stuck on scared of fat
 

ive been on "induction" for about a month now- although i've modified it a bit. im scared to death of saturated fats, so, i eat things high in mono fats instead- like nuts. i know you're not supposed to eat nuts on induction, but i still stay around the 20 gram mark- give or take 1 or 2- i eat mostly chicken- and dont eat the egg yolks- only the whites- lots of veggies. because im scared of fat, my diet is obviously limited. am i haultering my progress by staying low in fat and low in carbs?

Realize this and repeat to yourself:

the only bad fat is trans fat (aka hydrogenated oils)


You are absolutely hindering your success. Fat is not the enemy.

In a word, yes.

For example, I used to eat 25 grams of fat a day, I exercised every day, I weighed 145, and I was a size 12.

Now, I eat 125 grams of fat a day, I live on the third floor, I weigh 147, and I'm a size 10.

That's pretty persuasive math to me. Oh, but is all that fat GOOD for me? My skin has never looked better, my blood pressure is now optimum, and I sleep 2 hours less a night, without any mid-afternoon slump.

Your body needs something to burn. You aren't giving it carbs, you aren't giving it fat. That only leaves protein, and it's a scientific fact that it doesn't work well. Native Americans used the term "rabbit sickness" to describe what happened when they ate a lot of lean meat without enough fat. You are doing yourself no favors.

There are a number of threads on here about fear of fat you could read, with good comments. So I'll just remind you that Dr. Atkins stated in his book that low fat AND low carb doesn't work.

If you go to the cholesterol threads, you will find that some lcers lowered their cholesterol by increasing their fat. My biggest joy is the ability to consume fats.My second beggest joy is achieveing a healthy lipid profile.

I totally agree with everything said above. Please work on your fear of eating fat else you will have a very hard time and, I think, end up not doing well. Weight loss wise and health wise. If it helps, I have never eaten more fats than I have these past 2 years, including lots of saturated fat. I got my lipid profile back and it was so superb that my doctor finally had to shut her mouth up about how atkins is going to send my cholesterol through the roof. My HDL was 3 times the normal level! This diet is nearly a miracle - I wouldn't believe it till I saw it for myself.

I agree whole-heartedly! I was always afraid of fat. As a diabetic they tell us to avoid it at all cost. I have not ever felt better and looked better. Just yesterday my hubby asked what I was doing with my face because my complextion was so clear and the skin had a glow! What a guy, that earned him a big kiss!

Atkins does emphasize fat consumption in order to maintain ketosis. So according to DANDR you are limiting your progress. BUT if you look at some of the other carb controlling plans out there you will find that they don't put so much emphasize on fat consumption. Maybe take a look at the South Beach program it may be more comfortable for you. Plus if you're really concerned about the fats have your cholesterol checked. Mine came down (not that it needed to) but long term there is no proof yet that increased consumption of fat won't hurt you even on a carb controlled diet. I've just opted to get the sugar issue under control and forget about the fat!

Assuming you are eating the same amount of calories, yes, you are halting your progress by eating a lower percentage of dietary fat. Fat is the only energy source which requires virtually no insulin to utilize. If you eat less percentage of calories from fat, but the same amount of total calories, that means you have increased the amount of sugar your body is burning. This is not good if you are a sedentary person, or if you have any degree of insulin resistance. One should strive to burn as high a percentage of calorie from fat as possible.

Furthermore, fears over saturated fat and fat in general are not what they're cracked up to be. What is most important to health when it comes to fat is to eat a balanced diet, and to avoid fats which have been processed by heat and hydrogenization. In fact I just posted a related thread on this subject if you're interested in reading it. http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=183133

thank u all. i guess i should have clarified, tho- my biggest fear is saturated fat. its the bacon and eggs for breakfast that leaves me scratching my head. i'm consuming an average of 1000-1300 cals a day- 49% fat- most of which are coming from poly & mono fats vs saturated. 39% of my diet is protien, which leaves me with about 12% carbs... im not big on sugar. never really was. it was the french fries and chips and fried foods that we're killing me- & i love my salt. i've found that nuts & seeds curb these cravings just fine tho. i guess im wondering if its ok that i stay away from the saturated fats if im still consuming fair amounts of poly & mono fats??

*edited to add i walk 2, 15 min miles a day & play with my son at the park for 15-20 mins a day, plus i work- granted its just office work, but i dont think this would be considered sedentary- i would guess i fall into a moderate exercize category.

I know exactly what you mean. We been tought in my family for so long to,remove excess fat, take skin off chicken, get only lean meats etc.. Takes some time to change my way of thinking that I was tought for so many years.I still get "less than polite" comments from certain family members but Oh well. This is my WOE not theirs.
Angel