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Low fat AND low carb?

JennifrClaire
JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
edited September 2016 in Social Groups
My doctor wants me on a low fat diet after a lipid test showed I have high cholesterol.
I lived on a low fat diet for a decade trying to keep my gallstones and my weight in check and it failed on both counts.
I lost 50 pounds on low carb and I've kept it off (give or take a couple of pounds). I'm just not giving it up.
Can you do both low fat and low carb?
Has anyone here been in this situation? It would be just protein and vegetables wouldnt it?
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Replies

  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
    I cannot see how you could do both - the energy to sustain you needs to come from somewhere. What was your cholesterol like before you lost weight? Has it gone up, or is it already on a downward trend?
  • redimock
    redimock Posts: 258 Member
    Here's @GaleHawkins 's thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10450702/got-new-lchf-lab-results-for-year-2

    Also, if you don't mind sharing what your numbers were, some of the more experienced low carbers may have some great insights for you :smile:
  • option3girl
    option3girl Posts: 166 Member
    You might think about reading Cholesterol Clarity by Jimmy Moore and Dr. Eric Westman. I haven't read it yet, but just finished their Keto Clarity book and found it very helpful. The cholesterol book focuses on the latest research around cholesterol and how, in their opinion, many doctors are giving the wrong advice because they are unaware of the latest findings.
  • JessicaLCHF
    JessicaLCHF Posts: 1,265 Member
    My doctor wants me on a low fat diet after a lipid test showed I have high cholesterol.
    I lived on a low fat diet for a decade trying to keep my gallstones and my weight in check and it failed on both counts.
    I lost 50 pounds on low carb and I've kept it off (give or take a couple of pounds). I'm just not giving it up.
    Can you do both low fat and low carb?
    Has anyone here been in this situation? It would be just protein and vegetables wouldnt it?

    Watch the movie "Fathead". It used to be on YouTube but they took it off. I recently found it free on Vimeo. His cholesterol went up too. His dr was worried until he asked for a PARTICLE SIZE test. I'd insist on it.

    Large fluffy particles are not dangerous. Small particles are what block arteries. His particles were large even tho his cholesterol was high on this diet, so the concern was not valid AT ALL. Check it out, the video goes into it in detail. I'll try to find a link.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10454848/its-working#latest

    Another recent thread ^^ regarding an individual's lipid #s improving with low carb high fat.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    [quote="Jo2926;37626022" What was your cholesterol like before you lost weight?[/quote]
    I've never had it checked before.
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    Thank you, every one for your replies. I was thinking these things but i needed to hear from other people too.
    The only reason they were testing me at all was because i said i didn't want to take my levothyroxine -and had not done for about a year. The test showed I am no longer hypothyroid and everything else is good too so its only that one test .
    I dont know what my actual numbers are but I feel fine.
    Low fat diets, even with a high calorie burn everyday, didn't get my weight down and did nothing for my health generally.
  • janettles
    janettles Posts: 69 Member
    The Dukan Diet as written is low fat and low carb. This is the diet that Carole and Catherine Middleton used to get ready for the royal wedding.
    Dr. Dukan has written a few books. Here is the book I am using:
    Dukan Diet: 2 Steps to Lose the Weight, 2 Steps to Keep It Off Forever Hardcover – April 19, 2011 by Pierre Dukan.
    Personally, where he has low fat products on his list, I buy regular fat products and have lost 50+ lbs. I also do not do the daily oat bran that he prescribes.
  • macchiatto
    macchiatto Posts: 2,890 Member
    I did the Dukan Diet for a few years (somewhat off and on). It did help me finally lose the last of my twin pregnancy weight and reverse prediabetes. I didn't find it *that* hard to follow but I reached a point last fall (after regaining 20 lbs ... long story but I was on a med that caused stomach problems. So I'd eat more carbs to try to settle my stomach, and if I tried doing Dukan again as the weight crept up, my stomach rebelled) where it wasn't working for me anymore. Even when I managed to stick to it stomach-wise, I was bored of it and had a hard time losing weight.

    LCHF had a lot more positive benefits for me (my GI system was much happier in every way, more satisfying ... though at first I missed my nightly oat bran pancake ;), reduced joint pain, good rate of weight loss, etc.)

    If it helps, I have a blog where I did some chronicling of my Dukan experiences and I've added a wee bit of my LCHF journey, too:
    www.amysdukandiary.blogspot.com
  • RalfLott
    RalfLott Posts: 5,036 Member
    edited September 2016
    @JennifrClaire -
    If you're LFLC, then you must be either HP - which can elevate your blood glucose and tax your kidneys - or low-calorie - which would not meet your needs, if you're now in maintenance mode......

    Swami sees yummy Macadamia nuts in your future! B)
  • toadqueen
    toadqueen Posts: 592 Member
    I too tried the Dukan Diet for a few months a couple of years ago and lost weight with it...BUT there were foods recommended that I really could barely tolerate such as oat bran and I could not stick with it. It is alternating days of protein only one day and protein and vegetables the next.

    My total cholesterol has gone down since eating keto (early-August) from 197 (mid-May) to 170 (late-August).
  • KarlaYP
    KarlaYP Posts: 4,439 Member
    I would insist on a copy of your results! They are yours anyway! Knowing these numbers (any lab results for that matter) are important to know.

    Low carb and low fat is a recipe for ultimate failure. One may manage to lose weight, but they'll starve (be hangry!) doing it!

    I recommend reading "Cholesterol Clarity" (as recommended above), and "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter, for recent knowledge on this topic! The medical recommendations for low fat are outdated, and detrimental to one's health! Do you now know someone with Dementia, or Alzheimer's, or know someone who has a family member dealing with this? It used to be a rare thing to see, but not anymore! I completely BELIEVE this increase is because of 50+ years of eating low fat (and 20+ years of statins!)!!
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    I might modify my fat intske some what. After years of not touching it, I may have gone a bit overboard, in my LCHF zeal. I'd like to lose another 20 pounds , but not if it's going to make me miserable trying.
    Moderation is probably the best policy. Im afraid that if I cut back too much i will destabilise my blood sugars and go back to impulse eating. Thats when I make bad decisions about food - quality and quantity.
    I should ring tomorrow and ask for my test results.
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    I did LC and LF to lose the original weight, I was not starving hungry... just felt a bit icky from Ketoflu for the first 3 days or so. If you take proper supplements it can be done in a healthy way, BUT you must realize that there needs to be a gradual transition made to higher fat when you get to maintenance. Some people just get stuck on the idea that this is a permanent WOE, when it is really only a phase of your 'getting healthy' plan. I followed a medical doctor who developed the plan for athletes who needed to lose weight for seasonal competition, and who adapted it for other populations needing to reduce insulin sensitivity and lose a larger amount of fat weight.
    His site: info is free, no charge to download his book either. RARE for a diet related site.
    trantiendiet.com/site/spip.php?rubrique19
  • JennifrClaire
    JennifrClaire Posts: 141 Member
    I'm trying a compromise. Giving up butter, and replacing full fat yoghurt, cheese, etc with the lower fat types. That sort of thing. Perhaps its not "low fat" but its not high fat, either.