Increasing Fat Intake And Better Sleep

[andrei]

Hey guys! I want to share a recent experience of mine.

I've been losing fat following Peat principles. My approach was high sugar and very low fat (around 25 grams per day) for 3 months or so.

At one point however, the very low fat caused me trouble. My sleep started to worsen. I got pretty lean at this point, around 12 % bf, but going lower fat hurt.

So I did the opposite. I increased the fat intake for the past few day. Went gradually to 35 grams of fat, 40 grams, 50 grams. In this order, while controlling for the other nutrients, my sleep improved from 8/10 to 9.5/10. I sleep deeply, almost great. I just sleep around 5 hours, and wake up naturally. I feel that one extra hour would be better. Maybe it's a temporary adjustment.

I raised my fat intake via whole milk and cheese. My message is that the macro ratios vary from time to time. And tracking these things help. So if you are in a position where things don't work, don't get discouraged. Keep track and look for trends.

My step now is to raise fat a bit higher. Now it is at around 18% of total calorie. I would like to see what happens at 20-25 % of total calories. Will update. Stay well guys :)

 

[DaveFoster]

I just sleep around 5 hours, and wake up naturally. I feel that one extra hour would be better.

I'd certainly say so.

 

[andrei]

@DaveFoster Hey Dave :) What's your experience with fat intake? Have you played with it?

 

[DaveFoster]

@DaveFoster Hey Dave :) What's your experience with fat intake? Have you played with it?

Yeah; low fat is generally not good. "Low" implies lower than the mean, and the mean is often correct.

I'm eating very low fat at the moment (10 g), and it may be contributing to some depressive moods. The 60 gram amount is sufficient, but some do better with more.

 

[andrei]

@DaveFoster Thank you! I realized that thinking in % ratios is probably better. Otherwise 10 grams of fat relative to 2300 calories or 3300 calories is different.

I feel like 50 grams is a lot. But in my case, it is around 18% of total cals. Not that much relatively.

 

[DaveFoster]

@DaveFoster Thank you! I realized that thinking in % ratios is probably better. Otherwise 10 grams of fat relative to 2300 calories or 3300 calories is different.

I feel like 50 grams is a lot. But in my case, it is around 18% of total cals. Not that much relatively.

I've been curious about this topic as well. Peat has said 50% of calories seems evolutionary, and there's some studies linking lower fat intakes to dementia. Adequate selenium and magnesium probably supports a higher carb intake.