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Low carbs and fat

D

Defren

Well-Known Member
Messages
3,106
I ULC and it seems to work for me, but I am aware that while low or ultra low carbing means we have to have fat to balance things out. My question is, what kind of fat levels should I be looking at? Today for example I have so far managed some Greek yogurt with strawberry's, but only a very small amount, but for me, this is a huge achievement as some of you will know, and for dinner I am having a ham salad. The total fat for today will be around 14g and 11g of carbs. Does this look about a right balance?
 
9kcal per g of fat
4kcal per g of carbohydrate
9*14+11*4= 170kcal

When is your next review meeting Def? 170kcal might be OK for a small snack, but not for a whole day's food. Let's hope the Metformin SR helps you out, because starvation isn't a good way of controlling your diabetes.

When you are eating properly again, then you shouldn't worry too much about fat. While too much fat might be bad for you on a high-carb high-fat diet, on a VLC diet fat needs to be your main source of fuel. You'll be turning your body into a keto-adapted fat burning machine so it will be very efficient in burning both your body fat, and also any fat in your diet.

I know that it's a million miles from your mind right now, but including fat in your meals also acts as an appetite suppresent, sending satiety signals to your brain.

Let's assume that you want to eat 1500kcal a day....
50g from carbs = 200kcal
RDA is 10-35% of your calories from protein = 150kcal to 525kcal from protein = 40 to 130g of protein
which leaves 775kcal to 1150kcal of fat = 90 to 130g of fat

So eventually you need to increase your fat intake to about 100g a day. It isn't as difficult as it sounds if you include meat, cream and eggs in your diet.

I wouldn't bother too much with counting grams of fat or protein though. My suggestion is that you count the carbs, and then eat until you are satisfied. You shouldn't have to starve yourself on a low-carb diet.
 
Have you tried coconut oil? You can put in your coffee, cook with it, use it like a spread, eat it straight off a spoon etc. It really is versatile. I even use it on my skin and hair.
What do you dress your salads with? I'm sure you could work some oil into the dressing?
 
I haven't tried the coconut oil, but I need to....

I get my fat from:
Cheese
Salad dressing
Mayo
Sugar Free Jelly and Cream
Squirty Cream
Avacados
Olive Oil
Butter
and lots of meat.

It's also worth noting that on your current 170kcal a day diet, your probably burning the rest of your energy as body fat rather than digested fat, so you're already on a "high fat diet", without even eating it.

Don't suppose any of this is helping your fragile appetite much :sick:
 

I am at the surgery in two weeks for a blood test and see the doctor the following week. Yesterday I had - wait for this 956 calories, made up mainly with double cream and chicken. The problem is I spent a good part of last night parting with a huge chunk of those calories being very sick.

Calories today will be around 324, and that or a little higher, certainly under 500, seems to be what my body can handle at the moment. I am including a hard boiled egg with the salad. Dressings, I tend to use two (stomach allowing) a simple oil and vinegar dressing, or Sainsbury's extra virgin olive oil with garlic. For the last couple of weeks, I haven't been able to use either, stomach starts to do flips.

My fat comes from

meat
fish (I love and up to now can eat lots of fresh fish)
butter
cream
cheese ( I can eat feta cheese)
I also have sugar free jelly and fresh cream
Tried double cream, no go.
greek style yogurt (first try today, and it was fine, I had it with strawberry's)

I don't drink coffee, I drink black tea. I used to love coffee, but can't touch it now, also I used to have milk in my tea, can't have that either. (this is like being pregnant and going off things, but I assure you I'm not :lol: )

Coconut oil sounds like a good idea, I shall add that to the shopping list, thank you.
 
borofergie said:
Don't suppose any of this is helping your fragile appetite much :sick:
Click to expand...

Not a lot :lol: but I do need to know. I am fighting myself with this stupid low appetite thing, forcing myself to eat, but as yesterday proved, it's not a very good idea, but I shan't give up!
 

I thought for a second then that you said "spent all night partying and being sick". :mrgreen:
956 kcal is a great improvement (even if you didn't keep it all down). Maybe you're slowly getting used to the Metformin. I remember it being worst in the first couple of weeks (although it didn't make me sick).


That's a great list of things that you used to think were unhealthy, but which are really good for you! A low-carb diet can be really fun once you get your head around it!

Defren said:
(this is like being pregnant and going off things, but I assure you I'm not :lol: )
Click to expand...

OMG Def! You have gestational diabetes! Congratulations!
 

I think like most people I love all the things we were once told were out of bounds. I also do manage one boiled egg a day, can't quite manage two. I am hoping that I am now settling with the metformin. How it all came about, my daughter decided to make some fresh cream meringues, but the meringue, kind of, didn't quite work, so I had some strawberry's and cream. It was such a struggle to eat it, but felt I must try as my daughter had done it for me (minus meringue :mrgreen: ). I felt quite ill about an hour after eating it, then whoosh it all came back. Lesson learned, baby steps.

Me gestational diabetes? <------ faints!
 

As I said, I haven't but I will, I have just ordered some coconut oil. Thank you, I will let you know how I get along with it.
 
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