Was advised against low carb diet

[Oldvatr]

HI OLDVATR - I like your summary above. I got confused about FAT and sought expert advice. I understand it like this now : the dangerous fat around the liver and pancreas is what causes type 2 diabetes, and this fat comes from excess intake of carbs, above normal calorific requirements. The FAT we EAT in normal diet does not do this, it is the excess sugars in the Liver which get transformed and lodged in the Liver as fat. I guess we could talk about 2 kinds of fat. I still do not understand what happens to the excess if we eat too much fat over and above our calorific needs apart from the idea that it is '' not a problem ''and anyway we are unlikely to eat too much fat as it ''satiates '' : you mention it is taken care of but give no details. Can you explain that more please ?

My understanding is that there are at least 2 types of fat - carb sourced fat (glvgogen) and lipid sourved ft

 

[Oldvatr]

HI OLDVATR - I like your summary above. I got confused about FAT and sought expert advice. I understand it like this now : the dangerous fat around the liver and pancreas is what causes type 2 diabetes, and this fat comes from excess intake of carbs, above normal calorific requirements. The FAT we EAT in normal diet does not do this, it is the excess sugars in the Liver which get transformed and lodged in the Liver as fat. I guess we could talk about 2 kinds of fat. I still do not understand what happens to the excess if we eat too much fat over and above our calorific needs apart from the idea that it is '' not a problem ''and anyway we are unlikely to eat too much fat as it ''satiates '' : you mention it is taken care of but give no details. Can you explain that more please ?

My ynderstanding is that there are 2 types of fat - carb sourced Glucogen which is stored in muscle and normal body cells, and then the lipid sourced fat that gets stored in the special adipocyte cells around the liver etc.

This is why LCHF works so well, we can control both pathways almost independantly

The answer to your question about the body controlling excess fat is one that I too struggled with for some time, and the answer is not quite as simple. I think that our bodies are superb manufacturing sites that interact very well normally, and as such then cholesterol gets synthesised from all sorts as an only when required, The LDL cholesterol is one stage in the transport system that carries water insoluble fat in the bloodstream taking fat to the various places it needs to go, Now the role of HDL appears to be to take up excess or unused lipids back to the liver for recycling, and it also hoovers up some broken or damaged LDL debris for waste disposal via the gall bladder and the bile duct into the lower intestine and places south. So normally we excrete excess fat back through this psthway.

But obviously there are some that have had to lose their gall bladder due to gallstone removal, and these people survive so there must be other paths too. Certainly when I increase my fat intake to increase weight I notice increased lubrication 'down there' and can vouch that my pathway does not appear to be blocked. Actually studies have shown that increasing fat intake actually helps remove or reduce the buildup of gallstones, whereas a low fat diet increases that possibility. unfortunately after a long lifetime of LF diets, some folks find that going HF suddenly triggers a gallstone event as they transition, and will need intervention to break them up or remove them, and so LCHF often gets bad press because of this when actually Eatwell LF is to blame.

So normally I would reckon that our body will first top up our fat reserves as necesssary but then try to dump excesss overboard. But like any system, I think it can get overloaded, and so our body seems to create new fat cells to accomodate the excess, and our girth will expand as a result, The trouble is that once a fat cell is created, then it does not get deleted, which is why when we succeed in losing too much midriff fat we are often needing liposuction and tummy tucks to remove the love handles that remain stubbonly behind, So these new fat cells can be topped up and emptied by diet and exercise, but will always be there to greet us in the mirror.

I don't agree with those that now say Fat does not make you fat as the new age mantra seems to be, since I suspect it can do, but the process is slower than the carb route. Certainly getting shot of adipose fat is harder to do by diet alone, and requires a keto lifestyle to really shift it. Maybe fasting as well. But my tummy has shrunk by several inches, snf I feel ok about it, so I must be doing something right. I lost my muffin top !!!!!

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

This is why LCHF works so well,

For some, absolutely no question but I would just like to mention my venture into higher fats. Net result was weight gain and total cholesterol going from 4 to 5.7 in three months. So it doesn't really work well for everyone. I think it's important to make this point purely because there might be some new people reading this and thinking that it's gospel, 100%, sadly we're all different and what works for the majority doesn't work for everyone.

 

[Resurgam]

For some, absolutely no question but I would just like to mention my venture into higher fats. Net result was weight gain and total cholesterol going from 4 to 5.7 in three months. So it doesn't really work well for everyone. I think it's important to make this point purely because there might be some new people reading this and thinking that it's gospel, 100%, sadly we're all different and what works for the majority doesn't work for everyone.

I think that any weight gain should be addressed at once, as it is like the canary in the coal mine, giving an alert that something needs to changed. Eating low carb is not just a single one size fits all option, especially Atkins, where even the basic book has test this and see how it affects you not just for each stage but at multiple points within each stage.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

I think that any weight gain should be addressed at once

LC had worked well for nearly 4 years even some good weight loss at the beginning.

Then I was told I wasn't eating enough and that my metabolism was broken and needed to eat more, I had heard that from dieticians and my GP, so increased cheese, real yoghurt not the 0% stuff. Wrong move and worse still not corrected when returning to old ways and total cholesterol went up to 5.7 from 4.

BG has been all over the place without there being carbs involved only protein, now if I cut the protein, I'm pretty close to the Newcastle diet which I will investigate further.

I'll get there yet and it could be the last thing I do before I shuffle off.