This is a bit different from my breakfast. Then again, I have a significantly higher calorie goal than most.

Today was:

• 3 eggs
• 6 oz canned ham
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 oz cheddar cheese

Method:

1. slice ham and pan fry until outside is crispy (med heat)
2. remove ham from pan and reduce heat to low
3. put all butter into pan until it melts and makes a butter pool
4. crack 3 eggs directly into butter pool
5. spoon butter over the tops of the eggs until the white is cooked (made sunny-side up today)
6. pour whole pan (eggs and butter) on to plate
7. slice cheddar and put on plate

Then I dip the ham and cheddar into the yolks and eat them. The remaining egg bits get scooped up with the butter on the plate and consumed after the yolk is gone.

Total calories: ~1,100 and 6g of carbs -- which is way more carbs that I usually get, mostly from the ham.

@Q_Is_Poison nice to hear you find that filling. Thxs for sharing. To be healthier I would substitute butter for the margarine. Mind you I would also want you add bacon so mine is more of a calorie hit.

Welcome to the group, Q! (BTW, what is Q, and why is it poison?)

You'll find a lot of distrust of conventional wisdom here. Mostly because a lot of us felt that following conventional wisdom got us fat.

Can you tell us why you're restricting carbs? Are you following any specific guidelines?

May I ask, @Q_Is_Poison - why are you eating low carb if you think fat is fattening? Low carb diets function on the premise that eating fat, while keeping carbs low, and getting adequate protein, helps your body burn fat. Fat is not fattening. I just prefer healthier fats - minimally processed fats like butter, lard, coconut oil, etc, as opposed to heavily processed "vegetable" oils, no matter how much sugar, oops, I mean, nonfat yogurt they mix with it...

I am going to combine some of these comments into groups that are easier to respond to.

Q_Is_Poison wrote: »

I don't believe that a hundred calorie tablespoon of butter is more healthy than a 35 calorie tablespoon of yogurt margarine. Butter is pure saturated fat and fattening beyond belief. That is why Adkins does not work long term for most women. After the initial water weight loss from cutting carbs, weight loss slows to a crawl because of the huge amount of calories consumed. Calories DO count.

How can you possibly say that the extra calories in butter and bacon are more healthy? They are not. They may taste better, but I assure you they are not healthier choices.

Vegetable oils are the worst possible sources of fats in the modern diet. While they are linked with lower total cholesterol, they are also linked with higher cancer rates. They are inflammatory and may very well contribute to disease all by themselves. Further, the lower cholesterol isn't even proven to be beneficial. The HDL (the good one) takes a significant blow while the LDL only goes down a little. Eating those "saturated fats" might cause the total number to be higher, but it will result in better HDL and LDL ratios. In the end, you'll have more healthy cholesterol even though the total number looks worse.

Atkins works just fine for women long term and there is no reason to believe that saturated fat plays any role in weight gain. It is no more fattening than any other fat source, likely less fattening because there are fewer calories in saturated fats. I know many women eating very low carb for years/decades.

Q_Is_Poison wrote: »

If high calorie, high sodium, but low carb works for you, great! However, some of us don't have the luxury of low carb/high cal and must count both! Brummel and Brown Yogurt spread has zero carbs per tablespoon and 70 less calories per table spoon tan butter does. Calories DO count. Especially if you are a woman.

Fit_Goat your breakfast contains so many calories that if I prepared it, I could only have an apple for rest of the day and stick to my goals...

I, absolutely, acknowledge that. In fact, my first comment included the fact that my calorie goals are higher than most (2600-2800 when not trying to lose). Even when trying to lose, I am eating around 2300-2500 calories a day. For me, a couple 1000+ calorie meals a day is the way that I feel best. If I am not trying to lose weight, I get a third meal in or make the meals even larger.

I don't think anyone should be eating 1200 calories a day, not even tiny old women. But, I do know that most women here couldn't lose weight if they ate the same amount as I do.

Sodium is "meh." It is absolutely unessential. You don't need it for survival (at least not as a carnivore). You also can't really consume enough to be harmful, as your body regulates the amount and passes excess out through the urine. Does lower sodium lower blood pressure? Yes. But, the amount is negligible.

Q_Is_Poison wrote: »

Bacon is filled with nitrates which have been proven to be carcinogenic over time...

Proven is a very strong word. Strong enough to be wrong. There is no such proof in existence. There is an established relationship between eating processed meats (bacon, deli meats, sausages, etc.) and cancer, but the relationship is not proof that those cause cancer. There is a strong relationship between many things that don't have a causal relationship. The mechanism for the increased risk is still hotly debated and being investigated.

You don't need to eat bacon.

Heck, I didn't think your breakfast was that bad. I just commented on it because it was getting no love and I wanted to bump it. I think it would be fine, unchanged, for many here. Some might swap out parts (like the margarine for butter), but that's up to each individual. I don't eat vegetables, so I would swap out the plant foods (margarine and spinach), for meat products (bacon grease and cheese). That would bump the calories a little, but I could afford it. It would make a nice snack, at that size, for me.

Welcome Q. I had 3 eggs and 3 pieces of bacon today and I am a 53 year old woman with hypothyroidism. I tend to lose weight more slowly than most, even other women, and I do watch calories too, but know that eating high fat absolutely works for most of us here, even us ladies who are getting older.

There is a lot to comment on here in response to your concerns, but @FIT_Goat and others are doing a good job answering your concerns. I'm on my phone and haven't looked up your profile, so don't know anything about you. I know the concept of high fat takes some getting used to, just give it time. I personally would never eat fake foods such as margarine. Butter is natural and good for you, and eating it really does make your pants fall off ! If eating low carb appeals to you, consider that those carb calories must be replaced with something, and fat is a logical solution, and one which helps immensely with satiation and pleasure. A smaller quantity of delicious food suits me much better than spreading my calories too thinly with lower fat and poorer quality food substitutes.

Believe me, I've been there and done that and I'll never go back again to the way I used to eat. I lost 100 pounds a number of years ago eating what I thought was healthy at the time, having been brainwashed by conventional dietary advice.... Low cal and low fat weird carby foods, including things like margarine, low fat cheese and salad dressings, etc. I was miserable and unhealthy, and had to exercise for hours to maintain my weight loss. I gained all my weight back since this was not sustainable. I won't get into too much detail here. I have now lost 100 pounds again in what feels like an effortless and natural way. Just know that I feel great eating low carb high fat, better than ever, and I love eating real food full of saturated fat. I do eat nitrate free bacon btw.

When I first saw this post, I read it and thought the meal needed more fat and calories and for a moment I thought I was on the main forum by mistake. I didn't comment then, but now just want to say that we have all been there, and have a lot of experience with many different ways of eating. I was hesitant at first, but now I really enjoy being a "food rebel". Feel free to ask us anything. You will find a lot of support here, but we are also very passionate with what we believe in. Good luck!