Hi... I have a question regarding fat!!

Basically I have been on induction for 3 weeks.. I have been following religiously apart from a few slip ups. I have not lost any weight to mention but that is most likely due to my slip ups (see my previous post's very useful replies from low carbers!).

So... I decided that I needed to find some atkins sweet treats to stop myself eating chocolate/cakes. I spent 5 days eating atkins induction style but no sweet treats.. My total calories were 1500-1800 per day. I was testing my urine with ketostix and never got anything more than trace ketones. But then yesterday I had a real sweet craving so I mixed loads (and I means LOADS!!) of butter, cream cheese, cream, splenda and indulged! My total calories were more like 2800. I felt like I was cheating but then I tested my urine again a few hours later and it went dark purple!!!!

I assume this was because I ate loads of fat (I normally aim for >60% of calories from fat but this time it was more like 80%). My question is..

Was the ketosis I experienced last night just my body breaking down the fat I had eaten or was it weight loss ketosis?! My carbs haven't been over 22g per day?

Without knowing more about what you are eating, and also knowing your fat% & water% over the last couple of weeks, we wouldnt be able to say for sure. For instance, the scale has not moved for me last week, but my water % is up 4% (which to a 220 person is an excess of 8 pounds) and my fat % has gone down 2% (which is 4 pounds) so realistically I have lost at least 4 pounds of fat, and am carrying around an extra 8 or so (due to its my time of the month)

However, if you have a lot to lose, or are metabolically resistant.. eating a lot of fat is sometimes what you have to do to kickstart ketosis. In fact, in the book, it has whats called a "Fat Fast" that contains an extraordinary amount of fat (think eggs, butter, cream, ect) but is necessary for people who have a resistant metabolism. If I were you I would read up on that section... especially if its what's working!

Thanks for your reply, fellow fairy!

I am drinking 2.5L water at least every day.. My average diet is:

2 eggs, 2 bacon (fried in butter)
Chicken/tuna salad with olive oil
Snack of cheese/pork rinds
Meat and broccoli/cauliflower/spinach with butter.

I don't touch aspartame and I get 12-15 carbs from veg. I track on fitday.

My binge consisted of 250g cream cheese, 3 tbsp splenda (oops!), 100g butter, 200g cream..

Surely eating that is not helping?!! I'm getting so frustrated (last night I was in ytears!). I am getting married in 8 weeks and I went on atkins to lose weight and I've not budged on the scale. I am so upset because now I am not going to be on target and feel good on my wedding!!!! :'(

I understand the frustration. BUT, if you want to lose, you do have to follow the plan. I only get ketones with the "fat fast" as well. I lose weight, but slowly. I don't know your individual situation, but I worry about anyone "crash" dieting, trying to lose a lot of weight very quickly. Atkins can help you lose weight, and for some people, they lose a lot quickly. But to keep it off you need to learn the plan and follow it for a long time, and reintroduce carbs carefully.
We can't complain about diets not working if we don't stick to them. If you can't stick to the plan, it may not be right for you.
For me, I had to back into the low carb. I couldn't do it cold turkey, and had to decrease my carbs a bit at a time, then was able to stick to it much better.
good luck

Your diet is right on par with what you should be eating. Keep eating the cream, cream cheese, ect... that is right on par with the fat fast and it sounds like its what is working for you. Sometimes the body just has a hard time giving up the fat without knowing its going to get more. I know its the antithesis of what everyone has been saying your whole life.. but it gave results for you...

Also, fatmad is right. If you suddenly go back to eating the way you were after the wedding... man you can add the pounds right back on plus more. TRUST ME. After losing like 60-80 pounds over a year and a half.. and maintaining it for 2.5 years after.. I went back to eating things I wasnt supposed to during Baby #2... and it was the WORST thing I couldve ever done. Been kicking myself ever since. So just know that you have to do it right and slowly add things back in eventually... or it will be bad. And realistically, most of us will never be able to eat whatever we want without gaining.. EVER. Just some people's bodies are made to turn those carbs directly into pounds.

I have reading and researching like crazy because I'm kind of obsessed with how low carb works. I tripped across a fairly recent British news show that somebody had captured on YouTube. In their investigation of low carb eating, they presented studies pointing towards protein as the key component that leads to weight loss. According to the study, it is high levels of protein that satiate hunger and eliminate the urge to overeat (= fewer calories consumed).

Fat may satisfy "mouth feel" and flavor cravings, but apparently does little compared to protein when it comes to aiding our self control and hunger satisfaction. I certainly haven't omitted fat from my diet but since discovering this information, I keep a casual eye on it and aim to reduce fat where I comfortably can. And I think the Ketosis sticks only tell you that your body is burning fat for fuel. They can't tell the difference between body fat and dietary fat. Don't freak out over the Ketosis sticks - some people never register positive but lose weight at the same rate as those who regularly produce purple dip sticks.

Try to abstain from anything sweet for 10 days - no artificial sweeteners. My experience has been that through avoidance that I've lost almost all my urge for anything sweet.

Keep plugging along. Low carb works. Sticking with it is 99% of the battle. But it does get easier and will begin to feel completely natural.

My reading/research about diet composition, insulin and fat cells led me to post this on my blog:

"Theoretically one could just eat fat and eat little to no carbs, but eventually their body would stop drawing from fat reserves and use just what is provided in their diet. So calories do count when trying to lose weight – it is the quality of calories that count for mobilizing fat and maintaining fat loss."

So, I believe the mix of foods is important for your body to keep dumping it's fat stores. Plus, if you are having sweet cravings, feeding your brain with artificial sweet will not stop the cravings.

Thank you everyone!

I agree about not sticking to it and the diet being a way of life... Eating one cake sets me back a week so I dread to think what eating a week's worth of high carbs would do. I admit I went on induction to lose weight fast (which didn't work because I didn't 100% do it!!). BUT I feel so much better low carbing - no bloating, I'm not constantly hungry, my skin is clear. One cake and I go right back to bloating, blood sugar drops and I'm covered in big spots.. Weird because we're told that its FAT that causes these things.. No, its sugar!! I now think sugar is the source of all evil!! So, the upshot is that I am sticking to this post wedding too, in fact for life.

Thank you all for the advice. From now on I pledge to:

1. Stick to induction without compromise
2. Eat LOTS of fat
3. Keep my veggies at 12-15g net carbs
4. Keep my calories at 1500 - 1800 per day.
5. Not worry too much about ketostix
6. Exercise regularly (I do 1 and half hour a day)
7. Move through the phases and use this as my way of life!!

Oh and avoid sweet things for 10 days!

Being in ketosis simply means you are burning fat for fuel. That can be fat from what you are eating or stored fat from your body. Don't be afraid to eat fat. The body does prefer that over carbs, but IMHO, keeping track of ketosis can be misleading. Also, you have already been on Induction for 3 weeks with slip ups. Maybe you just need to do a clean Induction for 2 weeks eating plenty of legal foods you enjoy, & then move up the carb ladder as the diet is written. Some people lose better after moving to OWL. Don't be afraid to experiment & see what works for you.

I know for myself, that it's totally, the fat that causes satiety, not the protein. What can make it hard to tell is that most of our protein sources are also great sources of fat... But what leads me to my conclusion is the lowest fat protein I eat: white tuna. Tuna seems to do nothing for my hunger no matter how much I eat, unless there's a bunch of hellmanns on it.

Plus on the fat fast I had NO appetite.

Protein though is certainly more satiating then carbs ) I wonder if it's bc fat is neutral but protein still increases insulin and can convert to glucose? For fat to convert to glucose you make ketones which also suppress the appetite..

Barnard's on YouTube too and he's a freak!