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I've been fascinated by low carb diets for a while now, and in the past month I've been religiously counting everything I ingest, and found I settle naturally t

I've been fascinated by low carb diets for a while now, and in the past month I've been religiously counting everything I ingest, and found I settle naturally towards a very high fat, low carb diet (5% carbs, 25% prots, 70% fat) My flatmate, who's dieting with me, is appaled by the amount of fat I'm eating, constantly asking me if it's healthy or whether I'm just going to get fat even if I am well below my TDEE. My response is basically "a calorie is a calorie", i.e. I'm below my TDEE => I'm losing weight. I know that the reality is more complicated, and the article does explain that very well; satiety is more important for dieters, and there's also the unknown factor of gut microbes: am I comfortable low carbing because of satiety or just because my gut flora is different? Nobody knows actually. This is a fascinating subject and there are far too many experts and anecdata that everybody's right and wrong at the same time. Experiment, if you feel physically good and are not overeating (by counting calories) you're on the right track. Take dieting advices with tons of salt. Make them your own. Personally I struggle having more than two meals a day and eating more than 1800 cals (I'm 1.86m and 88 kg). If I were high carbing I'd go over the limit just to keep my hunger at bay. I once binged (on processed crap I was craving) and ate around 4K cals. I honestly don't know how to do that on low carb, and especially eating healty. Unless I eat nuts: can eat over 1K cals in nuts in a single sitting. And whoever said you NEED to eat n times a day: shut up, you're wrong. My advice: eat when you are hungry, eat real food, forget about macros.

criddell 11y ago
> is appaled by the amount of fat I'm eating, constantly asking me if it's healthy or whether I'm just going to get fat I wonder how much of the fear of fat comes from people believing the saying "you are what you eat"?
- dahart 11y ago
  I don't know, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion; there are real reasons to be careful with fat. Fat is 9 calories per gram, while carbs and proteins are 4. If you have a budget and you're counting calories, fat is more expensive per gram, so you might naturally develop an aversion to spending your budget on what appears to be less food (even if it's only appearance). Too much fat is also unhealthy. How much is too much is still being debated, but there is a difference between a weight loss diet and a healthy diet. All things being equal, a 2000 calorie diet of buttered bacon doughnuts is still likely to cause more problems than a 2000 calorie diet of vegetables, fruits and nuts.
  - 1_player 11y ago
    > 2000 calorie diet of buttered bacon doughnuts is still likely to cause more problems than a 2000 calorie diet of vegetables, fruits and nuts Not to pick on you, but there's this idea that fat must come from processed crap. What about a 2000 calorie diet of meat, (real) butter, (good) oils, cheese, nuts and vegetables? Is that unhealthy? The jury's still out.
    - noondip 11y ago
      > (good) oils Okay, I'll bite. What is a "good oil"? All oil is fat, and consuming fat causes serious health problems. The only "oil" you need are polyunsaturated fatty acids which occur naturally in whole vegetables and nuts.
      - 1_player 11y ago
        You catch me ignorant on this. The only oil I consume, apart from naturally occuring ones, is extra virgin olive oil, which the consensus from both sides of the fence is "it's good for you".
        noondip 11y ago
        Olive oil is NOT healthy. Can you explain how pouring saturated fat on a meal is supposed to improve it? Please show me where the consensus that olive oil is "good for you" is claimed to be reached.
        maxerickson 11y ago
        Olive oil only has a fraction of saturated fat, it is mostly unsaturated fats. I think whatever sources you are leaning on for your claims would have the same issues that all the sources demonstrating good things about olive oil have, there is no central consensus for any of it, making that a pretty weak argument.
        11y ago
noondip 11y ago
> My flatmate, who's dieting with me, is appaled by the amount of fat I'm eating, constantly asking me if it's healthy or whether I'm just going to get fat That's probably because a diet with 70% fat is extremely unhealthy and will likely lead to coronary atherosclerosis. Also, 5% carbs? How are you getting any nutrition in, since fruit and vegetables are almost all carbs?
- 1_player 11y ago
  I don't eat fruit nor starchy vegetables, they make me very bloated and I crave more. Greens, nuts and non-sweet fruits (olives, tomatoes, avocadoes, peppers) have negligible amount of carbs.
  - noondip 11y ago
    You crave more because complex carbohydrates - starchy vegetables - are the food you're supposed to be eating. Have a look at Starch Solution by John McDougall, either the actual book or any videos on YouTube about it.
    - 1_player 11y ago
      > are the food you're supposed to be eating Who said? It's not very scientific, but if this supposedly "good for me" food makes me crave more, makes me bloated, tired, and crash after 3 hours and gives me stomach discomfort, is it really good for me? Oh, I went through it for years, my body probably knows best.
      - noondip 11y ago
        > Who said? Every single civilization which has eaten predominantly carbohydrates, like root vegetables and rice, for all of human history. Stomach discomfort is caused by fiber, is common if you're coming off a meat-heavy diet, does go away once you return to eating healthy.
- tzs 11y ago
  > Also, 5% carbs? How are you getting any nutrition in, since fruit and vegetables are almost all carbs? Vegetables are often relatively high in carbs but low in total calories, and so the contribution of their carbs to your total calories can be low even if you have a lot of vegetables in your diet. For instance, I recently had a steak and corn for dinner. The corn was 80 calories per serving, 15 g of carb, so 75% of calories from carbs. The steak was 600 calories, 3 g of carb (from the steak sauce I used, not the steak itself), with is 2% calories from carbs. I had two servings of corn with my steak, so the total meal was 760 calories, 33 g carbs, which is 17% calories from carbs. If I had not chosen corn I probably would have chosen a can of green beans (70 calories, 7 g of carbs, which is 40% calories from carbs) which would have made the total meal 6% calories from carbs. Heck, double the green beans...two full 14.5 oz cans (almost a kilogram of green beans!), and the total for the meal would only rise to 9% calories from carbs. Or consider salads. I use a pre-made salad mix [1] (I'm lazy). One bowl of this is 20 calories, 3 g carbs. That's 60% of calories from carbs. I use a dressing on this that is 240 calories, 4 g of carbs, so 7% calories from carbs. The salad mix combined with the dressing gives me 26 calories, 7 g carbs, so 11% calories from carbs. Recently I add some chopped up ham to this that added 200 calories, 0 g carbs, making the total salad 6% calories from carbs. [1] http://www.freshexpress.com/product/refreshing-mixes/iceberg-garden.aspx http://www.freshexpress.com/product/refreshing-mixes/iceberg... and yes, the nutrition values I gave above do not match what they give on the site. I'm going by what is printed on the actual package rather than the web site, although it is a little disturbing that they are different.
tejohnso 11y ago
"My advice: eat when you are hungry, eat real food, forget about macros." This is always my go-to response when people ask me about my diet. If you simply eat only when hungry, and only eat real food, you're going to be in decent shape on average. There is a lot of detail and difficulty hiding behind those two simple requirements though. For example, eating only when hungry implies that we stop eating when we are no longer hungry. Avoiding binge sessions is sometimes very challenging. And accepting a simple definition of "real food" can be surprisingly challenging. Things that don't make the cut: Frozen pizzas, almost all fast food, even orange juice.
basch 11y ago
health is more than weight. nutirient density is somewhat important. "forget about macros" - > be conscious of the starch and sugars you intake. if you have the choice between potatoes and nuts, eat nuts. choose green before white. getting all your calories a day from starch isnt ideal.
- 1_player 11y ago
  The consensus in bodybuilding is to eat your daily requirement of proteins, enough fats (fats are NECESSARY for hormones. Also, no cholesterol == no testosterone), and everything else is up to you. While I would tend to agree with you, apparently there's many people that thrive on starchy food (potatoes, rice). There's some unknown mechanism at work here, most probably it's the gut flora diversity.
  - noondip 11y ago
    > no cholesterol == no testosterone Complete nonsense. Cholesterol = animal products, which contain estrogen, which lower testosterone. You don't need cholesterol in a healthy diet, in fact it's completely antithetical to healthy eating.
    - 1_player 11y ago
      > Like other steroid hormones [i.e. estradiol/estrogens/progesterone], testosterone is derived from cholesterol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone#Biosynthesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone#Biosynthesis
      - noondip 11y ago
        That's talking about the cholesterol made in your liver - the only cholesterol you need.
- noondip 11y ago
  What's wrong with potatoes? Why is getting calories from starch not ideal? Please link to peer reviewed research which supports these hypotheses.

criddell 11y ago

> is appaled by the amount of fat I'm eating, constantly asking me if it's healthy or whether I'm just going to get fat I wonder how much of the fear of fat comes from people believing the saying "you are what you eat"?

dahart 11y ago
I don't know, but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion; there are real reasons to be careful with fat. Fat is 9 calories per gram, while carbs and proteins are 4. If you have a budget and you're counting calories, fat is more expensive per gram, so you might naturally develop an aversion to spending your budget on what appears to be less food (even if it's only appearance). Too much fat is also unhealthy. How much is too much is still being debated, but there is a difference between a weight loss diet and a healthy diet. All things being equal, a 2000 calorie diet of buttered bacon doughnuts is still likely to cause more problems than a 2000 calorie diet of vegetables, fruits and nuts.
- 1_player 11y ago
  > 2000 calorie diet of buttered bacon doughnuts is still likely to cause more problems than a 2000 calorie diet of vegetables, fruits and nuts Not to pick on you, but there's this idea that fat must come from processed crap. What about a 2000 calorie diet of meat, (real) butter, (good) oils, cheese, nuts and vegetables? Is that unhealthy? The jury's still out.
  - noondip 11y ago
    > (good) oils Okay, I'll bite. What is a "good oil"? All oil is fat, and consuming fat causes serious health problems. The only "oil" you need are polyunsaturated fatty acids which occur naturally in whole vegetables and nuts.
    - 1_player 11y ago
      You catch me ignorant on this. The only oil I consume, apart from naturally occuring ones, is extra virgin olive oil, which the consensus from both sides of the fence is "it's good for you".
      - noondip 11y ago
        Olive oil is NOT healthy. Can you explain how pouring saturated fat on a meal is supposed to improve it? Please show me where the consensus that olive oil is "good for you" is claimed to be reached.
        maxerickson 11y ago
        Olive oil only has a fraction of saturated fat, it is mostly unsaturated fats. I think whatever sources you are leaning on for your claims would have the same issues that all the sources demonstrating good things about olive oil have, there is no central consensus for any of it, making that a pretty weak argument.
        11y ago

noondip 11y ago

> My flatmate, who's dieting with me, is appaled by the amount of fat I'm eating, constantly asking me if it's healthy or whether I'm just going to get fat That's probably because a diet with 70% fat is extremely unhealthy and will likely lead to coronary atherosclerosis. Also, 5% carbs? How are you getting any nutrition in, since fruit and vegetables are almost all carbs?

1_player 11y ago
I don't eat fruit nor starchy vegetables, they make me very bloated and I crave more. Greens, nuts and non-sweet fruits (olives, tomatoes, avocadoes, peppers) have negligible amount of carbs.
- noondip 11y ago
  You crave more because complex carbohydrates - starchy vegetables - are the food you're supposed to be eating. Have a look at Starch Solution by John McDougall, either the actual book or any videos on YouTube about it.
  - 1_player 11y ago
    > are the food you're supposed to be eating Who said? It's not very scientific, but if this supposedly "good for me" food makes me crave more, makes me bloated, tired, and crash after 3 hours and gives me stomach discomfort, is it really good for me? Oh, I went through it for years, my body probably knows best.
    - noondip 11y ago
      > Who said? Every single civilization which has eaten predominantly carbohydrates, like root vegetables and rice, for all of human history. Stomach discomfort is caused by fiber, is common if you're coming off a meat-heavy diet, does go away once you return to eating healthy.
tzs 11y ago
> Also, 5% carbs? How are you getting any nutrition in, since fruit and vegetables are almost all carbs? Vegetables are often relatively high in carbs but low in total calories, and so the contribution of their carbs to your total calories can be low even if you have a lot of vegetables in your diet. For instance, I recently had a steak and corn for dinner. The corn was 80 calories per serving, 15 g of carb, so 75% of calories from carbs. The steak was 600 calories, 3 g of carb (from the steak sauce I used, not the steak itself), with is 2% calories from carbs. I had two servings of corn with my steak, so the total meal was 760 calories, 33 g carbs, which is 17% calories from carbs. If I had not chosen corn I probably would have chosen a can of green beans (70 calories, 7 g of carbs, which is 40% calories from carbs) which would have made the total meal 6% calories from carbs. Heck, double the green beans...two full 14.5 oz cans (almost a kilogram of green beans!), and the total for the meal would only rise to 9% calories from carbs. Or consider salads. I use a pre-made salad mix [1] (I'm lazy). One bowl of this is 20 calories, 3 g carbs. That's 60% of calories from carbs. I use a dressing on this that is 240 calories, 4 g of carbs, so 7% calories from carbs. The salad mix combined with the dressing gives me 26 calories, 7 g carbs, so 11% calories from carbs. Recently I add some chopped up ham to this that added 200 calories, 0 g carbs, making the total salad 6% calories from carbs. [1] http://www.freshexpress.com/product/refreshing-mixes/iceberg-garden.aspx http://www.freshexpress.com/product/refreshing-mixes/iceberg... and yes, the nutrition values I gave above do not match what they give on the site. I'm going by what is printed on the actual package rather than the web site, although it is a little disturbing that they are different.

tejohnso 11y ago

"My advice: eat when you are hungry, eat real food, forget about macros." This is always my go-to response when people ask me about my diet. If you simply eat only when hungry, and only eat real food, you're going to be in decent shape on average. There is a lot of detail and difficulty hiding behind those two simple requirements though. For example, eating only when hungry implies that we stop eating when we are no longer hungry. Avoiding binge sessions is sometimes very challenging. And accepting a simple definition of "real food" can be surprisingly challenging. Things that don't make the cut: Frozen pizzas, almost all fast food, even orange juice.

basch 11y ago

health is more than weight. nutirient density is somewhat important. "forget about macros" - > be conscious of the starch and sugars you intake. if you have the choice between potatoes and nuts, eat nuts. choose green before white. getting all your calories a day from starch isnt ideal.

1_player 11y ago
The consensus in bodybuilding is to eat your daily requirement of proteins, enough fats (fats are NECESSARY for hormones. Also, no cholesterol == no testosterone), and everything else is up to you. While I would tend to agree with you, apparently there's many people that thrive on starchy food (potatoes, rice). There's some unknown mechanism at work here, most probably it's the gut flora diversity.
- noondip 11y ago
  > no cholesterol == no testosterone Complete nonsense. Cholesterol = animal products, which contain estrogen, which lower testosterone. You don't need cholesterol in a healthy diet, in fact it's completely antithetical to healthy eating.
  - 1_player 11y ago
    > Like other steroid hormones [i.e. estradiol/estrogens/progesterone], testosterone is derived from cholesterol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone#Biosynthesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testosterone#Biosynthesis
    - noondip 11y ago
      That's talking about the cholesterol made in your liver - the only cholesterol you need.
noondip 11y ago
What's wrong with potatoes? Why is getting calories from starch not ideal? Please link to peer reviewed research which supports these hypotheses.