Struggling to eat enough fat

EddieEHitler
EddieEHitler Posts: 52 Member
edited November 21 in Social Groups
After doing so well eating low carb before I went on holiday recently (losing around 15 pounds in about 2 months) I am now ready to go back on it. This time I would like to keep my carbs under 50g a day (last time it was <30g). The main reason for this is that after a long time away from doing any fitness work due to a serious knee injury I am now planning to go back to the gym and/or other types of keep fit at least 3-4 times a week. My main concern is that I wasn't eating enough fat. I really struggled to get over 60% and I would like to increase fat intake to at least 70%.

Any tips on eating more fat here in the UK? Incidentally, the 2 week holiday has led me to put pretty much all the weight back on again which I am extremely displeased about, but only got myself to blame! Appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!
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Replies

  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    edited July 2015
    Why do you think you're not eating enough fat? Are you hungry or tired? Are you just overdoing your protein or not eating enough calories? I guess we'd need to know what your actual macros (in grams) have been recently.

    When something is too lean, for me, I just add butter or a thick smear of bacon grease. But, that's not for everyone.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    My default thinking is always: add butter and cheese to veggies. Add butter or coconut oil or (streaky) bacon drippings to cook meats in. Add cream cheese (not quark) and sour cream wherever possible. Use double cream or coconut oil and/or grassfed butter in your hot beverages of choice. Coconut milk is another good one, from a can. Add fat bombs - sweet or savory - to fill in when you aren't balanced with your fats...

    Other that this, switch from chicken breasts to thighs, get the higher fat ground (minced) beef, pork roast and loin with dark meat included, streaky bacon, pork sausage, pepperami (if you don't mind a little processed stuff), roast veggies to caramelize flavors. Cheaper cuts of meat tend to be less expensive.

    Hopefully some UKers will chime in too.
  • EddieEHitler
    EddieEHitler Posts: 52 Member
    FIT_Goat wrote: »
    Why do you think you're not eating enough fat? Are you hungry or tired? Are you just overdoing your protein or not eating enough calories? I guess we'd need to know what your actual macros (in grams) have been recently.

    When something is too lean, for me, I just add butter or a thick smear of bacon grease. But, that's not for everyone.

    When I was tracking my macros before I went off on holiday, I estimate my fat intake was around 58% - 60% on average. In order to be more keto adapted my understanding is that I need to eat more fat. The reason I have upped my carb allowance to <50 is because I will be doing a lot more exercise than I did before my holiday; which was none due to my knee injury. Thanks.
  • EddieEHitler
    EddieEHitler Posts: 52 Member
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    My default thinking is always: add butter and cheese to veggies. Add butter or coconut oil or (streaky) bacon drippings to cook meats in. Add cream cheese (not quark) and sour cream wherever possible. Use double cream or coconut oil and/or grassfed butter in your hot beverages of choice. Coconut milk is another good one, from a can. Add fat bombs - sweet or savory - to fill in when you aren't balanced with your fats...

    Other that this, switch from chicken breasts to thighs, get the higher fat ground (minced) beef, pork roast and loin with dark meat included, streaky bacon, pork sausage, pepperami (if you don't mind a little processed stuff), roast veggies to caramelize flavors. Cheaper cuts of meat tend to be less expensive.

    Hopefully some UKers will chime in too.

    Thanks for that detailed reply! What are fat bombs exactly???
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    ketosis is about absolute values and not ratios or percents. Being keto adapted is just the progression over time as your body adapts to preferring fat for fuel. That's more about time than anything. The depth of ketosis can relate to the amount of fat and protein consumed, but you don't need to hit some magical percentage of fat to become keto adapted.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    vipergrm wrote: »
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    My default thinking is always: add butter and cheese to veggies. Add butter or coconut oil or (streaky) bacon drippings to cook meats in. Add cream cheese (not quark) and sour cream wherever possible. Use double cream or coconut oil and/or grassfed butter in your hot beverages of choice. Coconut milk is another good one, from a can. Add fat bombs - sweet or savory - to fill in when you aren't balanced with your fats...

    Other that this, switch from chicken breasts to thighs, get the higher fat ground (minced) beef, pork roast and loin with dark meat included, streaky bacon, pork sausage, pepperami (if you don't mind a little processed stuff), roast veggies to caramelize flavors. Cheaper cuts of meat tend to be less expensive.

    Hopefully some UKers will chime in too.

    Thanks for that detailed reply! What are fat bombs exactly???

    They are generally a snack that is a higher ratio of fat to anything else.

    Savory ones I've seen involve: smoked salmon/cream cheese; egg/bacon; guacamole/avocado/bacon; and just bacon variations.

    Sweet ones can pretty much be anything. My favorite base to use is a 2:1:1 ratio of cream cheese:coconut oil:butter. So if I use 8 oz of cream cheese, 4 oz of coconut oil, and 4 oz of butter. Set the CC to room temp, melt coconut oil and butter together, then blend with coconut oil. It won't get smooth until you add in the flavors (I like doing cocoa powder and cinnamon personally). Do 2 TBSP of flavor, and sweeten to taste.

    Now that I think of it, that base could be used for savory ones, too.
  • happymom221
    happymom221 Posts: 73 Member
    I add avocado, olives or deviled eggs to my meal.
    My salad dressings are all made with olive oil. I also made a new sauce for Chicken and vegetables. It's good in everything. It is a anchovy caper recipe with an olive oil base. Yummy
  • EddieEHitler
    EddieEHitler Posts: 52 Member
    Wow. That sounds great! Gotta give both those a try. Thanks KnitOrMiss and Happymom221!
  • bluefish86
    bluefish86 Posts: 842 Member
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  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    bluefish86 wrote: »
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    Exactly. I usually get enough fat that way but have trouble keeping up protein. I have it set to 30% and fat at 60%. Acocado with a lot of meals and heavy cream in tea/coffee helps too. My recent fat find is to mix 1 SF jello pkt mix any flavor with 8oz cream cheese and 1 cup boiling water. Mix with a mixer, and chill. Very easy dessert. I used to make it in an almond crust, as a pie but now I just let it set in a large bowl and still serve it as "pie". It holds its shape excellently without a crust. You can dress it up with fresh berries if you feel fancy. :)
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    I prefer the jello mixed with cream cheese without boiling it and add butter. 1:1 cc to butter.

    Or, on a flip, I like the jello mixed with extra unflavored gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup heavy cream, all whipped together in stages to prevent separation. Ends up tasting like custard yogurt.

    I tried doing the jello with boiling water thing with the cream cheese and it make it an odd consistency for me. With CC, it tastes like cheesecake or butter cream frosting, consistency. When I did the jello with water with it, it got weird and waxy to me.

    But the boiled version like yogurt was super yummy.
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    I prefer the jello mixed with cream cheese without boiling it and add butter. 1:1 cc to butter.

    Or, on a flip, I like the jello mixed with extra unflavored gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup heavy cream, all whipped together in stages to prevent separation. Ends up tasting like custard yogurt.

    I tried doing the jello with boiling water thing with the cream cheese and it make it an odd consistency for me. With CC, it tastes like cheesecake or butter cream frosting, consistency. When I did the jello with water with it, it got weird and waxy to me.

    But the boiled version like yogurt was super yummy.

    Got to try this one! Lactose free sour cream a problem find. Do you think it would work with 2 cups heavy cream or with one cup greek yogurt? I can get those lactose free everywhere. There is enough goat cheese around to sub for the cream cheese. Hopefully, that one wouldn't taste 'goaty'. Will be experimenting. Thanks!
  • Twibbly
    Twibbly Posts: 1,065 Member
    I drink hot tea with heavy cream at the end of the day if my fat is low.
  • ambergem1969
    ambergem1969 Posts: 224 Member
    Got to try this one! Lactose free sour cream a problem find. Do you think it would work with 2 cups heavy cream or with one cup greek yogurt? I can get those lactose free everywhere. There is enough goat cheese around to sub for the cream cheese. Hopefully, that one wouldn't taste 'goaty'. Will be experimenting. Thanks!

    I've done it with enough boiling water to dissolve the jello and top up with cream (so 1/2 cup boiling water & 1.5 cups HWC). Its delicious.
  • pondsbb
    pondsbb Posts: 172 Member
    If you don't boil it do you even add the water or is it just jello mixed in the cream cheese for the taste?
  • pondsbb
    pondsbb Posts: 172 Member
    Never mind I did a search and found it on the net. Here is the low down for anyone else like me that are new to fat bombs

    Jello Cream Cheese Balls

    1 8oz package of Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese
    1 package of sugar free jello


    Take the package of Cream cheese and cut into 16 squares. Put the jello powder in a small bowl. Take each square, roll into a ball in your hands and then roll in the jello powder. Keep covered with plastic wrap in the fridge.

    Serving size is 2 balls.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    KnitOrMiss wrote: »
    I prefer the jello mixed with cream cheese without boiling it and add butter. 1:1 cc to butter.

    Or, on a flip, I like the jello mixed with extra unflavored gelatin, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup heavy cream, all whipped together in stages to prevent separation. Ends up tasting like custard yogurt.

    I tried doing the jello with boiling water thing with the cream cheese and it make it an odd consistency for me. With CC, it tastes like cheesecake or butter cream frosting, consistency. When I did the jello with water with it, it got weird and waxy to me.

    But the boiled version like yogurt was super yummy.

    Got to try this one! Lactose free sour cream a problem find. Do you think it would work with 2 cups heavy cream or with one cup greek yogurt? I can get those lactose free everywhere. There is enough goat cheese around to sub for the cream cheese. Hopefully, that one wouldn't taste 'goaty'. Will be experimenting. Thanks!

    I would use the lactose free greek yogurt in place of the sour cream, if you can't find a lactose free one. The sour cream TANG is what makes this, so the yogurt would be good there. Too much heavy cream would make a dish much like the jello-cool whip blends of the 80's, and be absolutely demolishable - but it wouldn't have that same tang - it would be sweeter.

    The cream cheese is just the base - so as long as you like the goat cheese or whatever flavor, I can't see that be off putting. Maybe cut back the cheese amount by 10-20% to cut down on the flavor?
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    pondsbb wrote: »
    If you don't boil it do you even add the water or is it just jello mixed in the cream cheese for the taste?

    You boil a cup of water and mix in the jello mix with a mixer. Then add the block of cream cheese and whip, whip, whip. Whipping it a lot makes air bubbles in it. Then I put it in a large bowl about the size of a small pie pan. You can slice it and serve it like pie. No crust needed, it is substantial and keeps its shape. Kinda the firmness of firm tofu. Easy way to add fat without carbs as cream cheese is good for that, but I get tired of the cream cheese taste alone. Making some orange flavored "pie" today in fact. It also keeps really well. I've kept it covered in fridge for up to a week.
  • sweetteadrinker2
    sweetteadrinker2 Posts: 1,026 Member
    pondsbb wrote: »
    If you don't boil it do you even add the water or is it just jello mixed in the cream cheese for the taste?

    You boil a cup of water and mix in the jello mix with a mixer. Then add the block of cream cheese and whip, whip, whip. Whipping it a lot makes air bubbles in it. Then I put it in a large bowl about the size of a small pie pan. You can slice it and serve it like pie. No crust needed, it is substantial and keeps its shape. Kinda the firmness of firm tofu. Easy way to add fat without carbs as cream cheese is good for that, but I get tired of the cream cheese taste alone. Making some orange flavored "pie" today in fact. It also keeps really well. I've kept it covered in fridge for up to a week.

    I wonder if this would work with a jello sugar free pudding mix. I have a box of sugar free pistachio in the cupboard that I was just going to make into standard pudding with whole fairlife milk.

    But maybe something like

    1 small(4 serving) box of pudding
    1 8oz brick of cream cheese, room temp
    1 cup of HWC, or whole lc milk(??)

    Whip with a mixer and pour into a pie pan, chill and cut?
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    Ive
    pondsbb wrote: »
    If you don't boil it do you even add the water or is it just jello mixed in the cream cheese for the taste?

    You boil a cup of water and mix in the jello mix with a mixer. Then add the block of cream cheese and whip, whip, whip. Whipping it a lot makes air bubbles in it. Then I put it in a large bowl about the size of a small pie pan. You can slice it and serve it like pie. No crust needed, it is substantial and keeps its shape. Kinda the firmness of firm tofu. Easy way to add fat without carbs as cream cheese is good for that, but I get tired of the cream cheese taste alone. Making some orange flavored "pie" today in fact. It also keeps really well. I've kept it covered in fridge for up to a week.

    I wonder if this would work with a jello sugar free pudding mix. I have a box of sugar free pistachio in the cupboard that I was just going to make into standard pudding with whole fairlife milk.

    But maybe something like

    1 small(4 serving) box of pudding
    1 8oz brick of cream cheese, room temp
    1 cup of HWC, or whole lc milk(??)

    Whip with a mixer and pour into a pie pan, chill and cut?

    I've actually made that for church suppers and no one knew it was low carb. I mix melted butter with almond meal for a crust. I baked it for a few minutes until I thought it was done, but I don't even think you have to bake it - kinda like a graham cracker crust.

    Then I just made the pudding with two cups heavy cream! It is almost like a whipped cream pie only the pudding mix keeps it really stable. I dotted mine with berries. I'll see if I can find a pic. Ppl loved it, but it's really high fat! Haha.
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    edited August 2015
    @sweetteadrinker2 this was mine, instant white chocolate pudding Dry mix whipped till thick with two cups heavy cream, in almond crust, dotted with fresh blackberries. q2fmh4qn42mx.jpg

    I don't see why adding cream cheese wouldn't work too tho. Have to play with it.
  • sweetteadrinker2
    sweetteadrinker2 Posts: 1,026 Member
    Ive
    pondsbb wrote: »
    If you don't boil it do you even add the water or is it just jello mixed in the cream cheese for the taste?

    You boil a cup of water and mix in the jello mix with a mixer. Then add the block of cream cheese and whip, whip, whip. Whipping it a lot makes air bubbles in it. Then I put it in a large bowl about the size of a small pie pan. You can slice it and serve it like pie. No crust needed, it is substantial and keeps its shape. Kinda the firmness of firm tofu. Easy way to add fat without carbs as cream cheese is good for that, but I get tired of the cream cheese taste alone. Making some orange flavored "pie" today in fact. It also keeps really well. I've kept it covered in fridge for up to a week.

    I wonder if this would work with a jello sugar free pudding mix. I have a box of sugar free pistachio in the cupboard that I was just going to make into standard pudding with whole fairlife milk.

    But maybe something like

    1 small(4 serving) box of pudding
    1 8oz brick of cream cheese, room temp
    1 cup of HWC, or whole lc milk(??)

    Whip with a mixer and pour into a pie pan, chill and cut?

    I've actually made that for church suppers and no one knew it was low carb. I mix melted butter with almond meal for a crust. I baked it for a few minutes until I thought it was done, but I don't even think you have to bake it - kinda like a graham cracker crust.

    Then I just made the pudding with two cups heavy cream! It is almost like a whipped cream pie only the pudding mix keeps it really stable. I dotted mine with berries. I'll see if I can find a pic. Ppl loved it, but it's really high fat! Haha.

    About how much butter and almond meal did you use? I have that exact pie pan! I'm starting the hunt for "holiday" recipes, particularly for desserts. No one will bat an eye if I don't have potatoes and we have broccoli instead of corn, but they will harangue me for not having dessert on a holiday.
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    Well, this is the crust I originally made. http://www.lowcarbist.com/2009/04/better-pie-crust/ however, as I made this pie over and over I started deleting ingredients and found that just almond meal and melted butter works just as well! I just put a pile of meal in the pan, and add a few Tbsp melted butter at a time until it makes the crust all wet and "mouldable". But maybe use the recipe the first time. It's a good one. Crust is crispy and holds up to being cut/served. Reminds me a lot of graham cracker crusts if you ever made those.
  • JennyToy1
    JennyToy1 Posts: 26 Member
    edited August 2015
    "I started deleting ingredients and found that just almond meal and melted butter works just as well! I just put a pile of meal in the pan, and add a few Tbsp melted butter at a time until it makes the crust all wet and "mouldable".

    i have done this with flax meal and adding in some stevia-to my brain (which is almost as much about texture as taste) it's the yummmz diet version of graham cracker crust (or jello no bake cheesecake crust)

    ~jen
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    JennyToy1 wrote: »
    i have done this with flax meal and adding in some stevia-to my brain (which is almost as much about texture as taste) it's the yummmz diet version of graham cracker crust (or jello no bake cheesecake crust)

    ~jen

    Great idea. I'm def going to try that. I make flax crackers, but haven't experimented with it other than that. I'm trying to get my fiber up to 25g a day and the flax is great for that.

  • greenautumn17
    greenautumn17 Posts: 322 Member
    A new fav at our house is the SF jello with hot water, cream cheese and cream. We use 8oz CC to 2 boxes of SF Jello, a little over a cup of HW and about 1/2 HWC. Blend until smooth and pour into a pie pan. (You should let it set, but I could drink it up just as it is) Even the kids like it! We have made a cherry one and a lime one so far. The lime was very much like key lime pie according to my daughter and husband.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    A new fav at our house is the SF jello with hot water, cream cheese and cream. We use 8oz CC to 2 boxes of SF Jello, a little over a cup of HW and about 1/2 HWC. Blend until smooth and pour into a pie pan. (You should let it set, but I could drink it up just as it is) Even the kids like it! We have made a cherry one and a lime one so far. The lime was very much like key lime pie according to my daughter and husband.

    I like this with half the water to dissolve the jello, a little extra unflavored gelatin to firm it up, 1 cup of sour cream, and 1 cup of heavy cream whipped in separately to prevent layer separation later. I just don't like the texture when I dissolve the jello AND add in cream cheese. It gets weird and waxy to me...
  • pondsbb
    pondsbb Posts: 172 Member
    I tried rolling the cream cheese in just jello like the web page I found said and it is awful. I am going to try and melt it add eggs and bake for cheesecake. I hate wasting stuff
  • tracy0919
    tracy0919 Posts: 46 Member
    wow these are great ideas!
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,103 Member
    pondsbb wrote: »
    I tried rolling the cream cheese in just jello like the web page I found said and it is awful. I am going to try and melt it add eggs and bake for cheesecake. I hate wasting stuff

    be very careful melting cream cheese. If it separates, it is very difficult to get it to come back together. Usual baking recommendation is just to let it come to room temperature, then it generally blends well with just about anything...
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