Freaking out about fat grams

Okay, so I'm going to the doctor soon to figure out what my calorie intake and stuff should be, but in the meantime, I'm shooting for 1800 calories a day. But I'm freaking out about how much fat I should be taking in.  Does anyone know how to calculate fat intake relative to calorie intake?

Today I did a rough log of what I expect to eat. I already ate my rice cakes with one serving of reduced fat peanut butter( 300 calories, 12 grams of fat!). But then I usually have oatmeal (120 calories, 2 grams of fat). 

Lunch is a salad with fat free dressing and shrimp (170 calories, 1.5 gram of fat), healthy request soup (220 calories, 5 grams of fat).

I'm going to the mall with a food court this evening, but they have a subway, so I'll have a 6" turkey sandwich for dinner (280 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, I don't add dressing or cheese so I know it will be those stats).

This gives me around 1100 calories and 25 grams of fat! I realize the peanut butter is killer; 12 grams of fat for a couple tablespoons is horrible, but its what helps me get through the morning, I don't get my lunch hour till 2pm! I'm open to other filling alternatives, but I already ate them today and I can't see where to cut more fat. Or is this just a completely moot point because I'm freaking out about nothing? I'm just scared because 1100 calories is so far off what my target is, but afraid to put anything else in my mouth. With my stats, thats like a 1750 calorie deficiency.

Thanks in advance and I apologize if this is the wrong forum.

this link was useful for me:

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/nutrient_cal culator.htm

 You can afford to take in more fat!

Thanks so much! According to that link I'm totally worried about nothing. With 1800 calories I should try for about 40-50 grams of fat. 

I do think I may need to search for some additional ways to get some low cal. protein in my diet, thats why I'm having shrimp on the salad, turkey on the sub, etc. I'm sure I could stand more fruits and veggies too, so when I'm at lunch today I'll look to grab a few things to have in my bag to eat with dinner.

I averaged 41 grams of fat per day on an average of 1650 calories for the month of Feb -- and that is about what I've done for most of the past 6 months.

Oh -- and I cook all veggies with olive oil -- and I never log it.

Your body needs fat to survive -- your brain lives off of fat.  Just chose wisely (olive oil, nuts, fish -- great sources).  You will feel less hungry when you include fat in your "diet"

I try to get 10grams per meal and around 2-4 per snack.

 

 

Then this WILL really freak you out. My last three days: 77, 76, 69 grams of fat. My calories usually come in about the same as yours, maybe 100 calories lower.

Now, I eat HEALTHY fats: Everyday: Natural peanut butter, almonds, flax seed and sunflower kernels on my salad.

I've maintained my 30 pound weight loss since October 2006. I weigh 110 pounds.

I don't worry about the fat grams, as long as they are coming from healthy food.

25 grams of fat in a 1100 calorie diet is just 20% calories from fat.  This is the bare minimum of fat you should eat.  You will be healthier with 35 grams of fat a day (or 30%) and 10% of that should be saturated fat.

All I would add is that I agree w/ trhawley almost 100% ... all I'd change is that not 10% *should* be saturated fat, but that *max* 10% should be saturated.  30% fat intake is good, but as few saturated fats as you can take in, the better.

The ideal ratio to shoot for is 40/30/30 --> 40 carbs, 30 fat, 30 protein.  And of course your carbs should be "good carbs" (whole grains, veggie-carbs, fruit-carbs). :)

Make sure you weigh your peanut butter servings.

=) 

I eat 200-220 grams of fat per day. That's right, two hundred.

I have perfect blood lipids and just had my bodyfat tested at 7%.

Fat does not make you fat. Excess calories is what causes weight gain, and thus your caloric intake is far more important than your fat grams.

Original Post by allenal:

The ideal ratio to shoot for is 40/30/30 --> 40 carbs, 30 fat, 30 protein. And of course your carbs should be "good carbs" (whole grains, veggie-carbs, fruit-carbs). :)

40-30-30 depends on your goals and exercise. Most health organizations recommend something close to 50-30-20, with a good bit of flexibility in those numbers.  There's more detail here: http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_ratio s.php

Also, I'd like to point out to the OP that protein *is* calories.  Seeking a low-calorie source of protein is like finding a low-hydrogen source of water.  What you want is a food which is high in protein relative to the other calories (fats and carbs). 

Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories

So fat has about twice as much energy (calories) as Protein and Carbs per gram. 

Roasted chicken breast (http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/item/5064.ht ml) is high in protein.  1 cup has 5g fat, 0g carbs, 43g protein.  217 calories come from: Fat=45, Protein=172.  That gives it a carbs/fat/protein ratio of 0/20/80.  If you look on the CC food information page, you'll see a graph at the bottom showing the percentages in a bar graph and a pie chart.  This is a helpful reference to find foods that are high in a particular macronutrient (carbs, fat, protein).

I take food engineering in university. It is said that 25% of your calories should come from fat, and 1g of fat has 9 calories.

Any less fat than that, you will not feel satisfied and will crave for more food.

fat can only be consumed by ur body efficiently when carbohydrates are present,  without C, fat can't be broken down properly and will result in ketosis (a disease).

eat alot of fruits and vegetable! keep yourself busy and happy!
good luck =)

what is reduced fat peanut butter? o.O If it is Jif or something i really reccommend not eating it. I'm probably going to get bashed for this, but whenever I eat real food i eat less and it gets your metabolism working more efficently. look for PB tha has peanuts as the only ingredient

Totally agree about the "real food".  We eat real butter and real peanut butter around here.  Moderation of the whole food picture is the key, not substituting fake foods.