Thoughts on diet high in fat??

conoramck

Afternoon All,

I was thinking about trying out a diet thats higher in fats (mostly healthy fats but I've heard recently that saturated fats aren't as bad as what people think??). The ratio's I was thinking of going for are as follow: 55% fat - 25% protein - 20% carbs for about 2500 calories. Anybody on a diet like this and have success with it?? any feedback is welcome.

My goal isn't too lose weight or gain weight as such (I'm 6ft 1 and about 12 stone). I'm mostly thinking about doing it to feel better, have more energy and see how it effects how I feel during training as sometimes I feel sluggish. I've noticed at times that I feel quite lethargic and lack energy during the day which I think may have something to do with my diet and I've heard a higher fat diet can be good for raising energy levels among other things.

Many thanks in advance,

Conor.

livingleanlivingclean

It's not unhealthy - it is something only you can decide on though, some people feel great with lower carbs and using fat for fuel, others don't.

I eat lower carbs until around training times.... Higher fat and protein in the am - i think I feel better, more even energy and better focus.

conoramck

Yeah what you explained if pretty much what I'm after, at times my energy seems to dip really low to the point im almost unable to concentrate on my work and stuff.

More even energy and better focus sounds good to me!

Murielle1628

Given your fitness, it sounds like you have good reason to give it a try. But, needless to say, keep an eye on your cholesterol and blood pressure (maybe check it every 2-3 months or so while on the diet and if it remains stable, every 6 months after that). You don't want to become at risk for a cardiac event.

miriamtob

I raised healthy fat and it has been really amazing for my skin and mental state. I am losing weight at a steady clip with 24:30:46 c:p:f. Need to check blood work soon, but I don't believe dietary fat and cholesterol are the main culprits in heart disease.

sixxpoint

There is a plethora of good research in support of high fat diets.

Nevertheless, some people prefer moderate protein, moderate fat, high carb diets. Some prefer high fat, moderate protein and very low carb diets. Some prefer high protein, moderate fat and moderate carb diets. Some folks prefer a yet different combination of macronutrients. It's highly individual.

dopeysmelly

I kind of naturally increased my fat without really thinking about it much. I gravitated that way because I felt a lot better in myself and I just preferred eating that kind of food.

I didn't watch the saturated fat, and I found my "bad" cholesterol went sky-high (even after losing 65 lbs, go figure!), so I've since cut saturated fat right down (cholesterol went right down with it and then some), BUT I still eat quite high fat (around 40-45%).

My limited understanding is that the saturated fat-cholesterol response is an individual thing affecting an unknown proportion of the population (I've seen 1/4 to 1/3 thrown around). Also, the effect on heart disease is being argued about constantly. But the chances are you won't know until you try it so you might want to just keep it in the back of your mind.

jgnatca

I find it really, really hard to modify the proportions. One must be creative. Give it a try and I suggest you diarize your energy swings (say, from a scale from 0-5, 0 being your lowest). Then you will be able to see if a different diet made a significant difference in your energy levels. I find nuts to be great for leveling off my energy reserves.

conoramck

Thanks to all who replied so far. This is probably a stupid questions but I take you can't test your cholestrol yourself and it would take a visit to the doctor??

Ive heard a lot of good stuff about higher fat diets recently myself and I think there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding it and heart disease, other heath issues etc but its kind of hard to know what to believe.

Excellent idea about keeping a diary, I'll definitely be doing that.

lemurcat12

Lots of people do it, and I think it's worth experimenting with.

I don't enjoy doing something as high in fat as 55% personally, but that doesn't mean you won't.

biggsterjackster

I love my high fat diet. Got a lot more energy and keep losing weight. Another plus... I feel full fast and stopped craving for snacks in between meals.

RodaRose

conoramck wrote: »

Thanks to all who replied so far. This is probably a stupid questions but I take you can't test your cholestrol yourself and it would take a visit to the doctor??

Ive heard a lot of good stuff about higher fat diets recently myself and I think there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding it and heart disease, other heath issues etc but its kind of hard to know what to believe.

Excellent idea about keeping a diary, I'll definitely be doing that.

You can keep notes in your MFP food diary.
The misinformation comes from the 1970s/1980s.

MostlyWater

I've heard that if you are careful about carbs and processed food, you can eat more fats.

JPW1990

conoramck wrote: »

Thanks to all who replied so far. This is probably a stupid questions but I take you can't test your cholestrol yourself and it would take a visit to the doctor??

Ive heard a lot of good stuff about higher fat diets recently myself and I think there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding it and heart disease, other heath issues etc but its kind of hard to know what to believe.

Excellent idea about keeping a diary, I'll definitely be doing that.

You need a doctor to test. Also be aware that cholesterol changes most likely aren't food related at all, unless you're one of a minority people with a genetic factor that makes them sensitive to it. Weight loss alone will cause improvements, but for some people, that includes one of those numbers getting worse short term, then improving along the way.

My fat% is generally between 60 and 70, on paper. In practice, fat is not a goal, it's just what you use to fill in when you're hungry after you've gotten enough protein. If you're not hungry and you still have 30g of fat left, don't force feed them just to make the numbers balance out.

conoramck

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Lots of people do it, and I think it's worth experimenting with.

I don't enjoy doing something as high in fat as 55% personally, but that doesn't mean you won't.

Yeah 55% is quite high in fairness,
It's just something I've been thinking about and not a definite percentage yet, but I think I might try that to start off.

biggsterjackster wrote: »

I love my high fat diet. Got a lot more energy and keep losing weight. Another plus... I feel full fast and stopped craving for snacks in between meals.

That's encouraging, do you concentrate mostly on healthy fats or do you throw saturates fats in there as well

JPW1990 wrote: »

conoramck wrote: »

Thanks to all who replied so far. This is probably a stupid questions but I take you can't test your cholestrol yourself and it would take a visit to the doctor??

Ive heard a lot of good stuff about higher fat diets recently myself and I think there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding it and heart disease, other heath issues etc but its kind of hard to know what to believe.

Excellent idea about keeping a diary, I'll definitely be doing that.

You need a doctor to test. Also be aware that cholesterol changes most likely aren't food related at all, unless you're one of a minority people with a genetic factor that makes them sensitive to it. Weight loss alone will cause improvements, but for some people, that includes one of those numbers getting worse short term, then improving along the way.

My fat% is generally between 60 and 70, on paper. In practice, fat is not a goal, it's just what you use to fill in when you're hungry after you've gotten enough protein. If you're not hungry and you still have 30g of fat left, don't force feed them just to make the numbers balance out.

60 - 70% that's quite high! Thanks for this ill keep it in mind!

Vune

I've always had a tendency toward a higher fat diet due to kidney issues (need to keep my protein moderate), and my gallbladder has become increasingly angry abut it. If you experience radiating upper belly pain, see a GI specialist. I'm a little sad about having to break up with ice cream (we still see each other for very special occasions) because it's such a satisfying way to eat. I wish you luck!

Fvaisey

I've been at about 70% fat for 4 months. I find my energy level has risen and is more consistent. I used to hit a rough spot most afternoons. I've lost about 25lbs. Just had a full panel of blood work and the numbers are all better than last years. I try to get much of the fat from nuts, eggs and coconut or olive oil. A good steak is also welcome now and then. I eat a lot of fish and poultry though.

I feel great. Noticeably more energy during and after workouts. I hope this gives you good results as well.

conoramck

Fvaisey wrote: »

I've been at about 70% fat for 4 months. I find my energy level has risen and is more consistent. I used to hit a rough spot most afternoons. I've lost about 25lbs. Just had a full panel of blood work and the numbers are all better than last years. I try to get much of the fat from nuts, eggs and coconut or olive oil. A good steak is also welcome now and then. I eat a lot of fish and poultry though.

I feel great. Noticeably more energy during and after workouts. I hope this gives you good results as well.

Thank mate that's really encouraging. The afternoons are my problem as well, just hit a complete slump where I have no energy on most days which leads to lack of motivation for training and anything else really!

livingleanlivingclean

Saturated fats are healthy..... Trans fats are what you should try to avoid.

My fat comes predominantly from coconut oil and butter, but I also have avocado, nuts and oily fish every day, along with fish oil tablets.

biggsterjackster

I eat both equally. Unsaturated and saturated. My favorites are salmon, nuts, nut butters, cheese (like Brie), avocado and of course meat. My LDL levels are better than ever. So I am not worried about high cholesterol.

LKArgh

livingleanlivingclean wrote: »

Saturated fats are healthy..... Trans fats are what you should try to avoid.

My fat comes predominantly from coconut oil and butter, but I also have avocado, nuts and oily fish every day, along with fish oil tablets.

Saturated fat is healthy and not realted to increased risk of health issues, only on MFP and nowhere else:

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyEating/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp
"Eating foods that contain saturated fats raises the level of cholesterol in your blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of heart disease and stroke."

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/Eat-less-saturated-fat.aspx
"Eating a diet that is high in saturated fat can raise the level of cholesterol in the blood. Having high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. "

And here, since someone will bring up, this paper "Association of Dietary, Circulating, and Supplement Fatty Acids With Coronary Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/03/19/dietary-fat-and-heart-disease-study-is-seriously-misleading/
"This paper is bound to cause confusion. A central issue is what replaces saturated fat if someone reduces the amount of saturated fat in their diet. If it is replaced with refined starch or sugar, which are the largest sources of calories in the U.S. diet, then the risk of heart disease remains the same. However, if saturated fat is replaced with polyunsaturated fat or monounsaturated fat in the form of olive oil, nuts and probably other plant oils, we have much evidence that risk will be reduced."
and
"the conclusions of Chowdhury et al. regarding the type of fat being unimportant are seriously misleading and should be disregarded."