subscribe to a high Protein, high fat, low carb diet. My fats, however, come from healthier sources.

Higher fats keep me fuller longer. I eat such small portions, I don't worry about calories unless I've hit the top of my bounce range. Even then, I don't worry much, I just cut out the creeping carbs and the weight melts right back off.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

Lower fat foods tend to be higher in sugar and therefore, carbs.

@@LipstickLady

aww man bud

you took the wise words right out of my mouth

@@Swampdoggie

i will not eat low fat this, or that

"they" add more sugar to make it taste better

decisions, decisions, decisions

good luck bud

kathy

Edited March 13, 2015 by proudgrammy

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Lower fat foods tend to be higher in sugar and therefore, carbs.

@@LipstickLady

aww man bud

you took the wise words right out of my mouth

@@Swampdoggie

i will not eat low fat this, or that

"they" add more sugar to make it taste better

decisions, decisions, decisions

good luck bud

kathy

That's not ALWAYS the case. It's good to read nutrition labels. I eat Reduced Fat string cheese every day. If I compare the nutrition labels from the full fat version to the reduced fat version, the reduced fat has:

10 less calories

2 grams less fat

10 mg less sodium

same Potassium

same carbs (1g)

same sugar (0g)

1 gram more Protein

5% more Calcium

So why on earth would I choose the full fat version over the low fat version? The reduced fat is better for me in every way.

I think blanket statements like "only eat full fat" or "only eat low fat" are equally foolish. Read your labels!

[JamieLogical 8,708]

Another example. I eat Dannon Light & Fit Greek yogurt. If I compare their Key Lime to Oikos Traditional full-fat Key Lime flavor, the Dannon Light & Fit has:

80 less calories (exactly half as much as the Oikos)

4.5 grams less fat (including 3 grams less saturated fats)

20 mg less sodium

5 mg more potassium

9 grams less carbs (exactly half as much as the Oikos)

10 grams less sugar (LESS than half as much as the Oikos)

1 gram more Protein

So, again tell me how the low fat option is the wrong one in this case?

Edit: I checked the ingredients and the Dannon Light & Fit does have sucralose listed, so if you are opposed to artificial sweeteners, then that might be a knock against it. However, the Oikos has "sugar" listed as an actual ingredient and much higher on the list than sucralose is for the Dannon.

Edited March 13, 2015 by JamieLogical

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

@proudgrammy

i will not eat low fat this, or that

"they" add more sugar to make it taste better

@@JamieLogical

That's not ALWAYS the case. It's good to read nutrition labels

@proudgrammy again (this is fun)

my comment about not eating ANY/or low fats was incorrect/spoke too quickly

I DO read labels

"usually"/always/sometimes

mainly always, really

main food that comes to mind no fat

Fage 0% plain fat free greek yogurt

i eat this frequently

my go to food

Other side of the coin

I eat regular hellmanns mayo (only take a teeny bit)

the low fat has lots more sugar in it

don't have a btl so can't list contents

i'm smiling all the way to the grocery store

wanna join me?

still friends bud??

kathy

Edited March 13, 2015 by proudgrammy

[JamieLogical 8,708]

still friends bud??

I'll have to think about it!

[Sunnybaby 95]

I

I don't do low anything if it means I'm trading something natural for something processed. For example, I eat real eggs and real butter and at least 2% cheese\milk now. Always did margarine, plastic fat free cheese and Egg Beaters before. I can't say I don't use artificial sweeteners, but a few drops of stevia in my tea is way less offensive than the gallons of Diet Coke I used to drink. If I'm baking, I use sugar.

I do try and tilt recipes to make better choices. I found one for a "protein cookie" I just love, made with almond butter eggs, sugar and Protein powder. No flour. I'm not anti-gluten, I just prefer this recipe. It's NOT low fat, or low sugar really but it has more "food" in it than if I'd gone to Panera and bought a brownie to squash that craving.

While I was losing I logged everything, used the recipe analyzer in MFP so I'd know what I was consuming and made sure my meals fit within the parameters I was trying to hit. 1000-1200 calories per day, 75g + Protein and balance the rest among carbs and fat though I wasn't tracking those hard. I tracked for over a year. Long enough to develop new eating\cooking habits and understand what I was putting in my mouth. I only track now if I've gained outside my maintenance zone, (rare).

Hi bikrchk

Would you mind posting the cookie recipe? I'd love to try making them. Do you have the nutritional info on them?