New to low carb high fat, have questions.

texasokie
texasokie Posts: 65 Member
I was diagnosed this week with diabetes but was told I could change it with diet/exercise. A coworker told me about the ketogenic diet, I've been reading up on it and have couple questions. Can eating such high fat cause other problems like clogged arteries? Can you really lose weight eating high fat? Thank you all for any help you could give me because I'm really confused on how to handle this.
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Replies

  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    There's a plethora in info in the Launch Pad.
    That's where I retrieved this link for you

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10107242/the-skinny-on-fat-silencing-your-fear-of-dietary-fats?new=1

    You're in the right place if reversing diabetes, losing weight and achieving the best health of your life is your goal. Welcome!
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    edited April 2017
    texasokie wrote: »
    I was diagnosed this week with diabetes but was told I could change it with diet/exercise. A coworker told me about the ketogenic diet, I've been reading up on it and have couple questions. Can eating such high fat cause other problems like clogged arteries?
    No.
    Can you really lose weight eating high fat?
    Yes.
    Thank you all for any help you could give me because I'm really confused on how to handle this.

    As @Sunny_Bunny_ has pointed you in the right direction, oit's fair to say that (a) we have a high residence of Diabetic (type II) members here, all of whom are reaping the benefits of a LCHF regime and (b) my H has kicked his own 6-year-long Diabetes Type II into the touchline by following such a regime.

    This is not a 'quick fix' solution, although if you research the threads, talk to members and follow well-lived advice, there's no reason why you shouldn't establish a really significant change in 3 - 4 weeks' time.

    It's also important to realise this isn't a 'diet'; it's not a 'regime'. It's a new lifestyle, and way of life.
    This change is for good; it can be adapted, sure, and should be, to whatever your needs are.
    But the LCHF lifestyle, is the way to go, definitely.

    You should also consider the positive effects of fasting....

  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    texasokie wrote: »
    Can eating such high fat cause other problems like clogged arteries?
    Sadly, you're still subscribing (and I do not blame you one little bit for it) to the 'old school' of highly mistaken, misleading and downright untrue information regarding the detrimental effect of fats on the arteries.
    The information is out-dated and wildly inaccurate.
    Can you really lose weight eating high fat?
    Not only can you, but we would totally recommend it. But I would say that not all fats are the same.
    Trans-fats should be totally avoided, and omega 3 fats should dominate, with omega 6 following in moderation.
    But fry eggs in good-quality butter, because round here, Grass-fed butter is king!
    Thank you all for any help you could give me because I'm really confused on how to handle this.
    Be confused no longer.
    Keep carbs down to around 20grammes/day, protein to around 30 and fats to 50.
    Don't worry too much about the calorific count. But keep it up around 1500 calories/day.
    Incidentally, as I'm shifting weight, I don't always hit this particular target, but as you are diagnosed diabetic, and you have a condition to kick, rather than just weight to lose, you'd be best taking advice from someone who's diabetic. Or better yet, was.

    @2t9nty is a pertinent, and terrific example....


  • vikkibaptiste
    vikkibaptiste Posts: 2 Member
    texasokie wrote: »
    Can eating such high fat cause other problems like clogged arteries?
    Keep carbs down to around 20grammes/day, protein to around 30 and fats to 50.

    I'm new also! Can you please expand on this? Surely 100g of food per day is not enough to sustain an adult.
  • trish55011
    trish55011 Posts: 139 Member
    I was thinking the same thing, l think she meant to use percents instead of grams.
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    edited April 2017
    no, I meant grammes.

    Here in the UK, the Carb/fibre/fat/ sugar content of food is calculated per 100g of the food. (The USA calculates content according to portion, not to weight. How do you all know how big a portion is...?)

    So, for example (and I'm looking at the bottle now) HP sauce, per 100g, is 28.3g of carbs, of which 23.1g's are sugar. Protein is only 0.3grammes, per 100grammes of sauce.

    The portion size (according to the label) would be only 15grammes, though. (= 4.2grammes of carbs, of which 3.5grammes are sugar).
  • 2t9nty
    2t9nty Posts: 1,621 Member
    FWIW, I concentrated on the low carbs first because I was in a panic about my glucose levels. I set 50 carbs a day as my goal initially, and once I got the hang of it changed to 20. There is a little bit of trying things. So I discover that making a gravy with a little corn starch (for me) can keep me within the carb limit and still make the glucose go up a lot. I don't do that any more.

    Once I started to feel as if I was making progress with the glucose levels, I started being more aware of calories and set a calorie max as well. This is not the way to do it, but it was the way that made sense to me as I was fumbling though all this. I have found the forum to be a tremendous help in part because there is an understanding that we all have to figure out what works for our situation, and we are not all the same. There are variations on a theme and you are looking for something that works and can be sustained.

    While I was working on the LC and the glucose bit, I had some long plateaus in the weight loss. Once got a better sense of the full picture and got some confidence with the glucose, I was a lot more aware of calories so I could work on the weight loss too. It was not a hardship at this point, and I realized I was eating out of habit and trying to just stay under a goal. I was not always eating because I was hungry. You have to come to decisions like this your own way.

    Finally I set a lower hard calorie limit that "should" have me losing and a soft one 300 calories lower. I am under the soft one almost every day now, and I am not hungry all the time. I have gotten better about having heavy cream around to put in some coffee if I suddenly start thinking about snacks. The office can be a source of nervous energy that historically involved overeating.

    My 2 cents...
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited April 2017
    I think there is confusion as 20g carbs, 30g protein and 50g fat isn't even 700 calories.

    OP, please don't stress macros. You're just starting out. Don't let this complication confuse you.

    Just aim to keep carbs as low as possible getting all of them from green leafy veggies and dairy if you tolerate it.
    Eat meats you enjoy and don't be afraid of cooking with healthy fats like butter and enjoying it on your veggies.
    Avoid sugar free processed foods and whenever you're craving a non compliant food, just fend off the craving with a compliant food instead.
    Later on, a few weeks, you'll be what's known as fat adapted if you stay on plan and you'll find your appetite is significantly decreased and it won't be as difficult to deal with cravings.
    If you absolutely must have something sweet, then make it a low carb food. There's tons of recipes from fellow sugar addicts all over the internet. :)
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    genmon00 wrote: »
    T2D here! Welcome! I am also managing and conquering my diabetes eating LCHF. Now keep in mind, it's the LC (low carb) part of this WOE that is beneficial for blood sugar control. High fat (or better said NOT LOW FAT) helps with keeping us feeling satisfied and full longer. When i started 11 months ago i was I three diabetic meds, 186lbs (obese since I'm only 4'11) and always tired! As a full time employee, mother of two little boys and a full time student, my health was not a priority unfortunately it was spiraling out of control fast. My A1c was 7.5 (even with meds), my bp high even with meds, and my triglycerides were crazy high (fatty liver). After 3 short months on LCHF , my A1C dropped to 5.7! My bp normalized, my cholesterol dropped too! My last labs show my A1C 5.1! I'm down to 152 lbs and I feel great! My fatty liver is a thing of the past :) this WOE imo is the ONLY way to reverse or manage T2D

    You are amazing! Such a great success story!
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    edited April 2017
    I think there is confusion as 20g carbs, 30g protein and 50g fat isn't even 700 calories.

    It's a question of how the UK measures these components (vs how the USA measures them), and in what amount of the food item.

    we don't use percentage, we use gram-total. And we use a yardstick of 100g of the food item.

    The calorific content is also given (at the top of the breakdown column), but the label then gives you a breakdown of the weight content of every component.
    OP, please don't stress macros. You're just starting out. Don't let this complication confuse you.

    Absolutely, 100% right. And if you're in the UK, you should consider what I say, as workable. If in the USA, put it aside, and focus on how things are done in the USA.
    Just aim to keep carbs as low as possible getting all of them from green leafy veggies and dairy if you tolerate it.
    Eat meats you enjoy and don't be afraid of cooking with healthy fats like butter and enjoying it on your veggies.
    Avoid sugar free processed foods and whenever you're craving a non compliant food, just fend off the craving with a compliant food instead.
    Later on, a few weeks, you'll be what's known as fat adapted if you stay on plan and you'll find your appetite is significantly decreased and it won't be as difficult to deal with cravings.
    If you absolutely must have something sweet, then make it a low carb food. There's tons of recipes from fellow sugar addicts all over the internet. :)

    ^^This^^.
    Brilliant counsel as usual, from @Sunny_Bunny_ ...

  • genmon00
    genmon00 Posts: 604 Member
    genmon00 wrote: »
    T2D here! Welcome! I am also managing and conquering my diabetes eating LCHF. Now keep in mind, it's the LC (low carb) part of this WOE that is beneficial for blood sugar control. High fat (or better said NOT LOW FAT) helps with keeping us feeling satisfied and full longer. When i started 11 months ago i was I three diabetic meds, 186lbs (obese since I'm only 4'11) and always tired! As a full time employee, mother of two little boys and a full time student, my health was not a priority unfortunately it was spiraling out of control fast. My A1c was 7.5 (even with meds), my bp high even with meds, and my triglycerides were crazy high (fatty liver). After 3 short months on LCHF , my A1C dropped to 5.7! My bp normalized, my cholesterol dropped too! My last labs show my A1C 5.1! I'm down to 152 lbs and I feel great! My fatty liver is a thing of the past :) this WOE imo is the ONLY way to reverse or manage T2D

    You are amazing! Such a great success story!

    Thank you @Sunny_Bunny_! Even though sometimes i dont feel like a success especially after a day like yesterday (too many SF candies) :( But Im grateful for this group that I can be honest and never feel like Im shamed. You guys play a BIG part in my success :)
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,761 Member
    There's a plethora in info in the Launch Pad.
    That's where I retrieved this link for you

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10107242/the-skinny-on-fat-silencing-your-fear-of-dietary-fats?new=1

    You're in the right place if reversing diabetes, losing weight and achieving the best health of your life is your goal. Welcome!

    To go along with this, be sure to bookmark this thread, it is part of the launchpad as well:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10482542/diabetic-discussions#latest
  • menotyou56
    menotyou56 Posts: 178 Member
    edited April 2017
    texasokie wrote: »
    Can you really lose weight eating high fat?

    My wife (started 1-1-17) and I have been on 20 carbs day or less WOE since1-8-17. I have lost 32 pounds so far and she has lost 44.

    The best part of keto is that it killed our sugar cravings and ravenous hunger!

    Here are some good sites: https://www.ruled.me/guide-keto-diet/ and: https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/keto

    Good luck, you will love the results of the Keto diet!
  • cstehansen
    cstehansen Posts: 1,984 Member
    texasokie wrote: »
    I was diagnosed this week with diabetes but was told I could change it with diet/exercise. A coworker told me about the ketogenic diet, I've been reading up on it and have couple questions. Can eating such high fat cause other problems like clogged arteries? Can you really lose weight eating high fat? Thank you all for any help you could give me because I'm really confused on how to handle this.

    If you want to check out a great case study of someone from this group who chronicled his way through reversing diabetes with this WOE, check this blog out from @DittoDan

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/DittoDan/view/blog-1-it-s-ketogenic-or-bariatric-697598

    That is the first of many blogs. You can skip ahead to this one which just lists his milestones which are quite impressive:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/DittoDan/view/blog-13-dittodan-s-milestone-s-first-s-and-good-changes-since-starting-the-ketogenic-diet-718094

    I would recommend anyone who is diabetic and trying to decide if this really works to read that second one. It is hard to argue with these results. From there, the other blogs show the ups and downs in a real world with a real person rather than the infomercial version of diet magic we are so used to seeing on TV that never really pan out.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @texasokie best of success. You are in good company. @Sunny_Bunny_ and others have helped me learn a lot since 2014 about the LCHF WOE.
  • goldengirl111
    goldengirl111 Posts: 684 Member
    Way to go
  • JohnnyLowCarb
    JohnnyLowCarb Posts: 418 Member
    There's a plethora in info in the Launch Pad.
    That's where I retrieved this link for you

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10107242/the-skinny-on-fat-silencing-your-fear-of-dietary-fats?new=1

    You're in the right place if reversing diabetes, losing weight and achieving the best health of your life is your goal. Welcome!

    Umm... Sunny Bunny, Wow! (your updated profile pic)