Fat, the million dollar question.
There seems to be a conflict in the low carb world over how much fat one should eat. People on both sides argue passionately to the point where you cannot ask questions without being seen as a disruptive influence. This is something I take great exception to, personally. It isn't helpful. I've heard people say that calories don't matter and that you should eat loads of fat, around 200g a day I've been told. I'm not sure how to actually do that without vastly increasing your protein or even carb intake. I couldn't stomach that much pure fat. Conversely others advocate the precise monitoring of macro intake and working with, usually a 20%, caloric deficit precisely because eating too much, essentially, puts on weight.
All i know is that in nearly five months I've barely lost weight, and haven't at all in 4. I've been stalled at 83kg (give or take a few grams). I have no idea why this is, and it has knocked my confidence. I would like to lose 20kg and not be overweight. If one can eat as much fat as one likes without gaining weight, then how do I explain my weight loss. And if caloric intake is irrelevant, what does it matter how much I eat surely?
I believe there's a lot of misinformation out there. The same goes for protein. People argue that too much is pretty negative as gluconuogenesis occurs and dumps a lot of glucose into the system, this also spikes insulin which can be a problem for some. This is also one of the reasons people evangelise about fasting - it improves insulin resistance allegedly. Again there are those who argue that protein is not a problem, or that it's only an issue when eaten at high amounts, such that most of us don't reasonably consume. Unfortunately I find that I feel fuller on meals with a lot of protein so I tend to around 100-120g protein a day with about the same in fats. I calculate a caloric intake between 13-1400 a day. That's a deficit surely, even for a relatively sedentary person like me, yet I'm not losing weight.
So I have no idea what the truth is about fat intake, but where can you turn for answers when the medical community still clings to the orthodoxy of low fat high carb?
I have found I can lose lose weight if my diet comprises about 1250 calories LCHF, and about 1100 calories HCLF
I have succeded at both - so what are the differences for me?
LCHF
of which 60% are fats - from natural foods - olive oil, cheese, meat, avocados, coconut, nuts, seeds fatty fish, eggs - I don't worry about what is saturated and what isn't but I don't eat any refined oils. I limit my total carbs + protein to 100g and I try to keep carbs to under 30g.
Eating this amount of calories on LCHF also gives me around 100g of fats. and ratios of 60% fat, 20% carbs 20% protein.
I still have periods of stalling, - connected with not achieving the targets but I have never felt that I would " give up" altogether . I find it easy to eat two meals a day and not to snack inbetween. I'm in ketosis and I don't feel hungry, though do still now and again crave for some rice.
or HCLF
here about 10% fats, 30% protein and 60% carbs - in the form of masses of vegetables
on this diet, I need to eat less, and I need iron willpower because I am hugely hungry all the time, I snack on many more occasions all very low calorie as I try to deal with the hunger pangs .
I have lost 5 stone on both diets at different times.
HCLF gives me higher blood sugars, higher variability and bad lipid profile - and it also led me to put the weight back on after each diet.
For LCHF it gives me stable blood sugars - currently daily averages in the 5 range and no spike above 7.8 and ketones which average about 0.6 . it has also given me an ideal cholesterol profile . It is too soon to know if I will end up putting it back if my diet collapses - given it doesn't feel like I'm starving myself - then I have the sense that I "Might" be able to keep the weight off.
I think that where people go wrong on HCLF is thinking its high fat in absolute terms. For me its a high proportion of fat in a limited amount of total calories and as such its probably a lower per gram amount than not being on a diet at all.