Does a low carb/high fat diet include saturated fat?

[kokhongw]

So I've only dropped to 50 in about the last 5-6 weeks, and only started testing last week.
Average fasting bg is 5.5.
Getting around 4.7 - 5.3 before meals - depending on meal can be 5.8-6.8 2 hours afterwards. Average altogether last week was 5.8.
I am a vegetarian who eats a little fish, so getting down to 20g could be tricky.

Your post meal glucose level looks very good. So 50g/day seems to work out well for you. If you have excess body fats, then it is not necessary to add to much fats in your diet. Adding too much fats would slow down fat loss.

 

[ringi]

From what I can find out, there is no actual evidence that eating saturated fat causes illness or damage.

But there is strong evidence that the "good fats" are good for us, and that carbs are bad for anyone with Type2. I expect it will turn out that saturated natural fat makes very little difference either way, provided total fat and carbs are OK.

I eat saturated natural fat because I like the cuts of meat that has them, however, when I choose to add fats, I use olive oil, butter, or cornet oil, not saturated natural fat. (But saturated natural fat is good for frying, as they are more stable.)

 

[eggs11]

From what I can find out, there is no actual evidence that eating saturated fat causes illness or damage. There is some evidence that our bodies make cholesterol rather than absorbing it from the food we eat.
I pointed out that the results of a study put up on the internet showed that there was a greater danger of dying if fats were avoided than if they were eaten - me and my sliderule, and it abruptly vanished.
Anecdotally though - if there is so much benefit from eating low fat - why do all the statistics from the general population show a trend towards higher weight lower health and yet there are lower fat labels on so many foods?

I've been on low fat diets on and off my entire adult life and yet here I am, 3 stone (well 2 to go now!) overweight - I'm convinced that my 'healthy' vegetarian diet with lots of fruit and low-fat snacks and bread was not suitable for me at all. Having said all that, I'm finding eating fat still a new concept that will take my mind a little more time to get used to.

 

[eggs11]

Your levels are brilliant so I do not see any reason to go any lower with the carbs what you are doing obviously works for you so well done you

Thank you!

 

[Resurgam]

But there is strong evidence that the "good fats" are good for us, and that carbs are bad for anyone with Type2. I expect it will turn out that saturated natural fat makes very little difference either way, provided total fat and carbs are OK.

I eat saturated natural fat because I like the cuts of meat that has them, however, when I choose to add fats, I use olive oil, butter, or cornet oil, not saturated natural fat. (But saturated natural fat is good for frying, as they are more stable.)

When opinion is so divided and changeable too - how can anyone even know what a good fat is thought to be, let alone do any research.
Sunflower oil was labelled as good and now it is bad, the food industry seems to use whatever is cheapest, so to be able to declare that a person has good or bad health due to the type of fat they are or avoided seems to be problematic.

 

[lucylocket61]

I dont consciously eat extra fats. I add a bit more butter to my bread (I can have one slice a day) and on my veg. I drizzle my salads with olive oil. I use full fat products but the same quantity as before. I use the chicken stock (including the fat) in my broths. I have my roast potato (just the one) cooked in goose fat or similar. I eat more cheeses of the full fat variety.

 

[eggs11]

Your post meal glucose level looks very good. So 50g/day seems to work out well for you. If you have excess body fats, then it is not necessary to add to much fats in your diet. Adding too much fats would slow down fat loss.

This is the thing - I have at least a couple more stone to lose and I'm not really sure how many grams of protein and fat to have a day in relation to the 50g of carbs - I'm kind of making it up as I go along at the moment.

 

[Resurgam]

I've been on low fat diets on and off my entire adult life and yet here I am, 3 stone (well 2 to go now!) overweight - I'm convinced that my 'healthy' vegetarian diet with lots of fruit and low-fat snacks and bread was not suitable for me at all. Having said all that, I'm finding eating fat still a new concept that will take my mind a little more time to get used to.

Doctors and nurses have had me on low fat low calorie diets and I just go pale weak and start to collapse - and I lose very little weight. On low carb I can eat almost anything and not put on weight and - as in the last year, I suddenly realize that I am over 40 lb lighter, which is why my clothes are slipping and sliding - nothing to do with failing elastic or stretching fabrics.

 

[kokhongw]

This is the thing - I have at least a couple more stone to lose and I'm not really sure how many grams of protein and fat to have a day in relation to the 50g of carbs - I'm kind of making it up as I go along at the moment.

Your glucose levels are fairly normalized. If you are able to maintain it at this level, the fat loss would likely follow in due course. Chronically elevated glucose and insulin levels inhibit fats metabolism.

Some of us have also found intermittent fasting, eg 2 meals a day (morning/lunch or lunch/dinner) to be helpful in fat loss and improving fasting glucose levels.

 

[Kristin251]

This is the thing - I have at least a couple more stone to lose and I'm not really sure how many grams of protein and fat to have a day in relation to the 50g of carbs - I'm kind of making it up as I go along at the moment.

If you have weight to lose and choose to eat 50g carbs then the recommendation for protein is .8-1 g per kg LEAN body mass ( you don’t need to feed your body fat protein) Most people only need 40-60g and then just enough fat to satisfy. All meals and snacks, as diabetics, should include some fat.
Different fats can act differently. For me, mono/ plant fats carry the bulk of my fats. Avocado, olive oil, mayo and nuts. Saturated fats can be harder to burn and the fat on your body is a saturated fat.
Dairy can be a huge weight staller. In fact I just gave it up this week as it was making me achy.
People who wish to stop weight loss tend to add dairy, eggs and nuts to their diet as well as fattier cuts of meat.

Does that help?

 

[eggs11]

If you have weight to lose and choose to eat 50g carbs then the recommendation for protein is .8-1 g per kg LEAN body mass ( you don’t need to feed your body fat protein) and just enough fat to satisfy. All meals and snacks, as diabetics, should include some fat.
Different fats can act differently. For me, mono/ plant fats carry the bulk of my fats. Avocado, olive oil, mayo and nuts. Saturated fats can be harder to burn and the fat on your body is a saturated fat.
Dairy can be a huge weight staller. In fact I just gave it up this week as it was making me achy.
People who wish to stop weight loss tend to add dairy, eggs and nuts to their diet as well as fattier cuts of meat.

Does that help?

Yes thanks that's v helpful. Each day for a meal I'll have 2 eggs with various combinations of veg and I snack on a handful of cashews sometimes, I won't go crazy on nuts or eggs - don't each much dairy as I'm a bit intolerant - tends to be the odd bit of feta with the salads or the eggs.

 

[ringi]

When opinion is so divided and changeable too - how can anyone even know what a good fat is thought to be, let alone do any research.

This is one of the few things that options are not divided on. Olive Oil, Olives and Fatty Fish are considered to be OK by both sides! Both sides also agree that green veg is good for us.

 

[Kristin251]

Yes thanks that's v helpful. Each day for a meal I'll have 2 eggs with various combinations of veg and I snack on a handful of cashews sometimes, I won't go crazy on nuts or eggs - don't each much dairy as I'm a bit intolerant - tends to be the odd bit of feta with the salads or the eggs.

Are eggs the only animal/ Fish proteins you eat ? If you eat a lot of vegetarian proteins those are added to your protein pool.
Don’t forget your avocado!!! Goes great with eggs

 

[eggs11]

Are eggs the only animal/ Fish proteins you eat ? If you eat a lot of vegetarian proteins those are added to your protein pool.
Don’t forget your avocado!!! Goes great with eggs

I also have tofu, plain soy yogurt, a bit of cheese, salmon, tuna.

 

[Bluetit1802]

This is the thing - I have at least a couple more stone to lose and I'm not really sure how many grams of protein and fat to have a day in relation to the 50g of carbs - I'm kind of making it up as I go along at the moment.

Your BS levels are excellent, so something is working, and I doubt anything needs changing.

Just eat normal protein. I have never restricted mine as I am a great believer in its undoubted essential benefits, especially as we grow older. I simply eat what I have always eaten. Don't worry about it, but make sure you are eating enough.

As for fats, eat whatever type of fats you enjoy, enough to stop hunger and the need to snack. Just keep your eye on your weight - if you struggle to keep losing, cut out some cheese and nuts. Everyone says eat avocado, olives, olive oil, nuts. I don't like any of those, so I get all my fats from dairy foods, eggs, flaxseed, salmon, fish, whatever is in the lean meat I eat (any visible meat fat is cut off after cooking because I don't like it, not because I think it is bad for me). I avoid vegetable oils as much as possible other than the rapeseed oil that is in my Hellmans mayo.

 

[Kristin251]

I also have tofu, plain soy yogurt, a bit of cheese, salmon, tuna.

Perfect. Then you don’t need eggs at every meal. They’re all proteins.
In fact I’m having salmon and avo with a few brussel sprouts as we speak

 

[Mr_Pot]

There is some evidence that our bodies make cholesterol rather than absorbing it from the food we eat.

It is rather stronger than "some evidence". I don't think it is disputed that less than 20% of the cholesterol in or body comes from cholesterol in the food we eat, the liver makes the rest.

 

[Key_master_]

I’m not sure why protein is being over looked over fat as an energy source. The full on Keto approach seems very extreme and if you mess it up you have a lot of fat and carbs flying around your body. A balanced meal from doctor Bernstein’s approach doesn’t call for high fat. 6/12/12 g carbs with enough of a protein source that will keep your cells fuelled for growth, satisfy your hunger and provide bags of energy. I’m never hungry between meals and sometimes don’t even hit the 12g carb mark but always make sure I’m eating enough protein to keep me feeling full and enough for my little doses of insulin to chew through nicely. This same plate also helps with weight loss too.

 

[ringi]

In someone with very high insulin resistance excess protein is converted into BG quickly and requires a lot of insulin to control. This insulin regardless of where it comes from can stop someone with very high IR burning fat - and hence removing the fat from their liver. So filling up on protein does not work for people with the highest insulin resistance, this just happens to be lots of people with Type2! (But lots of people with Type2 can get great results on the Egg and Ribeye Steak diet, as both of these foods have about 50% energy from fat.)

I also expect it is impossible for someone to increase the fat on their liver if the carb level is very low, and the protein is only moderate regardless of how much fat they eat. Hence even if someone does not lose weight, their Type2 will not get worse.

(In Type1 there are also issues with the insulin half-life not matching how slowly protein is converted into BG. But that can be coped with by changing the timing of the insulin.)

However there should never be many carbs flying about with a high-fat diet, the worse diet of all is high fat and high carbs!.

 

[LouWilk059]

When opinion is so divided and changeable too - how can anyone even know what a good fat is thought to be, let alone do any research.
Sunflower oil was labelled as good and now it is bad, the food industry seems to use whatever is cheapest, so to be able to declare that a person has good or bad health due to the type of fat they are or avoided seems to be problematic.

My motto (right or wrong) ... Good fat : If you can make it yourself, it's OK to eat it. I know how to make butter, lard and cheese. And although I haven't tried, I could probably make olive oil.