fat intake

[Norman_Clyde]

When I was heavily into triathlons once upon a time, and working out something like 4 hours a day most days, my body fat was probably as low as Skykilo and Fence Sitter's is now. It was fine for triathlons, but one thing I noticed was if I wasn't exercising I got COLD very easily, especially when swimming in the ocean, but also doing things like riding in a convertible. I had no insulation at all. Obviously, this is not one hundred per cent adaptive to the mountain environment, though a fabric insulating layer is probably lighter than extra fat, and you can take the clothing off when it's warm.

 

Another consideration is that you might actually need this fat for fuel on a long climb. At this point I seek to use my fat as fuel only in a crisis, since my metabolism converts to fat utilization only by making me miserable, cold, bitchy, shaky and weak for several hours. After that, I'm all right, but I try to avoid that condition in climbing situations.

 

Besides the above, I very much doubt that there are any negative health effects to having too low a body fat percentage. I've never seen any literature to suggest this idea. Body fat percentage is not a measure of overall nourishment status; in the USA at least, where people have access to sufficient calories, in my opinion it correlates more with metabolic rate and how much the person is exercising. The metabolic rate seems to be genetically determined to a great extent, which is why some people stay skinny no matter what and others can't get there no matter what.

 

Exercise is a big factor, however. Besides the fact that my general tendency to hold on to fat increases slightly as I get older, my body fat percentage seems to correlate directly with my exercise output. I exercise more, I eat more, but at the same time I get skinnier. I think this general rule holds true for most people, but what differs is each person's baseline set point on the fat to skinny scale.

 

Fairweather: the most recent studies of diets once again seem to confirm what's been said before. It's not the carbs or fat, it's the calories.

[russ_cunningham]

You guys should all just chill.. no one cares how low your body fat is. I have like eight percent, and frankly if it were any lower I would wither away into a sack of bones every time I went on a climb.

As far as losing body fat, the only way to do it is to speed up your metabolism; by getting lots of excersize (and not just cardio, weight training helps a lot) and by eating all the time. I know that sounds wierd, but our systems are designed to get a constant flow of calories; (think about it, did our african ansestors really get three meals a day? No, they were out nibling and snacking all the time) So when people stuff themselves three times a day, it slows down their system and stimulates calorie storage. The moral? Forget the stupid meals, and just eat small amounts all the time. You get the same amount of calories, you'll suport muscle growth, and you will never get blood sugar crashes (which also stimulate fat storage).

I'm not saying I know the secret, but it just seems like common sense.

[Dru]

Norman_Clyde said:

Besides the above, I very much doubt that there are any negative health effects to having too low a body fat percentage. I've never seen any literature to suggest this idea.

 

 

Maybe you should read some of the literature on anorexia which eventually kills something like 25% of the people who have it...and not always because they starve to death...

[skykilo]

Dru-

Somehow I don't think literature on anorexia would be directly applicable to people who consume 4,000+ calories a day.

I am also curious to hear about your innovative technique of assessing Fence Sitter's body fat by visual inspection.

[Fence_Sitter]

I got COLD very easily

 

my hands turn gawd awful colors... that i shwy i hate ranier!

[Fence_Sitter]

Dru said:

i have seen you

 

you dont look like 5% to me let alone 3%.

 

are you calling me fat?

[Norman_Clyde]

People with anorexia nervosa have low body fat, for sure, but they also have an extremely low body mass, i.e. their muscles and other vital tissues are wasting away because they are indeed starving. Your average male climber with low body fat percentage may be lean, but he probably has enough muscle mass for an above average body mass index.

 

Too late to edit into my last post!

[Fence_Sitter]

Norman_Clyde said:

People with anorexia nervosa have low body fat, for sure, but they also have an extremely low body mass, i.e. their muscles and other vital tissues are wasting away because they are indeed starving. Your average male climber with low body fat percentage may be lean, but he probably has enough muscle mass for an above average body mass index.

 

Too late to edit into my last post!

 

yeah strange thing... my friends were making fun of me to go on one of those scales in the mall in russia and it tells you how overweight you are... it said i was 3 kilos overweight! so i am guessing my body mass is on the high side, but i am skinny as hell... so i dunno

[Bug]

Fairweather said:

Just curious about what you all consider a reasonable sat.fat/total fat daily intake?

 

My weight is a very stable 165-167 lbs (I'm 5'9" 41 yrs old) and I have about 14-15% body fat. I feel I'm in better than average cardio shape vs. the average weekend warrior, but could be superior if I could drop another 8-10 lbs.

 

My best attempts to track my total fat intake have me at about 20-25 grams/day. Does this sound excessive? I drink no milk, eat no fast food. (I do drink Coke and eat pretzels!)

 

Just curious what thoughts are out there re fat intake....

 

...or are the carbs the real problem?

 

I'm 44, fat and tired of it. Kids, wife, desk job, enough money to eat out whenever, etc,etc. Discipline is all there is to it. You know the rest. Here is a site to check in at though. Straight forward. http://www.hussman.org/fitness/

[lummox]

'does my butt look big in these pants?'

'does this top make me look fat?'

its like the rikki lake show round here.