Starting a Carnivore experiment on reduced "added" fats

(Scott) #1

I am on day two of see what a reduction on added fats will do. I have been making my bacon and sausage in the morning and leaving the grease in the pan. I then add butter and eggs to the grease. I also add MCT oil to my coffee. I have a little belly fat and three pounds to lose so I will see what happens by eliminating these fats.

(Susan) #2

I wish you success, Scott. I am a bit jealous that you only have 3 pounds to lose though, hahaha =).

#3

I think this is a very good experiment to do on you. ‘added fats’ we find we rely on those more when we start the carnivore plan cause we SO require that for satisfaction/hunger and healing…but as we progress all the ‘extra fat’ becomes more of a habit? kinda and in the end we really can drop alot of that added fat and we don’t have to suck down ALL the fat with our meat meals all the time they produce ya know.

I used a ton of butter on all my meats when cooking and now I have cut that back dramatically just thru wanting less over the years. I am now down to a very small tiny pat of butter on my steaks cause I love that taste but in the old times I would fry my steak up wtih 1/2 stick of butter and suck that down at that end…now I can’t even conceive of doing it ya know…my wants have changed.

Let us know how ya do and how you feel while cutting your added fat intake. I bet you do very very well actually!!

(Scott) #4

Three days at the same weight but I did have fish and lobster last night which means lots of butter. Ring feels lose on my finger but haven’t noticed much yet but these things take time. This experiment is more like fine tuning rather than a wholesale change. I am presently at 5 pounds above a goal I set a year or two ago so we’ll see. Got a beach trip in a week and a half so that bump is on the horizon but shouldn’t be that big of a deal

#5

Thanks for the update Scott cause I am sure curious to follow how well you are doing on your experiment.

I found when I naturally started to want less added fats, that the day I did what you did, ate a ton of crab legs with tons of butter I had bathroom issues truly and I knew right off, ohhh darn that extra tons of butter but oh darn it was SO DARN good HAHA

Can’t wait to hear more as you ‘micro’ change it up a bit. Small, consistent, easy going changes are just a fine line to help us ‘see us’ in the big pic ya know…thru your individual experences and that is important…cool!!

(Laurie) #6

I love butter and am not afraid of fat. But I never felt the urge to put butter on steaks and so on.

I have a neighbor who is younger and physically active (martial arts and daily running–half marathon distance). He’s including carbs in his diet because he thinks he needs them (carb loading). Maybe he does; I really don’t know.

He is interested in my keto (“almost carnivore”) diet. He said he gave it a chance in the past, but had a lot of trouble getting enough fat. He eats good cuts of meat (steaks and pork chops) and says they have less fat than the meats I eat. And he hates eggs.

Anyway my point is, I always figured that if you keep an eye on the protein and carbs, the fat would take care of itself. Therefore, reducing the fat (as you are doing) would be more of a challenge.

Uh-oh, I just answered my own question. He uses protein powder. I believe he naturally has a slight build and wants to be somewhat bulky/muscular (and has succeeded).

(Scott) #7

I have stayed with my not adding butter to my eggs but went back to not draining the bacon grease because it just tastes better. Still not adding MCT oil to morning coffee but saying yes to butter on steaks. I used to eat filet but now Ribeye is my go to so I can get some fat with it. So, how is it going, my weight has not moved more than a pound couniting fluctuations up or down so I am very dialed in. I also had a lot of craft beer this weekend. I visited a taproom for lunch and also entered a “Beer Swap” with some fellow woodworkers. More craft beer and a neat woodworking project as part of the fun. In light of that absolutely no weight change. We will see what happens this week. Picked up some new running shoes and can’t wait to hit the streets in the morning.

(Elizabeth ) #8

I’m glad that’s working for you but for most people a single beer is like eating a slice of bread which takes it way out of the zero carb carnivore kingdom :slight_smile:

#9

Interesting. I had to avoid fat as much as I could in my very first days as I couldn’t handle fatty food :slight_smile: I stopped using lots of added fat when I went low-carb, I only kept about 50g a day. I lowered it when I went keto… And I barely need it since I started to use fatty meat.
And I barely used any butter. I was into lard for some weeks and then it just stopped. Fatty protein is perfect and almost completely enough.

If my satiation and energy need aren’t in agreement, I may add some not satiating (added) fat. It will be interesting to eat more (I plan more muscles, more activity in the future), I will add fat then.

Someone who use leaner meat, need much more energy or get satiated very differently may need a different approach… When I eat unusually much lean protein, I usually relax my added fat and cream minimalization policy :slight_smile: I would miss my calories so I need extra fat even if my protein is unusually high.

Good luck, Scott! Experiments are often quite useful… Potentially fun too. They are my thing, I just know I can’t afford and don’t need added fat now so I keep it low.

(Scott) #10

Yeah its one of those “It’s my diet and my rules” thing. I usually have one low carb beer a day but on the weekends it is closer to a six pack. If I stay away from the craft beers it is only about 30G carbs total.

#11

that is a good idea. if you drop added fat you definitely have to rely on more fatty meat cuts to keep ya in good shape. cool move.

this sounds like alot of darn fun!! It is hard to balance the beer and a new eating healthy lifestyle change into our lives without dropping all the fun times we wanna have. I bet that beer tasted great LOL but you know beer, I don’t need to tell ya HAHA

Glad you are experimenting around a bit and seeing how you can work it in and make it all happen in good form for you!’

I love that tho, it’s my diet and my rules HAHA

#12

yea I had to drop beer. I could suck down alot back in the day, but beer was truly an easier thing for me to give up. When I cut it out doing very low carb, when I did have a beer on vacation I have to say my taste changed and beer tasted more skunky or bitter in some fashion so I thought how can I leave this behind and for me it was easy in the end which surprised me. Beer really is a heavy hitter on a healthy diet plan tho…it really is just a carb fest and thing is who drinks just one? HAHA I mean if I had a beer, I would have 2-3-4 and then we are talking bloat and ick to the max. Luckily I wasn’t a beer lover, like some truly love the craft beer fests and tastes and more…I am glad I ain’t one of them that require to bob and weave around changing that up in my life.

(Ethan) #13

This sounds like a good experiment to me. It sounds like a tweak/relation of high-protein carnivore, but indirectly, It will naturally be higher protein if you eat the same except without the added fats, but you could also adjust the meals to be fattier cuts of meat. My gut (pun always intended) tells me that it is probably healthier to add fewer fats and to rely on the fats that are already a part of the meat.

(Bob M) #14

I got fat primarily drinking beer. Good beer has a TON of calories, all high carb (even excluding alcohol). It’s the perfect instrument to pack on weight.

I’ve switched to hard liquor, though I sometimes have a cream-based drink, as saturated fat supposedly helps protect the liver. I now drink 1-2 drinks per week, whereas I used to drink multiple 6-12packs of beer per week. That was over a decade ago, though.

(Jane Srygley) #15

Personally, I ALWAYS gain weight when I drink alcohol. I would think stopping all alcohol would cause more progress than reducing fats.

(Scott) #16

Easier said than done. I have limited myself to one 5g low carb beer at night. The scotch and wine I need to work on.

On the plus side I did lose a pound today and my new shoes felt great!

(Jane Srygley) #17

Great! Congrats!

(traci simpson) #18

I actually do better on a higher fat ratio. I don’t have the usual digestion issues with the higher fat and I stay satiated longer. I can eat my first meal between noon-2pm and that’s it for the day.

(Bob M) #19

It’s still possible to lose weight while drinking. Your body does have to burn the alcohol first, but how much could that be in terms of calories? Not that many calories, overall:

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #20

Scott, watching this with interest. I think the premise is good: ie reduce plate fat a little to induce stored fat use. But at around 5 pounds, it’s all range of error territory. I would suggest you not only reduce your fat a little but also overall calories - yes, run a deficit, something like 200-300 calories per day. Do that for a couple of weeks and see what happens. Also, I think for a realistic possibility for a successful outcome, you’ll have to drop the ethanol as well. Even if you’re drinking very little, I think it has more effect on energy balance than you realize. It’s not simply a calorie thing. My reasoning is that if you want to burn fat most efficiently, you have to avoid any/all detours. I think our metabolisms are quite good at holding onto the last few pounds of fat when there’s any alternative available. Ethanol is great fuel!