How do I get over my fat phobia? another question from the annoying ex-vegan...

[cave_girl]

I was a no-fat vegan for 8 mo's. I feel better already after eating the paleo way but I KNOW I am eating like zippo fat still (lots of shrimp, tuna, salmon but no meats like beef chicken or nuts). I am recovering from anorexia and I am worried about packing on flab like no tomorrow if I eat fat b/c my body has been deprived of it for so long. What advice does anybody here have for me regarding fats consumption and integrating it back into my life???

[alaskaman]

Obviously it's a mental thing, an attitude that's been with you for a long time. A few words are not going to change it overnight. BUT... ask yourself, how do they fatten up cattle for market? Feed em grain. Pigs likewise, they put on weight like crazy eating day-old bread and hamburger buns. I am lucky, have always liked fat. Hope you can find one you like, butter, cream, mayo, whatever. You're not likely to get like me, who eats the fat other family members trim off their steaks or chops, but you can work in more. Have you read Atkins about the fat fast? Am not suggesting you do that, but if you want proof that you can lose weight by eating fat, there it is. Best wishes, Bill

[cave_girl]

Thanks for the insight, it is so hard to break free from the "fat free is the only way to be" mindset propagated by John McDougall, vegan nutrition guru who said "the fat you eat is the fat you wear" and regarding fat "from your lips to your hips." After totally buying into this mindset for 8 mo's it is really scary to even think about eating some almonds or sunflower seeds even though I'd probably be doing myself a favor nutritionally. Sigh...

[Hellistile]

Cave Girl:
Reading up on fat helps as well to get over the phobia. The author of "Eat Fat Get Thin," Barry Groves has a website you can access explaining everything you wanted to know about fat and other things. Also, Ray Audette's "NeanderThin" book explains the history of mankind's eating habits. Remember our ancestors ate fat for millions of years before this "vegan fad" became popular and they were healthier and leaner than today's modern man. The further mankind distances himself from eating the way our ancestors ate, the more unhealthy he becomes. The facts and statistics speak for themselves.

[adkpam]

I ate low fat for years (20-25 grams a day, sometimes less), and the first time I saw my Fitday pie chart at 70% fat for the day, (128 grams!,) it was a little freaky.
But then I told myself I was losing weight, my skin looked great, and I had more energy.
Once you do some research on how important fats are to your health, you will learn to revel in them, since they do taste darn good!

[jimjam]

A good friend of mine was anorexic "once upon a time", too and fats freaked her out totally as well. I asked her what she did to get over it and she said it was a very slow process - if she ate too much fat at once, she got diarrhea and horrible stomach pain. So she just did a very little at a time until one day she went out and ate a whole tenderloin steak and realized she felt great! so just go at it slow and easy at first to get your body re-adjusted to the fat. Good luck!

[black57]

Your body is made up of a combination of protein, water and fats. You wouldn't deprive your body of protein would you? Would you deprive your body of water? Why is it so hard to accept fats as part of a daily healthy diet? In the book Protein Power it shows that fats are totally harmless when carbohydrates are low.

Black57

[JudyMH]

Hi All, I also bought into the fat free theory for years. It took me 2 years to get over my fat phobia. I started out doing Atkins and it is too restrictive, reverted back to Protein Power, which helped quite a bit. I am thinking of incorporating some aspects of neanderthin. It makes sense, because I feel better on raw foods, and am allergic to grains and dairy anyway. I just have to wean myself off of protein bars. Which book is good to read? I saw both Neanderthin, and one about the Paleo diet on Amazon. I also have very bad Arthritis which seems to kick into action when I incorporate Animal products. Does anyone have any ideas? Judy

[Hellistile]

Judy: I have been doing NeanderThin since October and I do allow myself a small quantity of dairy. I have found the opposite regarding my arthritis which debilitated me to the point where I could barely walk. Within a few months of increasing water, fat, protein (all animal meat and fat and coconut oil) and decreasing all processed foods (including vegetable oils, etc), my arthritis literally disappeared. I think it's the processed foods myself that do it. Regarding the books, NeaderThin makes more sense to me because the other book The Paleo Diet is low carb and low fat which just doesn't jive with man's history of eating.

[JudyMH]

Thankyou Hellistile for taking the time to answer. I totally sympathize with you on the debilitation of arthritis. My right hip gives me so much grief at times I can hardly move. I don't know too much about coconut oil, but I get quite a bit of fat in my diet.Do you eat game meat or domesticated. I would suppose that our ancestors ate mostly game meat. I will take your advice on the Neanderthin Book, I know the Eades that wrote Protein Power really promote his line of thinking too. The problem with raw meat is, that the practices of modern day farmers make it difficult to get untainted meat. They feed the animals antibiotics and they develop all kinds of diseases. Raw eggs are iffish also. The rest of it can be eaten raw though. You can even make a raw nut milk. I find this concept of nutrition fascinating. Judy

[Hellistile]

Judy: I get my meat from 3 different sources. Purely by accident I came across a wild game consultant that supplies local restaurants with free range chicken, beef, bison and wild game. I frequently check out farmer's markets for free range chicken. I also frequent a local halal meat market because they usually grind my hamburger and cut up my stir fry right in front of me from freshly killed animals (not killed in production lines - it's a religious thing with them). I also enjoy pork once in a while and get that from the supermarket as well as grass fed lamb imported from NewZealand. Seafood is also readily available. Eggs I buy free-run. I do not eat any meat raw nor do I eat raw eggs. I will cook the egg white but leave the yolk runny. I eat my nuts, seeds, vegetables, and fruits raw. Also, I eat a lot of tuna, salmon and herrings. Once you get the book, you will be able to tailor your diet plan to your tastes.

[black57]

There is another book title "How I Gave Up My Lowfat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds ". I do not know the writer but I saw it at Barnes and Noble.

[JudyMH]

It was Written by Dana Carpenter. Judy

[crateprice]

Judy in regards to your Arthritis I recently read Life without Bread and in the book they discuss how your Immune system improves dramatically when you correct your diet. When this happens some auto immune disorders such as arthritis can get worse because the immune system is so much stronger. They recommend consulting a physician to see if they can use a regiment of Cortisone to slow now your immune response to let your system heal it self. You may want to read Life without Bread to get the whole story. Also you can go to http://www.scdiet.org/ (http://www.scdiet.org/) and they have some more information in regards to this issue. I am not sure exactly were it is at this time but if you look around you should be able to find it.

[JudyMH]

Thanks for the information. I will certainly look into it. I have a copy of Life Without Bread, and believe it or not, that is what finally clicked in my brain when I was struggling with the consumption of fat issue. Like the little gal that started this discussion, I had been brain washed into believing all dietary fat is bad. I've gone completely the other way now and guess what!!! I'm not even sick, let alone dying of some dread disease. I have completely taken dairy out of my diet and I believe that is helping. (((BLESSINGS))) Judy