Input on cholesterol/fiber, etc.

floridapanthergirl

Hello low carb friends. I have been doing low carb for about 6 weeks and feel great, am free from craving and am losing weight. I invite your input about my menus, macros etc. I am a strong and healthy 63, weigh 216 at the moment (started at 252), 5'8".My goal weight 160-something. I am wondering about cholesterol, fiber, protein and fat. How much etc.

Calories: 1200-1500
carbs: 50g (just dropped it from 60)
protein: 100 g
cholesterol: 300g
Fiber 20 g

I add psyllium to my shakes if I don't have enough fiber, but am not counting net carbs
I exercise around 200 minutes of cardio each week, once a week a full body weight train
I would like to be able to have more cholesterol, eat more eggs and what is all the hoopla about lowering protein and increasing fat? What I am doing is working (I know, if it's not broke, don't fix it) and I am satisfied with a weight loss of 1.5 a week. I know everyone's body is different. What works for me may not work for you and the other way around. Neverthe lses, How about some input?
Do I need to be counting my fat grams?

naticksdonna

Hey Alice! The thought on protein is 1 gram per pound of lean body mass (not total weight). If you don't know it, check it out on fat2fitradio.com/tools. I eat low carb as well and before I knew my lean body mass I figured around 90 - 100 (which is where I should be actually - 93). If you're figuring 100 on protein and 50 - 60 for carbs then the rest are for fats. I stick with 300 for cholesterol but go over on an egg day for sure - but the cholesterol in eggs is not really an issue. I just use it as a point of reference. Fiber I try for 28 - 30 grams but don't sweat that either if I don't reach it as long as I'm getting a fairly good amount in the day. Don't know if hat helps or not. See you at the challenge!!

Akimajuktuq

It is my opinion and experience that you do need to count your fat grams to make sure that you are getting LOTS, from healthy sources (animals, coconut, avocado, butter/ghee etc). Saturated fat from natural, healthy sources is NO concern at all. Also, the benefits of fibre have been exaggerated; there's nothing wrong with it but you don't need to eat huge salads just to try to get a bunch of fibre. Honestly, it 's very unlikely that you need to supplement fibre. The "fibre prevents colon cancer" hypothesis has since been disproven. Personally, I do fine with low fibre, and only get digestive issues when it gets a bit high.

The hoopla is that the more the fat, the healthier and happier the body and the more fat is burned. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but there are physiological explanations for it. Protein is great but in most cases the body doesn't need a whole lot and it should always be eaten with fat. If what you are doing is healthy and is working, then keep with it. For me, I've found that little bits of tweaking have made my improvements even more amazing.

I have macros set at 75% fat (I try for 80%), 15% protein, and 10% carb (5% max for net carbs). I'd like the protein and carbs a bit lower but MFP only allows for 5% increments. My diary is open to everyone.

Oh, and though I get regular exercise since my winter transportation is my feet, I don't go out of my way for structured/scheduled exercise. Sometimes I run and jump, lift heavy things, play with my child, etc but I never get up at 5 am for strenuous cardio. No way.

Best wishes on your health journey.