Diets

[feelingfine]

Does anyone have any input on low carb high fat diets.just been looking on internet and it sounds to good to be true.no counting cals

Be grateful for any advice

[Hidden]

Lots of books on the subject- the good ones I found are Fat Chance by Lustig and Why We Get Fat by Taubes. They both explain why carbs are what put on the weight. Fat doesn't make you fat, pasta does! It does work, you just have to be careful not to overdo the protein and get your pH out of whack. That will sap calcium from your bones if you stay with high protein for a long time. I have a post on it if you're interested- chronicdiseaseprevention29....

This whole approach to weight loss generally draws lots of criticism from some of those who are firmly in the calorie counting camp, so brace yourself for the ire of some. Going against the tide will set you up for backlash, but hold firm and at least give it a couple weeks to see how you do. Really, the whole low carb concept is just a push to eat the way we all should anyway- lots of produce, get rid of the processed garbage, drink water, etc., nothing we all don't know anyway. Keep us posted!

[Penel]

The books recommended by jmwe are both very informative.

Reducing carbs will reduce glucose and insulin, which means less shunting of energy to fat cells.

Lustig regards obesity as a hormonal problem. He writes about avoiding sugar, especially fructose, which is now added to many processed foods. The carbs that need to be cut out are the refined and processed carbs, which are lacking in fibre. He explains the science behind the addiction to junk food, how hormones control weight gain and how not all calories are the same. He also states that eating natural fats is not a health risk.

Taubes goes further in his recommendations. His view is that the consumption of processed foods in the form of wheat flour and sugar have contributed to diseases common in the West, and should not be eaten at all.

LCHF can work very well for many people. How low carb you need or want to go varies from person to person, and the same with the high fat part, it really means not being low fat. If you decide to cut carbs it is probably a good idea to do it gradually.

This are several sites if you want more information.

authoritynutrition.com/how-...

dietdoctor.com/lchf

[Pklme]

I have only used internet for my info. I'm finding it quite easy, 9kg lost in 2 months. I still track everything I eat, and stick to a reasonable calorie count, but I don't crave or binge and stress about food. I just enjoy it!

There is a simple level of starting where you cut out all high carb foods, and an intense way where you actively eat fat and only eat leafy veg. I am somewhere in the middle. I eat loads of leafy veg, not so much middle carb stuff like berries/ Aubergine/ sweet peppers, and no underground growing carb stuff like potatoe/ swede. I use myfitnesspal pal to make sure I stay at 75g protein a day (too much and it will be converted to glucose and stored as fat), and freely add cream and butter when I cook.

There are lots of low carb FB pages with recipes on. The ones for baked goods tend to use exotic ingredients so I haven't bothered yet. But you can make a cake or fake bread roll if you really need to. And cauliflower bizarrely gets used as a potato and rice substitute. Mashed with cream cheese, garlic, it really does taste and feel like potato!

Good luck, do ask any questions! I'm going to start a group, you' debt welcome to join, just for us health unlocked people to chat. Am waiting for HU to get back to me on how, if not it will be FB!

[Jlmitch]

Hi, I do low carb high fat with no calorie counting. I follow the instructions on this website dietdoctor.com

It's a Swedish website translated to English - the Swedish government recommends a low carb high fat diet to treat obesity following an independent panel of experts reviewing all the latest diet science studies and evidence and recommending low carb high fat - which is good enough for me! dietdoctor.com/swedish-expe...

So I lost 20lb in 4 months, no calorie counting, no hunger, no cravings for sugar/ biscuits/cakes etc. I've stabilised in the last month - maybe because I've eaten more carbs than I should be because of holidays etc but, even though I'm not currently losing weight (I've only got 3lb to get to my target so I'm happy and, I'm not gaining any back which is the main problem with high carb low fat diets! I'll refocus on my carb intake in October I think).

I like Dr Fung's website (Thanks Penel!) because there is so much scientific explanation of weight gain/weight loss/calorie theory (and why it doesn't work) and the action of insulin intensivedietarymanagement.com. Also this site because of the scientific approach/reviews proteinpower.com/drmike/ His articles always have a lot of discussion after them in the comments at the bottom - very interesting!

So, no counting calories - read the Dr Fung explanation on why we gain weight and why calorie theory doesn't work - there are a whole series of blog entries but very interesting and informative! intensivedietarymanagement....

Totally makes sense to me and also it works for me. Hope you find something that works for you.

[feelingfine]

The only thing that worries me is not calorie counting because ive done it for so long.you really have just to change your mind set.anyway going to start tomorrow. Thanks for advice

[Penel in reply to feelingfine]

If you are making a lot of changes in what you eat, it would probably be a good idea to take it slowly to gives you body time to adapt.

Perhaps have a look at these suggestions, but you are unlikely to need as much protein as recommended. Hope it works for you.

authoritynutrition.com/12-b...

[ceejayblue in reply to feelingfine]

Nothing to stop you still calorie counting whilst on LCHF.

[OlsBean]

I've been maintaining with HFLC, I've found it much easier than when I was trying to maintain using calorie restrictions. Firstly I rarely feel hungry and when I do I am actually really hungry meaning it's time to eat anyway. I wish I had discovered it before, because it had got to a point where I was having to do more and eat less each week just to maintain my weight loss as I had totally wrecked my metabolism. Now I follow a HiiT routine, so instead of doing 20+ hours of Cardio a week I now do around an hour in total and I eat like a King! I feel great on it

A word of warning though there is no room for cheating on HFLC, if you do there is the real potential to drive some serious weight gain. I think that's why it works well for me personally a it has been 4 years since I made my life style changes and in that time I've built up some pretty good Food Disciplines.

I would recommend really reading up on it before starting, you need to ensure you get the right balance between Fat, Protein and Carbs; obviously carbs are easy, as closer to zilch the better, it is protein that trips a lot of people up, you need just the right amount, which can take some trial and error at the start.

Good Luck with it.