I too am having difficulty in getting enough 'fat' in my diet.  I have been on Alli for 6 weeks and lost 8 lbs, but gained 2 lbs in the last couple of weeks.  I was following the diet online, but have gone to journaling everything.  When I know I'm low on 'fat' I have premeasured nuts to try to make up the difference.  Ive been doing this for about a week now, but no real change.

 I am also not having very many bm's; maybe 3 times/week; certainly not daily.  What am I doing wrong?

Hi,

After putting on pounds since I was married 19 yrs ago.  I was always a slim girl, but prolly the age thingy, metabolism slowing down, quit smoking at that time too.  Doesn't smoking keep you from eating?  yeppers...but of course....YUCK!

 After so many failures--aitkins, or simply cutting back calories and gaining it back, you know.

 I was about to deal with the *budge*.....but remembering my slim days and the clothes!  I was too poor to buy clothes...but now, I can afford them--and can't get into any of the cute clothes!  yesterday, I bought maternity!!!! yes maternity jeans!!!...I am only 215 pounds and 5'7"...(denial, I guess)

Anyway, I started Alli Aug 1st thinking it ain't gonna work.  Hey...!   was 230 and now 215!!!

anyhoo, i want to say that www.fitday.com really really helps!!!! try it!  i have a new bounce to my step.

Thanks Betty for the helpful information and encouragement.

 Judieb46

Follow the plan to a tee, you will get results. The first cupple of weeks is when you will lose the most amount of weight then after that you should lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. I've been on this plan for 7 weeks and have lost 32 pounds with just moderate excerise. Somehow it works. Don't give up and you'll get there

Hello there everyone!  This question goes out to all of you:

Besides oil (which I hate) and butter, do you know of any other types of food that are low in calories and high in fat?

I have had a problem reaching my fat goals.

I should be having 1400 calories a day (which i do) and 42g fat a day (which I can't seem to do)

For the last three days, the highest amount of gat grams that I have been able to ingest has been 32g.

I need ideas, please!!!!

Try the Kashi products.  There are cookies (very delicious) that have 5 grams of fat each.  I have tried the Oatmeal Raisian (tastes like a spice cookie) and the dark chocolate oatmeal (tastes like a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie).  The cookies are filled with fiber and nuts and really quite good.  I usually have a Smart Ones for lunch and then eat a Kashi cookie or one of the other Kashi bars.  They have a variety of crunchy and chewey bars and most of them are 5 grams of fat each.  The crunchy pumpkin bar is really good. I was always looking for something to add to my lunches to raise the fat grams and it is so much more satisfying that eating a few almonds or other nuts by themselves.  You feel like you are getting dessert.  Hope this helps.

I have been on the Alli plan for 2 days, and I have cut back on the fats, I havenot even had a bowl movement( oh how gross!). Should I be concerned, and it this normal?

Sherri

Thanks Betty for the insight.
This is one definite thing I have not been doing apart from writing journal.

I am a vegetarian & I don't know how to increase the fat intake with meals. I eat veggies/tofu/lentils most of the time. I do eat bread & other yummy carbs. Is using more oil the only solution or is there any other good way to increase the fat content.

I have been eating no fat dairy since my child hood & don't think I want to change that.

Appreciate your help in this.

Prashant

27 years

Immediate Goal: 220 

Current weight: 240 

Hi Barbie

I had the same problem when I first started. (1800 cal. 60g fat), Now. I'm beginning my fourth week, and let me tell you, I feel as if I've been to nutrition school. This program is like balancing a cup of water on my head.

The first week, I lost 4 pounds; the second, I stayed the same; and the third week, I lost 3 pounds. I really wanted this program to work for me, so after the second week when my weight stayed the same, I began charting calories, fat grams, carbohydrate grams, fiber, and protein grams in everything that I ate. I seemed like if I got the fat grams balanced, the protein was out of whack, and if I got the calories and the protein balanced, that the carbs were through the roof. You have to pay attention to the carbs, because that where many of us have a problem. Unfortunately, you can't just fill up on empty calories. Our bodies know the difference, like filling your car rwith part water, part gasoline. Sooner or later, the weightloss will wane and eventually stop. 

By charting (very time consuming, but EXTREMELY beneficial), I was able to see which of these targets I needed to focus on to BALANCE the equation; you do have to do the math. I already know nutritional facts for so many foods, just from repetition. The bottom line is this: INVEST IN YOU! Alli is not a magic pill. I'm doing the work....for me.

Best wishes and dedication to your weightloss.

Janet

Hi Pinkoobhatia,

There are lots of ways to get healthier fats in your plan.

• Omega-3 fats: most of us don't get enough of these in our diets. Go to http://www.tufts.edu/med/nutrition-infection/hiv/health_omega3.html for sources of these fat.
• Monounsaturated fat: the primary sources are vegetable oils such as olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil and sesame oil.  Other sources include avocados, peanut butter, and many nuts and seeds. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3045795#food_mono

Check out these articles for more information on dietary fat:

• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262
• http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html

Let me know if you have any other questions,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Thanks Betty for the reply.

I am interpreting your reply as, add more fats by cooking food in oil to make up for the fats. Recently I decided to use oil spray instead of oil to save those calories & using them as carbs like tortilla or just save it.

I am not a big peanut butter fan so oil/butter is my only oil go to guy now I guess.

Prashant

Thank you for this information.  I misread my fat grams for the day.  Having done the low fat diets in the past, I thought that I was only suppose to have 19 grams per day not meal.  I have been successful so far but hopefully upping the fat level will give me aa extra little boost.

Wow, this was an eye opener.  I've been doing very well on fat most of the time for breakfast and lunch - but dinner seems harder for me.  Meaning - my recommendation is 19 (or is it 18) and I told myself to shoot for 15 so if I go a little over, then I'm still not going over the fat grams.  My dinners are usually around 15-16 or so.  Am I actually making my progress slower by trying to stick to 15 when I'm recommended to have 19?  My max per day is 60 and I have to tell you that I haven't come close to that - I think the most I ever had in one day is 50 grams of fat.  The trouble is getting in "enough" fat without going over on the calories.  Several days I've been really low on fat - like 32 grams, but went up to 1800 calories.  How do you increase fat without increasing the calories too much?  Again, my recommendation is 1800 calories - but I'm trying to stay around 1500 - 1600.  Is that actually bad for me to do that? 

"The alli plan requires that 30% of your calories come from fat. Out of those calories, 25% are going to be excreted. This mean that your diet is actually 22.5% fat, which is close to the minimal amount recommended."

Betty, I don't understand the math in the explanation above. Isn't 25% from 30% equal to 5%?

Thanks.

BettyKovacs:

Hi Everyone,

I had posted this in response to a question and was told that it helped a lot of people understand why you need to reach your fat goal:

The way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories than your body needs. If you are sticking to your calorie goal for at least two weeks and you do not lose anything that means you need to cut your calories back a bit. You can cut back by 200 to 300 calories per day from what you were doing.

Now for my explanation on fat. I believe that fad diets have done a great deal of damage to peoples view on diet and nutrition. We have guidelines for good, healthy nutrition based on extensive research and yet the fad diets, that usually have no research to support their claims, have more impact on shaping our eating than the guidelines. There is such a thing as too little fat and it will cause problems for your weight and health. If you want the research to support this I would be happy to provide it.

The guidelines for our diets can be seen at http://www.iom.edu/?id=12702 and are:

• 45 percent to 65 percent from carbohydrates
• 20 percent to 35 percent from fat
• 10 percent to 35 percent from protein

The alli plan requires that 30% of your calories come from fat. Out of those calories, 25% are going to be excreted. This mean that your diet is actually 22.5% fat, which is close to the minimal amount recommended. For anyone who consumes less than 30% and takes alli, you are going under the recommendations for fat. That means that you are also going over the recommendations for carbs and/or protein. Too much and too little of any nutrient is a problem.

You have all invested your money, time, and hopes in this so why not trust it and do as recommended? When you need to cut back on your calories that is fine. The key is the balanced diet component. If you read the credentials for the people who have told you how to follow the fad diets you will be amazed to see how few have any training in nutrition. Your being given advice from nutrition experts on here and are being told the truth about how to do this the "right" way. If you can commit to learning to balance things out for the next 3 months it will be an investment that can end up improving your health and well-being while losing weight. Wouldn't it be great if this were the last diet that you had to go on?

I am here if you have any questions,

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD

Here is the math:

 EXAMPLE ONLY

1800 calorie diet that has 30% of the calories from fat = 540 calories from fat

When you excrete 25% of 540 calories that = 135 calories being excreted leaving 405 calories from fat

 An 1800 calorie diet with 405 calories from fat = 22.5% fat

Betty Kovacs, MS, RD