What's the Consensus on Skim/Non-Fat Milk?

I’ve always drank whole milk because that’s been my preference.

Now that I’m trying to lean out, I feel like most of my excess calories are from fat, so small changes like cooking spray and non-fat milk have been making a good difference, and it’s sustainable.

I’ve heard one guy said it’s just lactose-water, I’ve heard another guy say “It’s so processed that it’s BAD for you” without detailing why the process is bad for you (he was also pushing $10/gallon raw milk), I’ve also heard that it’s good for protein without the 5g of fat per serving, and of course there’s the whole “milk is for babies” line.

So where does everyone stand on that?

well, skim milk is going to have fewer calories, period. I like the macronutrient balance of whole milk much more, but if you won’t reduce volume of milk consumed, then I guess that would be a solution for taking in fewer calories.

I’m not sure how much this matters, but I’ve read that the removal of the fat in whole milk also affects the digestability/enzyme content of the milk. So that’s also a concern.

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I started a better diet this past November 1st. One thing I did was change from whole to non-fat skim. I did my macros as 40 protein, 40 carbs and 20 fat. Dropping the whole milk let me have some fats for the other meals. I dropped weight a little too fast (I’m guessing I dropped my calories too low), going from around 335 to 305 by February. I’m 315 in the avatar. Other than taste, I didn’t notice any side effect. I drink around 2 gallons a week.

As in easier to digest, or harder?

yeah, I have a similar milk intake, and I’ve never been too good at counting cooking oils, so I feel like I’m getting a good buffer by cutting the fat where I can.

I didn’t notice anything, digestion wise or other, when I changed.
That Fair Life milk is the holy grail, but I won’t pay that much. Fresh raw milk is greasy and nasty to me.

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I only drink whole. I think skim is too processed and turns milk into something it isn’t. If you want non fat liquid then drink water.

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Thats what I’m thinkin, but non-fat has that extra gram of protein + Kroger has a carb master version. Plus 16oz of skim in a protein shake turns the shake into 42g protein instead of only 24 if I used only water.

But that’s also my question: what happens during the process that affects it?

I used to pound down so much fairlife. The carbmaster from kroger is an alternative, but not too much cheaper.

Well, I think this is also just a personal philosophy. I personally like to eat as many whole, unadultered foods as possible. I try to avoid artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and highly processed foods. I consider skim milk to be a highly processed food. I also don’t worry about macros as eating whole foods (meats, nuts, fruits, vegetables, rice) will cover my nutritional needs.

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Dang, that’s been my personal philosphy till I realized how much fat I was taking in

I don’t think my fat intake is high at all. My fats come (mostly) from: almonds, full fat dairy, and fatty fish/meats. Even if you have eggs each day (I don’t), you’d be hard pressed to consume too much fat from these sources. Most people that take in too much fat eat a crap ton of fast food, processed snacks with lots of oils, and fried foods. Not raw almonds, salmon, and plain, full fat diary.

A chubby person lunch:
Turkey sandwich with low fat may, low fat cheese, some type of “smart choice” bread. A nonfat yogurt with some goopy fruit that’s flavored with fake sweeteners or stevia. A bag of Sun Chips or low fat chips. A diet soda. Dessert would be some type of low carb protein bar or snack.

A fit and healthy person lunch:
Fatty tuna with the natural oils included (like Whole Planet), a whole grain local bread without preservatives and crap, slice of full fat cheddar, avocado. A bag of raw almonds, which you can add cayenne pepper or cinnamon if you find raw almonds too bland. A banana and blackberries. Water to drink. Snack: natural peanut butter on apple slices or full fat, plain yogurt or kefir.

Isn’t the fat extraction from milk just mechanical (spinning/centrifuge)?

Seems relatively harmless compared to some of the other separation/extraction processes employed in other bulk food manufacturing.

I like full fat dairy products but have been considering using low or skim lately.

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Haha, well my fat intake is relatively high.

I counted out my macros, and I’m way off a 40C/40P/20F ratio. Slightly under carbs, slightly under protein, and way over fats. This macro count set my g of fat to 80, but I consumed about 140g. Opting for low fat carb/protein sources really helped.

When I meet prep, I eat freely so I don’t have to give my diet much thought and have a healthy caloric surplus to perform well. Then, and even now, I get plenty of fat from eggs, beef, and whatever cooking oils my dad adds to vegetables. Getting nice carbs in general from rice/cereals and quality protein from beef/chicken/dairy.

I’m about 192-195 lately, compete at 198, and I hit 210 during meet prep. I’m trying to get down to 180-185 so I can see how lean I can get and look natty shredded.

I have to supplement around 100 gms of whey per day to get the 315 gms of protein I’m trying to get. After I lost the weight, I went to 40p, 35c, 25f. I’m hovering right at 307 lbs at 3200 calories. I lift 4 days a week with the rest of my life mostly sedate.
Around 1 lb of meat per day, mostly chicken on the George Foreman grill. Red meat here and there. I like fish but rarely buy it. There’s probably a diet that would work better for me, but this is one that I can do and have stuck with.

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Yes, just about all (if not all) milk from large-scale, corn-fed manufacturing is defatted through centrifugation to remove all of the fat. The fat is then added back to make 1%, 2%, etc, and then homogenized.

As a side note, I prefer the milk I buy at the farmers market near my house. It’s grass-fed Jersey cow milk, minimally processed (heated to 160 F for 5 minutes and allowed to cool), and full of yummy fat.

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REAL MILK aka whole raw milk is the best with all its enzymes + nutrition. check out the Weston Price Foundation for the truth about DEAD milk with most everything dead from processing. organic whole milk is my second choice but being ultra pasteurized means more heat for longer shelf life $$$. raw milk varies + one thing for sure start slowly as the good live bacteria will “loosin” you up. about a gallon or so weekly these days, although many people don’t tolerate dairy in general many can consume raw dairy due to its live enzymes

I drink milk year round, though scale it back a bit come spring/summer. I head to a farm about 20 minutes away and get a few gallons of whole, non-homogenized milk and natural peanut butter (they include a small amount of honey in it). Freakin’ delicious and healthy.