If you do low carb high fat, what percentage of calories come from fat?

[Tannith]

Once you have lost all the weight you need or want to, if you have been doing low carb you will have to get extra calories from fat (preferably monounsaturated), to avoid losing further weight. Most standard diets suggest 50% cals from carbs. If you drop that to, say 20% cals from carbs ie 100g carbs = 400 cals. (assuming you are a person eating 2000 cals per day, you then have to make up the missing 30% cals from fat. 100 g carbs per day is often cited on here as the amount low carbers eat. That means that once you go on to low carbs with high fat to make up the missing calories, you will be eating a massive 60% of your cals from fat. Isn't that nauseating? And isn't it very bad for your health even if the extra percentage comes from monounsaturated fats? Can the average body deal with such a whopping amount of fat?

 

[serenity648]

Once you have lost all the weight you need or want to, if you have been doing low carb you will have to get extra calories from fat (preferably monounsaturated), to avoid losing further weight. Most standard diets suggest 50% cals from carbs. If you drop that to, say 20% cals from carbs ie 100g carbs = 400 cals. (assuming you are a person eating 2000 cals per day, you then have to make up the missing 30% cals from fat. 100 g carbs per day is often cited on here as the amount low carbers eat. That means that once you go on to low carbs with high fat to make up the missing calories, you will be eating a massive 60% of your cals from fat. Isn't that nauseating? And isn't it very bad for your health even if the extra percentage comes from monounsaturated fats? Can the average body deal with such a whopping amount of fat?

remember that fat has double the calories than protein or carbs. So its not that much really in terms of amounts of food

 

[bulkbiker]

As an example
Today mine were as follows

Fat 80.3% carbs 2% Protein 17.7%
Total calories 3,018 Fat 267.3g Carbs 14.8g Protein 133.1g

Not nauseating in the slightest - cream in coffee, bacon, cheese, sirloin steak with extra butter and half a large avocado.
Carb treat was 100g of Oppo ice cream with double cream over the top.
Not bad for my health in the slightest.. why would you think that?
And yes my body is very happy with that amount of fat.
Eating this way has led to an 8 stone loss of weight over 18 months.

 

[Kristin251]

My diet is 75-80% fat but mostly avocado, pecans, macadamia, olive oil and mayo. None gobbed, just normal. Then 15-17% protein and 5% carbs. Works for me but not everyone. Animal fats will keep weight on vs plant.

 

[Guzzler]

My diet is sat fat heavy (or slightly heavier than it was pre diagnosis) I eat more animal fats than I did before dx but that is not to say that it is a disgusting, congealed mess on my plate. The human body was designed to get more energy from fat than from other sources so it is not an unhealthy choice at all.

If you are worried about so called 'unhealthy fats' have a read of Dr. Malcolm Kendrick's 'The Great Cholesterol Con'. It is good book that gives you the lowdown on what is basically cholesterol, research and the western diet.

 

[Robbity]

I've never counted calories while I've been on a low carb diet, the only things I've watched rather than actually regularly counted are the carbs I eat.

And since (as already mentioned) fats have double the amount of calories than carbs or protein you don't have to eat all that much to make up the difference. Anyway IMO high fat is a slight misnomer because all it really means is that you should be eating full fat products instead of low fat/"lite" ones, and the percentage of fats is just higher in your carbs : protein : fats ratio. So: lower carbs: moderate protein : higher fats instead of higher carbs: moderate protein : lower fats is the way I look at it.

You definitely don't have to swill down gallons of oil or scoff lumps of lard to get your daily dose of fats either - fattier cuts of meat or poultry, oily fish, eggs, dairy ( full fat cream, cheese, butter & yoghurt), olives, avocados, nuts & seeds with their oils and butters, all are excellent and varied sources of fats without necessarily all being obviously fatty. And it is both healthy and our natural way of eating: it's only in the last 30-40 years that there's been this belief about fat being bad for us - we're designed to use fats as our main fuel source (breast fed babies are apparently naturally in a state of ketosis) and it's been our normal way of eating for centuries without killing us off!

Robbity

 

[Goonergal]

I am eating LCHF and losing weight - 5 stone since December last year. All my other health markers have also normalised. Over the past week I averaged 70% of calories from fats (cream, butter, fat in meat, nuts etc.), 6% from carbs (average 15g per day) and 24% protein.

Have never felt fitter or more energetic in my life.

 

[Tannith]

As an example
Today mine were as follows

Fat 80.3% carbs 2% Protein 17.7%
Total calories 3,018 Fat 267.3g Carbs 14.8g Protein 133.1g

Not nauseating in the slightest - cream in coffee, bacon, cheese, sirloin steak with extra butter and half a large avocado.
Carb treat was 100g of Oppo ice cream with double cream over the top.
Not bad for my health in the slightest.. why would you think that?
And yes my body is very happy with that amount of fat.
Eating this way has led to an 8 stone loss of weight over 18 months.

Gosh 2% carbs is very low carb indeed! How do you fit your 5 a day into that few carbs? Or don't you believe in 5 a day?

 

[bulkbiker]

Gosh 2% carbs is very low carb indeed! How do you fit your 5 a day into that few carbs? Or don't you believe in 5 a day?

5 what a day?...I don't eat fruit apart from a few berries and yesterday's green stuff was the avocado(which technically is a fruit I guess).. I get most of my essential nutrients from the meat I eat.
Also, and you may not believe this but I was 2 1/2 pounds lighter this morning after that lot than the previous morning.
And that's without the usual morning evacuation!

 

[Bluetit1802]

I am very low carb (up to 30g) and lost all my weight 3 years ago. I have maintained my ideal weight since that time.

I have never worked on percentages. When losing weight I counted carbs and calories only. After losing weight I just used my meter and my bathroom scales to tell me if I was on track. I counted very little. I knew I had to increase my calories from fat and/or protein to stop losing and maintain.

I have never been afraid of protein. I consider it vital to my health. I just upped the amount of eggs quite a bit, added cheese to my diet (didn't eat it previously), increased my butter consumption and possibly my mayo, and added a small glass of red wine a day. I did this bit by bit, using meter and scales, until I found the perfect balance for me.

I stopped counting 3 years ago, have never known what my percentages are, and still use my meter and scales, plus my own eyes to judge portion sizes. If I gain an odd pound or two I discontinue the wine for a bit.

All my health markers are good. I am well.

 

[Brunneria]

Once you have lost all the weight you need or want to, if you have been doing low carb you will have to get extra calories from fat (preferably monounsaturated), to avoid losing further weight. Most standard diets suggest 50% cals from carbs. If you drop that to, say 20% cals from carbs ie 100g carbs = 400 cals. (assuming you are a person eating 2000 cals per day, you then have to make up the missing 30% cals from fat. 100 g carbs per day is often cited on here as the amount low carbers eat. That means that once you go on to low carbs with high fat to make up the missing calories, you will be eating a massive 60% of your cals from fat. Isn't that nauseating? And isn't it very bad for your health even if the extra percentage comes from monounsaturated fats? Can the average body deal with such a whopping amount of fat?

Very interesting comment.

I suggest you look at a few of the recipes on the dietdoctor website and see if you think that they look nauseating.
Having tried many of them, i think they are delicious and appetising.

As a long term low carber i would say that if anyone interprets low carbing (even LCHF) as nauseating quantities of fat, then they need to do more research. No one talks about nauseating protein portions (whether steak or tofu) or nauseating carb portions (whether potato or green veg). Why is fat singled out for revulsion? It is simply a macronutrient that adds energy, palatability and nutrition.

I think that many carbers are extremely ignorant of the amount of fat they eat in a day - on bread and potatoes, fried foods, processed foods, dairy products, in drinks, soups, confectionery and snacks. Most of which are highly processed.

Also, please do not fall into the trap of thinking that meat fat is nasty saturated fat, and oils like olive oil are lovely healthy monounsaturated fat. The reality is the nearly all fat sources are a blend of mono, unsat and sat fats. Just remembering that prevents the demonisation of saturated fat. Even olive oil is 14% saturated, and beef tallow is around 38% monounstatrated.

The table in this link is very educational.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat

 

[Bluetit1802]

Well said @Brunneria

 

[Kristin251]

Well said @Brunneria

I agree!!! Not a single thing is nauseating about avocado, pecans, macadamias, melted cheese with pecans and green onions, lamb chops, chicken thighs, mayo. Etc. Some of my favorite foods!!!

Nothing unhealthy about them either

 

[Bluetit1802]

I agree!!! Not a single thing is nauseating about avocado, pecans, macadamias, melted cheese with pecans and green onions, lamb chops, chicken thighs, mayo. Etc. Some of my favorite foods!!!

Nothing unhealthy about them either

I have to disagree over the nuts. I can't eat nuts. They make me sick ... so for me, nauseating!!!!

 

[Kristin251]

I have to disagree over the nuts. I can't eat nuts. They make me sick ... so for me, nauseating!!!!

Awe, that's sad. At least as far as I'm concerned. I do keep portions small or they'd probably nauseat me too. Nut butters are too thick and sit like a rock. But a few nuts is fine for me.

 

[bulkbiker]

I have to disagree over the nuts. I can't eat nuts. They make me sick ... so for me, nauseating!!!!

They don't make me sick but I just can't stop once I have started eating the bloody things..!

 

[Lally123]

Very interesting comment.

I suggest you look at a few of the recipes on the dietdoctor website and see if you think that they look nauseating.
Having tried many of them, i think they are delicious and appetising.

As a long term low carber i would say that if anyone interprets low carbing (even LCHF) as nauseating quantities of fat, then they need to do more research. No one talks about nauseating protein portions (whether steak or tofu) or nauseating carb portions (whether potato or green veg). Why is fat singled out for revulsion? It is simply a macronutrient that adds energy, palatability and nutrition.

I think that many carbers are extremely ignorant of the amount of fat they eat in a day - on bread and potatoes, fried foods, processed foods, dairy products, in drinks, soups, confectionery and snacks. Most of which are highly processed.

Also, please do not fall into the trap of thinking that meat fat is nasty saturated fat, and oils like olive oil are lovely healthy monounsaturated fat. The reality is the nearly all fat sources are a blend of mono, unsat and sat fats. Just remembering that prevents the demonisation of saturated fat. Even olive oil is 14% saturated, and beef tallow is around 38% monounstatrated.

The table in this link is very educational.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat

I have sympathy with what @Tannith says. I would and did find the high fat aspect of a lchf diet quite repulsive! I guess I have been a picky eater most of my life but prior.to diagnosis had settled into a balanced diet using complex carbs plenty of fruit and veg lean meat and fish and very little fat. Initially after diagnosis I tried doing very low carb but felt constantly nauseated and hungry and my glucose levels were all over the place. I've never been fat and have maintained my current weight and bmi for.20 years. Once the doctor stuck me.on gliclazide it was a huge relief. I could.go back to my complex carbs and my healthy diet and my sugars are now beautifully controlled with an estimated hba1c of 41. My other problem is that i genuinely don't like a lot of the foods around which the diet is based. I detest eggs and avocados, not keen on fatty meat like lamb and pork, not keen on cheese and hate the greasy feeling of cream etc. So I guess going low carb would.never have been something I could do long term. While.i understand that for some.people low carb is a perfect solution, it's not for all and there are other ways to keep sugars under control which is of course the most important thing in avoiding complications

 

[Tannith]

As an example
Today mine were as follows

Fat 80.3% carbs 2% Protein 17.7%
Total calories 3,018 Fat 267.3g Carbs 14.8g Protein 133.1g

Not nauseating in the slightest - cream in coffee, bacon, cheese, sirloin steak with extra butter and half a large avocado.
Carb treat was 100g of Oppo ice cream with double cream over the top.
Not bad for my health in the slightest.. why would you think that?
And yes my body is very happy with that amount of fat.
Eating this way has led to an 8 stone loss of weight over 18 months.

I have read that high fat diets especially those high in Omega 6 and saturated fats increase the risk of colon cancer.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723490/

 

[bulkbiker]

I have read that high fat diets especially those high in Omega 6 and saturated fats increase the risk of colon cancer.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2723490/

Its an "association" and those people studied will have been eating a high carb diet along with those fats.. As with everything in life "you pays yer money" etc.. For me the fact that low glucose diets are better for cancer anyway implies that my total cancer risk is greatly reduced by eating keto. Our bodies were designed to eat this way so why would it be bad for us?