I am on the 5th day now of PP and starting to feel better. But as I read different things, I am confused about fat. Should I be counting my fat grams really carefully? I eat a little bacon in the morning sometimes and find peanut butter with apple or celery to be a nice snack. And cheese is also a great snack occasionally. I understand some LCr's don't worry about fat at all, but is that wise? I am not a very big person, and worry that while I discover this wonderful new way to eat, I may be tempted to eat too much fat and then have problems in the long run. My dad tried PP once and snacked on pork rinds. When he went to the doctor his triglycerides were up. Granted, he is a real binger, so he probably way overdid it. But I'd still like some sound advice on this one. Thanks.

Sparky, rest asured that in the absence of carbs fat does not make you fat. It also does not negatively effect your blood lipids, triglycerides in particular.

If you refer back to PP you'll remember the Eades' explanation that fat is metabolically neutral. It causes no change whatsoever in either insulin (the fat storing hormone) or in glucagon (the fat burning hormone). Insulin is released when you eat carbs, which are converted into glucose in the body. Eating carbs and fat is a dangerous mix, but once carbs are removed (or controlled) the balance switches to fat burning - as the only other macronutrient, protein, causes glucagon to be produced.

Triglyceride levels are most commonly effected by two things; sugars and alcohol. LCing tends to universally bring about lowered triglyceride levels. "Binging" or 'cheating' however will change this.

I would not worry overly about fat grams at this point - except to keep an eye that you're eating enough of them. Eating too little food can be a staller for many who start this WOE.

Nat

Thank you, Nat, but in follow up I was wondering about calories. Foods higher in fat are also higher in calories. If I eat a large amount of calories, even if my insulin isn't effected, it seems I won't really lose weight, because don't we still have to burn calories to lose weight? Wouldn't lean protein be a better way to go?

Calories definitely matter - but they matter in a few ways, not just as a matter of over consumption. If you're coming from low fat / restricted calorie dieting then they matter even more.

Eating far too many calories than you burn will not result in fat loss, but eating far too little wont either. What is so wonderful about LC is that it allows you to eat real food and to eat until you are satisfied. This is largely due to the fat content. Fat is satiating - it makes you feel full. It is also self limiting, there is only so much of it you can eat. Sit down and try to eat a stick of butter and you'll see what I mean

LCing helps to set right the metabolic imbalances that low fat / high carb / restricted calorie eating creates. At first you'll find that calories really do not matter. Simply eating the right foods, in the right combinations (protein and fat), creates an environment in favour of fat loss. It's almost like magic, but it isn't. It's biochemistry.

Calories tend to come into play more as you get closer to your goal and you have to tweak to get the last few lbs to come off. For some this never happens. Many things will factor into it. As you get healthier, leaner, fitter you become more active, allowing you to eat more than before. As you become healthier and your insulin resistance is repaired your metabolism is raised, allowing you to eat more than before. And as you eat adequate protein you help your body build and repair lean tissue, raising your metabolism and allowing you to eat more than before.

Try a few searches on this site on "BMR" (basal metabolic rate) and "Metabolism" for more information on this subject - it has been discussed at great length.

Finally, do you know how many calories you are eating? LCing robs us of our appetites at first, we are not hungry like we used to be - often we take this to an extreme, thinking less is better when it is not. If you feel the need, keep track of calories for a while to keep tabs on just how much (or how little) you are eating; you'll notice trends. Eating higher calorie a few days often resutls in whooshes (losses of fat and water) for many. Mixing things up calorie wise is called 'calorie cycling' and it is the basis for many weight loss programs - it keeps the body from thinking "diet", which is a good thing.

In the end you don't really need to count calories - you just need to ensure you're getting your minimum protein requirement and that you're eating every few hours to keep metabolism raised.

It really is a new way of thinking, not just eating.

Nat

I have tried many diet approaches that encourage eating only when hungry and stopping when full, which I have discovered is impossible on a high carb diet, at least for me. My hunger is actually a severe blood sugar drop that can become voracious and uncontrollable and I therefore never succeeded losing any weight at all on these plans. But now that I am kind of "in tune" to that, I don't want to eat when I am not hungry. Are you saying, Nat, that I should keep eating the protein even if I wake up in the morning not hungry at all? It goes against what I feel . . . especially to eat eggs when I am not very hungry. I "feel" like I'm "fat" when I am eating that way. But the funny thing is, trying to do the hunger/fullness plan was deceiving as well. I would "feel" like surely I was losing weight because I was waiting for "true hunger" when I never ever lost a pound because I just could not find satisfaction.