WARNING

When to Do the Fat Fast Dr Atkins states "Let me make it clear that the Fat Fast is actually dangerous for anyone who is not metabolically resistant"

See DANDR Chapter "Metabolic Resistance: Causes and Solutions

Probably the most important thing now is to look further into the reasons for your temporary failure to lose weight. The following thread gives some really helpful advice on this issue and is essential reading before contemplating a "Fat Fast"

Tips and Stalls - Weight Lost Stalls and Plateaurs

I'm following the "Fat Fast" right now and have lost 6lb in twelve days.

The 160 lbs target weight I have set is the upper limit of the recommended range for my height. I intend to stay on the "Fat Fast" for another week and then, try and return to the stable weight loss situation I was in before going on the fat fast.

I may be wrong but I am suspecting that I could not cope with the excess calories I was eating on the liberal Atkins Induction. At the moment my weight loss is on a 1200 day calorie input and no carbs at all.

The protein and fat input I reckon is currently about a third to half of what I was eating on Induction.

Propose to re-introduce Induction levels of carbs and include macadama nuts

Would appreciate advice from anyone else who has completed the "Fat Fast" satisfactorily and the way in which they returned to On Going Weight Loss or Pre-Maintenance plans

Some more detailed information on my experiences linked to "Fat Fast" are given in the following threads.

Metabolic resistance and body temperature

18 month stall ended with L-carnitine

(Well I was actually taking L-carntine when I reached my "stall")

It is critical during the induction period that you have the correct amount of carbs - to little and you will go into starvation mode.

In my view the most reliable information for carb contents and nutritional information is coming from food labelling in supermarkets. Where the books refer to slices, wedges, spoon or cups the product labels give the carb content and other nutritional information as gms per 100 gms of the food concerned

For example see the threads on:-

Induction- salad/lettuce question
Spinach - am I getting enough?

Finally would appreciate help and guidance and hopefully success stories of those who have completed the "Fat Fast" and returned to the normal Atkin's Nutritional Plan. Thanks

I tried it but gained all the weight I lost back as soon as I reintroduced carbs.

I may try it again as I have been very frustrated... but I didnt really enjoy it when I was on it.

Good luck, I hope it works better for you than it did me.

Hi Worldlife. I think it might not be such a good idea to do the fat fast for such a long time. It contains little protein and is therefore not muscle sparing. Some of the weight you are losing might well be muscle.

There are other alternatives if you are metabolically resistant. Th emeat fast and Stillman's are two you mugfht consider.

Could you amplify on the protein issue Robert......

Just running through some Dr Atkins list of Fat Fast 200 - calorie items (five a day making a total of 1000 calories ) there does seem to be a balance of fat and protein. These are from food manufacturer's labelling:-

30 g macadammia nuts 2.8g Protein 23g Fat

60 g pate 7.7g Protein 17g fat

For the following items I have used the kCalories per "portion" to make up the 200g Atkin suggestion using Carolyn Humphries Carbohydrate Counter and then proportioned the protein and fat content according to her breakdown

60g brie (or cream cheese) 12.5 g Protein 17g Fat

After the first four days the 200 calories per "meal" is increased to 300 but having four "meals" a day instead of five - making a total of 1200 daily calories.

Atkins lists a chuck steak but at the moment I can only find figures for a rump or sirloin steak that would probably have more fat.

60 g rump or sirloin steak (300 calories) 37g protein and 16.5 Fat

My own "treats" have been:

a rollmop (180 calories) with 12g protein and 12g of fat

a smoked mackerel fillet (531 calories!!!) with 28g of protein and 46g fat. That was really filling and I didn't need the next 200 calorie meal!!!!

Maybe the diet should be renamed the "Fat and Protein Fast"

Neverless I heed your advice concerning potential muscle loss but am reasonably satisfied the fat is disappearing from the stomach area.

This of course must be read in conjunction with Atkins health WARNING in my first post.

Thanks

Vic

Thanks red - Agree with your sentiment absolutely.

I'm not being dogmatic on this one but my weight was absolutely stable for weeks and only a small amount of carb over the 20 g per day would take me out of ketosis.

Is it fair to suggest that the "Fat Fast" has shown maybe some people have cunning bodies that might, even in ketosis, be able to use surplus non-carb foods more effectively than others?

I feel sure that the problem was that I enjoy protein foods such as cream, marscapone cheese, macadama nuts butter and protein foods and seeing the portions I am having on the "Fat Fast" where I am also in ketosis suggest that for me two or three times over that intake (say 2400 to 3600 calories per day of protein is far too much)

On the exercise front I have no plans to to increase my eight hours per week mix of recreational badminton and competitive league level table tennis (not ping pong!) but I will try to slot in some more in line skating.

Here's the deal I'll

• report back truthfully the extent to which there is weight gain on ending the "Fat Fast". I suspect there may be a change in levels of water retention as I am currently thirsty and need to drink much more than on Atkins Nutritional Plan.
  
• try to get back to the no weight loss situation I was in before the "Fat Fast" but with a sensible consumption of proteins rather than excess (in calorie terms)
  
• won't be taking the scales on holiday but will pack a tape measure! With the hotel offering s buffet meals with plenty of protein options, excellent salads but lousy cooked vegetables (the Spanish don't know how to cook vegetables "al la dente"!!!), Will add lots of swimming into the exercise plan!
  
• keep off the beer whilst on holiday and drink water instead
  
• take some ketosis strips in the luggage and monitor the situation

Do you agree that the thing we can all agree on is that Dr Atkins gives you control of your body again. The fact that I can be happy on either Induction or Fat Free is proof of this control.

The fact that I have slipped out of ketosis and had no desire for the old junk or very high carbohydrate foods is also proof of this.

I'm looking forward to the future and will work hard to avoid returning to my old ways and my former seriously overweight body. I'll admit it now..... I WAS OBESE.

Why is it that many people gain the weight back after the fat fast? Has anyone been on a fat fast, who immediately gained the weight back, but has SINCE lost it "permanently" the normal way? I'm just wondering if there's a limit that a body will lose, and then the fat will just return upon eating normally.

I have not actually tried the Fat Fast myself, but have had some success with KISSing (Keep it Simple). I recently lost 10lbs after 2 weeks on a KISS challenge after having spent months bouncing up and down with the same couple of pounds.

KISSing is low carbing stripped right down to the basics, and by following it, you remove any foods that your body may be intolerant of, or that may cause even your weight loss to stall. Very often we don't realise that some foods may be affecting us in such a negative way, especially as we have usually been losing weight whilst eating them. However, there does come a time when our bodies rebel and by KISSing we can usually sort this out.

Just thought that you might appreciate some more 'food for thought', so to speak, and if you want to take it further, I've linked to a couple of good KISSing sites.

KISS guidelines
KISS rules


There is also a KISS challenge for June, if you want to join with a support group.

World, have a great vacation. Absolutely!
Me too.

red

Thanks red for your kind wishes.

Yes 17 days to go and now I will slowly re-introduce carbs and watch the results.

The diet content at the moment is not much different to that on OWL except that I was eating much, much more protein and fat than I am right now. I'll gradually increase the protein and fat too and monitor the results.

Demi.... like the idea of kissing

.... but will look at this again on my return from holiday. Time's a bit short and I prefer to work in the area where I have a wee bit of experience rather than starting something new before we go away.

Interesting discussion on Limits on protein/fat - don't eat liberally

Ladybelle (post 11) and saltnpeppa (post 24) seem to endorse my feeling and experience here that our total calorie input on Atkins must not be ignored

The fat fast certainly removed me from a stall situation.

Returned to induction levels about a week before going on a three week holiday with a tape measure packed and the deep purple test results from fat fast reverted to trace levels.

No change in basic measurements on holiday except that my wrist watch has got looser!!

No significant change in weight either.

Diet changes removed me from ketosis. The hotel provided a buffet style breakfast and evening meal.

Had a massive protein breakfast ( four large slices tender beef, two slices of salami, two slices of standard cheese, four slices of special Spanish cheese, a hard boiled egg, medium size tomato, six slices of cucumber. Found I enjoyed green Conference pears (slightly hard but juicy) and had one for breakfast and with the evening meal too. In the last week I started to have some slices of Rye Bread too.

Had a litre of water with breakfast and another with the evening meal and had a small water bottle during the day.

Lunch was about 40 gms of Macadama nuts (taken with me!)

The evening meals were equally generous. Maybe I would have two large Sole or Swordfish steaks freshly barbecued. Perhaps a couple of tasty chicken thighs or breast. Loved the Bierwort sausages. The Spanish are not good as cooking vegetables a la dent and their excellent salads usually had some added carb in the form of pasta or rice. Their brilliant omelletes were also out because of the potato content.

All in all I did not feel deprived and enjoyed the food on offer.

The reason I did not gain weight was due to the fact that I was doing plenty of exercise. A forty-five minute swim in the morning, water volley in the afternnon, competitive table tennis playing, beach walks. Suppose being on one's feet all day - even if onlydoing something like French Bowls is better exercise than sitting at a computer.

The only thing missing from my previous lifestyle at the same place were a half litre of lager at lunchtime and with the evening meal. I did however enjoy a few bottles of champagne and Pina Collada...... and... one ice cream!

Now I am home I intend to stay out of ketosis and manage on low carbs. I will keep the calorie input related to my exercise level.

Wonder if I have skipped essential stages of Atkins but nevertheless on the way the managing a future healthy lifestyle.