Success stories from increasing fat intake

Better skin with more Omega 3. Allergy problems greatly decreased.

I would consider myself a success story when it comes to upping fat and lowering carbs...

And yes, tapering waist, healthy skin, nails and hair, I don't get sick or have any aches and pains. Here's some photographic evidence (taken a couple of weeks ago, and I've lost another 5 or so since then - the before photo was when I stopped eating grains and upping fat, not my ultimate before photo):

OMG!! The proof is in the pudding!! Great job. Yes you are a success story !!!

so what did and how did you cut out your grains and what kinds of fats did you add?? did you cut out all your grain?

I follow The Primal Blueprint - you can find all the info on it at marksdailyapple.com, or come check out the Primal/Paleo support group on here. Basically, it's clean eating - whole, unprocessed foods, organic/grass-fed/cage-free/wild whenever possible, lots of healthy fats, a healthy amount of protein, no grains, legumes, sugars or sugary fruits (although many fruits are okay), dairy in moderation (preferably whole fat, raw milk/cheese). I have never felt as healthy or as happy as I do living this way. I wrote about it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/4milesat40/view/6-months-primal-179202


Amy

Great information. Thanks

I follow Paleo as well. No sugar, no wheat ( grains ), no fruits and so on. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is my main fat source.
The sugar / carbs are the enemy, not fat. Like 4milesat I had no headache, joint / back pain for over the year, can run 10k,
do not get tired even after very busy day.

What part of Paleo ever says you can't eat fruit?

I personally always eat a banana before my morning workouts then have eggs afterward. I don't agree with this carbs are the enemy mentality. Just my opinion. Maybe it's because I'm slowly developing a healthy relationship with carbs. I focus on hitting my protein and fat goals for the day and usually the carbs just fall into place.

I'm working on increasing the amount of fat I'm taking in (specifically virgin coconut oil), I'm having a hard time watching my daily calories go up so quickly. Does anyone have success stories they can share about benefits they experienced from incorporating more [obviously healthy] fats into their diet? Thanks!

I think the general idea is that fat is the only macronutrient which does not stimulate the release of insulin upon its consumption. Therefore this helps to create a more favourable hormonal environment for ongoing fat burning, especially with respect to the dangerous visceral fat.

The fats I have been adding to my diet come mostly from eggs, butter, meat and poultry. I realise that this is controversial, but years of eating the 'healthy' way have not solved my health and appetite issues. So I'm trying this.

So far - six weeks on - my appetite is very much decreased. I haven't lost scale weight but my midsection has started to shrink; clothes which were tight round the middle have much more room in them. And my pre-menstrual week has been much less traumatic than usual.

During the early stages of the high-fat eating regime I was probably very much over my daily calorie allowance because I didn't log (I wanted to get used to the change before fussing about calories), but now my appetite has decreased and I am on average within calories. But I have set my allowance quite high, it should be noted. This might be tricky to do if you're set on eating 1200 a day.

The only way to find out if it suits you is to try it for yourself, I'd say.

I've noticed benefits and drawbacks....for me, the positive aspect (like most others have mentioned) is that my waist "tapers" like it never has before. I finally have a defined waist! Which is obviously great. Also, my skin is never ashy or dry anymore, and my nails don't split and grow like weeds. No difference in hair though.

Drawbacks.... My *kitten* got huge. I used to ALWAYS pack on extra weight in my stomach; now, for the first time in my life, my thighs and butt are just huge. I truly do think that different macronutrient intake causes extra weight to distribute differently-- too many carbs = stomach, too much fat = butt. At least in my case.

The other drawback for me is that my increase of fat intake has been mostly from nuts or nut butters, for which it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to keep my portion control consistent. I will eat 1000s of cals in nuts in one sitting if I get ahold of them, so it's something I just can't have around, even if they are healthy fats.

OMG how I wish to have your drawback especially on increasing the butt

As for me, I do the 40-30-30 macro distribution. I mostly get my healthy fat sources from salmon & also on olive oil. Salmon is my favorite food but I notice that although I love it so much but I couldn't binge on it because 4oz of it makes me feel full plus the fat content.

bonk

I follow Paleo as well. No sugar, no wheat ( grains ), no fruits and so on. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is my main fat source.
The sugar / carbs are the enemy, not fat. Like 4milesat I had no headache, joint / back pain for over the year, can run 10k,
do not get tired even after very busy day.

You sure you survive without no carbs? I feel so weak if I do not take carb before and after a weight lifting session. Banana helps so much after workout. Do you lift? I do not dare to go zero carb but if you can give me some good evidences that it would not make me feel super tired and lethargic, i would love to listen.

I follow Primal Blueprint as well, which is a bit more flexible than Paleo diet. Neither of these is specifically attempting to be 'low-carb' but the carbs come mostly from vegetables with a small amount of fruit so you end up with a more controlled/controllable carb intake.

This sounds very interesting! Thanks for all of the input. I am going to research some to see how I can do this! One of the areas I really want to lose in is belly fat! I eat almonds.... should i be replacing these with carbs? So is it no carbs and more fat? How are you to consume the coconut oil?

This is an interesting topic...I hope to see more!