Should you restrict calories and fat when fat adapted to lose weight?

(Magnus Jensen) #1

As the headline says, is this a common strategy? Reduce total calories or is it better to reduce fat and even increase protein (especially if you work out pretty hard and want to build lean body mass/muscles).
What are people’s experiences with regards to this? I have red somewhere that fat intake can function as a handle mechanism when fat adapted.

(Jennibc) #2

I am curious about this too. I am pretty close to my goal (less than 25 pounds) But I hit plateaus frequently and am trying to mix things up to keep up the momentum. I already have a relatively short eating window. I can’t do the intense burst of exercise or weight lifting because I have degenerative disk disease (I am working with a spine specialist right now, hoping I don’t have to have surgery!) so I have to keep exercise to walking or a light jog. I hate the thought of having sit and count calories because my body is pretty good at letting me know when it’s full, but I guess that’s the next thing.

(Hoteski) #3

When in ketosis you use fat as fuel. So if you intend to use the fat in your body as the fuel and loose weight you would logically think to reduce down added fats to satisfy hunger so you don’t go hungry but also to reduce weight. Just my opinion as well as research I’ve done. Once you have reached your ideal goal weight increase fat to slow down the weightloss.

(Carl Keller) #4

If you are fat adapted, the more fat you eat, the less your body fat is being used. In this case, reducing calories is essentially the same thing as reducing fat. If it’s 9 kcal per fat gram and 4 kcal each for protein and carbs, lowering fat intake will drop your calories.

(Carl Keller) #5

I have not hit any plateaus yet but I want to have an idea for how to deal with it and this article seems to have interesting ideas.

(Magnus Jensen) #6

Then I might ask what happens to my metabolism, when reducing calories? It will decrease? That is why I asked if I should “replace” the amount of reduction in fat to equal amount in decreased protein (total calories wise). The ideal thing would be to keep the calories as is, but to switch (reduce fat and increase protein)? or is this a wrong asumption?

(Allie) #7

If you’re fat adapted and reduce dietary fat then your body will still need the same amount of fat to use as fuel, so will take it from your body stores instead. There’s no reduction in metabolism as the body is not going hungry, it’s just sourcing the fuel you need from its own stores rather than from your dinner plate.

(Jennibc) #8

Thanks for this! Well, according to this I haven’t really hit plateaus because my loss will stop for a week or two but never much longer than that. I am already doing the intermittent fasting. I don’t do the MTC oil or anything like that so that’s not an issue. I guess I should start tracking how many calories I am consuming. that might be helpful. I suppose I could do the eliptical at the gym for high intensity - but I so prefer to exercise outside. But maybe if I do that a couple times a week that will help. Thanks again.

(Carl Keller) #9

@Shortstuff pretty much nailed it. Just to be certain, you can try it and see what happens. If you start showing signs of slower metabolism you can always raise your fat/calories. Good luck.

(Running from stupidity) #10

Eat when you’re hungry.

Feast and fast.

(Robert C) #11

“Should you restrict calories and fat when fat adapted to loose weight”

I think yes - but on a weekly basis.

Stick with 4 or 5 days of maintenance level food and add 3 or 2 days of significantly below maintenance level food (or even total fasting days) to avoid metabolic slowdown.

I think everyone is different, some people, once fat adapted, can probably just lower daily calories on keto and continue to lower weight - but maybe not all (so a few lower days interspersed among regular days may be safer - avoiding metabolic slowdown).

(Magnus Jensen) #12

I did fast for 48 hours straight and just broke the fast now, with 1600 kcal (my maintenance is 2600). I worked out 2 times during the fast and I have never had so much energy before during work outs (as opposed to eating carbs and not being fat adapted). Great advice, thanks @RobC

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #13

Yes, you should reduce dietary fat, but only a certain amount.

When I became adapted, I reduced my fat intake drastically, and increased my protein, I’m 63kg but still aim to eat roughly 60-100 grams of protein a day. Fat is roughly 30-100, as some days I just want to eat!

Though eventually you won’t have enough body fat to continue fasting without supplementing otherwise that’s when your metabolism slows down, try this calculator;

In my case, I need to eat an additional 75g of fat a day to not enter starvation.

See my old thread with a link to Richards’ calculator ;

(Magnus Jensen) #14

Where is the calculator? Link?

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #15
(Magnus Jensen) #16

I knew I red what you are saying and it was probably you that wrote this. Thanks for clearing up this. I will increase protein and reduce fat to see if I can recompose my body composition even further (I have 10% ish body fat procentage now) and suspect my body to trying to hold on to the last body fat.

(Katie the Quiche Scoffing Stick Ninja ) #17

Our bodies have a weight set point; you can read more about it here -

(Magnus Jensen) #18

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I got this using the calculator.
From before I have the following macros figured out using different keto macro nutrient calculators:

Fat: 190 gr (77%)
Carbs: 25 (5%)
Protein: 100 gr (18 %)

Total Kcal per day: 2210

So assume reducing fat to 170 ish per day? This way (if I hold protein constant, I will get an automatic calorie reduction, thus promoting weight loss).

Agree?

(Running from stupidity) #19

Maths is great, but these calculators assume a closed system, which the body is definitely not. They also assume that calories are easily and accurately counted - in and out - which again, they are not.

(Alex ) #20

exactly, pretty much what I was just responding with…