I ate more fat and dropped in weight

#1

I’ve dropped from 115 (52kg) pounds over the last two or three weeks to 110 (50kg). I’m 5.2 (159cm). Now I know 4 pounds isn’t much, but my trousers tell a different story. They are too loose on me now so I will have to buy some new ones. Thing is, this recent drop in weight appears to have happened after I increased my fat intake, mainly dairy (cheese and whipping cream) and bacon. Has anyone noticed they’ve dropped more in weight after increasing their fat intake on keto?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

This is pretty common. Eating low carb gets the insulin down, and then eating enough food convinces the body it’s safe to part with some excess fat. Dr. Stephen Phinney says that he has observed, as well, that fatty acid metabolism in his research subjects actually increases when they eat more dietary fat.

It is also sometimes possible to add a bit of lean mass (bigger muscles, stronger bones) while shedding fat. This explains why people can get frustrated that the number on their scale isn’t changing much, even though they are clearly losing fat because their clothes are getting looser.

#3

Thanks for your reply Paul. It also appears increasing my fat intake as I’ve indulged heavily in both bacon and whipping cream allowed me to become regular, so that’s another plus. Yes, I imagine it must wreak havoc on one’s metabolism over time to be skimping on the fat, especially on a high carb diet.

#4

you know for me many times in my early carnivore journey when I ate a ton more, like alot more protein and fat combined in my day, like going from eating 1.5 to 2 lbs per day and eating like 3 to 4 lbs of meat intake, and yes I can easily do that back in the day :slight_smile: I lost good weight eating tons more. Not just fat. I ate huge and lost great lb. numbers after that big feast eating.

I tell ya the world is lopsided ya know HAHA Eat less move more? don’t work does it. Eat more of the right stuff, alot more and we win!!
go figure :scream_cat::partying_face:

#5

Hi Fangs, yes the world is pretty lopsided, especially considering how sedentary my lifestyle actually is, I don’t actually do any exercise, I certainly don’t have any fitness regime. I’m just indulging in my fav addictions, bacon and cream, and my trousers are falling off me lol. But the old advice eat less and move more, the old CICO that I’ve seen so many arguments about on the internet, it’s clear that doesn’t work for those people with compromised metabolic health in need of much healing.

(Pete A) #6

Yes.

#7

with those young boys I bet you do WAY more movin’ then ya think you do LOL yes laundry chores, keepin’ up with the kiddos, all that shopping ya do to make sure they are well taken care of with what they need and fun times you guys do…yes you are moving for sure but not in a structured exercise regime way and I think just ‘living life moving’ means alot and we sometimes forget that part :slight_smile: :slight_smile: A good, fun mom moves alot like you are doing from what I do read here so…you are rockin’ it!

#8

You probably would gain or at least stop losing when you raise your fat even more (or without it, this surely won’t continue if you eat enough now). It would make zero sense to get emacinated while eating much fat.

And yes, I say 4 pounds is tiny, it doesn’t mean much.

Of course I never lose fat if I eat more fat but I always ate too much to begin with… I need to lower it to lose fat, I have this since 12 years, only had it low enough for a while (only 130g on a good day, I was impressed. of course I had 200+ g days too, I never could go long without such ones but my average was way lower) and I did lose fat back then.
Obviously zillion factors are in play, more fat may help or may be a problem, one may gain if they eat more fat. I just stall the same, most of the time :slight_smile:
The human body is wonderfully complicated too, not just our circumstances.

Low-fat still is such a weird concept to me… That means insane amounts of carbs (or starvation)… Can’t be good for most people I imagine but with the right carbs it surely works for many. But most people don’t use the right carbs. Some people (like me) don’t really HAVE right carbs (though some are better than others. still not unlimited) - if we don’t count animal sugars, those are fine with me.

#9

It says very little about the fat or calories, only about the protein. How fatty was the meat?

This part of carnivores was always so crazy to me, well I understand some need that but NO WAY I would ever go way over 2 pounds, it would be serious protein overeating to begin with and my body doesn’t do that but I always get satisfied and satiated way earlier anyway. To the point that more eating is pretty much impossible or would need serious force.
I suppose my body was healthy and well-fed enough all my life so this “extreme” need never popped up. But still, that’s so much protein! What happens with that? We simply don’t need that much. It probably becomes energy, poor thing but the body wanted some other nutrients in big amounts…

Only that works for me, I am very sure about that. All my and my SO’s experiences shows that. I ate tons of fat and protein and never lost any. I lost when I managed to eat very, very little fat (compared to what I would be really pleased with).
(Of course people do it wrong, eating too little, that’s bad, sure.)
BUT as I usually say, I never tried (as never could try) longer term carnivore yet. I still dislike wastefulness so I probably will minimize (just to the extent where it’s not very uncomfortable) my fat intake all my life (oh no that sounds awful, the last 12 years is already burdens me. I need to move more to afford more…).

I think I need a fatty day. Hard to change my attitude for a day but maybe possible. I like experiments.

Not just them, people often do it wrong and force their body into something their body just doesn’t want… I never tried to force myself to eat less than what I comfortably do but if I did, maybe it wouldn’t have ended well. Probably would have “worked” if the part of my personality against it wouldn’t be present but it easily would have caused various problems. And I am healthy enough.

#10

I think this is all so very individual that I would never claim one WOE fits all. But I am eating quite a lot of fat now, mainly because I decided to indulge heavily in all my addictions, bacon, cream and cheese at christmas. I find a bowl of whipping cream the most indulgent rich dessert, and am planning to buy some ricotta to enjoy with fresh berries as another christmas indulgence. My body appears addicted to the stuff. But you’re probably right, I won’t keep dropping like this, my body must stabilise at one point. I certainly don’t look emaciated though, just slim.

#11

Yes I think we tend to forget that sort of everyday life exercise, running after my two boys lol, they certainly keep me busy. I usually do a daily morning walk (45min) after dropping the boys off at school, but during the christmas period those will be replaced with just regular family walks soon as all the snow disappears and the winter back off of my Reynolds.

#12

well see it doesn’t matter. yes we eat what we want when we want and this is what no one who doesn’t eat this lifestyle and undertake this plan all in will ever understand. can’t explain it ever unless one does it and then see the light on it :slight_smile:

you say this with NO literal proof at all. you assume. but on carnivore you change into a whole diff. person as the literal lifestyle walks us thru healing/repair of our body back to reset but IF ONE does not listen to the body and accept the zc concept they have 0 clue on any of it and keep the ‘old dieting baggage that suits’ me mentality but if one ‘goes freely into change’ and wonders what if…there is monster change from this zc lifestyle, as been experience by so many on this plan so??

limit you. that is ok if that is it but there can be massive growth and change on actually doing the plan as recommened but one will never know if one never does it so?

I can’t debate what if no one comes into the plan all in ya know!
that is that person’s issue to deal :wink:

it will and you will be at that weight you need to ‘be you’ but WILL It fit some ‘body image you want’ and will you accept it ya know. We got alot of 'issues from how thin is SO great to how clothes fit into how ‘we all see ourselves’ in the mirror and more…but key being, ALL ABOUT HEALTH. always keep the best mind about your well being…body mind and soul ya know and dump the excess baggage of ‘fitting this mold’ as dieting and the planet tell us. Massive fake illusion :slight_smile:

key being, if you feel great, slowly even the body is changing and you feel SO OVER the top healthier and the ‘zc mind zen’ is kicking in and you see the more stupid of life as it goes down on social media and more to ‘direct us humans’ to fit some mold?? if you beat that ya got life to your fullest. You rock it out!!

remember also zc gives us body change when it happens, but it gives us clarity of thought also off the processed food crap too, we SEE things in reality so also make you a work in progress, as I have done, to see it in real deal life ya know :slight_smile: I am always a work in progress on the mind game of it all LOL

#13

I have to add here Fangs that I’m not strictly zc anymore as I added back in a few carbs such as dairy, dark chocolate, nuts and berries, and some vegetables. In addition I also increased my fat intake. But I believe as it’s all so individual we can’t really make claims that what works for some will work for everyone. It’s hard to tell what heals the body, spirit and soul, and intuitive eating and positive living, I think, probably trumps science there.

As to beauty ideals I agree, there is an unhealthy focus on it, with airbrushed photos, and I think the young are very much affected by it. At my age and having experienced illness, I feel it’s nonsense, and that one’s body’s health trumps all. In the end of the day if you feel strong and healthy that’s all that matters.

(Robin) #14

There have been a few times I’ve stepped out of usual boundaries and expected to see a gain In weight…. Only to see a loss.

#15

Hi Robin. Yes, I must admit I was expecting more to see weight gain, and thinking so what if it happens it’s christmas lol. Life is pretty strange and can seem lopsided sometimes. I must confess I can’t wrap my head around all this complicated science so I pretty much follow intuition when it comes to my body.

(Robin) #16

Same.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

A ketogenic diet does not cause us to waste away to nothing; that would be silly of our body, now wouldn’t it? Because so many people in our society are obese or overweight, we tend to think of keto as a weight-loss diet, when really, it is a weight-normalisation diet. Someone who is underweight can easily add weight on a well-formulated ketogenic diet, and the weight such a person would put on is far more likely to be lean mass rather than fat mass.

Also, when people tell us that we look emaciated on keto, it’s because society’s idea of what normal looks like has altered over the past fifty years. I recently looked up some photos of Sophia Loren in Houseboat, and was surprised to find that she looks quite thin, in today’s terms. Whereas I well remember, when I first watched the movie on television in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s, how I thought that, although she was beautiful and very shapely, she was quite zaftig and well-padded beyond how women normally looked, back then. If she now looks thin, then clearly, what we all considered normal back then would look emaciated, today.

#18

I had to look up this Sophia Loren, from the pictures I’ve seen I’d say she was very slim as well as shapely. I could never have seen her as well padded, I don’t know which women you compared her to back then?

I think what’s happened though is that at the same time as clothing sizes have become more generous in the accessible high street shops, so called vanity sizing compared to the 70s, the focus on near emaciated as an actual look, the almost zero body fat look, has skewed people’s idea of normal and then some. So now it tends to go from one extreme to the other without ever just stopping at normal, at least in the media. Also, someone can be remarkably fit and look slim and still wear a larger dress size than someone much less fit and shapely. So it all comes back to physical health again and realising we can’t all look like models or movie stars to whom keeping their body in top shape is a job, and just do our best while still enjoying good food and quality of life.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #19

My mother, her sisters, the ladies at church, my school teachers, the mothers of my friends, random women on the street, and so forth. As I said, our view of what constitutes normal has changed over the years. The phrase used about Miss Loren back in the day was “deliciously padded.” The next step up would have been “pleasingly plump.”

#20

Interesting. I grew up in the 80s and I remember seeing people in all shapes and sizes. I grew up in norway, and lived in a small village, we dressed sensibly rather than fashionably. I think a lot has changed over the years. As now it’s all about fashion and various influencers and the general media. I don’t see there being anything wrong of course with appreciating and celebrating our bodies’ uniqueness, strengths and general health, but really I think there’s too much focus on the body and one’s body size versus health.