Getting fats in to a low carb diet

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Hi all, I've been reading through your threads looking for tips on this but thought I'd just ask instead! I'm not a bootcamper, I have been doing BSD (for longer than I can remember), but after losing 3 stone I've now been in maintenance for a year. My carbs are gradually creeping up; I am a runner and over that time my training has increased dramatically too so I have successfully maintained to within 2-3lbs for that time.

However, I'm still 7lbs above my ideal target weight, and it will not go. I'm planning on having a final blast of low carb, but unlike BSD I've been reading about ketosis (especially after reading articles from runners about ketosis for endurance running) and appreciate that to achieve it I need to further reduce carbs to around 20g per day? I currently get around 50-80g a day.

The carbs I can do, in theory, but my concern is the fats. I am currently dairy free (only 5 weeks in but I'm really not missing it and it's improved my general feeling of wellness no end) Using a keto tracking app, I just cannot see how I can get enough fat in without basically eating oil. I've included avocado, eggs, oily fish etc and oil on salad, but how can I increase it to their suggested level without cheese and cream? Am I missing a trick? This app has said I need to eat 150+ grams of fat a day!

Thanks in advance

How about nuts and seeds? Tahini mixed with either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice is nice on salad.

Today, thanks for replying. I thought nuts were too high carb though? Maybe I should add in a small amount.

Are you cooking your meat in oil? And having nice fatty cuts (and making sure to eat the fat)? If you're dairy free, have you tried almond butter to melt into your veg?

Broccoli roasted in olive oil & garlic and then tossed with a generous amount of Parmesan and a squoosh of lemon juice is nice.

I believe that walnuts and almonds are good for protein and fat, and aren't too high in carbs. Macadamia nuts are the lowest in carbs.

I've not tried any nut butter except peanut, and I had sort of banned it from my house after one too many 'incidents' with rather large quantities of it!! I like the sound of the almond butter though, I might try that.

Will this method be effective if I don't get enough fat? I am looking at my day's food plan and really cannot see how I could achieve another 60-80g fat without also increasing carbs and protein, except if I eat pure fat?!

Hellmann's Mayo is dairy free. Put it on everything

Scrambled eggs made with Hellmann's are lush. (A large tablespoon of mayo for two eggs.)

That's a good tip, thank you. I do love mayo!

You're posting in the Low-carb Boot Camp thread - which is HFLC

The mantra here is that you need the fat if you want it to work. Often when people find that they're stalling, when they post what they've been having, it's that they've not being having enough fat

It apparently works along the lines of if you're having plenty of fat, then your body decides that it doesn't need to store the fat that you're eating and will (as someone put it beautifully) "dine in" instead

Plus loads of water.

Pretty yes. I have done a higher fat/low (ish) carb Mediterranean diet for 3 years and it's been generally successful, it's the ketosis element that seems to require loads of fat- way more than I am seemingly able to draw into my diet especially as I don't eat one of the main fat sources (eg cream and butter which seem to be the favourites, or cheese or Greek yogurt). This is my tracker for today; the calorie counts seem way higher than I need actually, but even with my 3 meals, all of which include some healthy fats (eggs, avocado, oil, mayo, fish, olives), plus some probably unhealthy fat (bacon) it's still saying I need 120g more fat. Aside from anything, that's over 900 calories worth of pure fat! How, aside from literally drinking oil, is that possible?? If I'm not hungry after eating and lasting til my next meal, is that fat requirement even necessary?

Perhaps it is the app I've chosen? Have I picked a duffer? I actually thought I'd go for a paid app because it might be better but maybe it's just worked it out wrong!

Firstly, I'd say to ignore the calories as all calories are not equal

Secondly, I'd wonder if the app was American as it talks about "net carbs", which is not the way that we normally calculate them

Thirdly, and most importantly, I'd say that if you have sufficient energy and are not hungry on what you're eating at the moment, then stop. angsting

You might get better/more advice if you post in the current Boot Camp thread, as that is where most of us HFLCers are at the moment

I did wonder if it was American because of the net carbs but all the foods are English brands and shops.
I do try to ignore the calories but I also do need to be a bit mindful because if I set out to do a 25km run I need fuel! So I suppose I'm trying to get the right type of calories. It's testament to just how much I can eat that I can run that far and still not be able to shift this half a stone! I suppose I am angsting a little because I've done BSD for such a long time, and yet the switch down to 20g carbs seems quite dramatic - I never expected the switch up to get the fat in would be so difficult as well. I've got some ketosticks on order so I suppose it's just a case of try it and see. I've never actively attempted to get into ketosis before so it's all a bit unknown.

Thanks for your advice, I may check out the bootcamp thread

Hey @thenewaveragebear1983 - sorry I've only just seen this!

This stood out for me:

... if I set out to do a 25km run I need fuel!

You will have plenty of fuel from your own fat reserves. Even elite athletes have enough. But to do this, you have to have switched your body into fat-burning away from carb-burning, hence the need to lower your carbs significantly.

Upping the fat - are you eating fattier cuts of meat/fish? So, if you're using mince, go for the 15 or 20% fat option. Cook with chicken thighs rather than breasts, and eat the skin (lovely if it's nice and crispy!). Cook with plenty of butter and add it to your veg as well. And as PP have said, use mayo as your condiment (although be careful to check the carbs as they do vary by brand).

A handful of nuts would be a good idea - perhaps try adding some nuts/seeds to full fat Greek yoghurt? I know you said you're dairy-free, but sometimes yoghurt can be more palatable than milk/cream.

Finally - don't get too fixated on the number on the scales. What does your body look like? How do your clothes fit? Do you actually need to lose more weight?

Tahini, full fat yoghurt or creme fraiche, and a splash of lemon juice as a dressing for veg/oily fish/meat ups the fat content of a meal. Make lots, can be frozen easily in large ice cub trays.

Also fit a spout to the olive oil bottle and keep it with the salt & pepper for the table.

Would coconut milk work? It tastes good and has an incredible amount of fat!

Coconut milk, but also coconut cream and there are some great dairy free natural yogurt alternatives, many of them are high in sugar but not all of them by any stretch.

If you fill some celery boats with almond butter that makes a fabulous high fat/low carb snack. Also if you mix avocado and mayo that make a fabulous dip. One of my favourite snacks is hard boiled eggs dunked into mustard mayonnaise, you said you don't eat dairy but do you eat eggs?

One way to increase the fat content with eggs is to add extra yolks, like the opposite of the low fat diets with egg white omelettes! Eggs make a good alternative to cheese on things as well. They have the same gooey texture and lots of high fat sauces are actually egg based not dairy like Bearnaise sauce.

If you eat tuna or sardines, you can get ones tinned in oil. Fish is lovely baked in the oven with a drizzle of oil, I love mine on top of some asparagus spears and a few cherry tomatoes.

I couldn't stick with Keto personally in the past because I found it too restrictive. I am planning to do the fast 800 and have started reducing carbs, but reducing carbs is very different to almost eliminating them. I hope you can find what works best for you, and that you get the weight loss you are hoping for.