1) RE: FAT INTAKE on induction. I am getting a LOT of conflicting info here, and don't know what to believe.
Some people claim dandr says to make sure the bulk of your calories come from fat, but be weary to get plenty of protein as well. Make sure your carbs stay below 20 grams. Fat is our carbohydrate, so if we dont want to stall weight loss we need to take in like over 50% of our calories from fat to keep our metabolism primarily fat burning.
Then, i also hear from other board members, that the dandr says to watch out you don't over eat fat. Of course you cant take in too many calories, but does he mean that you can also over eat your fat percentage? If i take in 70% of my daily calories from fat, for example, is that too much?
If so, how do i find what percentage of fat to eat? Do i need to add and subtract fat from my diet until i find something that works for me?

2) RE: how long to stay on induction. I would like to stay on my modified induction (-20 carbs per day from induction friendly food, plus almonds and the occasional berries as a treat) as long as possible. And, dandr tells us to stay on as long as you feel you need to. However i am getting information which tells me you will eventually stall out on induction, therefore it is not possible to stay on induction for sustained periods. Is this true, or just a rumor? Will you really stall with inadequate carbohydrate intake, assuming protein intake is greater than needed (to repair tissues and can be converted to glucose)?

3) With so many factors which can stall you (too much fat, too little fat, too much protein, too little protein, too much carbs, too little carbs, too many calories, too little calories) when and how do you know WHAT is stalling you? It could be everything or it could be one thing. It seems a lot like luck. I am reminded of astrology... its like cold reading or something, getting this diet to work. Are there any other ways to determine what exactly is causing you to plateau besides blind alterations?

I have recently elected to consume more fat (not very pleasant ), as previously i was only getting like 40% of my cals from it. Also i eat calories in the low teens, like 1000-1300. This leaves me stuffed. Like, 5 hours ago i had half a huge (12 or more ounces maybe, 6 of which i ate?) t-bone steak and a cup of salad, it was a fatty piece of meat (purposely chosen for extra fat), this meal couldnt be much more than 600 calories. I also had about 175 cals just now in the form of about 6 almonds and a low carb pastry. Total carb intake for the day was small (half cup onions, 2 tablespoons tomato, cup greens, bit lemon juice, tablespoon green pepper, 3 piece chewing gum sweetened with malitol, ounce and half of almonds, and 1 carb from a pastry, this cant be more than 10 carbs total). I feel i can't eat more, even though i probably have not eaten enough to even support my bmr.

Am i unwittingly sabotaging myself eating so much fat? I would estimate my average fat intake is between 50-60% with the vast majority rest being protein, i eat very few carbs. I do not think i can possibly be eating too many calories. Still, i worry. The weight comes off so slow, and the inches rarely get smaller.

thanks for any answers.

I've had many of the same questions myself, Woo...and there seems to be no pat answer...each of us is different.

What seems to work for me at this time is making sure that I eat at least 5 times daily (breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner, snack), drink at least 64oz water (yuk), and get my calorie/fat intake up.

For a time, it became very hard for me to consistently get my calories above about 1200 and my fat intake above 60%. Started adding high-fat items as snacks (avocado, flaxseed oil, nuts, etc)...that did the trick for me. I'm averaging around 1800 cals and around 70% fat at this time. The scales aren't moving much, but I've lost 2 sizes in the last 3 weeks.

But the frequency of your meals is, in my humble opinion, key (something about keeping your insulin balanced, if I remember right from DANDR). You gotta eat.

This is just one person's input, however...I'm sure you'll get a lot more posts in this thread...keep checking.

60s

Hi.

About question one: I wouldn't worry about it, as long as you follow the guidelines for induction ie limit yourself to 4 oz of cheese, 1-2 Tbsps of cream, etc. Don't go overboard on them after induction, either. I could easily empty a can of whipped cream in one sitting, or eat the cheese off half a pizza. Some people eat a lot of bacon, which doens't have much protein. That's the kind of situation I think people are referring to when they caution against too much fat. Again, if you stick to the guidelines, you'll be fine. Pay more attention to your appetite than to percentages.

2) I'm not sure it's very common to stall out on induction. It might seem like it here, since people who *do* stall out tend to post about the issues, while others won't. On the 'success stories' forum, it seems like a fair number of people stayed on induction (or barely moved up in carbs) the whole time. It's up to you.

3) About stalling: don't worry about it until it happens. No, there's no way to know, but it's hardly luck to get the plan working. Remember my comment that it's the people who *do* stall who tend to post and ask for help, not the people who are cruising, so keep that in mind.

Did you really eat half a cup of onions in one sitting? That's a lot. Onions are quite carby. I would limit those to a tablespoon or two at a time. Overall, it sounds like you might need more veggies. I'd skip the low carb pastry, too...

HTH!

thanks for the answers guys, you are all so great at answering my silly questions

i didnt think it was possible to stall on induction, either, until i heard talk in another thread about needing to eventually up your carb intake else you will stall. since i am kind of paranoid about my weight loss i just wanted to ask to make sure (scale has not moved much at all lately, it did dip a little bit into 199 territory a few days ago. but now im kind of hovering around 200/199. although, i am BARELY fitting into a pair of size 16 jeans with a size 32 waist that were much too small just 2 weeks ago, so thats a good sign i guess)

about the onions, yea i had a steak and i NEED my onions with it, guilty pleasure . they cook down a lot so i consider their size when the were raw. half a cup was a big guess, it was probably closer to 1/4 a cup.

and the pastry was just half an egg, half a packet of splenda and some cream cheese and a bit of cream of tartar whipped up nice and fluffy. it doesnt contain anything that could really mess up blood sugar too bad. it looked just like a roll, i swear, but it is so delecate! i think i found the perfect, cheap, fast bread substitute.

When it comes to stalling / plateaus its often usefull to keep in mind that if what you're doing right now isn't working, and in the past it has worked, than it's possible your body has adapted and gotten used to it. Very low carb and huge calories worked for me for a few months, higher carbs and more protein worked for another period of time (when very low carbs wasnt working) and then high carb and high protein with low fat worked like gang busters for a while as well. We can all agree that what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another, but what we need to understand is that what works for us right now may not work for us later on. We change. Our bodies change, and so do their needs.

I'd hazard that you are definitely not getting too many calories - you're getting too few. Eating big meals is usually not the answer when you've been eating low calories for sustained period of time. Eating more frequent smaller meals is a much better option - less food, more often helps regulate blood sugar and it keeps your metabolism from crashing.

Also, if you really want to increase fat, use FAT and not protein with more fat in it. Add extra dressing to your salad, keep the steak size normal. Use extra mayo in tuna / chicken / egg salad. Use more butter on veggies. One tbs of fat as approx. 12-14g of fat, 120 calories, and it's a little itty bit of food.

As for what DANDR says and what board members say - having the book to refer to means you can verify what comes from the Doctor and what are personal tweaks by members. % of fat is important, but so are the calories - especially if you're eating below your basal metabolism.

-Nat