Conference rocks::weight_control

    from what I have read, been told by dr., etc....
    based not on percentages but on grams per day...
    
    >20 grams per day to lose
    20>30 grams per day to maintain
    30> grams per day most likely gain
    
    hope this helps some.
    
    nicole

    Giving fat by absolute weight as opposed to percentage doesn't really
    make much sense - I'm surprised your Dr gave you those figures. 
    If you eat 2000 calories a day to maintain (which I do), that's a big
    difference than eating 1000 calories a day.  Bigger people need and can
    burn more fat than smaller people.
    
    30 grams of fat is about 15% of 2000 calories.
    
    D!

    re .-1  
    
    I think you're right that you can eat more grams of fat per day and
    still maintain.  60 is what I've heard.  I disagree, however, with the
    idea that counting grams isn't a good way to do it.  If you want to eat
    be sure that your diet contains less than a certain percentage of fat,
    then all you have to do is figure out how many grams that comes to per
    day.  If you restrict your fat intake to that amount, you will most
    likely meet or exceed your goal.  And it is *LOTS* easier than looking
    at the percentage of everything.  I mean, think about a meal that has a
    piece of meat, some bread, some vegetables.  First you have to figure
    the percentage of the meat, and it's probably way higher than the
    percentage you want in your overall intake for the day.  But you offset
    that percentage with the low percentage for the vegetables and the
    bread -- more figuring.  This gets really tedious.  If you just count
    the grams, then even if you eat more fat-free food after you've consumed 
    your fat allotment for the day, your percentage of fat will be *lower*
    than your goal.
    
    For myself, I find that if I restrict myself to <20 grams per day, I
    lose weight really fast.  If I restrict myself to <30 I lose, but more
    slowly.  And while I'm doing this, I eat unlimited amounts of complex 
    carbohydrates and it does not seem to slow down the weight loss.
    
    -ellie

    >I disagree, however, with the
    >idea that counting grams isn't a good way to do it.  If you want to eat
    >be sure that your diet contains less than a certain percentage of fat,
    >then all you have to do is figure out how many grams that comes to per
    >day. 
    
    Of course.  How else would I do it?  I never said any differently.  I
    said I didn't think giving and absolute grams-of-fat measure for all
    people made any sense.  Obviously, though, fat is measured in grams,
    and for each person there is an optimal number of grams of fat.
    
    I eat 2000 calories per day.  30% of 2000 is 600, which is 66 grams of
    fat, so *I* should not eat more than 66 grams a day.  That doesn't mean
    other people, who eat different amounts of food, so eat the same amount
    of fat as me.
    
    The question I have is - 66 grams (30%) is an upper limit - what's the
    lower limit?
    
    D!

    re .-1
    
    OK,  Sorry if I misunderstood your reply.  YOu'll find that many people
    who are watching their fat intake only think in percentages and try to
    apply that to everything they eat, driving themselves crazy in the
    process.
    
    You're probably right that the amount of fat required for maintenance
    varies from person to person.  But the latest recommendation from the
    health mavens is a diet of 15 - 20 % fat.  This translates to 33 - 40
    grams of fat in a 2000 calorie diet.  I'm not sure how much extra fat
    is required by extra physical activity, since I've heard that fat is
    not directly burned by exercise.  I.e exercise burns the fat on your
    body, not the fat you eat.  the fat you eat has to first be deposited
    in your cells to be available for fuel.   Myself, I find that extra
    physical activity eliminates my desire for fat.  I tend to crave things
    like fresh fruit.  Your milage may vary....
    
    -e

    >I'm not sure how much extra fat is required by extra physical activity,
    >since I've heard that fat is not directly burned by exercise.  
    
    Well, extra physical activity increases your required total calorie
    intake level.  Since fat is calculated as a percentage, then your
    desired fat intake level would go up proportionally.
    
    D!

.5>  is required by extra physical activity, since I've heard that fat is
.5>  not directly burned by exercise.
    
    True, neither fats nor carbohydrates are used by the muscles for energy,
    ATP (adenosine(?) triphosphate) is.  But they are used to synthesize ATP.