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Old Tue, Feb-19-02, 08:37
Natrushka Natrushka is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 11,512
 
Plan: IF +LC
Stats: 287/165/165 Female 66"
BF:
Progress: 100%
Default Re: Need help.. more protein, less fat

Quote:
Originally posted by Gilta
Can someone give me a few examples on how to bring the fat down?


NO!

You've got Atkin's down perfect, Gilta, why would we want to help you sabotage yourself?

Fat is what your body needs. Fat is going to make you thin. At 24% protein you are getting your minimum requirement and then some - sure you could increase it somewhat, but not at the expense of eating less fat.

Basic biochemistry 101: Food is stored as body fat only in the presence of insulin. Insulin is excreted by the pancreas when glucose is present in the blood stream. Excessive carbohydrates in your daily menu will be converted to glucose, causing insulin to be released and excess glucose will be stored as fat. What happens when you take carbs out of the equation? No glucose is produced, no insulin is released and no fat can be stored.

The flipside of this is that insulin doesnt work alone - it has a polar opposite hormone called glucagon. Glucagon and insulin cannot work at the same time. Glucagon is present only in the absence of insulin. Glucagon is responsible for the breakdown of fatty acids from your fat cells for use as fuel. You can only have this happen in the absence of insulin.

Carbs effect insulin
Protein effects insulin and glucagon
Fat effects nothing.

Fat is metabolically neutral.

Once you have satisfied your protein requirement you want the bulk of you daily nutrition to come from FAT - for the above reasons. Fat will fill you up and satiate your hunger. It is calorie dense so a little goes a long way.

If you're having trouble losing body fat then look for possible stallers - processed foods (puddings, jellos, pre packaged LC frankenfoods), under eating, a history of yo-yo dieting.

And keep in mind that slower fat loss is safer and more likely to be permanent fat loss - a quick fix this isn't. It's for life.

Nat
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