I'm curious as to how most people do on low fat diets. So often standard dietary advice is for everyone to eat low fat although we all here know that is not always the best for the individual.


You can choose more than one answer. For example you might gain weight on low fat/high carb but lose weight on low fat/high protein.

The right fats are more important than low fats. I felt awful and I realized I wasn't getting enough good saturated fats. Balance.  

I gained weight when I followed the "healthy" dietary advice of the late 80's and early 90's, eating low fat and lots of carbs and not counting protien.  I couldn't get full on carbs so I kept eating and eating until I'd consumed enough protein. I wasn't counting protein grams back then, but I'm sure I ended up with adequate total amounts of protein but low protein in terms of % of calories. I'm not sure if you'd call that "low protein" or "high protein."

I also gained weight when I added fats to that "healthy" low or no meat diet. I was able to become "less obese" by exercising and watching portion sizes, but  I didn't really lose any weight until I started doing low-carb about 3 years ago.

I gain weight on high toxin / low beneficial and lose weight on high beneficial / low toxin.  In my case, the body stores any toxins that it isn't healthy enough to eliminate properly.

I lose on protein, and have issue with to much fat, upsetting my stomach.  

High protein, low fat, cut the carbs like rice and sweet fruit = weight loss for me.  

I have had rice lately and sweet fruit like watermelon and some pineapple EEEK!!!  Pineapple is not good for me.  Yeah the book says it's beneficial, but I am here to tell you I don't do well on the pineapple.  To sweet and sugar plumetts in no time at all.  The rice I am ok with protein I just love it and eat to much of it and the watermelon is ok with cottage cheese.  It is hot here, so I cook only a couple of times a week.  Mosty I poach salmon or halibut on the barbie and have it with salads here this time of year.

If I go too low fat, I get joint pain. Is that just withdrawal symptoms or do I need some fats?

Quoted from Mayflowers

If I go too low fat, I get joint pain. Is that just withdrawal symptoms or do I need some fats?

I have to get the recommended amounts of beneficial fats.  Otherwise, there can be a variety of symptoms.

I don't generally gain weight but I do poorly on a low fat high carb diet.  I too find that I get
joint pain if my fat intake is too low.  

I eat a bit more fats than my SWAMI recommends and a lot less carbs than it suggests. I
basically never eat many grains....maybe one portion per day...  And my protein portions might be a tiny bit higher than recommended.  But this is what works best to keep my energy high and gives
me a good night's sleep.

Quoted from Mayflowers

If I go too low fat, I get joint pain. Is that just withdrawal symptoms or do I need some fats?

The fatty acids found in good quality fats are necessary for preventing inflammatory reactions in the joints and elsewhere in the body. The ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in the SAD is skewed too much towards omega 6 and too many of those can promote inflammation.

Even if your intake of fat is low it could still possibly make a difference in your immune function even if your ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is balanced. So quantity is also important too.


My skin will get very dry and scaly if my fat intake is too low or the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is off.

Low fat/high carbs doesn´t work for me;  tried them several times

I get cranky- sugar swings
My skin is a mess( gets dry and horrible)
Headaches every single day
problems with my period ( less regular more painfull)
get hungry all the time no matter how much I eat

Today I eat
a High fat  , low carb - medium-to high protein diet  and it works well for me

I have lost aprox 25 kg slowly the last 6 years
I still need to loose 10-12 kg - but they seem rather hard to loose ( stuck to my body  )

BUT I like the way I eat   I fill full and not deprived

If It breaks down to %

about 20- 30 % of calories comes from carbs( mainly dairy, veggies, nuts and  a little fruit( grins and sugar only weekends)( I tend to keep my carbs under 100- 150 gram pr day)
about 20 - 25 % protein
45-50 % fats   ( dairy, nuts (GHEE/BUTTER and olive oil)
I often tend to end up on less calories due to the high protein/fat content.

My Cholesterol and blodpressure is perfect to my doc surprise ( I told him abut my feeling regarding saturated fats )

I got inspired by the fact that I was normal weight as a kid and we always ate full fat dairy - but very little sugar and white bread and the fact that Emma seem to stay fit/slim on a pretty high fat diet with very little grains . She does it more fruit than I or she would loose weight.

Quoted from AKArtlover

The right fats are more important than low fats. I felt awful and I realized I wasn't getting enough good saturated fats. Balance.  

Excactly
When I was vegetarian I got very little saturated fat and lots of polystaurated oils and seeds- avoids for B´s I felt awfull.

Personally, I can't stand too much carbs, that's before I knew why, and yes, I gained so much weight because for the longest I was on a high carb diet. Blah!

I didn’t vote because I’ve never tried a low fat diet.   I recall reading (I think in ERFYT) that B’s don’t do good on low fat so I’ve never tried it.

I used to be a hi carb ( fruit and rice cakes, no protein and lots of veggies)- low fat diet--

I was trim, but not as toned per say.. tired quite often. I feel more complete and I content with myself now that I have protein and limited fats.

Now, I am learning that I do not do well with alot of fat, my body does not digest it too well. However, I do eat lean protein, low carb, and low sugar.

My only issue is to try and incorporate the healthy fats into my diet without going overboard..

Graduating from the low fat-hi carb mentality made a huge difference for me-

Well what's "low fat"?  I think for everyone the intake is a little different.  I'm mindful of how much fat I take in.  My diet may be considered "low" compared to other people.  But then again, it may be considered higher than others.

You're an A, so you probably don't need as much as others.  But everyone needs some.  Where that is for everyone is different.  And the BTD has that built in.  O's and B's have much more allowable meats and frequency than A's and AB's. Therefore if they follow the diet, they will get more fat.  And us A's and AB's will get less.  

I watch a lot of cooking shows and I'm kind of floored how some of those people eat and cook.  I mean the olive oil is flying and butter and I see them eating more oil in one meal than I get in a day or two.  My eyes are like :  .  But hopefully some of them are O's and B's.  But it does seem that the french way (which is how a lot of these food people are trained) is very richly oil based.

And I'm like Joe, bad food puts weight on me. (Which for me was chicken, junk food, little debbies, hehhee)  Eating foods that are right for me allowed my to lose.  From what I can tell.  

To define low fat : I've heard 15 grams or less. I would guess 20 or less, specifically for men.

The SAD is around 40% fat, but many things you read online re low fat, low carb, high protein you will find there are mixed reviews as to which works best. To lose weight many diets say no more than 30% of calories should come from fat. But my guestimation would be 20-25% or less. We really only need just so much fat in order to absorb fat soluble vitamins, but as far as weight loss and satiation factor the number of fat calories needed is individual.

I personally do very poor with low fat diets. Too little fat and my skin gets extremely dry and looks like a centurian.

Quoted from JJR

You're an A, so you probably don't need as much as others.  But everyone needs some.  Where that is for everyone is different.  And the BTD has that built in.  O's and B's have much more allowable meats and frequency than A's and AB's. Therefore if they follow the diet, they will get more fat.  And us A's and AB's will get less.

Not really, lamb, goat, muttton and rabbit are all diamonds on my SWAMI. Moose and Venison are neutral. Plus I also have some diamond poultry as well

Don´t get me started on fat
I tried when I was vegetarian to eat around 20 % of my calories from fat and I felt bad and sick as stated above.
and it was not only the sources that was wrong for me it was the ammount.

BTW the french health officials has just changed the advice regarding fat
from mx 30 %  to
35-40% of calories pr day .

Lots of docs and professors in Sweden say that is a good level ;
cause when you go low fat changes are you use more white carbs ! = more diabetes. weight problems etc.

Quoted from Captain_Janeway

The SAD is around 40% fat, but many things you read online re low fat, low carb, high protein you will find there are mixed reviews as to which works best. To lose weight many diets say no more than 30% of calories should come from fat. But my guestimation would be 20-25% or less. We really only need just so much fat in order to absorb fat soluble vitamins, but as far as weight loss and satiation factor the number of fat calories needed is individual.

I personally do very poor with low fat diets. Too little fat and my skin gets extremely dry and looks like a centurian.

And I lost weight eating 70-75% of my calories as fat, 20% as protein, and 5-10% as carbs (until I plateaued for a year and eventually stumbled upon BTD.) I don't count carbs or macronutrient ratios every day anymore, but I plugged my foods into Fitday for a couple of days just to see what my SWAMI foods worked out to with the numbers. Both days,  I got 37% fat, 20% protein, and 42% carbs.

I'll have to say that my SWAMI is kind of low fat. Only if I don't have a weight problem, I don't need to measure the olive oil - 1 T, 3-6 servings a week. Ghee, 1 tsp, 4 x a week. But I hate to say it, it's the only way I could lose weight in the past. I lost 40 lbs on it the last time.. I can keep joint pain away by having 1 Tablespoon of evoo every day. It's really anti inflammatory.

Quoted from Captain_Janeway

I'm curious as to how most people do on low fat diets. So often standard dietary advice is for everyone to eat low fat although we all here know that is not always the best for the individual.


You can choose more than one answer. For example you might gain weight on low fat/high carb but lose weight on low fat/high protein.

Lost weight on low-fat diets, BUT, every time, this is how it would go: felt awful, was tormented with cravings, stopped menstruating at one point during one low-fat diet for around SIX MONTHS, and, in the end, I always had a rebound effect of being overpowered by cravings and my thrifty DNA taking the wheel and going on a massive carb and fat bender until all the weight was gained back plus some for good measure.  That's me and traditional "deprivation diets", as I now (as of this second) call them, particularly low-fat diets.  Oh, the horror.  The horror.

Contrast that with now, eating right for my thrifty GT, my genes are "quiet".  They're satisfied.  The're nourished.  They are in balance.  They aren't relentlessly craving, saying, get in the car, Edna, GET ME SOME CHIPS AND DIP (actually, they were asking for wild-caught salmon and romaine lettuce, but it came through the wire as "CHIPS AND DIP").  They didn't care if it was nine at night, pouring rain, it didn't matter:  CHIPS.  DIP.  NOW.  It seems like another lifetime now, looking back on some of those post-low-fat-diet times, arriving at the supermarket like some crazed wild animal, some bull in a China shop, and whoa be unto anyone whose cart was blocking the aisle or any cashier who was taking too long with the person ahead of me, because I was liable to just FREAK OUT at any second, like, can we speed it along here, people, I'VE GOT SOME HORMONES GOING HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



No, I'm only now fully recovering from all those deprivation diets of yesteryear and I will never go back.  I love where I am now, thanks to the BTD and GTD.  Without our Dr. D., I don't know where I'd be.  I might still be in those supermarket aisles, with the speaker blaring "we have a wild animal loose in aisle three, wild animal in aisle three, all available associates please help in the round-up of same."

Quoted from Captain_Janeway

Not really, lamb, goat, muttton and rabbit are all diamonds on my SWAMI. Moose and Venison are neutral. Plus I also have some diamond poultry as well

I failed to notice about the nonnieness.  Sorry.  All I know is that the A's in my family seem to need less fat than the A and AB for proper nutrition.  This coincides with Dr.D's recommendations.  I don't know if the two A's are nonnies or not.  I know that Rabbit is a very lean meat.  And I believe Goat is also.  Lamb of course can have more fat.  Anyways, I've never counted the percentages.  But I would say I do low fat.  30% seems high to me, for what I take in. But like I said, I don't count the calories.  I struggle to eat enough as it is.  And if I up my calories just from fat, my body doesn't like it.

Quoted from Captain_Janeway

The fatty acids found in good quality fats are necessary for preventing inflammatory reactions in the joints and elsewhere in the body. The ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 in the SAD is skewed too much towards omega 6 and too many of those can promote inflammation.

Even if your intake of fat is low it could still possibly make a difference in your immune function even if your ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is balanced. So quantity is also important too.


My skin will get very dry and scaly if my fat intake is too low or the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is off.

I hadn't realized it, but I do get lots more joint pain if I don't get enough fat. I also have joint pain if I don't drink enough water/tea. I have heard that the joint fluid can get dehydrated as well as the rest of the body and that causes joint pain.
I also have extremely dry skin, which gets itchy if I don't get enough fat.

It's a dance of balance for me.  Too much fat bogs down my liver.  Too little fat (or the wrong kind) and my joints begin to ache all the time and my skin becomes too dry.

At this time, my system is to get a small, regular amount of several kinds of beneficial fats.

Daily:  
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp ghee
1 tsp flax oil
1 cod liver oil capsule

Plus, fresh cold-water fatty fish and chia seeds eaten regularly.

This keeps my weight normal, my moods even, skin soft and clear and joints feeling comfortable.

Quoted from pegf1008

I also have joint pain if I don't drink enough water/tea. I have heard that the joint fluid can get dehydrated as well as the rest of the body and that causes joint pain.

That sounds reasonable to me. If the body was short of water it could draw water out of the joints without them becoming dysfunctional. I have no idea how fats could have much effect on the joints though someone else may have an explanatiion.

Omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory, therefore reduce the tendency for swollen, painful joints.
Omega 6's are inflammatory fatty acids, and too much of them can increase painful joints.

So it's not just fat, but the right kind and right amount that helps.

reason why clas are so beneficial
just look for those clas contained in any of your compliant protein sources

fat intake is not my isssue- fat on my belly is.. ..LOW fat is just a faster way to: SUGAR/diabetes/carb issues.. bunk.. hype, and not worth it..

fresh food is king!.. in season and cooked just al dente..  

I think I may have learned something reading these tonight.  I have very dry skin, in many places on my body, so I assume I need more EVOO, and ghee.  I have to admit, I haven't eaten ghee,in a long time, and have 1T olive oil a few times a week.  Do you think a person who is heavier then most people, and have more skin to take care of, need extra portions, or the same as recommended?  Thanks

follow the mid to lower range of the portions advised in your book

Thanks!

Quoted from Victoria

It's a dance of balance for me.  Too much fat bogs down my liver.  Too little fat (or the wrong kind) and my joints begin to ache all the time and my skin becomes too dry.

At this time, my system is to get a small, regular amount of several kinds of beneficial fats.

Daily:  
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp ghee
1 tsp flax oil
1 cod liver oil capsule

Plus, fresh cold-water fatty fish and chia seeds eaten regularly.

This keeps my weight normal, my moods even, skin soft and clear and joints feeling comfortable.

That doesn't seem like a whole lot for a B.  Maybe that's a nonnie thing.  But are you eating beef and lamb and red meats on a regular basis?  Eggs?  Cheese?  I guess we all are different.  FOR SURE!  My daughter who is 6 seems to need a LOT more than that and I figured most B's do.  My Mom really likes to load on the evoo or ghee when she cooks.  I don't usually even eat what she makes because of that.  She is a little overweight, but seeins that she's a B also, she probalby needs more than I do.

I never tried low fat / high protein, but I think I'd have trouble staying on it for more than two weeks.