Is there a such thing as too much fat?

science
(Todd Chester) #1

Is there a such thing as consuming too much fat on Keto? Coconut Oil, coconut cream, butter, etc.?

#2

Of course. There is even too much water or oxygen :smiley:

If you massively overeat (therefore probably start to balloon up but I am not sure how it works for most people), that’s definitely too much fat. Wasteful too. I am very prone to that, low-key struggle with it since I went low-carb. I easily could drop my fat intake when I stopped eating so much carbs but it was still WAY too high. It wasn’t easy. I can avoid fat gain on keto, thankfully but I never was very good at that on HCHF either, it happened but super slowly. Now that I am older, it probably would be quicker if I still would be able to eat like that…

Even without overeating, a high fat/protein ratio may be problematic. Some people get satiated by fat just fine (lucky…) so they may undereat protein that way. Some people just get nauseous and need to eat less fatty, at least for a while. Surely there are other things I don’t remember or don’t even know about.

Yeah those are all the things I should avoid. But it’s not enough. I need to eat as lean protein as I can and a bit even less though my training starts to pay off in that regard…
It’s all about my proper energy intake vs my protein need. I can’t eat fattier things than eggs on average (without accepting I stay fat, at least… or doing fat fast or something) as they bring way too much fat. Sometimes I calculated (again and again) that it’s theoretically not really possible for me to eat at a deficit due to my tastes and protein need. Now I can but it’s not easy. Dairy should be properly minimized except the only low-fat one, quark.

Sigh.

I am looking forward to see other examples! I had the nausea one but only for days and it wasn’t the fat amount or percentage itself but the fat amount per volume of food. Well that is a version of too much fat too I suppose. I lost the bulk of my small amount of vegs (40g doesn’t allow very much if one dislikes green leaves. we don’t even have turnips here, well we have I suppose but I almost never saw any) and a big part of my food was fat. It was unusual and I didn’t feel so well despite not eating much fat (it was my usual 65-70% and dropped in grams compared to before). So there is a thing too.

It matters if the fat is very plain or expertly hidden (like in yolk. yes it’s obviously fatty, I feel it but it’s still different). Marbled meat or lean meat with a big fat cap on it feel different even if the fat content is the same. I know many people dislike the latter. I am not so much into it either unless it’s very very well roasted/fried and it got crispy. I can handle it cooked in pork jowl, that’s almost pure fat but it is still amazing.

From the viewpoint of the body… I don’t think mine cares either way, I feel pretty fine when I eat 260g fat on some day (my stupid mind still dreams about more but maybe not if I choose really satisfying items). I suppose some people feel unwell at that point especially the ones who feels too full… That’s a nasty feeling but I almost never can pull it off. Maybe never at this point. I am very used to overeating, my stomach capacity is quite big too… And I stop eating when I get near full anyway. Oh! My SO would say there totally is too much fat. He doesn’t feel fat being satiating so when he eats low-carb, he ends up with a huge amount of fat intake… And THEN he feels the effect and feels way too full and horrible. That’s why he never tries low-carb since he experienced how bad it is for him. I don’t get this delayed satiation either. Fat is a perfect lever, I can eat 100+ g extra, my satiation stays the same (if the lower amount already made me satiated, it is). That’s why I need to be careful as I don’t get a stop sign just because I went over 200g fat. I do get it for protein. Unless I eat chicken. But choosing the right items (not too fatty) help, I get satiated well, automatically getting right macros and no problem regarding fat, not like I am prone to it. I feel well with various amounts though due to my tastes and goals, my range isn’t too huge. But I did 54g and 260g… Both were enjoyable days and I felt well (I never repeated the first one though).

(Bob M) #3

I tried the Croissant Diet, where I mainly ate (a lot of) high saturated fat but I did also try some carbs + fat at times. Mainly a targeted keto diet, where I ate the carbs around workouts, but not always.

I gained a ton of weight. That took years to come off.

(Edith) #4

Agreed here :laughing:, but even only in the terms of a ketogenic diet I would say yes. Besides bowel tolerance, if you are eating the majority of your calories from fat, you are most likely not getting enough micronutrients. While fat has some micronutrients, it is mostly just energy.

#5

Of course there is, anything can be overdone. Nothing is unlimited, your metabolism can only burn what it burns. You also need things that aren’t empty cals, nutrients matter.

(Todd Chester) #6

Hi All, Thank yo for the atips and wisdom.

On hindsight, I should have listed how much fat I eat a day so you knew if I was being excessive.

1 T coconut oil
up to 1/2 cube of butter (depending on the food I eat)
1/8 to 1/4 cup of olive oil (also depending)
two sausages
1/4 lb of cheese
2 T mayo (also depending)

(Bob M) #7

That doesn’t seem too bad. What is 1/2 cube of butter in terms of amount?

(Edith) #8

Is that just your fat, or all your food for the day?

(Todd Chester) #9

About 4 tablespoons

(Todd Chester) #10

That is just the fat. I also eat low glycemic veggies and meat/eggs/cheese

(Bob M) #11

Seems okay to me. I’ve eaten waaaaaay more than that, though now I eat less than that.

(Robin) #12

Sounds like you’re in the groove. Just keep on keeping on.

#13

It would be awfully much for me but I often get plenty from my meat AND I shouldn’t eat much fat. It’s highly individual, surely some people eat 300g fat a day and it’s perfect for them…
So I can’t help there. You should know if you eat the right amount of food and nutrients - and then the fat falls wherever it falls.

(KM) #14

As a ketonian, fat is your fuel. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to overdo it, but if your digestion / elimination is on track and your weight is satisfactory / moving in the direction you want, I’d say you’re fine.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

If you are eating fat past the point of satiety, yes; if you are eating to satiety and stopping, then no.

The main advantage to consuming fat in place of carbohydrate is that fat has almost no effect on insulin secretion, beyond the minimum necessary to sustain life. This is helpful, because it means that a ketogenic diet is lowering both hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia, which are the damaging results of eating the standard Western diet.

A secondary advantage is that, at 9 kcal/g, it takes far less fat to provide the same amount of energy as a given amount of carbohydrate. For instance it takes 300 g of digestible carbohydrate to yield 1200 calories; whereas it only takes 133.3 g of fat to yield the same number of calories.

Another result of the fact that fat is energy-dense is that an equal amount of fat and protein are actually a 69% fat and 31% protein diet, since percentages are always percentages of total calories. This makes eating a high-fat diet very easy. And without insulin interfering with our satiety hormones and promoting the storage of fat, we can then eat to satisfy our hunger without having to count calories in order to lose weight.

#16

Yes. 100%. What works for one does not necessarily work for others. Everyone here has their own experience on the level of fat that they need to feel satiated. One of the issues that obese people can face is that they have lost the ability to feel full and thus overeat (leptin resistance). I would recommend that, in the beginning, you start to be aware of the feeling of being satiated and your level of fat that you consume. It truly is a personal thing. Keto is not “one size fits all.”

#17

Not necessarily. If one (potentially massively) overeats fat but stays hungry due to low protein, it’s still too much fat. More like eating too fatty items… Many of us can’t get satiated by fat under normal circumstances (I can if I barely eat protein but when it’s over 30g or something, I need my 130g protein and getting this from something very fatty gives me fun numbers I never forget and never want to repeat. well, not too often, at least, it feels wonderful, perfect satiation and lots of lovely fat and protein!).

It may be true for people who gets satiated by fat just fine, though. It would be nice to have that, no need to track so much (though it’s very simple on the right diet), cheaper (or better quality) eating (if one doesn’t have a high protein need. I have a reason to think my high need is just for satiation, not a “real” need. real needs need to be satisfied, of course)…

As most people love to eat and have problem with eating too much, it can easily be a disadvantage… But it depends, of course. It’s definitely no fun for many of us to eat just a tiny, fatty food most of the time. Better than something big and carby though, for many of us, not for all, obviously. And no one keeps us to eat way lower-cal items as well. There are options.
Sometimes it is useful to get satiated quickly, indeed.