HFLC without Keto?

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Raynne413
Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
I've been trying to do HFLC, mostly because high fat tends to keep my cravings and binge urges in check (I have a history of eating disorders) and because I have PCOS so I think it helps keep my hormones level. However, due to my love of fruit, I don't think I could do full on keto, as well as my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).

Is there still a benefit to doing HFLC without going fully into keto? My net carbs tend to be around 150g per day. Is this just way too much to see a benefit? Without fruit my net carbs would actually probably be in the 75 range, which I know is still considered too high.

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  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    That's high for keto, but anything under 100 grams is considered low carb. I tried to go look at your diary, but it isn't available. What kinds of fruits are you eating? I don't know about you, but my body (also with PCOS and IR) sees a banana the same way it does a snickers bar, so I had to cut out fruit to feel better. Your cravings and binges will get better controlled if you cut more fruits down.

    If you stick with lower sugar veggies - berries and stone fruits (like peaches and plums), you can easily include them in a 100 grams of carb plan in small quantities. it's all about choice.

    And I'll be honest, I had bananas and apples and berries and oranges all day long before I switch to eating low carb. I don't miss them. I feel great for the first time in my life. I have energy, no mental fog, emotional eating triggers are minimized, binges are on things like roasted asparagus last night or bacon - not all the other junk, so many other things.

    There is absolutely NO reason not to do HIIT exercises after the first few weeks on keto. In fact, your performance in those activities is likely to increase after your body adapts to burning fat for your muscle fuel. There is another group a lot of us are in, if you aren't there yet, that covers all manner of Low Carb options.

    Sounds like a Whole30 Keto/LCHF or a Primal/Paleo variation might be more what you are looking for. Please check out the launch pad stickie post on the other group.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum-the-lcd-group
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    Thank you for your help!

    Most of my fruit tends to be mixed berries. I toss frozen mixed berries (no sugar added) in my 2% Greek Yogurt every morning for breakfast. Why is it so hard to find full fat yogurt??? Every so often I will use a frozen tropical mix that has peaches, mango, and pineapple, but I try to find a way to cut carbs from other pills to make up for that.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Here is a recipe I made specifically once I'd started eating Keto style that is a variation on a recipe I found online. It tastes like custard style yogurt (so slightly thicker - but if you want it more like yogurt, I'd leave out the extra gelatin), and this could be a compromise for the full fat yogurt. You could use unflavored gelatin instead of the sugar-free stuff, add some vanilla, and only sweeten with your berries as a compromise...

    Berries in your yogurt shouldn't be enough to push your carbs up that crazy. And the Keto threshold I think is under 50 grams of carbs... Pineapples at least have fiber, but those mangos are sugar bombs. I know what you're talking about because that used to be my smoothie mix.

    RECIPE: Jello Fat Bombs
    UPDATED TO INCLUDE METRIC CONVERSIONS to be best of my abilities, with google at my ready.
    I know most people aren't fans of the artificial sweeteners, but I found my new favorite fat bomb, tweaked my way. It is a creamy, custardy, dense mousse like pudding that just makes me SUPER happy.

    Jello Fat Bombs
    Ingredients
    1 package of sugar free gelatin, your flavor choice (peach is my current fave) - (0.30 oz/8.5 g)
    1/2 packet (approximately 1.5 tsp) of unflavored gelatin (I used Knox out of habit) (each packet is 0.25 oz/7 g - so this is 0.125 oz/3.5 g)
    2 cups boiling water (per gelatin instructions, instead of one part boiling, one part cold, I use both boiling to dissolve the extra gelatin. Apparently, this is 470 ml (rounded), I'm sure UK packages are set up to be a better calculation for y'all)
    1 cup full fat sour cream (240 ml)
    1 cup heavy whipping cream (240 ml)
    1 packet stevia sweetener (to taste, optional - this took off the sour cream edge for me) (each US packet is 1 g)

    Directions
    Boil water. Dissolve both gelatins completely. Stir at least 2 minutes.
    Stir in and fully in corporate sour cream. (I use a whisk, but this could be done in a mixer, by hand, whatever.) Mix at least 2 minutes. (Btw, all the mixing keeps it from separating later)

    Whip in heavy cream. You could just stir it in, but I like the little bit of mousse like texture it adds. Again, stir at least two minutes.

    Pour into 4 portions, approximately 1 cup each (240 ml / slightly larger if whipped). Refrigerate until firmly set.

    Recipe in MFP Shows as:
    331 calories, 32 grams fat, 4 grams carbs/net carbs (no fiber), 4 grams protein

    FULL DISCLOSURE - the original recipe does not have the added unflavored gelatin, but it set too soft for me. Also, it did not add the sweetener over the jello sweetening, but the sour cream "bite" was off-putting for me (I'm not a fan of it straight at all), so adding that little bit of sweetness took the edge off, and it is still far less sweet than my old sweets! :) And this works fabulously for those who can't afford other fats sources - or who just need an awesome satisfying snack with staying power that kills the sweet tooth, but without all the sugar! :)
  • Raynne413
    Raynne413 Posts: 1,527 Member
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    Thanks so much! I may experiment with that over the weekend!

    Out of curiosity, do you think that would work with the sugar free pudding mixes?

    And with the fat of the whipping cream, I wonder if 2% Greek yogurt would work as a substitute for the sour cream, just to get the extra protein?
  • Ocrgrrrl
    Ocrgrrrl Posts: 189 Member
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    Um...I am so trying this soon! I love sour cream actually!
  • deoxy4
    deoxy4 Posts: 197 Member
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    Raynne413 wrote: »
    Thank you for your help!

    Most of my fruit tends to be mixed berries. I toss frozen mixed berries (no sugar added) in my 2% Greek Yogurt every morning for breakfast. Why is it so hard to find full fat yogurt??? Every so often I will use a frozen tropical mix that has peaches, mango, and pineapple, but I try to find a way to cut carbs from other pills to make up for that.

    I had two choices at the market for full fat plain yogurt in the past. I now have none. There is a full refrigerator chest of reduced/low fat, high fructose yogurts.

    Grocers will carry what sells. The public still buys into the low fat message. No more yogurt for me.
  • KnitOrMiss
    KnitOrMiss Posts: 10,104 Member
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    Raynne413 wrote: »
    Thanks so much! I may experiment with that over the weekend!

    Out of curiosity, do you think that would work with the sugar free pudding mixes?

    And with the fat of the whipping cream, I wonder if 2% Greek yogurt would work as a substitute for the sour cream, just to get the extra protein?

    Full fat sour cream, depending on brand, has 1-2 carbs per oz. I believe the content is significantly higher for yogurt. (looked it up on fatsecret.com. It has less than 10 carbs per cup. Don't now how this compares to your greek yogurt. You could puree cottage cheese and do half that, half sour cream for the protein if you want, but the gelatin adds protein (small amounts). You might be able to do a sugar free protein powder - or a low carb sweetened one with unflavored gelatin... You'd have to play around. Personally, I would avoid the yogurt itself, because it isn't just the milk sugars, but usually some added stuff too, but this is a recipe to easily play with. I would try it as is first.

    You might also be able to add chia seeds or ground hemp hearts or something.

    Sugar free pudding mixes have more carbs than jello because of the thickeners, but they are still negligible when divided into smaller portions. But you'd probably be better off just googling "pudding" recipes. I tend to do a 2:1 ratio of softened cream cheese to softened butter with some vanilla, sweetener to make cheesecake "pudding." you can add cocoa or pumpkin pie spice and all kinds of stuff.
  • ladipoet
    ladipoet Posts: 4,180 Member
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    deoxy4 wrote: »
    Raynne413 wrote: »

    I had two choices at the market for full fat plain yogurt in the past. I now have none. There is a full refrigerator chest of reduced/low fat, high fructose yogurts.

    Grocers will carry what sells. The public still buys into the low fat message. No more yogurt for me.

    Try Quark (a creamy cheese high in protein but with no fat :'( which people often confuse with yogurt). Also try Coyo (Coconut yogurt - high in fat with a lower amount of protein as compared to quark). Both are relatively low in carbs as opposed to any traditional kind of yogurt.
  • auntneen
    auntneen Posts: 31 Member
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    Just an FYI, I found full fat content plain Chobani yogurt at my local Shoprite, in singles even. I was excited!
  • fastforlife1
    fastforlife1 Posts: 459 Member
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    Raynne413 wrote: »
    I've been trying to do HFLC, mostly because high fat tends to keep my cravings and binge urges in check (I have a history of eating disorders) and because I have PCOS so I think it helps keep my hormones level. However, due to my love of fruit, I don't think I could do full on keto, as well as my love of high intensity exercise (I tend to do 50 minutes of kickboxing and either 20 minutes of HIIT or circuit strength sessions everyday).

    Is there still a benefit to doing HFLC without going fully into keto? My net carbs tend to be around 150g per day. Is this just way too much to see a benefit? Without fruit my net carbs would actually probably be in the 75 range, which I know is still considered too high.

    i just read Gary Taube's book "Why We Get Fat." According to him, anytime we are not burning carbs, we are burning ketos - which for most people happens some every night. He suggests not exercising too much and limiting carbs to 50-60 a day. I've cut back on my carbs (from 120 gr to 60 gr net), increased my protein and fat by 50% and exercised less (2-3 hours total) the last 2 weeks. My calories just naturally lowered from 1800 a day to 1650 because there is less hunger with lower carbs and less exercise. My weight loss doubled from .6#s a week to 1.4#s.