Is there a rule for how much fat one should eat?
The answer to this and other questions - how do you cram all the food in, and can LCHF worsen hypothyroidism? - in this week's Q&A with Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt:
How do I cram all the food in?
I've been following the Ketogenic Diet you suggest for 4 weeks. The first week it was difficult as I was a huge fruit eater so I didn't worry that the scale didn't move. The second week was a bit better and yet the scale didn't move again.The third week I omitted all dairy including cheese from my menu and increased my fat. No movement on the scale. Week four I bought a new scale.
So here I am in week 5 and have introduced Intermittent Fasting to my daily routine. Monday to Wednesday I fasted from 8 p.m. - 2.p.m. and then ate the exact same thing each day; 2 eggs cooked in coconut oil, bulletproof coffee w/1 tbsp each of coconut oil, butter and heavy cream, 4 strips of bacon. 2 hours later I ate 2 chicken leg/thighs with the skin and 3 cups of raw assorted vegetables (cucumber, tomato, pepper, radish, celery). For a snack I ate 2 fat bombs (cream cheese and peanut butter) and ended my eating window with roast beef and celery with peanut butter spread on it. The scale inched down today by 0.2 pounds (0.1 kg).
I have no appetite since cutting out sugar and carbs and with a 4-6 hour window to eat in I find it really difficult to cram all my food in so I'm sure someone is going to comment that I'm not eating enough. If I only had 10 lbs (5 kg) to lose I'd expect this but I've got over 150 pounds (68 kg) to go. I feel good otherwise, so I'm not going to give up this way of eating but I can't wrap my head around the fact that I am not losing like the rest of the community.
What am I doing wrong? Help!
Pauline
"I find it really difficult to cram all my food in"
Stop that. Only eat when you're hungry. Trust in your body. Stop eating when you're satisfied, then wait until you're hungry again.
You've got 150 pounds to lose so let your body burn your stored body fat, instead of cramming more food down, when you don't even want to.
This will absolutely accelerate the weight loss.
Learn more: How to Lose Weight #4: Eat Only When Hungry
Best,
Andreas
Is there a rule for how much fat one should eat?
Hello Dr. Andreas!While it is clear that we should limit carbs as much as possible and ideally below 20 g per day, it is not clear what to do with fat. Do we have to eat additional fat or the fat that is included in most food (meat, cheese, etc) is enough? Will the diet be effective if we eat meat and vegetables until full, or we must eat additional fat? What is the recommendation for fat intake? Thanks!
Bill
Eat enough fat to not be hungry. If you're hungry most of the time you're probably not eating enough fat.
If you feel fine, energetic and not hungry, you probably eat all that you need.
Learn more:
Best,
Andreas
Is LCHF bad if you have hypothyroidism?
Hello Dr. Andreas,I'm fascinated by what I have learnt from your site, videos etc. after being a serial dieter all my life...on...off...up...down - mainly calorie counting and exercise. I've always been on a diet and yet have always been fat!
I'm 43 and currently weigh 200 lbs (91 kg) but I did manage to lose 40 lbs (18 kg) intermittent fasting a few years ago that has mainly stayed off.
My main question is regarding my underactive thyroid. It is stable now as I have taken 100 mg Levothyroxine for the last 13 years and have 6 monthly blood tests. I have read a few negative things about LCHF and the conversion of T4 to T3...something around insulin being needed for the conversion. To be honest, I've been doing LCHF for a month and did feel pretty shocking for the first two and half weeks, joint pain, fatigue etc. Could this have been to do with the T4/3 issue??
I don't want to stop the LCHF approach as I have already lost 9 lbs (4 kg) in a month which is great...but I'd appreciate your views.
Thanks and best wishes
Helen
I don't think this is a problem at all, at least as long as you eat LCHF, and not LCLF i.e. starvation (the latter can certainly lead to all kinds of problems). It's crucial to eat enough fat to not be hungry all the time, on a long-term low-carb diet.
I've treated many patients with hypothyroidism with LCHF diets without problem, as have other low-carb doctors. I think this whole T4 to T3 conversion issue is mostly internet speculation, with limited practical relevance - unless the problem is really people doing starvation diets.
Learn more: Low-Carb Side Effects & How to Cure Them
Best,
Andreas
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More Questions and Answers
Many more questions and answers:
Read all earlier questions and answers - and ask your own! - here:
Ask Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt about LCHF, Diabetes and Weight Loss - for members ( free trial available)
