Looking at my fitday journal the fat that I am consuming frightens me. It's between 65% and 70%. I have only read through the OWL section in Atkins book. For the rest of time do we eat so high in fat? This concerns me Can someone enlighten me??

By restricting carbs, you are training your body to use fat for fuel. You still need to supply fuel to your body, so you eat fat. No matter what type of diet you are on, the same rules apply. To lose a pound of body weight, (not water weight) you need to burn 3500 calories more than you eat. The idea is to make this a WOL, not a quick weight loss method. The high fat/low carb WOL will enable you to reduce your calorie intake to a level that will allow you to lose weight, and will also help to make sure you are losing excess fat rather than muscle tissue. Eating fat allows you to feel full. Not eating carbs maintains your blood sugar levels, which also keeps you from going through those "I gotta get food NOW" cravings"

Wow, thanks RoseRash. I had no idea about the 3500 calories thing... blasted!! How in the world will I get my calories low enuff/exercise up high enuff??!!

Here's a good article about how fat is good!

Big Fat Lies

lissame, think of it this way. If you eat only 250 calories less than you burn every day, and you exercise 250 calories worth (about 45 minutes of brisk walking), at the end of one week you will have burned enough to lose one pound of bodyfat. That's the theory, anyway. A lot of times the fat loss doesn't show up on the scale for a while--especially on LC with its many water fluctuations.

The first step with it is to figure out what you need for maintenance. Undereating can be as much of a problem on Atkins as overeating. Doing a quick-n-dirty estimate just with your current weight, your maintenance calories might be in the high 2000s, or even 3000 per day. (Calorie estimate according to the method in Lyle McDonald's book, The Ketogenic Diet.) 500 less than that is still quite a bit of food.

A common mistake people make on Atkins is to eat too little, then their metabolism begins to slow down in compensation, and they stop losing. I don't know if this is happening to you but it might be worth thinking about.

Fat is not the demon its been made out to be.

Monounsaturated Fat reduces LDL (Bad Cholesterol) while leaving HDL (Good Cholesterol) alone. Monounsaturated Fat Content of Certain Foods (Percentage of Total Fat):

Olives -- 74%
Avocado -- 63%
Catfish -- 52%
Peanuts -- 50%
Bacon -- 48%
Pork Rinds -- 47%
Lard -- 45%
Steak -- 43%
Chicken -- 40%
Palm Oil -- 37%
Whitefish -- 34%

Polyunsaturated Fat reduces both LDL (Bad) and HDL (Good Cholesterol). Polyunsaturated Fat is found primarily in Non-Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils, Chicken, and Fish.

Saturated Fat raises both LDL (Bad)* and HDL (Good Cholesterol). In fact it is the only way to increase your level of protective HDL Cholesterol. Saturated Fat Content of Certain Foods (Percentage of Total Fat):

Coconut Oil -- 87%
Cheese -- 64%
Heavy Cream -- 62%
Butter -- 62%
Palm Oil -- 49%
Steak -- 40%
Pork Rinds -- 36%
Bacon -- 35%
Mahi Mahi -- 27%

Trans-Fat raises LDL (Bad) and lowers HDL (Good Cholesterol). It should be avoided.

*Saturated Fat only raises LDL Cholesterol on High-Carb diets. You should only experience the beneficial increase in HDL (Good Cholesterol) when eating Saturated Fat on a Low Carbohydrate diet.

Not exactly a fat, but it warrants mention. Grains (Whole and Refined) tend to lower HDL (Good) Cholesterol while leaving LDL (Bad) Cholesterol alone. This is the polar opposite of the beneficial effects produced by Monounsaturated Fats. Next time you hear the Cherrios guy say he lowered his Cholesterol, remember it was his HDL...which means he INCREASED his risk of Heart Disease. Add on top of that, that Grains tend to increase Triglyceride levels, which are markers of heart disease. I'll take a steak (which lowers LDL and raises HDL on a LC Diet) rather than Grain (which lowers HDL and raises Triglycerides) any day.