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Eat Fat, Lost Fat? Anyone?


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I was wondering if anyone had experience with this diet. I've read the book and I am currently looking through NT. It seems so impossible that you can eat all of these fats and lose weight. Does it really work for anybody?

 

I'm interested in the weight loss plan in the book and willing to take coconut oil as a supplement but do I HAVE to eat coconut on top of everything? Every recipe seems to be smear some on this, add it to this sauce, etc. I don't think I can handle it in everything.

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Yes, I tried it for a while and put on weight. Eating several tablespoons of coconut oil a day when trying to lose weight seems awfully counter intuitive to me, and it bore out. Yeah, I have read how coconut oil is supposed to make you lose weight and how healthy it is and all- but I have also seen part of a documentary where I tihnk it was teh South Sea Islanders were suffering obesity, diabetes and heart disease and they put it down partly to the large amounts of coconut in their diet.

 

But, I have tried various forms of low carb several times and it just doesn't suit me.

 

What I don't like about Eat Fat Lose Fat though is that it is pretty much, like many others, a theoretical diet. It's not how any traditional cultures actually eat in real life. It puts together some information and says "that should work" and for some people it probably does.

 

I think it was that book where a guy was eating 3000- 4000 calories a day and still lost weight. Or maybe I just read that on the website. Steak, eggs, butter and cream, lots of.....

But one of their main people dropped dead of a heart attack in his 40s a while back. I mean just because somethings good for you in moderation does NOT mean that larger quantities are better for you.

 

I am not longer a Western Price fan. Well- not true, since the poor guy is long dead and gone and didnt great a huge business out of his ideas. I am not a Sally Fallon fan. There is some really good information mixed amongst a lot of bad science, as far as I can tell. The good information is great- going back to real food and seeing how people traditionally ate. But it seems to me they have become so defensive, so ready for a fight on any information that doesn't sit with their beliefs. They have become food fundamentalists- no longer open- just trying to fit everything into their beliefs.

 

Excuse my rant- I was not impressed with putting on weight when I tried to follow that diet.

Edited by Peela
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i didn't follow this particular diet, but i eat a high-fat diet (about 50% of my daily calories come from fat) and went from busting out of a size 22 to a size 4. total weight lost; about 140 pounds.

 

do it. it works.

Would you mind sharing more about what you eat? I think you have posted in the past, but I wasn't sure what to search for, so even a link to a thread where you have discussed it would be fine. I have the Eat Fat book on order so that I can learn more, and I have gone off gluten as of yesterday, so this thread is timely. I want to design my own version of a high fat/low carb diet, or follow one that is healthy. You know, all the "good fats". I'm willing to get some coconut oil, but I don't know that I want to eat spoonfuls of it or put coconut on everything I eat. But I'd love to not be afraid of avocado, or EVOO, or nuts for example. I am interested in the possible connection to coconut oil being good for thyroid health.

 

Please share more if you have time!

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There is definitely more than one flavor of this type of diet. I've heard a lot of people report that downing tablespoons of CO does make them gain weight. I use coconut oil in my cooking, but honestly unless I enjoyed the taste of it straight I wouldn't do it. I refuse to eat foods I don't like (except perhaps if I had no choice because I was starving).

 

One thing that helped me get away from all the extremes and craziness is by avoiding places like Low Carb Friends. I hate to completely dis this group/board because there are some great people and advice, but there are a lot of people who take things to some crazy extremes. But what does one expect? They may have been eating to extremes and binging to extremes. It's only natural they have redirected their extreme behavior. That's a whole other ball of wax in my mind. As soon as I stopped listening to those people and doing what felt natural and right to me (what made me feel healthy and by eating foods I enjoy) then things started falling into place better.

 

The point I took from the high fat book I read (a book by Barry Groves) was that there is little evidence that saturated fats are bad and saturated fats have been a part of people's diets for a long time. Growing up we ate a lot more fat than what is generally consumed today (there were no fat free newfangled products) and people weren't nearly as overweight overall. So the fat isn't likely the cause.

 

And really I think one of the major differences with eating this way is that there aren't a ton of prepackaged over processed products. You have to eat whole real foods and make things yourself. That alone is probably a huge factor in why it works for many people. Yes, there are products out there and some people do go crazy with them, but they are expensive and not readily available so for the most part one ends up eating more whole foods.

 

It's a taste thing too. I can't understand a vegan diet because although I like vegetables, I also like meat, eggs, and dairy. I don't care for grains. I just don't like the taste and it gives me trouble with my blood sugar if I eat too many of them. And yes, there are high fiber things, but lets get real, how much fiber can a person's body tolerate? If I feel like passing out after eating grains and grass then it probably isn't the right food for me.

 

Yeah, I only go to LC friends when I want a recipe. I totally ignore everything else. LOL It was there I learned about coconut flour so I will always love them for that.

I'm trying to get away from grains more as well. I'm just having such a hard time with it. Grains are so cheap and such a good filler for meals. DH and I are discussing how I can get away from them in mainstream cooking. I really need something for my diet to help my BG levels right now.

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i didn't follow this particular diet, but i eat a high-fat diet (about 50% of my daily calories come from fat) and went from busting out of a size 22 to a size 4. total weight lost; about 140 pounds.

 

do it. it works.

 

Wow! Just. Wow! Congratulations! That's completely amazing!

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Would you mind sharing more about what you eat? I think you have posted in the past, but I wasn't sure what to search for, so even a link to a thread where you have discussed it would be fine. I have the Eat Fat book on order so that I can learn more, and I have gone off gluten as of yesterday, so this thread is timely. I want to design my own version of a high fat/low carb diet, or follow one that is healthy. You know, all the "good fats". I'm willing to get some coconut oil, but I don't know that I want to eat spoonfuls of it or put coconut on everything I eat. But I'd love to not be afraid of avocado, or EVOO, or nuts for example. I am interested in the possible connection to coconut oil being good for thyroid health.

 

Please share more if you have time!

 

sorry it took me so long, i lost track of this thread!

 

i eat:

-meat-all types. do not be concerned with 'leanness'. lamb is my fave!

-veggies (minus potatoes...they lead me down the path to destruction!)

-nuts and seeds (including nut butters)

-oils (coconut, olive oil, flaxseed)

-dairy (cheese!, butter, plain yogurt etc.)

-sometimes i supplement whey protein

 

read labels on condiments and salad dressings. don't use sugary ones and make sure your salad dressings are made with good oils or just make your own.

 

i've eaten this way for years, and it's really not as limiting as it may seem.

 

good luck! and thanks!

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Low-carb diets work, and work well, if you understand five basic principles:

 

1. The majority of your food intake, from a volume perspective, should be non-starchy vegetables and salads. You can top with whatever you'd like that's rich with fatty acids - full fat salad dressings (less or equal to 2g of carb per tablespoon), butter, olive oil, etc. Realize too that many of the things considered vegetables are in fact fruits, you're not eliiminating all fruits, just high glycemic index/load fruits!

 

2. You eat a protein-adequate, not high protein intake - that is, you consume protein based on your weight, since protein requirements, for essential amino acids, are determined by your weight - not your gender, not averages, not anything else other than your weight. To figure out how much protein you should eat, divide your weight by 2....that is how many grams a day you should target eating.....then take that number and divide it by 6 - that is now how many ounces a day, which is much easier to do than calculating grams! For example, if you weigh 150....150/2 = 75....75 grams.....75g/6 = 12.5 ounces per day of meat, eggs (1 egg = 1 ounce), whole-milk cheese, etc.

 

3. While losing weight, avoid starchy roots, grains and anything with sugar added. Limit fruits to low glycemic load selections - berries, honeydew, canteloupe. Limit dairy (whole milk selection of cheese or plain yogurt) to no more than 4ounce a day. Do not use a lot of artificial sweetener that is powdered (it's powder is maltodextrin, a corn based powder that will stimulate an insulin response), and even when using liquid AS, limit to no more than 3 servings a day.

 

4. Consume good fatty acids - olive oil, coconut oil, butter (yes, butter), nut oils, seed oils - cold pressed is better than heat extraction....avoid oils that are rich with PUFA's in a higher ratio than MUFA's (ie. soybean, vegetable, liquid oils mostly).

 

5. Eat to satiety - low-carb intake inhibits appetite and will spontaneously reduce caloric intake - don't count calories unless you stop losing weight and only then, lower to your basal m etablic rate, not below it.

 

Too many people hold the belief that low-carb diets are nutritionally deficient - they're not if you actually follow the recommendations to eat most of your carbohydrate from vegetables and make sure you're consuming the largest volume of food as non-starchy vegetables....basically if you're having 6-ounces of chicken for dinner, you'd also be having a cup (or more) of say, green beans + a salad....so by volume, you're consuming more vegetables than meat.

 

Once you've lost weight, you can add back in many more foods - as long as you don't start gaining.....you'll find a level that works for you and stick with it......I've been doing controlled-carb for well over 10-years (lost 75-pounds and have kept it off -- or gotten back off after pregnancies).

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elfinbaby,

 

Curious if you got started with Eat Fat, Lose Fat?

 

I just got the book from Amazon and plan to read through it tonight. I also just saw these helpful posts here by HeathenMom and RahRah re what to eat, I so appreciate the specifics. I am scared to work on it. I do eat artificial sweeteners so that will be a challenge, but overall my diet is not too far off. I am way low on the protein so I'll have to work on that.

 

Do those of you that try to eat low GI veggies (referencing the statement that lots of veggies are actually fruits) do you look them up to know which to avoid? Can I still eat tomatoes? Just avoid the obvious ones like corn, potatoes, carrots, peas, etc?

 

Avoid legumes I assume? They are pretty carby.

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My email hasn't been notifying me of posts! This is a whole new thread.

 

Well, I haven't started yet. I began making my shopping list - going through the recipes for "Quick and Easy Weight Loss" - and had to write down nearly every ingredient. I filled an entire page with day 1! So I got a little discouraged. I've become a stress eater and dh is in the wine biz (so we're lucky to indulge in yummy wines regularly) so I've been having problems jumping in but I still plan on seeing it through.

 

I am going to do this. Soon. I'm totally miserable and I couldn't be more tired. I even had my iron checked I'm so tired.

 

I appreciate the tips ladies. I'm going to sit down tonight and make a go at the shopping list again.

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I own this book and have been following it pretty loosely. We follow a traditional diet, about 90% of the time.

 

I suspect that I have some thyroid issues (hereditary) and have noticed that my core body temp has raised to normal after having lots of unrefined coconut oil and coconut products. :001_smile:

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:bigear:

 

I'm currently on Phase 1 of South Beach, but how I'm actually eating actually sounds a lot more like the EFLF philosophy instead. It flies in the face of everything I've ever believed about how I should eat, yet when I'm eating this way, my heartburn vanishes, my constant stomach upset vanishes, I have more energy, I'm more cheerful, etc. I've already lost several pounds in just five days, and I put on jeans and pajamas pants yesterday that I didn't have to fight to get into. It's hard to believe all this could be bad for me!

 

Yet, my best friend, like Peela, feels terrible and weighed down and queasy when she eats more meat and fats, so that kind of diet just will not work for her. It's so interesting how we need such different things.

 

I've been wanting to read EFLF for awhile. I think now might be the time.

 

HeathenMom, holy carp! Good for you, woman! I have about 60 I'd really LOVE to lose (40 that I'd settle for happily, LOL). I hope your method can get me there someday too!

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I think that there are a few things about EF,LF that are different from most low-carb diets. The diet is mainly focusing on nourishing the body in a traditional sense:

 

-Raw milk, raw dairy, raw/pastured butter

-coconut oil, coconut products

-homemade bone broths

-lacto-fermented vegetables and beverages

-pastured meats, organs, eggs, raw meats as well.

-Fermented Cod Liver Oil

-High vitamin Butter Oil

-Dessicated liver supplements

-It does allow a little grain, but they MUSTt be sprouted to neutralize the phytic acid and make it more digestible.

-NO SOY in this diet.

-No refined vegetable oils.

 

Putting all of the above into practice on a daily basis will encourage weight-loss, but overall gut healing, which will promote other healing for underlying ailments you might have.

Edited by flobee76
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I think that there are a few things about EF,LF that are different from most low-carb diets. The diet is mainly focusing on nourishing the body in a traditional sense:

 

-Raw milk, raw dairy, raw/pastured butter

-coconut oil, coconut products

-homemade bone broths

-lacto-fermented vegetables and beverages

-pastured meats, organs, eggs, raw meats as well.

-Fermented Cod Liver Oil

-High vitamin Butter Oil

-Dessicated liver supplements

-It does allow a little grain, but they MUSTt be sprouted to neutralize the phytic acid and make it more digestible.

-NO SOY in this diet.

-No refined vegetable oils.

 

Putting all of the above into practice on a daily basis will encourage weight-loss, but overall gut healing, which will promote other healing for underlying ailments you might have.

 

Thanks for that. I do some of it already, but not all of it (can't tolerate raw dairy, which is a bummer). I just put the book on hold at my library!

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I've been following a similar diet for a while, and have lost a fair amount of weight, but I can't say for certain that the diet is the primary factor in that. (I'm *not* eating low-carb - just had a plate of sweet potato fries for lunch. Just low-grain and avoiding processed sugar.)

 

I do think it's right for me, though. I have noticed I've been sick less and less prone to afternoon sleepy attacks since changing my diet.

Edited by ocelotmom
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I just got this from the library.

 

I feel best on low-carb, but I need more variety. I also think everyone is different- I feel horrible when I eat low-fat.

 

If you have Netflix, watch FatHead- it's a funny little "documentary" answer to Supersize Me.

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Okay, so I got the book. I got some coconut oil and some flax oil and some sesame oil. All the recommended kinds. I have made 2 green smoothies using the coconut oil and they were good, but I used too much yogurt, so volume wise it was too much for me. Will cut back on the yogurt I think. The coconut flavor was quite strong. I don't reasonably see how I could add the oil to much besides a "tropical" flavor smoothie. Even to veggies. :confused: And NO WAY could I cook eggs in it. I have not yet tried to put it in tea before meals. I guess I will try that. I use 2 TBSP in my smoothie, so I should be getting at least one more TBSP in a day. I do get other fat from eggs, full fat dairy, etc. What are some other good ideas or ways to get the oil in? I need a good new blender and thought if I had a good one I could maybe make a fruit "ice cream" with just some fruit and ice and some oil. Would that work?

 

Honestly all those recipes with coconut on them overwhelmed me. I sure do like coconut, but that was too much. And to buy all the products she recommends was a lot too. I thought at the time I shopped I would use the fish oil I already have on hand, but think I should pass that on to my husband and get the actual cod liver oil.

 

Overall though I am eating ONLY whole, real food. About 60% fat, 10% protein, and 30% carb as per the book. Total cals I am keeping to around 1800 because I have a lot of weight to lose. I might even need to cut that back more. All my carbs are coming from veggies and about 2 fruits a day. Does that sound about right? I need to figure out some more "on the go" lunch ideas.

 

What site do you all use to track? I tried myfitnesspal.com because it has a mobile app too, but it doesn't give the % ratios. I like Fatsecret.com and it does give that breakdown but doesn't have a good mobile app that I can find - just an app that gives calories.

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  • 3 weeks later...

My dds (15,13, & 12) eat scrambled eggs fried in coconut oil. Make grilled cheese with coconut oil. There are different kinds of coconut oil - expeller pressed is less coconuty and raw is very coconuty. One dd loves the raw and uses it often.

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I'm a Paleo enthusiast! And a certified personal trainer. I would not suggest adding "good" fats to your diet, as in adding it by supplementation, it doesn't work that way. You have to be careful that your whole nutrition plan is spot on.

 

You should consume good fats. Yes, coconut oil, olive oil, are good. Optimal fats from protein are organic GRASS FED, FREE Range meats. You can get good fats from nuts and seeds, and veggies like avacados.

The best butter to consume is butter made from grass fed cows, and preferably from RAW milk. But there are only a few states that allow consumption of raw milk.

Grass fed is really important. Cows were made to consume grass not grain filled with foreign stuff in it.

 

I eat lots of meat (beef, bison, chicken, turkey, and fish)

TONS of veggies

and the only fruit I consume are berries, and grapefruit, and occasionally an apple. I occasionally make buckwheat pancakes, and steel cut oats. Water and a Big variety of herbal teas (unsweetened)

 

I am very low carb also. I don't even eat dairy at all. If I need a "milk" it's unsweetened coconut or almond milk.

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Websites I recommend are

 

http://www.robwolf.com

http://www.marksdailyapple.com

http://www.balancedbites.com

http://www.everydaypaleo.com

 

and a YouTube clip that's a great Paleo introduction is

and

 

 

Hope that is helpful!

 

And by the way don't look at my profile pic! I've lost 15 lbs since then. A total of 30 lbs since I started eating Paleo and doing weights and minimal cardio!

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