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LCHF - HOW MUCH FAT?

A

Atlantico

Well-Known Member
Messages
85
Type of diabetes
Reactive hypoglycemia
Treatment type
I do not have diabetes
Hello everyone, I wonder if you can give me some advice. Since September last year I have been using the LCHF way of eating.
I haven't found it too difficult to reduce my carbs down to approx 20g per day but I don't think I am feeling as well as I should. Could it be that I am not eating sufficient fat - roughly what percentage of a meal should be fat.

Yesterday my husband and I had roast beef salad sandwich for lunch, my husband had his on 2 slices of Burgen large sliced bread and I had mine on iceberg lettuce leaves. It occurred to me that my husband had had about 22g carb, am I supposed to have equivalent in fat and if so, how?
My second question is - Would it be healthy for my husband (who has no metabolic problems at all) to follow the LCHF way of eating?

Thank you.
 
Atlantico said:
Would it be healthy for my husband (who has no metabolic problems at all) to follow the LCHF way of eating?
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As far as I know, I have no metabolic problems (James has/had, was/is T2), and have eaten low carb (normally under 30g per day) for over five and a half years now. Still here, no ill effects, happier, better skin, full of bounce, wouldn't go back. Sugar is not an essential nutrient, so no need for anyone to eat more than minimum amounts.
Sally

Edited to add: why not add a nice big slice of cheese to your beef "sandwich"?
 
@Atlantico - how much fat are eating now? As a rule?

With such low carb levels you can be pretty high healthy fat - the idea that an inverse relationship is a healthy relationship, as in - the lower carb you go the higher fat etc etc. This is true for your non-diabetic partner too, of course. We all have human bodies, and the same system regulating insulin and glucose after all. (Ours is just mucked up!)

I'm like a lot of LCHF/Keto folks - I don't measure or work out percentages (goodness no! what a pain!). I just cook with coconut oil, butter, olive oil, use healthy oils and vinegars and citrus as salad dressings, very low or no sugar mayos, eat gloriously fatty cuts of meat, chew on pork crackling, high meat content sausies all good, have cream in my coffee, and don't worry about the fat content of anything.

My partner has been eating moderate carbs for years, since post my diagnosis. I figure that it is healthy for him too. If you consider that really healthy blood glucose levels, as in - optimum is an HBA1c of the late 20s very low 30s - that puts a non-diabetic's blood glucose (BG) levels into perspective. As we live in such a high carb/high sugar food environment even non-diabetics have what I would consider at least - too high BG levels for optimal health. That is a long way of saying - it's great to be LCHF for a non-diabetic too!
 
You need to make sure you replace the energy (calories) lost from the reduced carb with extra calories from fat and/or protein. You also need to drink a lot more, and add some salt to your food. The general idea is to make sure you eat enough not to feel hungry before your next meal is due. Adding fat to a meal stops the hunger.
 
Thank you Sally for your prompt reply.

It is good to know you feel so good following low carb eating. It will make life so much easier if we can both eat the same meals although hubby still nervous about eating extra fat as he is on statins for his cholesterol.
I love cheese so an extra slice or two will be great for me. I wasn't sure whether I had to replace weight of carbs with similar weight of fat. Regards, Atlantico

 
...I just wing it, mostly. But cream, cheese, bacon, nuts and non-lean meats/fish/poultry are a staple here. Just add whatever tickles your fancy, from butter to cheese, and it'll be okay. Just make sure it gives you a satisfied feeling. You could download an app (I use the Keto Diet Tracker) if you want actual targets to work with. I only log meals when I'm not sure whether I'm still keto-ing right. But yeah, just meat and lettuce... That could certainly cause some fatigue and malnutrition/deficiencies. hug your cheese & bacon! Yay for eggs!
 
Hello Aloe Svea, thanks you for your reply, Not sure how much fat I have at the moment, I am a bit like you, I cook with olive oil, use coconut oil and lots of butter. I make fat bombs with coconut oil, butter and peanut butter and have butter and double cream in coffee. Prior to Aug last year I only drank water but now quite happy with my bulletproof coffee. I love cheese so eat quite a lot of that.

I will gradually convert hubby to LCHF.

Thank you once again.
Kind regards
Atlantico
 
I am eating more fat now. I had tryed to avoid eating so much of it in the past, for a considerable number of years. I am finding eating stuff like walnuts, more cheese, bacon and full fat Greek yoghurt very filling and hopefully beneficial in the longer term.
 
Hello Listlad,
Thanks for your reply.
Like you, I have always avoided too much fat and now I find it hard to change this and eat so much more.
I have been eating, gradually more, since August last year when I joined this great site. I have an appointment with my Dr on the 14th of this month and will see if I can have my cholesterol checked. If result okay it will help me with my fat consumption going forward.
I am taking your advice and going to have a cheese and walnut snack now.
Regards, Atlantico
 
Atlantico said:
I have an appointment with my Dr on the 14th of this month and will see if I can have my cholesterol checked. If result okay it will help me with my fat consumption going forward.
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Make sure you ask for a full lipid panel (HDL, LDL and triglycerides) and make sure you fast for around 10 hours before the test - water only.
 
Ah. It wasn’t so much advice as I am learning too. More a case of comparing notes.

Part of my past reasoning to keep fat levels down was to avoid raising cholesterol levels which I was advised to do.

Anyhow, I enjoy cheeses walnuts etc so it might all work out well.

My only issue I am finding is that I am getting “bunged up” with constipation. So am having to address that with more fluid intake and making sure some salts are included in the diet somewhere.
 
Listlad said:
My only issue I am finding is that I am getting “bunged up” with constipation. So am having to address that with more fluid intake and making sure some salts are included in the diet somewhere.
Click to expand...

It is also worth adding milled flaxseed or certain other seeds to your foods. They provide some of the missing fibre. Flaxseed works for me.
 
Hello Bluetit 1802,
What good advice, many thanks. I will now ask for a full lipid test and make sure I fast, as you suggest. I wouldn't have thought of that. Also will start adding some flaxseeds here and there!

Kind regards,
 
Hi JoKalsbeek,
Thanks for your info. I am learning all the time. As you said, I think my beef salad on lettuce hadn't had enough 'energy' in it as about an hour later my legs started to wobble and my thigh muscles felt as though they were seizing up. Funnily enough I didn't feel hungry.
I don't think I am replacing my absent carbs with enough fat/protein so will start adding more.
Thank you again.
Kind regards
 
Does sound like you're lacking in vitamins and minerals... Might try a supplement of magnesium, a Vit B complex and Vit D to get back to proper levels quick. Just an idea, as I just know when it happened to me, the leg cramps were horrid. Maybe a bit of salt too. In any case... Should be solved with extra fats & protein, but there's people here who know more about such things than I, so... Maybe they'll have sugggestions too.
 
@Atlantico, it sounds like you are getting a good amount of fat, as in it feels good and you are full after eating? And yes, ditto protein. Always a good way to check out the 'right amount' thing in my book. Assuming your hunger and satiation hormones are working well and normally? And my bias is I assume on LCHF or Keto your hormones are probably chugging along very nicely.

But, I am concerned that you are worried about cholesterol levels so much - I find that incompatible with Keto and LCHF, as the idea behind these ways of eating is that you have pretty well thrown such Ancel Keys driven nutrition notions to the wind! I can't imagine eating high/healthy fat if you are anxious about it due to those low fat high carb notions (my prejudice being those notions into practice are what led me to type two diabetes!)

The relationship between dietary fat, fat in your bloodstream, and fat storage, especially for those of us with blood glucose dysregulation, and/or too high insulin levels for good health is actually quite complicated, I think at least. Especially in relation to heart and cardio vascular health. LDL cholesterol levels just don't cut it! Although you have been led to believe they do, I know. Haven't we all? I can only say - it is well worth it to read up on the cholesterol controversy, or watch youtubes by the big names on the topic. I think this is well worth it for everyone, but especially those eating Keto or LCHF
 
As all posts above!
Reading the low carb forum will help you with ideas and recipes, suggestions for a broader range of low carb food.

About cholesterol, mine improved since diagnosis, it took a little time and it went worse initially. But it just about normal for someone of my age.

The main thing about RH is stopping the hypos and maintaining stable blood levels. This will naturally improve your health, unless you really need supplements.

Worrying about cholesterol or supplements, measuring carbs, measuring calories and other things that takes you away from the target of control.
Getting your balance of protein, good fats, and what little carbs you have are the most important lifestyle changes you need.

Best wishes
 

Hi Aloe Svea, thank you for your long and interesting reply.
I do feel much better when I eat LCHF but I find it hard to get my mind around eating so much fat after being told for so many years how unhealthy it is! I have been a member on this site since August last year and at first eating all this fat really worried me BUT I am getting much better at accepting this is the way I should go because I can feel the benefits starting.

I have just started reading the Low Carb forum on here, recommended by Lamont and hopefully I will be able to build up a library of interesting LCHF recipes.

Thank you once again, I really appreciate your comments.
 

Hello Lamont, thank you for your reply.

I have now started reading through the Low Carb forum you recommended and feel sure that I will find a lot of good meal suggestions.

I am finding I really struggle with any carbs with the exception of porage which I can eat and only have about a 1.1 increase in my BG after 2 hours.

I am going to spend quite a while building up a library of LCHF recipes and stick with them and just focus on my BG levels.

Regards
 
This is quite close to where I am with this approach.
 
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