Low-Carb, High Fat...But how much fat?
MaconMagnolia1852
Posts: 9 Member
Hey everyone. I have searched and searched, but can't seem to find a solid answer for this question, so here goes: I have been prescribed by my doctor a low-carb, high-fat diet (to "activate my fat-burning metabolism, because my sugar-starch metabolism, which is standard, is broken"). She gave me some loose guidelines-50 net grams of carbs (75 allowance but 25 of those need to be from fiber), moderate level of protein (I think she said 90), and "the rest from fat". She stressed that I add things I don't normally eat (real butter, full fat creams, etc. full-fat cheese is my only vice as far as the full fat dairy goes), she said to eat the fat and skin on meat if I want, etc. She really played up this "eat a ton of fat" thing, encouraging me to add fatty sauces like hollandaise into my diet, but I worry I am overdoing it. So, I guess my question is this: How many grams of fat do I need to stick below on LCHF (I really want to lose weight). Oh, and also, she suggested I try 1200 calories if I decide I want to count them. I've been a little over some days, and under others. How much fat do you eat? And does my carbs sound high to you? I felt like it did, but then again, maybe it's due to my weight, I need more carbs until I lose weight? Idk. I want to hear anything and everything about this LCHF thing. I was a carb-addict before, so it's a big change, but I have found I don't mind it so much as I thought I would! Thanks in advance for the help.
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Replies
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http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
Will find lots of help and info there for Low Carb High Fat diets0 -
sigh if your doctor told you that you need to activate your "fat burning metabolism" you may want to consider a new dr...
do you have some kind of medical condition?0 -
Use this:
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
1200 seems extremely low to me. But I don't know enough to be sure.0 -
Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.0 -
Sounds like you need another visit with your doctor, or maybe a new doctor because that's not very specific.
Here is a link to a Keto calculator for your macro question.
http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/
Here is a list of foods for Keto diets (that's what you're doing)
http://www.ruled.me/ketogenic-diet-food-list/
Edit: the misconception I find is that people think they can eat as much as they want on Ketois just as long as their fat intake is 75% + which isn't true you still need to be on a caloric deficit.
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While I'm not a doctor and I don't believe in this statement AT ALL "activate my fat-burning metabolism, because my sugar-starch metabolism, which is standard, is broken"
I do believe most of us do best on a calorie deficit (whether we actually count the calories or not) by focusing on protein and veggies, then adding in just enough carbs/fat for energy. We all need everything and the easiest thing to reduce is carbs because most of us plain ate too many of them and everything else to have gotten fat in the first place.
It does not have to be rocket science. Eat mostly protein and veggies, add in some fat and carbs. Every day does not have to be the same. It's the rolling daily average of everything that works. That goes for macros, nutrients, calorie deficit, and workouts.
BOOM!
Roberta0 -
My doctor basically said "cut out carbs and pre-packaged food, eat more natural protein". Instead of doing straight Atkins, I'm eating whole, unprocessed food, and I very happy
I get my carbs from fruit and vegetables, preferably fresh or frozen, protein from a mix of beans, nuts & meat. AND, most importantly, he said, "even though you walk your dog 20 minutes 5 days a week, it is not enough. Walk your dog, THEN walk by yourself for 20 minutes to get your heart going."
I aim for 1200 calories, and have lost 11 pound last 6 weeks, and I feel really good! The only change I plan on making is to try to get outside earlier, at 8:00 am in Florida its already too hot. And drink a lot more water. But I still go, in the AM because if I wait until PM, I don't go.
Best of luck with you on your diet journey 0 -
Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.
explain to me how your "sugar starch metabolism will break you fat burning metabolism"?0 -
I eat a ton of fat (non dairy, because I'm allergic), because they are highly caloric. Nuts, seeds, avocados, whole eggs, and bacon increase my caloric intake without making me feel like I've over eaten. I don't eat grains or much fruit, so my carb intake is pretty low. I tend to eat a lot of lean meats and veggies and I drink a ton of water. It's super easy to fill up on that stuff; I actually struggle to reach 1200 calories sometimes.
Lucky for you, you don't have to wing it like me. Your doctor has already done the calculations for you. Every gram of carbohydrate you eat is worth 4 calories. Doc says keep it below 50, so you can dedicate 200 of your 1200 calories to carbs. It's the same with proteins... Doc says keep it at 90, so you can dedicate 360 of your remaining 1000 calories to protein. This leaves you with 640 calories for fat. Every gram of fat is worth 9 calories, so you won't have to eat too much more to reach 1200 calories...especially since your body can process dairy. Full fat dairy and fattier cuts of meat will get you there for sure.
Hope this helps!0 -
Thanks everyone. If anyone wants to add me, that would be great. I have not gotten any support for the most part from people I know IRL. My friends say this diet is stupid, dangerous, etc, because they don't understand. They say there is no way I can lose weight eating bacon, eggs, cheese. And they think not eating carbs is the end of the world and going to kill me somehow? IDK, it's just really hard and discouraging to get all of this backlash, when I'm already dealing with being very overweight and nervous enough about trying to lose it without all of the negativity people are throwing on me. And sorry if I sounded stupid. This is all very new to me. My doctor is very good, it's just that I think she was trying to be sensitive with the whole "this is not entirely your fault" stuff, as she primarily deals with helping heavy patients lose weight, and often sees people (myself, included) cry (bawl like a baby) in her office. She said I do have a health issue with my thyroid, and so this would be the best for me. I think the way she explained it to me just sounded strange, because when she said that about the sugar-starch metabolism, she was trying to tell me that she was going to tell me the opposite of what I've probably always been told to do, and just to trust her, but some people can eat sugars and starches, and it doesn't affect them like it does me, etc. She's really great. If anyone lives in NC and needs a good dr that does endocrinology/diabetes/thyroid disorders and medical weight loss, her name is Theresa Amerson and City Center Medical Group in Raleigh.0
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I agree that 1200 kcal seems a tad low. If you really want to figure out your macros and minimum/maximum caloric intake then you should figure out your bmr and activity level then add in a calorie deficit, although it's a bit more complicated than that. (g of protein to sustain lbm, etc) If you'd like then please feel free to send me a pm through here and I can help you do some calculations to get you on track.
IMO, you'll want to ignore this comment:sigh if your doctor told you that you need to activate your "fat burning metabolism" you may want to consider a new dr...
do you have some kind of medical condition?
While it's true that your "fat burning metabolism" isn't broken, the standard american diet typically includes in excess, often way in excess, of 200g of carbs per day which severely hampers ones ability to burn fat and may lead into a host of other, diet related diseases. IMO, it's great to hear of a physician offering advice to change that type of a diet, even if it isn't very specific advice.
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Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.
explain to me how your "sugar starch metabolism will break you fat burning metabolism"?
Not sure I can parse that, but are you saying you don't understand how insulin mediates lipolysis?
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MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »Hey everyone. I have searched and searched, but can't seem to find a solid answer for this question, so here goes: I have been prescribed by my doctor a low-carb, high-fat diet (to "activate my fat-burning metabolism, because my sugar-starch metabolism, which is standard, is broken"). She gave me some loose guidelines-50 net grams of carbs (75 allowance but 25 of those need to be from fiber), moderate level of protein (I think she said 90), and "the rest from fat". She stressed that I add things I don't normally eat (real butter, full fat creams, etc. full-fat cheese is my only vice as far as the full fat dairy goes), she said to eat the fat and skin on meat if I want, etc. She really played up this "eat a ton of fat" thing, encouraging me to add fatty sauces like hollandaise into my diet, but I worry I am overdoing it. So, I guess my question is this: How many grams of fat do I need to stick below on LCHF (I really want to lose weight). Oh, and also, she suggested I try 1200 calories if I decide I want to count them. I've been a little over some days, and under others. How much fat do you eat? And does my carbs sound high to you? I felt like it did, but then again, maybe it's due to my weight, I need more carbs until I lose weight? Idk. I want to hear anything and everything about this LCHF thing. I was a carb-addict before, so it's a big change, but I have found I don't mind it so much as I thought I would! Thanks in advance for the help.
If your doctor told you that, in those words, find a new doctor because they clearly don't understand how the human body works, at all.0 -
I think she was just trying to explain it in a way that I could understand and accept. I was very emotional...and I'm studying to be a dentist, not an MD, so, while I have some understanding of these things, I'm still pretty confused about much of it. So she was just trying to help me. We can maybe agree that her wording wasn't the best, or most scientific...I'm willing to give her a pass on that Elphie754. But she has an md, and specializes in this, so I trust her to have a good understanding of the human body. I'm legitimately curious as to why you think she is wrong. I would love to hear your thoughts.0
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Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.
explain to me how your "sugar starch metabolism will break you fat burning metabolism"?
Not sure I can parse that, but are you saying you don't understand how insulin mediates lipolysis?
no, I want to know how OP's fat burning metabolism is broken.
OP appears to be alive and the only way I know for your metabolism to be broken is to die.
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Shotglass71 wrote: »I agree that 1200 kcal seems a tad low. If you really want to figure out your macros and minimum/maximum caloric intake then you should figure out your bmr and activity level then add in a calorie deficit, although it's a bit more complicated than that. (g of protein to sustain lbm, etc) If you'd like then please feel free to send me a pm through here and I can help you do some calculations to get you on track.
IMO, you'll want to ignore this comment:sigh if your doctor told you that you need to activate your "fat burning metabolism" you may want to consider a new dr...
do you have some kind of medical condition?
While it's true that your "fat burning metabolism" isn't broken, the standard american diet typically includes in excess, often way in excess, of 200g of carbs per day which severely hampers ones ability to burn fat and may lead into a host of other, diet related diseases. IMO, it's great to hear of a physician offering advice to change that type of a diet, even if it isn't very specific advice.
so your saying that a person with no medical condition that eats 200 grams of carbs and is in a 500 per day calorie deficit will not burn fat?0 -
Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.
explain to me how your "sugar starch metabolism will break you fat burning metabolism"?
Not sure I can parse that, but are you saying you don't understand how insulin mediates lipolysis?
no, I want to know how OP's fat burning metabolism is broken.
OP appears to be alive and the only way I know for your metabolism to be broken is to die.
It was a poor choice of words on her part. She was just trying to be sensitive and help explain it to me in a way I could understand. I think what she meant was that my sugar-starch metabolism was not efficient for me. It wasn't helping me to burn fat.
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MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »Thanks everyone. If anyone wants to add me, that would be great. I have not gotten any support for the most part from people I know IRL. My friends say this diet is stupid, dangerous, etc, because they don't understand. They say there is no way I can lose weight eating bacon, eggs, cheese. And they think not eating carbs is the end of the world and going to kill me somehow? IDK, it's just really hard and discouraging to get all of this backlash, when I'm already dealing with being very overweight and nervous enough about trying to lose it without all of the negativity people are throwing on me. And sorry if I sounded stupid. This is all very new to me. My doctor is very good, it's just that I think she was trying to be sensitive with the whole "this is not entirely your fault" stuff, as she primarily deals with helping heavy patients lose weight, and often sees people (myself, included) cry (bawl like a baby) in her office. She said I do have a health issue with my thyroid, and so this would be the best for me. I think the way she explained it to me just sounded strange, because when she said that about the sugar-starch metabolism, she was trying to tell me that she was going to tell me the opposite of what I've probably always been told to do, and just to trust her, but some people can eat sugars and starches, and it doesn't affect them like it does me, etc. She's really great. If anyone lives in NC and needs a good dr that does endocrinology/diabetes/thyroid disorders and medical weight loss, her name is Theresa Amerson and City Center Medical Group in Raleigh.
If you have thyroid issue then you should take medication to regulate your thyroid and eat in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
Do you also have diabetes and/or some form of insulin sensitivity?0 -
That's awesome! Keep up your hard work! I get confused on all this macro stuff too.
Okay Here's what I'm doing - and it's working so far although next week I am lowering my calories per my trainer. And as I understand it I will eventually plateau so the calories will gradually get less over time. I'm 6 weeks in and down 12-13 lbs. walking 30-45 min every day and lifting 3x a week.
Eating primal-ish....and although most days I do go over my calories and usually end up at 1800- I'm still losing. Slow and steady!
So next week I will aim to not go over 1700 for the next 6 weeks. Hoping I don't notice because I totally get hungry.. What can I say I love to eat!
I don't think I could do 1200. How do you feel on 1200?
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I'm a little worried about you only getting 1200 calories unless you are short. Why don't you plug your stats into http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals and let us know what the system tell you that you should get?0
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MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »Your doctor got it exactly right and actually told you how much fat to target. Let's do the math:
1200 calorie goal
50g carbs = 200 calories
90g protein = 360 calories
So, that leaves 640 calories remaining, which means about 70g of fat. But as your doc told you, fat is not a target -- just eat enough to fill out your calories or until your hunger is satisfied.
explain to me how your "sugar starch metabolism will break you fat burning metabolism"?
Not sure I can parse that, but are you saying you don't understand how insulin mediates lipolysis?
no, I want to know how OP's fat burning metabolism is broken.
OP appears to be alive and the only way I know for your metabolism to be broken is to die.
It was a poor choice of words on her part. She was just trying to be sensitive and help explain it to me in a way I could understand. I think what she meant was that my sugar-starch metabolism was not efficient for me. It wasn't helping me to burn fat.
do you have a medical condition that makes you sensitive to carbs?0 -
Oh, I see. If your face is broken, it probably still works, but it might not work well. Same thing with fat metabolism. You'll get more lipolysis with lower insulin levels. But the full effects of a LCHF diet are difficult for some people to understand, so simple metaphors like "broken" and "fix" are used.
Who really wants to know about how insulin sensitivity is increased, ghrelin is reduced, leptin sensitivity is increased, and high-energy ketone bodies are produced?0 -
MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »Thanks everyone. If anyone wants to add me, that would be great. I have not gotten any support for the most part from people I know IRL. My friends say this diet is stupid, dangerous, etc, because they don't understand. They say there is no way I can lose weight eating bacon, eggs, cheese. And they think not eating carbs is the end of the world and going to kill me somehow? IDK, it's just really hard and discouraging to get all of this backlash, when I'm already dealing with being very overweight and nervous enough about trying to lose it without all of the negativity people are throwing on me. And sorry if I sounded stupid. This is all very new to me. My doctor is very good, it's just that I think she was trying to be sensitive with the whole "this is not entirely your fault" stuff, as she primarily deals with helping heavy patients lose weight, and often sees people (myself, included) cry (bawl like a baby) in her office. She said I do have a health issue with my thyroid, and so this would be the best for me. I think the way she explained it to me just sounded strange, because when she said that about the sugar-starch metabolism, she was trying to tell me that she was going to tell me the opposite of what I've probably always been told to do, and just to trust her, but some people can eat sugars and starches, and it doesn't affect them like it does me, etc. She's really great. If anyone lives in NC and needs a good dr that does endocrinology/diabetes/thyroid disorders and medical weight loss, her name is Theresa Amerson and City Center Medical Group in Raleigh.
If you have thyroid issue then you should take medication to regulate your thyroid and eat in a calorie deficit to lose weight.
Do you also have diabetes and/or some form of insulin sensitivity?
I don't have diabetes yet, but I'm at risk. I'm close to the abnormal range when tested, and have a huge family history. My father passed of diabetes, and my mom and half-sisters are the only people in my family who seem to not have it. My mom's and dad's families all have it, and so my doctor is trying to help me prevent it.0 -
Honey, your doctor sucks. It's irresponsible to tell you to eat low-carb, high-fat and not make sure you understand how to do it. Also, if she said "broken sugar-starch metabolism", that's absurd. It sounds like she was trying to break things down into layman's terms for you, but wtf?
That said, I do eat LCHF, so if you do decide to give it a try, you can find much more information here: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto. Also, this is a great calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/. Finally, please make sure you read up on supplementation, to make sure you are getting enough electrolytes.
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Shotglass71 wrote: »I agree that 1200 kcal seems a tad low. If you really want to figure out your macros and minimum/maximum caloric intake then you should figure out your bmr and activity level then add in a calorie deficit, although it's a bit more complicated than that. (g of protein to sustain lbm, etc) If you'd like then please feel free to send me a pm through here and I can help you do some calculations to get you on track.
IMO, you'll want to ignore this comment:sigh if your doctor told you that you need to activate your "fat burning metabolism" you may want to consider a new dr...
do you have some kind of medical condition?
While it's true that your "fat burning metabolism" isn't broken, the standard american diet typically includes in excess, often way in excess, of 200g of carbs per day which severely hampers ones ability to burn fat and may lead into a host of other, diet related diseases. IMO, it's great to hear of a physician offering advice to change that type of a diet, even if it isn't very specific advice.
so your saying that a person with no medical condition that eats 200 grams of carbs and is in a 500 per day calorie deficit will not burn fat?
Please don't misquote me: I wrote
notShotglass71 wrote: »severely hampers ones ability to burn fatwill not burn fat?0 -
If you are already very overweight, 1200kcal a day is probably not enough. Definitely try the calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/.MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »Thanks everyone. If anyone wants to add me, that would be great. I have not gotten any support for the most part from people I know IRL. My friends say this diet is stupid, dangerous, etc, because they don't understand. They say there is no way I can lose weight eating bacon, eggs, cheese. And they think not eating carbs is the end of the world and going to kill me somehow? IDK, it's just really hard and discouraging to get all of this backlash, when I'm already dealing with being very overweight and nervous enough about trying to lose it without all of the negativity people are throwing on me. And sorry if I sounded stupid. This is all very new to me. My doctor is very good, it's just that I think she was trying to be sensitive with the whole "this is not entirely your fault" stuff, as she primarily deals with helping heavy patients lose weight, and often sees people (myself, included) cry (bawl like a baby) in her office. She said I do have a health issue with my thyroid, and so this would be the best for me. I think the way she explained it to me just sounded strange, because when she said that about the sugar-starch metabolism, she was trying to tell me that she was going to tell me the opposite of what I've probably always been told to do, and just to trust her, but some people can eat sugars and starches, and it doesn't affect them like it does me, etc. She's really great. If anyone lives in NC and needs a good dr that does endocrinology/diabetes/thyroid disorders and medical weight loss, her name is Theresa Amerson and City Center Medical Group in Raleigh.
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kshama2001 wrote: »I'm a little worried about you only getting 1200 calories unless you are short. Why don't you plug your stats into http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/my_goals and let us know what the system tell you that you should get?
Thanks. I'm almost 5'10, so I'm not really short. MFP recommended the following (obviously the macro ratio is off until I set my percentages). There is honestly no way I could eat that many calories though, because I feel so full with this lifestyle. I am sometimes a BIT over 1200, but I don't think I could eat 1910 every day. Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,910 Calories / Day
Carbs / Day 239.0 g
Fat / Day 64.0 g
Protein / Day 96.0 g0 -
MaconMagnolia1852 wrote: »I think she was just trying to explain it in a way that I could understand and accept. I was very emotional...and I'm studying to be a dentist, not an MD, so, while I have some understanding of these things, I'm still pretty confused about much of it. So she was just trying to help me. We can maybe agree that her wording wasn't the best, or most scientific...I'm willing to give her a pass on that Elphie754. But she has an md, and specializes in this, so I trust her to have a good understanding of the human body. I'm legitimately curious as to why you think she is wrong. I would love to hear your thoughts.
I'm sorry but no. There are ways to explain things in what are called "layman's" terms. However, she basically to you something the human body just doesn't do. There is no carb vs fat burning mode of body. If she said there is, I would honestly question her ability to care for someone. Just because some has an MD does not mean they are never wrong.0 -
google keto calculator
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Honey, your doctor sucks. It's irresponsible to tell you to eat low-carb, high-fat and not make sure you understand how to do it. Also, if she said "broken sugar-starch metabolism", that's absurd. It sounds like she was trying to break things down into layman's terms for you, but wtf?
That said, I do eat LCHF, so if you do decide to give it a try, you can find much more information here: http://www.reddit.com/r/keto. Also, this is a great calculator: http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/. Finally, please make sure you read up on supplementation, to make sure you are getting enough electrolytes.
Thank you! This has been super helpful! I am checking all of these out.0
This discussion has been closed.
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