FATS

Alright, I've been pondering thoughts and ideas again. :)  Maybe I'm just thinking too much into it??

Fats..

I know we've debated on this a numerous amounts of times.  Low fat vs moderate vs high fat.  Good fats vs bad fats.  We all know what kinds of fats we suppose to be eating so I won't even get into that.  My question is this...

I have read probably a gazillion diet plans over the years.  Of course they all say different things.  Now..we have fats.  Some say we need thirty percent of your caloric intake coming from fats.  Some think only ten to fifteen.  As a few of you know I have leg problems.   I just got done reading an article that says I should eat only seven percent of my caloric intake.  This is to make sure arteries don't get clogged.

That is a big difference!  if this was good for your arteries to eat this low amount of fat, wouldn't everyone agree on it?  Of course it couldn't be that simple.  But it really makes me wonder who is right.  This article said that any more than about fifteen percent is a cause for an increase chance of artery blockage.

Any thoughts?

On Atkins, your diet is 60-70% fat.  Good fats range from avocados to olive oils to even butter.  Saturated fat does not do all that it's theorized to do.  Fat keeps you full and satisfied and helps you lose weight.  Saturated fat has been proven to not clog arteries.

High-fat, high–saturated fat diet is associated with diminished coronary artery disease progression in women with the metabolic syndrome What If Saturated Fat Isn't Bad For You More Saturated Fat, Less Coronary Artery Disease

7% fat diet, I can only imagine how that would make me unhappy and nuts and not able to lose weight.... But that's me.

 

I actually have been eating only about seven percent.  That is the few weeks before my vacation.  I tell ya, not sure if it was the lack of animal protein or lack of fat, but the last few days before my trip I felt DIZZY as all sin.  I was eating basically a vegan diet.  Totally all fruits, veggies, only an ounce of nuts a day, and a cup of beans a day.  I didn't even eat any starchy veggies.  No animal products, or any processed crap at all, not even dressings.  Thinking about if I want to try it again, but add the starchy veggie in a day.  Not so sure though.  The dizziness sort of scared me. I know I gained over vacation.  I got on the scale this morning and my heart just about dropped to the floor.  I gained seven pounds since last Thursday..ARGHH!  Oh well, it will come off fast.  Thanks for the articles, I'll sit down and read them after i get my kids mellowed out.

Holly, you know where I stand.  It sounds like you ate too little and yes your body missed the fats and proteins.  Sounds like Oprah's latest fad diet.  Hon, I wish you'd give a month over on low carb and see what it does for you.... off soap box.

I don't think it missed the fats and proteins I think she had a blood sugar spike / insulin overdose from the increased carbs and sugar. Her body was compensating.  If she had eaten fats and protein with those veggies and fruit then chances are her blood sugar would not have spiked to the point of making her dizzy.

My bariatric nut said to keep fat grams to single digits for each food I consume.  That makes things simple. My regular nut doesn't focus on fat intake other than she recommends I don't eat large amounts of fatty meat. She recommends I choose the lean meats and avoid process foods. She said if I do that then my fat intake should be good.  However, I take a more simplistic approach. I eat unprocessed meats and veggies and don't give a flying flip how much fat I take in as long as it's coming from natural sources.  When I shop for meats I pick what looks good to me. I do choose lean ground beef and ground turkey but that's because it looks good to me. When I bake chicken, it's always thigh quarters because I like them.  I use chicken breast in casserole type dishes.  My pork chops are usually the regular old fatty pork chops. Steak I choose ribeye.  I think that's been key for me. I don't worry about it! It's nonsense and too hard to keep up with. I just eat and make sure I'm consuming 40 or less carbs.  It just works for me yanno? It's simple and easy to maintain. I do my exercising and get on with my life.  Oh the other most important thing I did.. I threw away my broken scale and I put my other scale in the spare bedroom. I weigh maybe once every two weeks now.  This has become a way of life. I just eat and move on. My weight has either dropped or stayed the same.  (Except for that one time when I had a pint of jaiger, 2 blizzards, a hamburger and some other no nos! heheheh! What's a 1.5lb gain right?) It's good that you're researching these things. I don't think you're looking into it too much. The more knowledge you obtain the better you'll be able to settle on a plan that is right for you.

No, i think you are asking good questions, not over thinking. My bottom line on advice:  I tend to agree with Kriz on this - try adding a moderate amount of good fats to your vegan approach. Make sure to get a reality check in fitday to make sure you don't go over calories needed.  Years ago when I ate semi-veg, i also avoided fats, which now i see was a mistake. Fat is what helps us reach satiety! I now think a perfect day is about 35-40% good fat, and sat fat never over 10-12%. So, this is why I am a hard sell on Atkins.  I was terrified to see sat fat be 18-25% of my daily diet with heart/stroke disease in my herdity cards!  But I am NOT a fat hater. The whole subject of fats is another foggy subject.  What is scary is:  all of this said by all here is THEORY.  the last known human experimentation was performed by Hitler on Jews in captivity. All else is correlative study. We can only go by what works as we lose the excess fat - which is the point here. If you know a heart patient, as I did with my dad and grandma, their surgeons prescribe a VERY lowfat diet - like 10-12% a day, absolutely no saturated fats. Studies have shown that approach has REVERSED heart disease. Which is why I htink your docs are telling you to go low. Up to you to listen to them - hey give it a try.  People do it alla time.  My dad did. On the other hand, it is true that the jury is out on saturated fats that are naturally occuring (milk, meat, coconut) doing arterial damage.  Therefore I feel that eating a moderate amount of those foods daily is good for a person - 2 at servings daily  the size of a deck of cards, 1 cup of milk, not a 12 ounce glass, etc.  I know from my nutrtition training that as animals, we assimialte animal foods much better than from plant sources. In other words, we soak up nearly all the nutrients. Plant sources are harder to get the full  nutritive value from.  I choose to eat smaller amounts of meats and more plant based nutrients in green veggie from as much as I can. Phytochemicals, which is what makes veggies/fruits good for us are better assimialted with fats, too!

My NUT gave me an easy way to keep track.  I am supposed to limit my intake to 30 grams per day and should shoot about 3 grams of fat per 100 calories of an item.  Of course, this is taking into account I'm on a 1,000-1,200 calorie diet that is supposed to be quite low fat.  Chris and Neecee gave some good input.