Hard time digesting fat -- why?

(Bob M) #1

So, I’ve been trying a higher “mass” diet. One thing that’s suggested is to eat animal fat first, then meat or other protein.

What I found:

  • Eating pork fat from a local farm does seem to give me more energy and a more content feeling. (This could be from higher PUFAs, polyunsaturated fats, which supposedly raise ketones, but I did not take ketones.) Pork fat = the fat with the skin on it, the meat that would become bacon is gone. Only fat and skin remain. I put this in the oven, with lines cut into the skin, the make the skin crispy by frying the skin in lard/oil created by the same pork fat.
  • Eating beef suet (low PUFA, high saturated fat) plus butter does not seem to have the same effect.
  • Lean beef tastes so much better than fat, sorry to anyone who likes fat. I can’t wait to get to the meat.

I have been losing weight, but it’s a complex calculation, as mass and calories are intertwined. That is, eat butter by the scoop, and I don’t eat much. Less mass, and fewer calories. Melt butter into something, and I can eat a ton of butter. More mass, but more calories.

Anyway, I had to stop eating pork fat because when I do eat pork fat, I’ll go to the bathroom multiple times. (I believe it’s the same way with suet.) I’ve tried these sometimes (sometimes I forgot):

I can’t tell whether these helped or not.

If I have an issue with digesting animal fat, what could cause that?

#2

I think the gut is a very individual thing. Maybe it depends on the particular biome we house there. I was the exact opposite - I had IBS since I was a teen. I normalized with Keto, and my Keto is fatty.

(Robin) #3

Hmmm, interesting dilemma! Waiting for the input.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #4

I remember that the reason Olestra (the synthetic indigestible fat substitute) never made it to market was the problem of “anal leakage.” So the fat you are seeing in your stools is indeed undigested.

However, an alternative explanation might simply be that you are eating enough fat that your body feels it can afford to excrete some. It might not be a problem with digesting fat at all.

Also, have you tried ox bile?

(Robin) #5

Ox bile. So many words on here make me cringe. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

(Bob M) #6

I have not tried ox bile. In fact, I’ve heard of the term but did not remember it until mentioned.

Ugh, it’s always so difficult to figure out whether to take something or not. I don’t have any of these issues:

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This makes it sound better:

Well, I’ve signed up to get another 1/2 pig, which means I’ll have a lot of fat again. I could make that into lard for frying, but I think I’ll try at least one more round of high pork fat, with ox bile (thanks, @PaulL) to see what happens.

#7

Ox bile can work very effectively, especially for those with no gallbladder. Take it before a high-fat meal. Like everything, start slowly so the body has time to adjust. I have a family member who had her gallbladder removed, and the ox bile was the only thing that helped relieve her symptoms. It was not recommended by her primary doctor but rather by a naturopathic doctor, as her own doctor said she would have to live with the discomfort for the rest of her days. It’s not perfect, but it helps immensely.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #8

The experience of forum members who have had a cholecystectomy (gall-bladder removal; and now you know, lol!) is quite mixed. A large number of them can eat fat with no problems, whereas others find benefit in stretching out their fat intake over the day, and still others fine ox bile to be a great help.

(The key point here is that bile is made in the liver; the gall bladder merely stores it.)

#9

Oddly, I have no gall bladder either, had it removed a couple decades ago. Never bothered me not to have one… The more I read, the more I see that no one issue or solution applies to all.