Fat free vs full fat on WLI

[lechatnoir]

I’m getting confused about the whole fat free vs full fat whilst on WLI.

I know full fat is meant to be better for you in terms of satiety, but am reading that as WLI manage appetite there’s no need to have full fat so avoid adding unnecessary calories and have fat free plus this also tends to be less rich and better for nausea symptoms.

any thoughts? I’m going round in circles trying to decide whether I should be counting calories and staying lower fat or ignoring the counting and just focusing on protein first and everything else in moderation/minimal depending on appetite.

I use a calorie /nutrient counter (Nutracheck but there are many others) to log my food and I find that I have to eat full fat versions of milk, yogurt etc to get enough fat in my diet (I used to eat fat free versions).

In fact I still often come short and sometimes eat peanut butter or cheese to increase my fat, protein and calorie intake to a sensible level at the end of the day. Even full fat milk etc only has 5% fat. Fat is really important for many healthy bodily functions, such as for calcium absorption and for our brains.

Other than this, I avoid obviously 'fatty' foods, like fried or processed meat, chips, crisps, chocolate etc, as well as high carb foods, both for health/weight loss and because I want to avoid any unnecessary side effects of WLI.

I think if you're talking in terms of eating as clean as possible then it's probably best to be wary of anything labelled low fat, but I think plain yogurt is OK because it's not been adulterated with sugar to compensate for taking the fat away,thats the danger with low fat.
So lots of people like the 0% authentic Greek yogurt, not the Greek style, that has added thickener, and it's obviously lower in cals, I compromise and have the 5%,just because it tastes nicer.
Healthy fats like olive oil in moderation are good and they help with skin condition so things like sardines in olive oil are a good choice. Plus whole eggs that have healthy fat and vitamins in the yolk but are still relatively low in fat.

I think you can do either, depending on what works for you.

I basically concentrated on protein and went for low fat. Eg low fat quark for lunch. Partly because I felt like lower fat options - especially at first, anything fatty made me feel a bit sick. Plus it’s difficult to meet high protein goals within a calorie restriction without cutting fats and carbs right down.

On the other hand, I’ve also found that just a little bit of something fattier, like a blob of full fat Greek yoghurt with a salad, makes me feel much more full. So strategically used, full fat products helped me when I was at lowest calorie intake and still do.

Now I’m in maintenance on 5mg and I find that a cup of coffee with some full fat milk is a whole snack, in case I’m peckish.

Also I realized that I’d eaten very very low fat for well over a year, and the body does need some fats. So I’ve added almonds as a snack, and am making sure to have avocados more often, also full fat milk, some dark chocolate and a bit more cheese.

I’ve not counted calories or eaten low fat/low carb for 11 months now, and have still lost just over 4.5 stones. (I’ve occasionally checked calories if I’ve hit a plateau). I’ve generally eaten a balanced plate, of natural foods, avoiding processed foods and refined sugar. Yes I’d have eaten less calories if I’d picked low fat foods, but I want to change my eating habits and I enjoy eating the full fat Greek yogurt whereas I find the diet version revolting. I want to still enjoy what I’m eating- it’s the only way I’m going to sustain my weight long term.

There is no right or wrong- this is just what I’ve found works for me.

Low fat products have the fat replaced with sugar to make them taste palatable.

WLI work by managing/reducing blood sugar levels as well as hormones, so you should ideally avoid sugar products otherwise the food you are eating are fighting the WLI. Stick to full fat.

I’ve never eaten low fat anything and didn’t plan to change that on WLI.
we do need good quality fat in our diets, obviously not too much. I stay away from ‘fatty’ foods because they’re calorific but not nutritious (fried foods, crisps etc but will occasionally choose chips if I’m out because I do love them and I can’t eat a whole portion anyway, a bit of what you fancy does you good!) but use olive oil, full fat mayo and yoghurt, proper butter etc when I have them.

I get confused on this too!

I go with full fat greek yogurt for my breakfast, with blueberries and honey.

I have low fat cottage cheese (Graham's Dairy) and low fat greek yogurt (Fage 0%). Both of those don't have anything added to compensate for the low fatness and they don't taste of sadness to me like some low fat products. Other than that, I sometimes have reduced fat cheddar or the reduced fat babybels, which again don't have anything added to compensate. I wouldn't get anything pre-prepared that was labelled as low fat, but I do try to avoid processed things as much as possible at the moment.

I cook with olive oil, or butter. I would just have a very minimal amount rather than use any kind of low fat substitute.

I've generally adopted a low carb diet so it's always full fat for me. I avoid the starchy carbs and even with full fat I have no problem maintaining a calorie deficit. Fat isn't bad for you, even saturated fat. But I do avoid UPF wherever possible, which I believe is far more important.

I prefer the full fat ones as most low/no fat options are full of added sugars or thickeners. That also affect the taste. I find them also too thin and watery.

Fage Greek is ok with 0% fat, the only one I found so far I like.

I reduced carbs significantly and find that fat and protein fill me up better.

I couldn’t tolerate much fat in the first few months. I focused on protein.

I'm trying to maximize protein while keeping calories fairly low, so I do eat 0% Greek yogurt and I tend eat cottage cheese or a babybel light if I want to snack on cheese.

But I eat quite a lot of fat through oily fish, olive oil and seeds, so full fat dairy is an area where I can make some restrictions to allow me to keep on getting enough protein and fibre, and I had high cholesterol when I started taking WLI. Other people will have different eating patterns and different health issues and dietary needs which makes full fat the better option.

Honestly, I don't think it matters. As long as you get enough nutrients and eat the right amount of calories for your goals, you should just eat what works for you and feels sustainable.

Full fat is more nutrient-dense which is a consideration when you can only manage a small portion, especially to ensure appropriate levels of vital fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-free is helpful as a larger volume if you are not experiencing high suppression and have to work fairly hard to maintain a calorie deficit.

Lots of people can't tolerate much fat on WLI but if we're talking about milk and yoghurt, even full-fat versions are not high fat foods. Whole milk is less than 4% fat. The highest you will find is a 10% fat strained Greek yoghurt. Obviously it's a little different if we're talking about butter and cheese.

Full fat for me too. Milk, cheese, butter, olive oil. I sometimes have Fage zero yogurt but sometimes 5%, and Grahams cottage cheese are the only other exception I can think of.

As i eat so much less I feel getting good nutrients plus protein is a priority so Greek yoghurt but I choose 10% fat. I eat small amounts of peanut butter and half an avocado most days. I dont have full fat milk as it makes me feel sick (always has not a WLI thing).

I change it up and sometimes mix and max but am always perplexed when people say they choose full fat because they are focusing on protein or they avoid low fat because it's pumped full of additives or sweeteners to compensate for the lack of fat.
I tend to get Lidl greek yogurt and their 0 fat has 50% more protein, marginally more carbs (like .3 more per 100 g) and also just contains milk. To me it doesn't taste as creamy so if I'm having plain, I tend to go for full fat but if I'm mixing with berries and chia then I'll up my protein by going 0 fat.
Maybe different brands are different?
If money were no object and it was more easily available to me though I'd split the difference and go for Fage 5% which tastes the best to my mind, and beats the others for low cal / high protein

No I’m focusing on full fat because it tastes lovely, whereas the low fat is tart and unenjoyable for me. If I’m changing my habits I want it to be to things that I enjoy eating.