Low-Fat Diet, Hypocaloric Diet, Weight Loss, Metabolism

[thebigpeatowski]

tara and thebigpeatowski, it's so nice of you to show such interest and concern. I really should not have hijacked the thread with my pity party though. Maybe it would be better if it is moved to the testimonial section or something.

No worries, maybe Charlie can move it iffin you want to start your own thread...Good ol' Charlie

You can experiment with your protein intake to see what makes you feel best, but try to get at least 80 grams per day...and not from a bunch of muscle meat.

 

[Dean]

That's right, Good ol' Charlie. He's about the only familiar face from when I was around before. If he wants to set me up with a testimonial thread, I'd be fine with spilling the beans and getting the imput from anyone willing.

Yeah, I know the drill on the muscle meat. This is my third try at peating. Maybe 3000 calories, ultra low fat, no starch... is the charm.

 

[tara]

do you, or anyone, know if there could be a problem with eating too much protein while doing the low fat, high carb weight loss/liver healing way we've been talking about on the board? Does protein turn to fat at some point? or is it safe to eat in large amounts as long as it's balanced by carbs.

I think there can sometimes be issues for some people if they eat too much protein (or break down too much of their own protein under stress conditions) because it takes a bit of work to deal with the break down products and eliminate the waste. I have a hunch that it can sometimes result in high ammonia levels, and maybe other things, and that both the liver and kidneys can get a bit overwhelmed if the system is not strong. But I think where the limit is probably varies quite a bit from person to person. I wonder if this is why Peat suggests 80-100g of protein for hypothyroid folk, or if here are other reasons as well or instead.
Some of the amino acids can be problematic in excess, and hard to keep low on a higher protein diet.
And if the protein's not coming from drinking mik, it can be hard to balance the phosphorus with enough calcium.

80g still counts as fairly high protein compared with standard public health advice I've been hearing. Eg. IIRC, I recently heard a recommendation to limit to a maximum of 0.8g protein per kilo of bodyweight.

 

[Amazoniac]

I think the proportion of saturation of fats also matter, because even if you are eating very low fat, it's possible to consume more unsaturated fats than desired, and so most of the fat that is going to be available - because the organism prefers to utilize what is available than to transform too much - and used will be unsaturated.
It seems obvious but just by decreasing your general fat intake won't guarantee that you are consuming unsaturated fats in the safe range.

 

[Peata]

I've been eating between 3-10 grams of fat for the past 4 months now. I only ate between 30-40 grams maybe 5 times, and I ate around 100 grams on Christmas Day.

I enjoy eating this low fat, and I seem to maintain my body weight no matter how much I eat. I eat between 3000-3700 on average, and eat over 4000 calories once every 10 days or so. I am always 145-147 pounds no matter what. I feel I can lose fat easily if I drop it below 3000 calories for an extended period of time.

I have no idea if my pufa is depleted or not, but I feel pretty good doing this. I eat a ton of protein (about 200 grams each day on average), and I eat a good amount of starch also.

Thanks for the update. So you don't have any health issues now? Did you have some to address before you started RP foods?

 

[Peata]

Thanks BP, Tara, others.

I may lower my protein intake some from the 120 min. I've been doing. To around 100.

 

[Zachs]

My update is similar to TBPs. I rapidly lost fat while gaining a huge metabolic boost. Even after I brought saturated fat back up I Continued to lose fat and I'm now the leanest iv ever been and the lightest weight since I was 16, I'm 31 and 165, down from 200. I'm I'm single digit bf % for sure and see no signs of metabolic damage from being so low, on the contrary, even in this cold minnesota weather I feel warm.

To the poster above, absolutely do not try a vlf and vlc diet together, you will absolutely wreck what's left of your metabolism. I would say that for a woman, 2500 call is minimum, man at least 3k. But you do not lose fat the same way on this diet so there really is no upperlimit, I could see people losing fat on 4-6k. To get extra calories, focus on ff dairy, fruit and fruit juice and added sugars.

 

[Peata]

My update is similar to TBPs. I rapidly lost fat while gaining a huge metabolic boost. Even after I brought saturated fat back up I Continued to lose fat and I'm now the leanest iv ever been and the lightest weight since I was 16, I'm 31 and 165, down from 200. I'm I'm single digit bf % for sure and see no signs of metabolic damage from being so low, on the contrary, even in this cold minnesota weather I feel warm.

To the poster above, absolutely do not try a vlf and vlc diet together, you will absolutely wreck what's left of your metabolism. I would say that for a woman, 2500 call is minimum, man at least 3k. But you do not lose fat the same way on this diet so there really is no upperlimit, I could see people losing fat on 4-6k. To get extra calories, focus on ff dairy, fruit and fruit juice and added sugars.

Thank you for giving your update. That's great.

If you're referring to me, I am definitely not doing low carb. I was just thinking how people say calorie is a calorie, but that never seemed true on vlc, when I would eat 900 calories and not lose a pound.

Anyway, can you give more examples of what you ate when you lost all that fat?

Also, if I read right, TBP still had to watch calories to lose in the weight loss part of it. Did you also watch calories then?

 

[Peata]

I thought of a question. Are you still tracking your calories during your "maintenance" after the weight loss? Do you still have to keep it below a certain amount to prevent gain?

 

[dd99]

Zachs, what foods did you eat? Did you drink a lot of your milkshakes?

 

[thebigpeatowski]

I thought of a question. Are you still tracking your calories during your "maintenance" after the weight loss? Do you still have to keep it below a certain amount to prevent gain?

I stopped tracking when I quit the experiment back in September. I gotta be honest tho, I obsessively micro-managed the entire thing for months on end, when I finished I never wanted to see Cron-O, cucumbers or Fage 0% fat yogurt again. I didn't make it to my goal of 125, I just couldn't take it any more, so I said good enough and quit for the Fall/Winter. Now that it's been six months I am considering doing it again...*she says wincing*

Ugh, it was REALLY tedious. I'm sure others could have an easier time of it, but I was in 'UNCHARTED TERRITORY", so to speak. I had never tried losing weight with this method and there was no protocol to follow. I set the basics and had to tweak it as I went along. Younger people and men prolly have an easier time, I dunno.

Balancing dense nutrition while cutting calories, yet keeping metabolism up is not unlike walking a tight-rope.

EDITED cuz I HAD to add this....https://youtu.be/GX5ioDq1m5I

 

[sweetpeat]

Ugh, it was REALLY tedious. I'm sure others could have an easier time of it, but I was in 'UNCHARTED TERRITORY", so to speak. I had never tried losing weight with this method and there was no protocol to follow. I set the basics and had to tweak it as I went along. Younger people and men prolly have an easier time, I dunno.

Balancing dense nutrition while cutting calories, yet keeping metabolism up is not unlike walking a tight-rope.[

This is what makes me hesitate to try this. I just am not mentally prepared to go back to keeping calories in check like that, now that I've gotten away from it. And with the possibility of undoing all the work I've done to repair my metabolism. I think I can handle the low fat aspect, but not the low calorie part. Zachs approach sounds more doable (for me), cutting fat but keeping calories at a healthier level. However, I'm female and about 20 years older than him, so I'm not likely to get the same results.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

This is what makes me hesitate to try this. I just am not mentally prepared to go back to keeping calories in check like that, now that I've gotten away from it. And with the possibility of undoing all the work I've done to repair my metabolism. I think I can handle the low fat aspect, but not the low calorie part. Zachs approach sounds more doable (for me), cutting fat but keeping calories at a healthier level. However, I'm female and about 20 years older than him, so I'm not likely to get the same results.

I hear ya....as soon as I typed those words I went to get another cup of coffee and decided NO WAY, I can't do it again. It's grueling for sure, especially for an old gal like me. I had no choice tho, I had some serious health issues that absolutely required it, so that was my motivating factor. I'll talk more about that in another thread....someday.

All I can say is if you aren't super motivated, don't even try it.

 

[Peata]

I thought of a question. Are you still tracking your calories during your "maintenance" after the weight loss? Do you still have to keep it below a certain amount to prevent gain?

I stopped tracking when I quit the experiment back in September. I gotta be honest tho, I obsessively micro-managed the entire thing for months on end, when I finished I never wanted to see Cron-O, cucumbers or Fage 0% fat yogurt again. I didn't make it to my goal of 125, I just couldn't take it any more, so I said good enough and quit for the Fall/Winter. Now that it's been six months I am considering doing it again...*she says wincing*

Ugh, it was REALLY tedious. I'm sure others could have an easier time of it, but I was in 'UNCHARTED TERRITORY", so to speak. I had never tried losing weight with this method and there was no protocol to follow. I set the basics and had to tweak it as I went along. Younger people and men prolly have an easier time, I dunno.

Balancing dense nutrition while cutting calories, yet keeping metabolism up is not unlike walking a tight-rope.

EDITED cuz I HAD to add this....https://youtu.be/GX5ioDq1m5I

yeah, it is like walking a tight rope. I'm watching starch, grains, fat, and calories. And monitoring temps and pulse. I'm also not taking thyroid.

I wonder if you were to do some resistant exercise with weights or your body weight, the increased muscle would help you lose those last pounds without going back on the diet.

 

[Peata]

Ugh, it was REALLY tedious. I'm sure others could have an easier time of it, but I was in 'UNCHARTED TERRITORY", so to speak. I had never tried losing weight with this method and there was no protocol to follow. I set the basics and had to tweak it as I went along. Younger people and men prolly have an easier time, I dunno.

Balancing dense nutrition while cutting calories, yet keeping metabolism up is not unlike walking a tight-rope.[

This is what makes me hesitate to try this. I just am not mentally prepared to go back to keeping calories in check like that, now that I've gotten away from it. And with the possibility of undoing all the work I've done to repair my metabolism. I think I can handle the low fat aspect, but not the low calorie part. Zachs approach sounds more doable (for me), cutting fat but keeping calories at a healthier level. However, I'm female and about 20 years older than him, so I'm not likely to get the same results.

I get you.

 

[thebigpeatowski]

yeah, it is like walking a tight rope. I'm watching starch, grains, fat, and calories. And monitoring temps and pulse. I'm also not taking thyroid.

I wonder if you were to do some resistant exercise with weights or your body weight, the increased muscle would help you lose those last pounds without going back on the diet.

Yep, I already decided...NOT gonna do it again, it's not worth it for ten pounds. But it was TOTALLY worth it to lose the 38 pounds for sure. My metabolism is waaaay better now.

So I came with Plan B!!! Plan B stands for Bouncing Bellicon....I'm gonna bounce and dance my last ten pounds away while listening to all of my favorite music on a Bellicon rebounder....it'll be FUN and I'm not gonna do the hardcore long cardio workouts. I'll let you know how it goes.

https://youtu.be/iTZYNeUY3JE

 

[Peata]

yeah, it is like walking a tight rope. I'm watching starch, grains, fat, and calories. And monitoring temps and pulse. I'm also not taking thyroid.

I wonder if you were to do some resistant exercise with weights or your body weight, the increased muscle would help you lose those last pounds without going back on the diet.

Yep, I already decided...NOT gonna do it again, it's not worth it for ten pounds. But it was TOTALLY worth it to lose the 38 pounds for sure. My metabolism is waaaay better now.

So I came with Plan B!!! Plan B stands for Bouncing Bellicon....I'm gonna bounce and dance my last ten pounds away while listening to all of my favorite music on a Bellicon rebounder....it'll be FUN and I'm not gonna do the hardcore long cardio workouts. I'll let you know how it goes.

https://youtu.be/iTZYNeUY3JE

Awesome. I was gonna mention a rebounder. I got mine out of storage this week after 3 years of not using it, and I love it. It's just a cheapo model, but it does the trick for now.

 

[Zachs]

My update is similar to TBPs. I rapidly lost fat while gaining a huge metabolic boost. Even after I brought saturated fat back up I Continued to lose fat and I'm now the leanest iv ever been and the lightest weight since I was 16, I'm 31 and 165, down from 200. I'm I'm single digit bf % for sure and see no signs of metabolic damage from being so low, on the contrary, even in this cold minnesota weather I feel warm.

To the poster above, absolutely do not try a vlf and vlc diet together, you will absolutely wreck what's left of your metabolism. I would say that for a woman, 2500 call is minimum, man at least 3k. But you do not lose fat the same way on this diet so there really is no upperlimit, I could see people losing fat on 4-6k. To get extra calories, focus on ff dairy, fruit and fruit juice and added sugars.

Thank you for giving your update. That's great.

If you're referring to me, I am definitely not doing low carb. I was just thinking how people say calorie is a calorie, but that never seemed true on vlc, when I would eat 900 calories and not lose a pound.

Anyway, can you give more examples of what you ate when you lost all that fat?

Also, if I read right, TBP still had to watch calories to lose in the weight loss part of it. Did you also watch calories then?

I meant very low calories when I wrote vlc, sorry for the confusion. I also did not lose fat on a low cal, low carb diet, I actually gained fat to an all time high of 220 while only eating around 1600 cals. So no, calories are defensively not just calories.

No I did not track calories except to make sure I was eating enough and getting enough protein. My diet was extremely high carb, usually 500-1000g a day, low to moderate protein at 60-150 a day and almost zero fay for quite awhile. Carbs are protein sparing so you certainly don't need a ton while eating so many carbs. Btw, you use fat differently to lose it via this way vs a low carb Or low calorie way. On the latter two you lose fat because your body is using it for energy, this is inefficient and disastrous to health and metabolism. Eating a very high carb, vlf diet you use you body fat stores in normal processes involving fat, either fueling the body for low intensity exercises, fueling parts of the body that prefer fat, during sleep, etc. So in this way you are not liberating huge amounts of toxic pufa and other toxins into the body but slowly using up your reserves. It's the only safe way to lose bodyfat, imo.

At ate mainly dairy, ff milk, yogart, kefir, lots of fruits and orange juice and other juices, lots of bananas, a good amount t of starches from sweet potatoes, yams, pumpkin, squasha and plantains. I used maple syrup and honey liberally and occasionally had eggs and oysters. no meat was consumed and once in awhile I'd eat rice, wheat and corn foods.

 

[sweetpeat]

@Zachs - How long did you eat this way? Did you do it for the 30 days as per the title of this thread, or a different time frame? I guess I'm wondering how you knew when you were done and could raise fat back up. Also, what is your diet like now, in comparison? Thanks for letting us pick your brain! :)

 

[RPDiciple]

Im starting tomorrow as well for 3-5 weeks. Im gonna start out lower carb as well so mainly just skimmed milk, low fat cottage cheese and some fruit. So bye bye PUFA and fat in general and hello/welcome summer ripped body ^^