Is it possible to be eating too much fat? page

[jloman730]

Hi, I'm kind of new to living primal... I was talking to my mom about it (I'm in college and home for the holidays) and she seemed pretty sold on most of it- lower carbs, saturated fat not being so bad for you after all, more veggies- but she is concerned that I'm going to be eating too much fat and that it won't help me lose weight. As long as I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full, is it possible to be eating too much fat?

[Beefsister]

How much fat you can eat without gaining weight kind of depends on how many carbs you take in, plus how you lose weight as an individual. For some, calories don't seem to matter as long as they stay under 20ish carbs, while some may not lose if they eat too many calories from fat, even in the absence of carbs. Gender is important. Most men I follow on low carb forums seem to basically be able to eat as much as they want, as long as carbs are low, but many women have to also watch calories. I personally don't worry about my calories, as fatty diets are very filling, but some have trouble losing if they don't keep an eye on their intake.

[aboutsaffron]

not likely. fat is the most satiating of all the macronutrients - you'll know when you've had your fill.

[Diana Renata]

I agree. And if you find yourself not losing like you want, you can trim back a bit, but I'd suggest just going with what your body's telling you.

[jloman730]

Thank you! I figure I don't have too much to worry about... I just sometimes have a hard time contradicting my mom, who has so much more life experience than I do. Although... she did tell me today that she didn't think it was possible to lose weight without being hungry :P so I'd like to prove her wrong! haha

[emmie]

Your mother may just be projecting from her own experience, but as others have noted, age and gender make a big difference in how we can eat.

I am a 'senior' woman and find that I do best with low-ER fat. That's not low fat, by any means, but lower than younger people can eat. (By SAD standards, I'm eating 'high fat'!)

[AndreaReina]

not likely. fat is the most satiating of all the macronutrients - you'll know when you've had your fill.

Protein's also very satiating (actually saw it ranked above fat either at Leangains or Anthony Colpo's site). However you slice it though, protein plus fat plus good fibrous veggies equals lots of satiation. I actually have to eat before I'm hungry again or my calorie count goes way down, and I'm actually trying to gain weight. At 5'11" (180cm) and ~128lbs (~60kg) I would definitely appreciate some muscle mass.