How much dietary fat is "enough" to succeed?

[SixFootSix]

I am SO thankful to have found this website & forums! A HUGE thanks to everyone that takes valuable time from their day to share their knowledge & insight! The wealth of information here is fantastic!

That being said… I hope that this isn’t too long-winded…

I started atkins on 5-12-03 at 330 pounds. I ate no carbs (zero!) and it took me 5 days to get into ketosis; I guess that I am metabolically resistant. I lost 18 pounds within the first month. I started eating some broccoli, and (too many) low-carb bars and fell out of ketosis & went into a stall, even though I was still under 20 carbs per day.

Now, after reading through hundreds of posts, I have concluded that I am not eating enough fat; my main source of caloric intake has been from relatively lean meats, fish, plus some cheese. I just can’t seem to get used to the idea of eating so much fat. In fact, I just don’t like fat – I was always the person that surgically removed every trace of fat from a steak before eating it, even when I was a kid.

I have seen several opinions posted regarding the percentage of total calories consumed that should be derived from fats, but there seems to be quite a wide range of numbers floating around. Could some of you experts please pipe-in with some information? And any suggestions on how to get more fat into my diet - in a manner that’s conducive to someone who doesn’t necessarily have a “fat tooth”? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

Glenn

[GrlyGrl]

Two thoughts:
First you must eat the vegetables!!! It is not better to get zero carbs. The veggies are NOT optional. One way to add fat is by putting it on the veggies - butter, cheese, dressings, etc.

Second, have you considered a plan that is lower in fat than Atkins? Like South Beach Diet or Zone? You might enjoy it more.

The fat is very important to how Atkins works. Personally, I shoot for between 75-80% fat -- but I love fat. Not everyone on Atkins aims that high, though.

[Pamlyn]

Hi Glen, like you I really dislike fat & have a problem getting to the 70% I aim for. Here are a few suggestions:
1) Macadamia nuts
2) Cream cheese on celery sticks
3) Avocado's

Cheers
Pam
:wave:

[justcindy]

Hi Glenn, you started low carbing the same day as me!
Anyhow, I use olive oil to make sure I get enough fat, usually one tablespoon before meals. :)

[SDgrandma]

The general guideline is about 70% of calories from fat. But I have seen people who have been successful on 50%. You will have to find out what works for you.

Bacon and sausage are high in fat but also high in sodium if that is a problem for you. It is for me. Some of them also contain nitrates. Use butter or olive oil on everything you can think of. I like melted butter with my steak. I don't really like the fat on meat either.

[SixFootSix]

Thank you all for the replies. From the looks of it, you are all doing great with this; keep up the good work everyone!

GrlyGrl: I can’t really seem to do anything else (i.e., the Zone) because I am a true carbo junkie. It’s like alcoholism – once I start eating carbs, I’m completely out of control. It seems that on Atkins, I am able to control the cravings more effectively, and/or I use the alternatives such as the chocolate bars… And if I overindulge with those… Well, let’s just say that I’m attempting to do a little Pavlovian-style training on myself to learn to eat the sweets in moderation. Plus, I surmise that with time, my brain will no longer associate the consumption of sweets with any biochemical effect on mood, thus further breaking the habit.

Pamlyn: I was eating a lot of macadamias, but the carbo content threw me out of ketosis. However, that’s a great idea about the cream cheese (I do love cream cheese!). Previously, I was a little too obsessive about carbo content, but now I’m realizing that trying to stay as close to zero carbs as possible is not a good idea. Mmmm, cream cheese with chives… Wow.

Justcindy: Do you just chug down the olive oil like people do a shooter of booze? I think that may be a good idea as a way to get some healthy unsaturated fats into my system instead of all the animal based fats.

Sdgrandma: I’ll try to bump up my fat content to a minimum of 50-60 percent, and then go from there. Fortunately, sodium is not a problem for me which is a good thing, as it is one of my (former) three basic food groups: Sugar, Salt, & Fat. (Hmm… Somehow a facetious statement doesn’t come through very well on paper.) I guess that I’ll be off to the store later to get some olive oil, butter, and cream cheese.

Thanks Again everyone!
Glenn

[justcindy]

Glenn,
Yes I just drink it down, I really like the taste of it too and it is incredibly good for lowering cholesterol and I have found my skin is just glowing as well.
Go get some! ;) :D
~Cindy

[bdeeley]

Great sources of Fat:

Cream Cheese (or mascarpone)
Sour Cream (a little SF syrup makes LC Yogurt)
Butter (and Ghee or Clarified Butter)
Avocados (some carbs)
Nuts (some carbs)
Olives (some carbs)
Olive Oil
Canola Oil
Coconut Oil
Flaxseed/Flaxseed Oil
Whipping Cream
Bacon
Salmon

It's also worth getting over your fear of Fat. In my own experience, even saturated doesn't seem to have any effect on blood lipid levels as long as it isn't getting stored. Just stay away from the hydrogenated stuff.