Am I using too much fat?

[MarissaLinnea]

This has long been the question for me since going Primal back in April. I never know if I have too much fat, or not enough. I'm hoping someone on here can tell me what they think.

In the morning, I have about one serving of coconut milk and one tablespoon of coconut oil in each of my coffees (I have two coffees every morning). I use clarified butter and olive oil for cooking my veggies and meats every day, and then I usually have fat in my snacks, like coconut milk in my afternoon coffee (no oil), after dinner sometimes I have fruit with coconut manna or almond butter. I don't go crazy with it, but I have 1-2 servings depending on what I feel I need/how hungry I am.

Ideally I would like to lean out a bit. I'm 5'7 and about 145lbs, athletic build but I would like to reduce body fat just a little bit. I'm very active, work out a lot and I don't eat a whole lot of carbs or starches, but I will have a sweet potato after working out. I try to eat higher fat in the morning, and lower fat in the afternoon and evening. But I don't know if that's working for me or not

I just never know if I'm eating enough fat, or too much. Here's the link to my food log so far if you want to look; I'm currently doing a Whole 30:

http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/974-marissalinneas-july-whole-30/

[Tom Denham]

Your meals sound good - variety, amount, composition. From reading your food log it appears that you sometimes snack on mostly fats - almond butter, coconut manna, olives. It would be better if your snacks were mini-meals with protein, veggies, and fats; not just fats. Making that change would reduce your fat intake a bit. And I don't understand putting coconut oil in your coffee. That sounds like you are trying to increase your fat intake. Of course, the really big question is whether you are having trouble with hunger. If you are not hungry and you want to get leaner, you might cut back on the fat in your snacks and coffee.

[MarissaLinnea]

Your meals sound good - variety, amount, composition. From reading your food log it appears that you sometimes snack on mostly fats - almond butter, coconut manna, olives. It would be better if your snacks were mini-meals with protein, veggies, and fats; not just fats. Making that change would reduce your fat intake a bit. And I don't understand putting coconut oil in your coffee. That sounds like you are trying to increase your fat intake. Of course, the really big question is whether you are having trouble with hunger. If you are not hungry and you want to get leaner, you might cut back on the fat in your snacks and coffee.

Thanks for your response Tom! Initially, I think I started putting CO in my coffee because I simply liked the taste. That and I do struggle with being tired during the day, and I read that if you are feeling tired or sluggish then to try adding more fat to the diet. I usually don't have almond butter and manna as a staple in my diet. I just happened to buy them shortly before starting my Whole 30, so they are there for the using. I can certainly try altering my snacks a bit to include more protein and some veggie.

As for hunger, I'm usually good from breakfast till lunch (about five hours, sometimes a bit longer) and I have less fat in my lunch but I do tend to get hungry before dinner time. But the real kicker is after dinner, I will have my meal and then an hour or two later, I actually feel hungry again. I have tried to eat more at dinner but it doesn't really make a difference. It's like my body is in it's own eating pattern, and it wants food before bed. I have even tried just not eating a snack before bed but then I just end up trying to go to sleep and feeling hungry, and it's hard to get to sleep that way.

Another thing I don't know is if I'm getting enough carb for the amount of activity I do. I do a lot of endurance cardio and I have a sweet potato after I work out, and then occasionally other starchy veggies like butternut and acorn squash, but that's it. Is it possible that I'm not getting enough carb?

[Tom Denham]

The late day hunger is curious. I delay supper until 7:30-8:00 PM and get in bed at 9:30 to make supper my last meal of the day. I often eat a big lunch at 1 PM or later and that makes it easier for me to delay supper as late as I do. This works for me, but I've only been doing it for a few months (of the 2 years I've been doing the Whole30 thing). Before, I ate 5-6 meals per day. I'm guessing it took me a long time to get my hormones in line to let me eat just 3 times per day. It really can take months and months of doing things right for a body to get settled.

Having plenty of energy during your workouts would suggest you are eating enough carbs. If you "run out of gas" some, you might want to add more starchy veggies. I ate a sweet potato every day back when I was losing weight, but was doing longer workouts back then.

[pgun3]

Thanks for your response Tom! Initially, I think I started putting CO in my coffee because I simply liked the taste. That and I do struggle with being tired during the day, and I read that if you are feeling tired or sluggish then to try adding more fat to the diet. I usually don't have almond butter and manna as a staple in my diet. I just happened to buy them shortly before starting my Whole 30, so they are there for the using. I can certainly try altering my snacks a bit to include more protein and some veggie.

As for hunger, I'm usually good from breakfast till lunch (about five hours, sometimes a bit longer) and I have less fat in my lunch but I do tend to get hungry before dinner time. But the real kicker is after dinner, I will have my meal and then an hour or two later, I actually feel hungry again. I have tried to eat more at dinner but it doesn't really make a difference. It's like my body is in it's own eating pattern, and it wants food before bed. I have even tried just not eating a snack before bed but then I just end up trying to go to sleep and feeling hungry, and it's hard to get to sleep that way.

Another thing I don't know is if I'm getting enough carb for the amount of activity I do. I do a lot of endurance cardio and I have a sweet potato after I work out, and then occasionally other starchy veggies like butternut and acorn squash, but that's it. Is it possible that I'm not getting enough carb?

Getting hungry after supper for me is my problem too! i feel stuffed after supper but then I am hungry an hour or two later!

[karacooks]

One thing to think about is this: Is your hunger after dinner really true hunger or is it an urge to eat? I know for myself, I got into such a bad habit of snacking in the evenings, that I often feel "hungry" later in the evening, especially if I'm watching a movie or just piddling around on the laptop. I'm not really physically hungry; I'm emotionally/mentally wanting food.

Sometimes a cup of tea will kill the feeling but sometimes it won't. I just power through it and know that at some point the snacky urges will go away. They've done so before.

However, if you're really really hungry or if it's affecting your sleep, then something small and protein-y before bed probably would not hurt. Far better to eat something and sleep well than to lie in bed and toss and turn.