High fat

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gwicks54
gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
My doctor advised me to follow a plan that limits my carbs to 100 per day. The amount of fat I consume now is more than I have ever had before & it is above my goals set by MFP. Is this okay? Have any of you done low carb a long time without problems from the high fat? I have been doing this about a month & lost nine lbs but nothing this week. Also very tired & hungry.

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  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    I am believer that thinks that if you going to do low carb ('adequate carb' in my world) properly then the fat content has to come up significantly. We only need so much protein so it has to be fat.

    We have been conditioned to think that consuming all fat is bad and it will give us heart disease and make us fat.

    This is not the case, never has been, never will be.

    MFP default guidelines are based on this and, frankly, they are wrong for the majority.

    Natural fats are my friend, saturated too, I've been doing this for about 6 months and the more fat in my diet the better I feel, honestly. Losing fat on minimal exercise too ;)

    100g a day of carbs may actually be too much for you. We are all different. I started on 30g having been a total carb monster before. But I'm an extreme (nut)case ;)

    I found that cutting ALL wheat and grains helped me feel less hungry. Weight loss will be quick then slow due to initial water weight loss, measurements are a better way to track progress IMO.

    Good luck with it, we all respond differently to nutrition so it's a big experiment of one :)
  • gwicks54
    gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
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    Thanks for the info. I was concerned that the fat was just too much. I think you may be right about the carbs being too high too. I may try dropping them & eating more protein & see if I feel better. I have high tryclerides & cholesterol which is the reason for the low carb diet. I will go back in about eight weeks for blood work so I hope I am making progress.
  • zynx1234
    zynx1234 Posts: 73 Member
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    Also try to google paleo and primal diets. They have a lot of good information and reciepes out there that will help you lower the carbs and increase fat. Have lowered my cabs to only 20 carbs a day!

    I broke my macros to 70fat/15protien/5carbs.....hope this helps
  • gwicks54
    gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
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    Thank you.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Thanks for the info. I was concerned that the fat was just too much. I think you may be right about the carbs being too high too. I may try dropping them & eating more protein & see if I feel better. I have high tryclerides & cholesterol which is the reason for the low carb diet. I will go back in about eight weeks for blood work so I hope I am making progress.

    If you do decide to lower your intake, just make sure your physician is aware of what you would like to do where he/she had already advised you to consider 100g...

    Physicians/Specialists calculate the data based on your current health status (height, weight, age, current activity, medications taken, past history, current history) so best be on the safe side and make sure your doctor is on board! 8-)
  • Marll
    Marll Posts: 904 Member
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    If you are doing this for cholesterol levels, it's really important to up your fat intake. I wouldn't up your protein too much, but rather focus on fat. Use real butter on everything that you've always been told not to. Eat bacon like it's going extinct.

    After falling off the low carb band wagon years ago (like an idiot) my cholesterol levels were sky high. I cut them by 2/3 in the matter of 6 months just eating all the fat I could get my hands on and eliminating sugar and grains. I also have lost 60+ lbs.
  • JaceyMarieS
    JaceyMarieS Posts: 692 Member
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    I'm another who saw a dramatic improvement in cholesterol and triglycerides after 6 months on low-carb. The improvement in my LDL: HDL wasn't as dramatic, but I also didn't increase my fat intake until 3 months in. I've since decrease protein and increased fat as well as increasing exercise and will hopefully get those numbers where they need to be in the next 6 months.
  • smithntuck
    smithntuck Posts: 113 Member
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    My Dr. put me on a 25g carb/1200 cal. diet in March, and I have lost over 80 lbs since I started it, and I am hardly ever hungry. I was also a carb junky, and the no sugar thing freaked me out, but it's not been near as hard as I thought it was going to be. She told me don't worry about the fat, just the calories and carbs...and it's working! I do try to eat alot of veggies and lean meats instead of burgers and steak, etc.
  • gwicks54
    gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
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    Thank you, She & I talked about my going lower & she didn't have a problem with it but thought it might be too hard to adjust to it after being such a carb junkie.
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Thank you, She & I talked about my going lower & she didn't have a problem with it but thought it might be too hard to adjust to it after being such a carb junkie.

    I think that might be a misnomer (IMHO)... Yes, the first few days, and in some cases the first week, it can be a challenge as both the physical and mental changes are happening all at the same time. That is the body's natural response to the dietary changes the individual is making.

    Personally in a few cases of patients at work, we did find that proper hydration helped, listening to the body tell them that they really needed their rest (we found in the majority of the patients that they were groggy thus going to bed a little earlier than normal), we actually encouraged them to get the sleep they needed. The human body can do most of the adjusting while at rest. Push push push push the exercise during the first week.... helps to bypass that hunger-monger-monster of "FEED ME CARBS DAMNIT" and the body then focuses on the workout and getting the blood going. That REALLY helped me when I was craving pasta. And for me, Pasta was the only true trouble-food I had.. took me a couple of weeks to be honest.. everything else to eliminate was soooo much easier than the pasta addiction I had (UGH!)... I dont miss it! LOL!

    Going into this with a game plan is ultimately the key. Meal planning is the number one focus and it is a great way to make sure you are more focused in making different food choics.


    It can definitely be done!!! 8-)
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    Push push push push the exercise during the first week.... helps to bypass that hunger-monger-monster of "FEED ME CARBS DAMNIT" and the body then focuses on the workout and getting the blood going. That REALLY helped me when I was craving pasta. And for me, Pasta was the only true trouble-food I had.. took me a couple of weeks to be honest.. everything else to eliminate was soooo much easier than the pasta addiction I had (UGH!)... I dont miss it! LOL!

    Mine was a Culver's Custard addiction - haha! It totally went away after low carbing. I foudn that I was DYING the first few weeks - but I worked out anyway. I was so gassed that people constantly asked me in bootcamp if I was okay... so understand you may get gassed easier at first. It DOES pass. I'm a few months in and I am totally good to go now! I also made sure I ate anytime I wanted to those first few weeks - but only ate low carb foods. After a few few weeks... my old self came back.

    it can be done!! glad you're here!
  • Tan43
    Tan43 Posts: 87 Member
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    One thing that I have noticed since going lower carb and increasing my fat intake is that my digestive system performance has improved dramatically. Lets say that things are moving alot smoother with the increase in healthy fats:happy:
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    One thing that I have noticed since going lower carb and increasing my fat intake is that my digestive system performance has improved dramatically. Lets say that things are moving alot smoother with the increase in healthy fats:happy:

    Without wishing to get too graphic I concur :)

    Never mind fibre for keeping you regular, fat is where it is at ...
  • DMW914
    DMW914 Posts: 368 Member
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    I was just going to ask the very same question so I googled it and found this link: 25: How Much Fat Should I Eat? | Dana's Low Carb for Life! I hope this helps! :wink:
  • zynx1234
    zynx1234 Posts: 73 Member
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    you can adjust your macros on MFP... it makes it easier to monitor your fat in take. Go to My Home > Goals >Change goal>custom... and set it to your ideal composition. I think I have mine set to 65F/30P/5C. And I am liking this mix. I definately feel better more energy and less hunger. When I was just trying to stay around 50C I felt like crap. i was always hungry and ugh.... just ugh....
  • mahlerosa
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  • gwicks54
    gwicks54 Posts: 201 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the advice. I did lower my carbs & up my protein some & upped my fat a lot. I have lost 12 lbs in about seven weeks so I think it may be right for me.
  • mstorvik
    mstorvik Posts: 356 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the advice. I did lower my carbs & up my protein some & upped my fat a lot. I have lost 12 lbs in about seven weeks so I think it may be right for me.

    YAY!! Congrats! Enjoy your new, satisfying way of eating. i eventually didn't miss any of those carbs! Not when I get to eat all these filling high fat foods!
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    SWEEEEEEEET!
  • TheVimFuego
    TheVimFuego Posts: 2,412 Member
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    Thanks everyone for all the advice. I did lower my carbs & up my protein some & upped my fat a lot. I have lost 12 lbs in about seven weeks so I think it may be right for me.

    Good stuff :)