Biggest point in the article:
I think this article will spark some discussion. And, I’m curious to hear any sciency counterpoints to the views in this article.
TL;DR = If you’re ketoing to lose weight, drastically reduce the added fats and oils you’re consuming and encourage your body to use its fat stores. When in maintenance, feel free to add more dietary fats.
I agree with this. When I start Isopure next week, I won’t add any fat. My daily intake will be 50g protein, 2g fat, and zero carbs. I have enough fat on my body to take me through the two weeks of Isopure, and I hope it burns off!
This is my story so far and I know it is different for everyone but I have seen a few now that are doing the same as me and it is working.
I started keto in October 2016 I lost 11 kg and got to my lowest weight in March 2017 and between then and this month I put back on about 6 kg. For the past 2 weeks I have been eating at or above my maintenance calories of 2300 at 80% fat I am now losing again and have lost 1.8 kg in the last 2 weeks. I know it is not a huge amount but at least I am going in the right direction again. I will be sticking to the higher fat for as long as I am losing weight.
Thanks @PrimalBrian for linking to this article. I hadn’t yet seen it. This is the way I eat and I got my info originally from Naiman. I’ve been gently suggesting this to people I hear who are struggling to lose but having this article will help to back that up. People get so focused on the macro percentages and making sure they “are Keto”, that I think it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture and the science behind what’s happening. The whole idea on Keto for weight loss is to get our bodies to use our stored fat as our energy source. It’s also important to understand that as our fat stores change, our dietary fat will need to change. Weight loss versus maintenance requires differing amounts of dietary fat intake. 
Hi, @KBG, you raise a good point that I had been thinking about. I’ve been researching a lot about fat as I’ve been trying to understand the thinking behind the copious amounts of fat some keto-ers eat (and especially drink like bulletproof coffee). I understand the unrestricted fat during the early phases to get keto adapted, but never understood it for those of us in later phases, especially those of us who want to lose weight. This article helped me articulate it in my mind a little better.
I know it’s a trope but fat/energy can come from your food or your body or a combination of the two. It’s why PSMF is so effective in the short term.
This makes sense, but it makes me sad. I want to lose my fat and eat it too 
It does bring up the idea of timing, at least in my mind. Should one become fat adapted first and then decrease intake of dietary fats or start out lower fat? I think probably the former as fat adaption and reaping the many other benefits of keto would be strong motivation to ‘simply’ decrease dietary fat. Also, isn’t LCLF… Atkins? (induction?)
Yep. Dr Naiman’s simple graphic that is shown on the front of that article just really hit home with me when I first saw it. “If you’re body is already HF, then all you really need is the LC”. It just finally clicked and was a definite “aha” turning point moment for me. But, I think that’s just how this goes. There is a lot of information to try and absorb and understand after years of being fed so much misinformation about nutrition. It can be overwhelming and just takes time to get it figured out for ourselves. Following Dr Naiman’s example, I’ve been trusting that higher protein is fine and am currently experimenting myself with it. Your article links to additional articles on the gluconeogenesis topic and so now I’m delving in to those. That’s always the “thing” that’s brought up to argue against higher protein and not fully knowing the science behind it I’ve been sort of ignoring it as I experiment with higher protein levels anyway. Now though with these articles I’m seeing that the science is not as simple as just “excess protein turns into sugar”. Gluconeogenesis is much more complex and not necessarily to be as feared as we earlier thought. I need to fully absorb and try to understand this new information. That’s where I am right now anyway on my pathway of learning as I live Keto. Thanks again for the link.
YES! This! I started to regain my 70+ pounds. I got myself stopped at 8-10 pounds of regain. This was about 3 years into my 5.5 year maintenance, so far. Both bringing my fat grams closer to protein grams AND IF 17:7 , 6am to 1pm helped a lot.
I do think I was over on fat intake to a fault for my own body, my past 40 years of obesity, and having a desk job. My genetics. too. My body was telling me- um, too much fat, too much total.
I’m by no means low fat, but to have 5.5 years of weight maintenance, I have to cycle through a fat grams: protein grams close times and sometimes a little higher in fat. The IF is frosting on the cupcake I will never eat again due to food addiction remission. 
See that bump on the right side of the graph? That was me eating too much fat. It took a long time to figure it out, but I did. Tough lesson learned.
40 years of morbid obesity, Hashimoto’s, and menopause: I can tell you my fat wants to come back, but I won’t let it. Kudos to Amy and Ted for offering tools for our selection or exclusion. Onward.
In my experience, when first going keto and trying to enter ketosis, I pay no mind to fat and eat to satiety. Otherwise, I’ll be hungry and go off plan. So, for 2-3 weeks, I really eat a lot of fat and once I’m keto adapted or fat adapted, I no longer have carb cravings. That’s when I dial back the added fats considerably and still stay sated.
I think trying to do low-fat keto while still a glucose burner is a recipe for disaster. Fat is a lever I use to get into ketosis and then dial back as much as I can while I try and lose these last pounds.
@KBG used a good word above - “gently.” This is the approach I wanted to take in this post because sometimes I think some keto-pushers (not on this site) overplay the added fat and it can be confusing to those who don’t know the science and who aren’t losing weight.
No, just the opposite. Atkins induction is essentially high fat, moderate protein, low carb.
@wheeghee Keep in mind that, if you choose to go this route, once your body is low fat you will have to increase your dietary fat to maintain weight! 
I guess I am currently experimenting with your question of which comes first… to start out higher or lower fat. The first time I went Keto I did it by the book with Keto macro percentages and higher fat. Then I went off low carb for a bit and am now back on having started out this time with more protein and lower fat. Both starts were successful with weight loss so now will be to just watch/compare progress as I continue.
I think an important distinction too is that I would not consider or describe this as “low fat”, and I don’t think low fat is being recommended, but instead just “lower” fat. When I was on calorie restricted low fat diets, that was low fat. The way I am understanding and experimenting with this is there’s still a pretty good quantity of fat, just not as much added fat in the form of BP coffee, lots of cheeses, copious butter, etc. I picture high fat still where part of that high fat is already on my body and the other part is dietary.
You’re welcome. @richard has a nice new post on gluconeogenesis here.
F*CK your "diabetic" eye check!
I also have this bookmarked for later viewing (Chris Masterjohn):
In my view, GNG isn’t as binary or simple as some would like to believe. It’s much more nuanced as you point out. And variable among all of us.
YES! Good on you for figuring that out and recognizing it such that you can possibly help others who might be struggling or stalled.
It’s interesting you bring up the distinction of starting out ketosis with higher levels of fat and then lowering fat once fat adapted. I have noticed this myself as a need and natural occurrence rather than an intentional decision. Early on with ketosis and fat adaptation I really crave and need additional fat, usually in the form of cheese almost daily. After some time that completely goes away and I don’t touch the stuff. Our bodies really are pretty self regulating and will tell us what we need if we just pay attention and respond accordingly. All this analysis then comes back to the simple idea of eating fat to satiety. Early on I need cheese, later on I don’t. I think with some foods, especially BP coffee, people start out this WOE including BP coffee in their routine and it can become just a habit as opposed to a tool used to eat fat to satiety.
Great job @gardengirlkp. Congrats on your sustained success and on identifying an issue and problem solving it. Yes, it’s important to know and remember that this will be a fluid way of living and will require adjustments over time.
I can’t eat fat to satiety. I don’t have a natural off switch about 20% of the time or more. I never know meal to meal when my satiety signals will work. Even hour to hour, So I track my foods. YES!!! a lot of my weight maintenance foot template was built on habit.
I had to have the clarity and step away from my food addiction long enough to say- well I like BPC, but my muffin top subcutaneous fat and my clothes and my joint pain says- all the nopes!.. It’s a habit that I formed.
Good points. BPC worked, until it didn’t. Sigh.
For me BP coffee is now a special occasion dessert. You know… it used to be we’d make hot chocolates with marshmallows or whip cream on a cold night or holiday gathering… now that’s BP coffee!
