after having read dAndr and protein power, there is this major thing that I do not understand. i don't know which direction to go.
Dr Atkins tells us that we need to eat more fat, add fat, add fat if we have difficultry losing weight. AND, in addition, lower protein.
then, with PP, we're suppose to decrease fat, decreasing calories.

2 questions arise for me. after doing my charts, i need to use 27 gram(chart B) of protein per meal. how do I know how much fat is too much with that. obviously, 27 g. of protein from a lean cut of meat is different than 27 g. of chicken wings, intact with the fat.

and this is like, two exact opposites. which one is more effective then? does anyone know the safest minimuim, daily amount of fat intake so that I do not go under the limit.

AteKna - I will not assume that I know everything but I will try to answer your question from a PP point of view. The book tells that fat is essential in digesting vegetables. Furthermore it tells us that when we are to eat fat to choose the good fat like butter and olive oil. Other oils like fish oil and flaxseed oil are also good. Having said that, I gather that all the other fat aren't so good and I choose to stay away from them. They are high in calories not to mention that some are loaded with transfat. Now about protein, the book tells us that when we loose weight we can loose up to 45% of our lean muscle unless we consume enough protein food. We all want to loose only the fat in our inflated fat cells. The book tells us how to open the door to those fat cells.

i dont know if i can answer your question cause im not a big fat eater...all my life ive used only the best oils, best cuts of meat, fresh veggies and fruits...i use olive oil extra virgin only and i use it everywhere...try not to cook on high heat or any heat if you can cause you just lost its purity and it becomes a bad fat...often we still use it to cook cause of its taste...the way i consume fat is through my salad dressing and cooking...i drink my soy milk which has a bit of fat in it among other things...i dont eat fat off my steak if there is some i take it off...makes me gag..lol...so basically i use olive oil a bit more then other fats..

PP doesn't realy limit fat. The only place it does is in dairy. For example, using Brie cheese as a protein source.

In chapter 5, Putting it all Together, there is a section called So, How Much Fat Can I Eat? There it says "Don't worry about eating high-quality monosturated and naturally saturated fats as long as you follow the plan guideline with regard to carbohydrate intake."

As I recall, the only place Atkins lowers protein is in the Fat Fast for those who are metabollically resistant.

So, just worry about getting adequate protein and limiting carbohydrates.

Karen

i think to start with you should choose a plan. with each plan there are some similarities and some differences. i think it depends on which plan is comfortable and works for you. try it each way.

as for my personal experiences, i started with atkins, didn't worry about fat or calories, just carbs. lost 50lbs. then stalled. switched to PP. i have found with PP, i need to watch my calories. i still don't worry about fat, but because i am watching calories, tend to eat the chicken breast rather then the legs and wings. or if i do eat wings, i compensate with lower calories at other meals.

good luck

right see, thats the thing then. some people I collected were doing protein power and eating an equal amount of fat and protein, while others were almost leaning toward low fat. that's a very big difference. I want to have a very specific plan, but I am just in a rut deciding if I am going to do atkins or do PP. I used to do atkins, and it never worked because for some reason, when I eat that way, my appetite increased, and I tended to eat more.
I used to eat lower fat, very high protein, and inadvertendtly, not really that many carbs, and I never gained weight, but I have to be careful on atkins because if I eat too much calories, I start to gain weight. Too much calories for me is like 1600.

Are your stats correct? If they are, the reason you're gaining at about 1600 calories is that you're already at the low end of the healthy weight range for your height. Your body is going to fight any further weight loss.

For me, I have always been an eater of fat. Before low carbing, I considered fats were bad, that's why they tasted so good. Thanks to Protein Power and Atkins I have realized the fats are almost harmless without carbohydrates. Fats pose more of a health benefit than detriment. I eat olive oil, omega 3s. Eggs, which containe fats are cooked in butter. I put butter on all of my veggies. Avocadoes are also high on my dietary list. I am losing body fat and my blood lipids are great! I have never "measured" the amount of fat that I consume but I am sure that it is 70%. I probably should reduce it since I have increased my carbs a little. But since I see that it is not causing any problems, I have not changed this habit.

so...some people eat fat, and lose weight. and some people don't eat very much of it and lose weight...but the important thing in Protein power is to have my recommended protein and keep my carbs below like 30. Right? or, would it be wrong to have as a meal something that has 25 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat? should I instead have as a meal something that has 25 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat?
do you all understand my illustration? and yes my stats are right on. i'm at a healthy range but through diet and excercise i am trying to make my stomach into something that is flat. its heriditary, and i'm really metabolicaly resistant.

Yes, but since you're close to goal, you can probably start at the next recommended level for people who are active.

Have a meal with protein (keep your proteins varied), vegetables and butter/olive oil, and/or salad vegetables with dressing and don't go out of your way to eat fat, but don't get paranoid about it either.

Karen

Eat as much fat as you need to avoid feeling hungry an hour after eating. For some folks, this means equal number of grams of protein and fat, for some folks, fats can be lower. This is where you'll simply have to experiment to see where your comfort is.