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Do you believe that eating fat won't make you fat?

5K views 89 replies 50 participants last post by  tanyam926 
#1 ·
So if I was to eat and eat and eat and eat fat, would I get fat? Even if I ate an over abundance of calories, like 4000 or 5000 a day? What is your opinion on what makes you fat? Too many calories, too many carbs or grain? I would appreciate opinions on this and why you think what you think.

I haven't eaten but a handful of grain in 2-3 days and have already lost two pounds, although that could be water weight. I have eaten lots of fat and protein though.
 
#52 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by leila1213 View Post
Here you go:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=95900616

"Gut and Psychology Syndrome" is a good book to read about the role of gut flora in our overall health. Not sure to what extent it addresses weight gain or loss, as I haven't read that far yet.
That was really interesting. But, I'm a little confused. I thought if your body was unable to properly digest a certain food, say for example cheerios, it sits in your intestine and rots for awhile. This is what causes damage to your intestinal wall and how we develop a leaky gut and get bad things like yeast to run rampade in our system. And, this is why we should stay away from foods that our bodies' have a hard time digesting. Am I missing something? The NPR clip made it sound like if we don't have the right flora to digest a cheerio, the cheerio passes through and goes on it's merry way, no harm done.

Sorry, this was a little OT.

But, I do think consuming the *right* kinds of fats is essential to our health. DH is MUCH healthier since I convinced him to stop eating so many grains and up his fat intake (weight stayed about the same). I can't speak from personal experience about whether it helped me loose weight or not, because I have always been around the same weight (110 lbs, 5'4") and had always had really good cholestral levels (almost a one to one ratio of "good" fat and "bad" fat).
 
#55 ·
I don't think I can get on board with the grain hate. For one thing, a low carb diet affects your brain chemistry, your body needs carbs to manufacture seratonin, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy. There have been cases where low carb people have dieted themselves straight into a severe chemical depression. Seratonin is also essential to the chemical cocktail that is love.

For another thing, I can't think of a traditional food culture that didn't consume carbs and grain. Hunter-gatherer cultures in temperate wooded climates consume a lot of carbs in the form of roots, tubers, and mast (like acorns). Traditional cultures in desert, plains, steppes, or tundra where there's nothing apparent but animals to eat are nearly all recorded as having special dishes prepared from the contents of a slain herbivores stomach and intestines. That would be a kind of pre-digested carb, with lots of natural wild grains from the grass eaters. (Pre-digested isn't that yucky, that's essentially what fermenting is, right?)

I certainly don't think we should go overboard, but those carbs are the soluble fiber that cleans out anything that "sticks" in our system whether it's in the arteries or guts. I wouldn't want to go without.
--
AnnaArcturus
 
#56 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnaArcturus View Post
I don't think I can get on board with the grain hate. For one thing, a low carb diet affects your brain chemistry, your body needs carbs to manufacture seratonin, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy. There have been cases where low carb people have dieted themselves straight into a severe chemical depression. Seratonin is also essential to the chemical cocktail that is love.

For another thing, I can't think of a traditional food culture that didn't consume carbs and grain. Hunter-gatherer cultures in temperate wooded climates consume a lot of carbs in the form of roots, tubers, and mast (like acorns). Traditional cultures in desert, plains, steppes, or tundra where there's nothing apparent but animals to eat are nearly all recorded as having special dishes prepared from the contents of a slain herbivores stomach and intestines. That would be a kind of pre-digested carb, with lots of natural wild grains from the grass eaters. (Pre-digested isn't that yucky, that's essentially what fermenting is, right?)

I certainly don't think we should go overboard, but those carbs are the soluble fiber that cleans out anything that "sticks" in our system whether it's in the arteries or guts. I wouldn't want to go without.
--
AnnaArcturus
But low grain does not really mean low carb. You get tons of carbs from fruits and vegetables. I particularly love carrots and apricots, and bananas, and mmmmmmmm cherries.


I wonder if anyone has any comments about the issue of metabolizing good fats like VCO and OO after having the gallbladder removed. I know for many people that procedure is overused but I had gallstones lodged in my bile duct causing me excruciating agony and I was unable to even keep water down, so I had to have mine removed. I wonder if my body is able to get the nutrients it needs from the fats I am eating or if there is anything I can do to help the process.
 
#57 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by cortsmommy View Post
But low grain does not really mean low carb. You get tons of carbs from fruits and vegetables. I particularly love carrots and apricots, and bananas, and mmmmmmmm cherries.


I wonder if anyone has any comments about the issue of metabolizing good fats like VCO and OO after having the gallbladder removed. I know for many people that procedure is overused but I had gallstones lodged in my bile duct causing me excruciating agony and I was unable to even keep water down, so I had to have mine removed. I wonder if my body is able to get the nutrients it needs from the fats I am eating or if there is anything I can do to help the process.
Good question, I've had my gallbladder out too.
 
#62 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by 1littlebit View Post
what is reasonable? wouldn't that be different for every person?
Well for me reasonable is 1-2 ounces of cheese, a cup or so of whole fat yogurt and about the same of whole milk. And maybe a little bit of butter thrown in.

So that's still quite a bit of fat. But if I eat say 6 ounces of cheese, + ice cream, + liver, + tons and tons of butter like at the holidays, I totally gain. I usually gain about 5-8 pounds in the month of December.
 
#64 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by rhiandmoi View Post
Well for me reasonable is 1-2 ounces of cheese, a cup or so of whole fat yogurt and about the same of whole milk. And maybe a little bit of butter thrown in.

So that's still quite a bit of fat. But if I eat say 6 ounces of cheese, + ice cream, + liver, + tons and tons of butter like at the holidays, I totally gain. I usually gain about 5-8 pounds in the month of December.
But are you eating those fats with sugars?
 
#66 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnaArcturus View Post
I don't think I can get on board with the grain hate. For one thing, a low carb diet affects your brain chemistry, your body needs carbs to manufacture seratonin, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel happy.
Well, first of all low carb and low grain/no grain are two completely different things. On a no grain diet, I still eat potatoes, parsnips, and squash for starchy veg, and all the fruit I want. Nutritionally there is nothing in grain that I can't get somewhere else.

But I will also say, as has been said before in this thread, that the same thing isn't going to work for everyone. I suffer from chronic depression, which has in fact been linked to my ingestion of refined carbs. Not until I went onto a low carb diet did I realize that was the cause. So for me, a low carb diet actually reversed chronic depression, it didn't cause it.
 
#67 ·
"Do you believe that eating fat won't make you fat?"

Yes, I believe it. I recommend the book "Eat Fat, Lose Fat." Eating fat does not turn into fat on the body. Eating carbohydrates and sugar turns into fat on the body.
 
#68 ·
My partner eats the stone age diet or the paleolithic diet. He eats meat, meat, meat, and then veggies/fruits/nuts.

He eats a lot of fat - eggs, sausage, bacon, etc., for breakfast. Steak for dinners. Nut butters for lunch. Etc.

He has like NO fat on his body - seriously. He's very, very, very lean. He eats absolutely no refined carbs, no man made stuff, etc.

Me, on the other hand ... I tried his way a few years ago, and while my weight wasn't affected too much, I felt like crap most of the time.

Diets are so individual - it's really a matter of finding the best one suited to YOUR body.
 
#69 ·
haven't read all the posts here yet, but I'm writing anyways


I am not sure about whether eating fat helps you lose fat, certainly if you eat far more food than you need, whether or not its fat, it will be a problem. I don't think that eating fat makes you fat. whether it specifically helps you lose weight, I don't know.

One thing I did find very interesting... A few years ago, I had high cholesterol, which my doctors said I shouldn't be too concerned about right now because of my young age but that when I got older, it could be a problem. My family convinced me to cut down on fats, in particular my "drinking cream for dessert occasionally" habit. for the past few months I've been eating LOTS of TF fats (butter, ev olive oil, shmaltz, fatty gravies, cream, whole milk etc), and then just had a blood test, including cholesterol.

My doctor was RAVING about how healthy the results were, including having very low cholesterol. Made me even more certain that good fats are not the cause of cholesterol, at least, not when eaten as part of a good diet.
He also said he could see that I had changed my diet in my blood sugar. Interesting.
 
#71 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Magelet View Post
One thing I did find very interesting... A few years ago, I had high cholesterol, which my doctors said I shouldn't be too concerned about right now because of my young age but that when I got older, it could be a problem. My family convinced me to cut down on fats, in particular my "drinking cream for dessert occasionally" habit. for the past few months I've been eating LOTS of TF fats (butter, ev olive oil, shmaltz, fatty gravies, cream, whole milk etc), and then just had a blood test, including cholesterol.

My doctor was RAVING about how healthy the results were, including having very low cholesterol. Made me even more certain that good fats are not the cause of cholesterol, at least, not when eaten as part of a good diet.
He also said he could see that I had changed my diet in my blood sugar. Interesting.

I had the same thing happen last year. I was eating mostly a Paleo type diet. Lots of meat and fat. I had bloodwork down and my cholesterol had dropped 20 points, with excellent ratios and low trigylcerides.

The nurse did ask me, "Are you doing anything differently? "

I said, "Yes, I'm eating as much saturated fat and meat as I can stand. Very little grains and sugars, no processed foods."

She said, "Well, looks like it's working for you so keep doing that."
 
#72 ·
So, I have read through this thread about 3 times over the past few months... and this is the first time it has actually made sense to me!
Talk about changing your mindset...

(btw I've been reading Gary Taubes' book mentioned here.)

All I know is that eating a high carb diet (pretty much in line with what has been recommended to Americans, and usually whole grains) has made me very overweight. I'm finally starting too see the scale move, now that I'm reducing/cutting grains and eating good fats...
 
#73 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by BetsyPage View Post
So, I have read through this thread about 3 times over the past few months... and this is the first time it has actually made sense to me!
Talk about changing your mindset...

(btw I've been reading Gary Taubes' book mentioned here.)

All I know is that eating a high carb diet (pretty much in line with what has been recommended to Americans, and usually whole grains) has made me very overweight. I'm finally starting too see the scale move, now that I'm reducing/cutting grains and eating good fats...
i just read this thread, and i couldnt agree more with most of the opinions. i managed to lose the few pounds of fat i wanted to lose but cutting out carbs/grains and eating plenty of fat and protein..also i've been gaining some muscle eating VERY little carbs (which most bodybuilders/trainers etc would probably telll u is impossible).
 
#75 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by GoBecGo View Post
I can definitely lose weight by cutting carbs, but i can barely function on a low-carb diet. How long does it take for that no-energy-no-happiness-want-to-die feeling to wear off? After 4 days or so i'm back off the wagon.
Are you eating enough fat? Why don't you keep a food diary and play around a little bit with different amounts of carbs, to see how you feel.

I think if something makes you feel really terrible long-term, then you probably shouldn't do it or need to tweak things. I personally felt terrible for years on a high-carb diet, sluggish, gaining weight, "mommy brain" etc. Even though I've had a few set-backs since I've been reducing grains (not CARBS per say I'm still eating fruits/veg but with fat) I have felt much better.

BTW I am FAR from an expert on this issue, I am just at the start of doing this myself.
 
#76 ·
I've tried it about 5 or 6 times, the last 4 i kept very detailed diaries of food intake (to try to figure it out). I was eating 2-3000k/cals/day, about 50-60% from fats on one occasion and about 3500kcals/day with 70% from fats on another (don't have all the diaries). I ate some fruit, lots of veg, no refined sugars, a little honey (maybe 2tlbsp/week).

The first few days are bad (but i'd kind of expect that) but unlike when i wipe refined sugars right out, it gets worse rather than better. The last time was the worst (don't have the diary unfortunately) - i ended up sleeping 14 hours in every 24 and was having suicidal thoughts. I usually run for exercise and i had dead leags and no energy, dropping about 70% of my mileage through sheer exhaustion. I had a bowl of potato soup (with 3 potatoes to a litre of stock) and was giddy with joy. I wonder if i rely on glycogen stores heavily for my running and that's what makes it so painful/hard - does the body make/store glycogen from fat and protein?
 
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