I’ve just started Keto to help me lose weight but I’m worried about the amount of cheese in all the meals. I’m vegetarian so I get most of my fat from dairy. What are other people’s experience?
Is all this cheese healthy?
If you can tolerate cheese and dairy, what makes you worried about how healthy it is?
Well it’s the cholesterol, the fact cheese is associated with weight gain, the fat content (I know this diet is high fat but it seems excessive) I’m worried this will have the reverse affect on my weight loss.
Extra virgin olive oil, nut and seeds, avocados, olives, coconut, etc. are some good fat sources for vegetarians. Fatty fish too if you are ok with fish.
But there is nothing wrong with cheese, especially if you avoid the cheap crappy processed ones. You do have to watch out for excess carbs as some cheeses have significant amounts.
The word “cheese” covers a lot of territory. If you are worried about how healthy it is, you may want to look at the quality of the cheeses that you eat. They are not all created equal. Some products that look like cheese and have words like “cheese food” or “cheese product” can have some pretty nasty stuff in them.
A few have even gone to making their own cheese which is neat because you then control the process and what goes in. That’s something I’d like to try again myself.
High fat in a very low carb / keto context is a whole different thing than high fat in a high carb setting. Don’t be afraid of good fat with keto.
It seems to me that you are having difficulty getting your head around the idea of being able to loss weight by eating so much fat because of what you have been told all your life. One advantage of doing Keto is learning the truth about food and nutrition and dropping many false notions dictated by conventional wisdom. .
I think what you are really asking is, “Can I really lose weight by eating so much fat?”. The answer is a resounding “yes”. Keto works! I lost 80 lbs in about 8 months eating 75% of my diet in fats, which included lots of cheese, and also, eggs, butter, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, etc.
Healthy fats are good for you and can help you to lose weight. You are clinging to the notion the so much fat, which you categorized as “excessive”, will “reverse affect on your weight loss.” Keto works because the fat we consume reduces our body’s insulin requirement and allows us to burn fat instead of storing it.
I suggest you set aside your notions concerning fat and just do Keto and let the magic happen.
If you still are worried about the fat, I suggest you read how these folks overcame health issues by eating lots of fats. Their personal stories have been a great inspiration to me.
Btw, welcome to this forum and to this WOE! Good luck on your Keto journey. Keep us informed on your progress.
Go to Dave Feldman’s website. Read how easy it is to change the numbers for a test. Read the whole site, and get a real education about fats.
Relax and enjoy a cheese omelette :).
hard to generalize. I do have a chronic sinusitis. I get huge flare ups from consuming cheese. this can not be a good sign.
You mean the building blocks of hormones? Not sure the concern here. Eating fat does not make you fat and eating cholesterol does not raise your cholesterol.
Cheese however is subjective. Some people do not do well with dairy. N=1.
Yes, like gluten some are sensitive to lactose/whey/or casein. But the OP stated she eats lots of it, and is concerned about not losing weight due to the fat. She fears fats for the cholesterol, thus I pointed her to Dave’s site.
Cholesterol in food is unrelated to cholestrol in the blood. And cholesterol in the blood is a poor indicator of anything, save maybe insulin resistance.
Also, I recommend the book “The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat, and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet” by Nina Teicholz. It opened my eyes to the false notions we have about fat.