A New Look at Fat in the Diet

[braumeister]

There doesn't have to be a choice on the menu; just ask.

DW and I have been ordering our burgers, bbq, etc. "with no bun" for years, at all sorts of restaurants, all up and down the scale. We have never even seen a raised eyebrow.

 

[HFWR]

I'm not sure what you mean by "crash dieting" but many people severely misunderstand starvation mode. It is true that as you cut calories the body may somewhat decrease its metabolic rate so that you burn fewer calories than you would burn if you had not cut calories (this is called adaptive thermogenesis). Some people (not saying you are one of them) misunderstand this and think that "starvation mode" means that you can't lose weight at all and that you have to then eat more food in order to lose weight. That is not correct. If you have a calorie deficit you will lose weight. And, even if your metabolism slows a little bit due to calories being cut, you will still lose weight if you are eating fewer calories than you burn.

I like this article for talking about this issue in a balanced way and points out that what most people think of as "starvation mode" is a myth (it also acknowledge that adaptive thermogenesis is real):

Starvation Mode: Is It A Myth? Is It Real? Is Your Body In It Now?

Perhaps the terminology is less than ideal, and as your link indicates, you will always lose weight with a calorie deficit. But cutting calories too drastically will indeed slow your metabolism, and likely zap your energy levels, and create an internal war with hunger that makes sticking to the diet much more difficult... One doesn't gain weight overnight. Better to reduce gradually.

 

[sengsational]

When at home, I use romain hearts for bread. You gotta be able to put stuff on it...whatever you'd use if you were going with bread.

When I'm out doing fast food, I tear off the bread, take a bite, tear off more bread, take a bite, etc.

The reason I avoid carbs is because if I don't, my appetite shifts into eating more. Anyone that considers this topic without considering appetite is missing it; a calorie is not a calorie if one type of calorie causes your appetite to shift.

Back to the original recent post that got this thread revved up... YMMV, but for me, eating no fat dairy (plain yogurt) revs up my appetite and eating the full fat dairy doesn't. Simple as that for me.

 

[mpeirce]

What do you ask the cashier for? And do you mean 5 Guys?

D'oh, yes 5 Guys.

Just ask for bun less. At 5 Guys they also ask if it's an allergy or not, which is nice. They are extra careful if you celiac (my wife does). Me I don't care.

 

[Chuckanut]

Anyone that considers this topic without considering appetite is missing it; a calorie is not a calorie if one type of calorie causes your appetite to shift.

+1

One also has to consider the food that contains the calories. Some foods cause the body to quickly store calories as fat, thus causing a calorie deficit. The body then demands more food to make us this deficit. Other foods short circuit the satiety signal to the brain causing the brain to think the body still needs food. No doubt there are other biological mechanisms that cause us to gain or lose weight. This varies from individual to individual and we each have to find what works best.

 

[Walt34]

I'm partial to Three Guys and Wendy's bunless burgers. They come in a nice tray and are easy to eat with a knife and fork.

Uh oh. I didn't know they had that option. You may have created a monster.

 

[Amethyst]

I can't keep track of the food do's and don'ts, which are always changing.

All I know is that since I quit overindulging in the kiddie sweet stuff I have always loved loved (cakes, cookies, candy), my dentist has commented on how much healthier my gums are. And I never told her I'd changed my diet.

(I don't actually "feel" any better or worse with the sweets or without them).

Amethyst

 

[braumeister]

Ah, Wendy's. My weakness is the Son of Baconator. I get it with no bun and no mayo, so that makes it only about 430 calories.
I will occasionally have one for lunch when I'm on the road, and consider it a treat. My favorite fast food junk.

 

[Walt34]

Ah, Wendy's. My weakness is the Son of Baconator. I get it with no bun and no mayo, so that makes it only about 430 calories.
I will occasionally have one for lunch when I'm on the road, and consider it a treat. My favorite fast food junk.

I understand. Once a month or so I give myself a "day of dietary decadence". On that day (while it has to remain gluten free) I pay no attention to health or calorie issues.

 

[InParadise]

I've been low carbing for over 10 years, going right into this way of eating from 2 years as a vegan. DH, a type 1 diabetic, joined me over 5 years ago. We don't view this as a "diet" to lose weight, but as a healthy way to eat. We try to focus on "good" fats when they taste as good as the alternative, but don't shirk away from eating a chunk of really nice cheese or eating whole fat dairy. Mostly we focus on a Mediterranean type approach based on low glycemic veggies, but feel zero guilt at eating bacon or beef. I don't measure anything, simply eating as much or as little as makes me feel satisfied, though not full.

Personally, and this does not apply to all, I have a serious problem with higher glycemic carbs. Even something that most consider healthy like brown rice, the real type you boil for an hour, sends me into carb cravings that would rival cravings of a drug addict going through withdrawals. Needless to say, being vegan is not for me. Finding low carb has been a huge relief for me.

 

[Katsmeow]

I can't keep track of the food do's and don'ts, which are always changing.

For many people this is a big issue. The seemingly changing nature of food advice has an actual paralyzing effect. I know I've sometimes felt like that. Almost as if every food was demonized by someone while venerated by someone else!

I think, though, that in reality the vast majority of experts do agree on a lot of things. For example, even the anti-fat advocates and the anti-carb advocates both seem to agree that it is a good thing to avoid processed empty sugar calories. There is a lot of agreement that if you are eating an oil, olive oil is usually good.

Here is a good article that talks about looking at the big picture regarding food:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-katz-md/diet-nutrition_b_2825049.htm

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's an article on energy balance and weight loss.

Whole Health Source: Mysteries of Energy Balance and Weight Loss

 

[NanoSour]

It's interesting to me that this topic got fired (no pun intended) up again as I have done a tremendous amount of research in the past few days. Just had blood work done and came back with the following lipid profile:

LDL - 151
HDL - 42
TriGlycerides - 244
Total Cholesterol - 242
Glucose - 99

Needless to say I'm concerned with the high TriG reading and from what I've been reading the Tri/HDL ratio reading should be < 2. Mine is 5.8 I'm at the same age my dad had his heart attack and he's been on Lipitor now for 20 years. Would like to avoid both of those if I can.

Before I let them put me on a statin regimen I'm gonna make some diet changes and see how that affects my profile. Primarily, I'm gonna cut out carbs; down to about 30/day and add 1000 mg of MegaRed Krill fish oil. I'll have my blood checked again in 12 weeks and see how it looks. Hopefully I get positive results as I am very anti statin at this point. BTW, I'm 5'8", 168 lbs with a BMI of 23.5 according to my Tanita scale. I certainly don't look any where near overweight, but could stand to lose about 10 pounds.

 

[braumeister]

High trigs are usually caused by high carbs. And high trigs are certainly correlated with heart disease. If those readings are from fasting blood work, I think you're absolutely right to try a very low carb diet. In most cases, that should lower your trigs dramatically in a short time, as well as raise your HDL. Best of luck!

 

[Corporateburnout]

It's interesting to me that this topic got fired (no pun intended) up again as I have done a tremendous amount of research in the past few days. Just had blood work done and came back with the following lipid profile:

LDL - 151
HDL - 42
TriGlycerides - 244
Total Cholesterol - 242
Glucose - 99

Needless to say I'm concerned with the high TriG reading and from what I've been reading the Tri/HDL ratio reading should be < 2. Mine is 5.8 I'm at the same age my dad had his heart attack and he's been on Lipitor now for 20 years. Would like to avoid both of those if I can.

Before I let them put me on a statin regimen I'm gonna make some diet changes and see how that affects my profile. Primarily, I'm gonna cut out carbs; down to about 30/day and add 1000 mg of MegaRed Krill fish oil. I'll have my blood checked again in 12 weeks and see how it looks. Hopefully I get positive results as I am very anti statin at this point. BTW, I'm 5'8", 168 lbs with a BMI of 23.5 according to my Tanita scale. I certainly don't look any where near overweight, but could stand to lose about 10 pounds.

A low carb diet will definitely help lower you cholesterol, triG and LDL numbers as it did mine but you also need to increase your level of exercise. Also 30g of daily carbs intake would be challenging to achieve and maintain as I try to stay at a more reasonable and sustainable 50g daily.

 

[InParadise]

It's interesting to me that this topic got fired (no pun intended) up again as I have done a tremendous amount of research in the past few days. Just had blood work done and came back with the following lipid profile:

LDL - 151
HDL - 42
TriGlycerides - 244
Total Cholesterol - 242
Glucose - 99

Needless to say I'm concerned with the high TriG reading and from what I've been reading the Tri/HDL ratio reading should be < 2. Mine is 5.8 I'm at the same age my dad had his heart attack and he's been on Lipitor now for 20 years. Would like to avoid both of those if I can.

Before I let them put me on a statin regimen I'm gonna make some diet changes and see how that affects my profile. Primarily, I'm gonna cut out carbs; down to about 30/day and add 1000 mg of MegaRed Krill fish oil. I'll have my blood checked again in 12 weeks and see how it looks. Hopefully I get positive results as I am very anti statin at this point. BTW, I'm 5'8", 168 lbs with a BMI of 23.5 according to my Tanita scale. I certainly don't look any where near overweight, but could stand to lose about 10 pounds.

Nano, a couple of things to help you along your low carb way:

1. You will experience "Induction Flu" at going down to 30 carbs from your regular overnight, as your brain transitions from using carbs to ketones for energy. You can tough it out, and it will only last a few days, or keep some almonds on hand and eat a small amount to give your body a bit of a boost to get over the hump. Or you can go down more gradually, but you will still probably experience some initial bad feeling. You will soon feel this flu like state followed by more energy and less desire to snack.

Eat LOTS of high fiber low carb, low glycemic veggies to go with your fat and protein, or you will get bound like never before. Personally, in addition to huge salads I am a big fan of chia seeds for my fiber, as they come with a significant boost of Omega-3s and antioxidants, but it is again best to start slow and you must drink lots of water during the day if you use chia. I make a chia pudding with coconut milk, vanilla extract and liquid stevia, (which I get at Trader Joes.) Those packets of sweetener each come with a carb of filler, but the liquid has none.

Join a LC group online. You will find all sorts of recipes and answers to your questions. Best of luck, and congratulations on being proactive with your health!

 

[aja8888]

In a low carb diet, why would you eat Chia seeds since they contain 12 grams of carbs per ounce?

"Calories, Carbohydrates and Fat

Chia seeds contain a provide a modest number of calories, with about 140 calories in 2 tablespoons, or 1 ounce. You get 12 grams of carbohydrate in this amount, with 11 grams of fiber, most of it soluble fiber that helps keep your blood sugar on an even keel. A 1 ounce serving of chia seeds also contains 9 grams of fat, with only 1 grams in a less healthy, saturated form."

 

[mpeirce]

It's net carbs that matter.

You list 12 carbs with 11 grams of fiber. That's 12-11, or 1 gram of carbs that isn't fiber.

Personally, I take a serving of sugar free Metamuscil each morning to keep my gut happy.

Here's what they say about carbs: (Metamucil Fiber Frequently Asked Questions)

If psyllium husk is a carbohydrate, why do Metamucil Multihealth Fiber Capsules contain zero net carbs?

In strict scientific terms, natural psyllium fiber is a polysaccharide that is a subclass of carbohydrates. Although dietary supplement regulations require that we list psyllium fiber as part of the carbohydrate total, it is, in fact, very different from carbohydrates such as sugar, glucose, fruit sugar, corn syrups, and starches. This is because our gastrointestinal enzymes cannot digest psyllium; therefore, our bodies do not absorb it and do not convert it into glucose.

 

[aja8888]

It's net carbs that matter.

You list 12 carbs with 11 grams of fiber. That's 12-11, or 1 gram of carbs that isn't fiber.

Personally, I take a serving of sugar free Metamuscil each morning to keep my gut happy.

Here's what they say about carbs: (Metamucil Fiber Frequently Asked Questions)

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[InParadise]

It's net carbs that matter.

You list 12 carbs with 11 grams of fiber. That's 12-11, or 1 gram of carbs that isn't fiber.

Personally, I take a serving of sugar free Metamuscil each morning to keep my gut happy.

Here's what they say about carbs: (Metamucil Fiber Frequently Asked Questions)

Yeah, the Metamucil should help with that too, but I prefer real foods to what I call "syn" (synthetic for me = sin,) foods, whenever possible. I love getting the extra nutrients and bang for the buck when I consume chia. Plus a spoonful or two of my pudding several times a day is a wonderful sweet treat, particularly if I throw some heavy cream into the batch. I add ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg in significant amounts as well, all of which have positive roles in good health. It's as easy as putting the ingredients together and shake until it starts to gel from the chia absorbing so much of the liquid. I make a few batches and store in fridge for the week.

 

[Chuckanut]

Here's another +1 for lowering Trigs by reducing carbs. I found my Trigs went way down and my HDL up. My ratio went from slightly high 2.5 to about 1.0. Also, my fasting blood sugar went from 99 to 75.

I also eased into low-carb eating. I started by greatly reducing the food I ate that had lots of added sugar (cookies, cake, ice cream, etc) for about a month. I also got rid of fruit juice since it very sugary. After about a month, I cut back on food made with highly refined, pulverized flours such as pancakes and waffles and bread. (This was tough for me to do.) I added lots of non starchy veggies in place of the fruit I was eating.

Grocery shopping is actually easier because about 90% of what is sold is no longer part of my way of eating. I do plan out my exceptions. I figure if I eat well 5 out of 6 meals, then I still have about 3 meals a week where I can eat apple pie for dessert, pizza for lunch, or pancakes for breakfast.

This is what worked for me. Take what you want and leave the rest.

 

[sengsational]

Primarily, I'm gonna cut out carbs; down to about 30/day ...

If your library has The New Atkins... book, there's lots of hints for how to do this in the most "healthy" way. One take-away I had from that book was to use plenty of salt or eat standard level salt broths...those should keep the "Atkins flu" at bay.

Standard disclaimers...check with your doctor, blah, blah.

 

[F4mandolin]

I'm just glad I can lose weight the good ol' way. Less beer. Less junk food. Slightly smaller portions. I do plenty of walking so bingo...

 

[braumeister]

less beer.

Stop saying that !!!

 

[sengsational]

Stop saying that !!!

I know, that hurts just reading it. I cut other carbs just to allow for the beer, hehe.