Struggling to get fat intake down

[KRB8]

Need advice! I’m pregnant and trying not to gain so much weight this time. Last pregnancy was too much! Over 40lbs and I have a small frame. I’ve been Peating for almost a year and I simply cannot get full without fat. My intake is pretty consistently high carb, mod protein and mod fat. Like today Cronometer said my protein was around 148 g, fat 117g, and carbs from mostly sugar/milk/fruit 253g. Total calories 2695. I’m 5’4” and at 17 weeks pregnant I’m 140. Im moderately active, simply chasing my small kids around!

Breakfast is usually a creamsicle, coffee and sugar, two eggs and bacon. Lunch is a toss up and I struggle if there isn’t leftovers. Maybe cheese and coconut oil fried plantains and some pickles, or a masa tortilla with cheese, sometimes I break down and have sourdough with lunch meat. I really want to eliminate starches! I can’t seem to get full after breakfast and struggle badly with lunches. I loooove cheddar cheese, the purer aged varieties but super high fat. If I haven’t had enough nutrition and opt for coffee in milk I tend to get an afternoon headache until a good dinner is had. Tonight’s dinner was white fish, roasted buttternut squash and a tiny amount of white rice. Dessert was Häagen-Dazs!!! I almost always consume over a quart of milk a day. Any advice for decreasing fat appreciated. I hate skimming my raw milk but maybe I should just get used to it?

Thanks!

 

[76er]

For starters, you got to ditch the Haagen Daz and skim the milk (leave some to get it at say, 1.5% fat milk). You can make treats for the kids (e.g. popsicles) with the cream.

Try low-fat cheddar. I just purchased some of Cabot's (USA) half-fat cheddar and it is solid. Part-skim mozzarella sticks are also solid.

The big killer is Haagen Daz. To help wean you off it try ricotta cheese with different mixins such as chocolate, blueberry jam, maple syrup, etc.
It is basically like having a crustless cheese cake.
The ricotta I get is whole milk but it is macros are 7g of protein and 6g of fat per serving.
Also check out @Rinse & rePeat Haagen Daz replacement thread.

You can still enjoy your fats. If I consistently stay under 30% total fat (Ideally 25%) from calories I'll lose weight.

 

[supercoolguy]

I can attest, Haaggen Daz is a mid-section Destroyer. Ive been shovinling that stuff for 10yrs and its caught-up with my fast metabolic rate.

Didnt think that was possible but im paying for that assumption.

They have this now, might help, still requires portion control id imagine.
HEAVEN Light Ice Cream | Häagen-Dazs®

 

[LadyRae]

Need advice! I’m pregnant and trying not to gain so much weight this time. Last pregnancy was too much! Over 40lbs and I have a small frame. I’ve been Peating for almost a year and I simply cannot get full without fat. My intake is pretty consistently high carb, mod protein and mod fat. Like today Cronometer said my protein was around 148 g, fat 117g, and carbs from mostly sugar/milk/fruit 253g. Total calories 2695. I’m 5’4” and at 17 weeks pregnant I’m 140. Im moderately active, simply chasing my small kids around!

Breakfast is usually a creamsicle, coffee and sugar, two eggs and bacon. Lunch is a toss up and I struggle if there isn’t leftovers. Maybe cheese and coconut oil fried plantains and some pickles, or a masa tortilla with cheese, sometimes I break down and have sourdough with lunch meat. I really want to eliminate starches! I can’t seem to get full after breakfast and struggle badly with lunches. I loooove cheddar cheese, the purer aged varieties but super high fat. If I haven’t had enough nutrition and opt for coffee in milk I tend to get an afternoon headache until a good dinner is had. Tonight’s dinner was white fish, roasted buttternut squash and a tiny amount of white rice. Dessert was Häagen-Dazs!!! I almost always consume over a quart of milk a day. Any advice for decreasing fat appreciated. I hate skimming my raw milk but maybe I should just get used to it?

Thanks!

Hi there! I have 4 kids, 43 years old, 5'10", 130 lbs. My advice, in addition to dropping the ice cream like the previous 2 replies mention, is to replace the morning bacon with some oysters or scallops.
Try watermelon for a sweet dessert. Or I like the "Scandalous" brand light ice cream...

Incorporate a walk in the afternoons, maybe to a park with your other littles. Get on a swing, move around, throw a ball, etc.

 

[KRB8]

Ok, you all mention the ice cream. I’ll tap that down and plan to enjoy at thanksgiving and Christmas, LOL.

BUT- what about starch and my next favorite thing to munch almost every day, chocolate. I prefer the semi sweet since starting to Peat.

During my morning sickness phase which lasted up until a week ago, I was much heavier than ever on starches such as potatoes, traditional sourdough spelt bread and a super high quality rice noodle in moderation (maybe one to two servings weekly of pasta). I want to nail this down. Before I got pregnant I was definitely putting on some fat deposits in my belly and eating very little starch by comparison but not watching my fat intake. I was up to two quarts of whole raw milk and lots of fruit and probably lots of ice cream too :)

input on starch appreciated. My diet BEFORE Peat was much heavier on starches, especially the ones labeled complex. I was usually around 127 postpartum and Peating I was 133 +. However, my muscles were much more defined after the change to an increased milk diet. The fat deposit around the middle was troubling to me though.

Thanks to all for the help. Really appreciate it.

 

[sweetpeat]

what about starch

You're going to find mixed opinions on starch here. Many on the forum eat starch, myself included, because it doesn't cause digestive upset and calories gotta come from somewhere. Especially if you're trying to lower fat. You don't want a low fat diet to turn into a too-low calorie diet and be depriving your little one of needed nutrition. That said, increasing carbs through fruit or juice or other sugars is great too. I really enjoy some maple syrup poured over nonfat yogurt.

Here's another hack I use to satisfy my chocolate craving: I take date rolls and roll them in cocoa powder. The taste and texture is a lot like a brownie but without the fat. Or the starch

 

[PowertothePeatple]

If you are pregnant you need to eat. I would not advise any attempt to limit fat or starches particularly if you are craving them. 140lbs is not heavy for being 17 weeks pregnant. And when you are pregnant much of the weight you gain is not fat it is fluids. Your blood and plasma volume increases by as much as 50 percent. If you are gaining too much water weight you may want to increase your salt intake. That may help with keeping water retention to a minimum. But as long as you are eating quality food you should eat to appetite and follow cravings. I suggest this website. Brewer Medical Diet for Pregnancy

 

[KRB8]

@PowertothePeatple Thank you! Yes,I follow brewer. But I’m convinced 100% in my last several pregnancies that I was over eating. I also was not Peating and had some obvious hormone issues—lots of sugar cravings, constant hunger! Those are better! But, I’m still hopeful not to overeat. You are absolutely correct about the water retention. My next question: when I feel a little water retention coming on, do I immediately put some salt in Oj and drink? I’ve been doing and it helps. @LadyRae @supercoolguy @76er For sleep: eating the ice cream is like a balm! I sleep like a baby. Any other suggestions for before sleep snack with Enough nutrition to keep me asleep and enough salt to keep my swelling down . Out of all 8 of our pregnancies, I didn’t swell with 1. I have no explanation as to why. This time the salt seems to be helping tremendously!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

For starters, you got to ditch the Haagen Daz and skim the milk (leave some to get it at say, 1.5% fat milk). You can make treats for the kids (e.g. popsicles) with the cream.

Try low-fat cheddar. I just purchased some of Cabot's (USA) half-fat cheddar and it is solid. Part-skim mozzarella sticks are also solid.

The big killer is Haagen Daz. To help wean you off it try ricotta cheese with different mixins such as chocolate, blueberry jam, maple syrup, etc.
It is basically like having a crustless cheese cake.
The ricotta I get is whole milk but it is macros are 7g of protein and 6g of fat per serving.
Also check out @Rinse & rePeat Haagen Daz replacement thread.

You can still enjoy your fats. If I consistently stay under 30% total fat (Ideally 25%) from calories I'll lose weight.

For starters, you got to ditch the Haagen Daz and skim the milk (leave some to get it at say, 1.5% fat milk). You can make treats for the kids (e.g. popsicles) with the cream.

Try low-fat cheddar. I just purchased some of Cabot's (USA) half-fat cheddar and it is solid. Part-skim mozzarella sticks are also solid.

The big killer is Haagen Daz. To help wean you off it try ricotta cheese with different mixins such as chocolate, blueberry jam, maple syrup, etc.
It is basically like having a crustless cheese cake.
The ricotta I get is whole milk but it is macros are 7g of protein and 6g of fat per serving.
Also check out @Rinse & rePeat Haagen Daz replacement thread.

You can still enjoy your fats. If I consistently stay under 30% total fat (Ideally 25%) from calories I'll lose weight.

Here is that ice cream recipe thread.

We All Scream For No Cream Ice Cream - In Minutes! (with photos)

"Blood sugar also seems to be low in migraine, so that some people find that eating a large amount of ice cream can interrupt the symptoms. This observation might be what we need to understand the role of sleep in health. We all know how hard it is to sleep when we are hungry (low blood sugar)...

raypeatforum.com

I also started a thread just to your point 76er called "More Weight Loss Talk". This RP quote was a light bulb moment for me.....

"People on a standard diet will typically burn 200 or 300 more calories per day when that amount of sugar is added to their diet; but if extra fat is added, too, some of the extra calories are likely to be deposited as fat. It's important to watch the signs of changing heat production as the diet changes." -Ray Peat

So many people gain weight on Ray Peat's food recommendations adding in sugar and gain weight, when he says adding sugar ON TOP OF excess fat will have you using the sugar for fuel and storing the extra fat. Since lowering my fats and upping my sugar via honey, about 250 calories worth, and REALLY UPPING my skimmed milk uptake, i have lost my extra fat this past five weeks, a whole size worth! I am posting the foods and my strategies for getting me there. I am gonna post my before and after pic this week.

MORE WEIGHT LOSS TALK

“STARCH and GLUCOSE efficiently stimulate insulin secretion, and that accelerates the disposition of glucose, activating its conversion to glycogen and fat, as well as its oxidation. Fructose inhibits the stimulation of insulin by glucose, so this means that eating ordinary sugar, sucrose (a...

raypeatforum.com

 

[PowertothePeatple]

@PowertothePeatple Thank you! Yes,I follow brewer. But I’m convinced 100% in my last several pregnancies that I was over eating. I also was not Peating and had some obvious hormone issues—lots of sugar cravings, constant hunger! Those are better! But, I’m still hopeful not to overeat. You are absolutely correct about the water retention. My next question: when I feel a little water retention coming on, do I immediately put some salt in Oj and drink? I’ve been doing and it helps. @LadyRae @supercoolguy @76er For sleep: eating the ice cream is like a balm! I sleep like a baby. Any other suggestions for before sleep snack with Enough nutrition to keep me asleep and enough salt to keep my swelling down . Out of all 8 of our pregnancies, I didn’t swell with 1. I have no explanation as to why. This time the salt seems to be helping tremendously!

Yes, I would salt the OJ or just eat a piece of cheese with it. Sleep is so important that if ice cream helps it may be worth it but eating Haagen Daz is like eating straight butter with sugar. You could try replacing it with pudding which would be more nutritious but similar soothing qualities. Or panna cotta. It would replace the cream with milk which would automatically lower the fat.

 

[LadyRae]

Here is that ice cream recipe thread.

We All Scream For No Cream Ice Cream - In Minutes! (with photos)

"Blood sugar also seems to be low in migraine, so that some people find that eating a large amount of ice cream can interrupt the symptoms. This observation might be what we need to understand the role of sleep in health. We all know how hard it is to sleep when we are hungry (low blood sugar)...

raypeatforum.com

I also started a thread just to your point 76er called "More Weight Loss Talk". This RP quote was a light bulb moment for me.....

"People on a standard diet will typically burn 200 or 300 more calories per day when that amount of sugar is added to their diet; but if extra fat is added, too, some of the extra calories are likely to be deposited as fat. It's important to watch the signs of changing heat production as the diet changes." -Ray Peat

So many people gain weight on Ray Peat's food recommendations adding in sugar and gain weight, when he says adding sugar ON TOP OF excess fat will have you using the sugar for fuel and storing the extra fat. Since lowering my fats and upping my sugar via honey, about 250 calories worth, and REALLY UPPING my skimmed milk uptake, i have lost my extra fat this past five weeks, a whole size worth! I am posting the foods and my strategies for getting me there. I am gonna post my before and after pic this week.

MORE WEIGHT LOSS TALK

“STARCH and GLUCOSE efficiently stimulate insulin secretion, and that accelerates the disposition of glucose, activating its conversion to glycogen and fat, as well as its oxidation. Fructose inhibits the stimulation of insulin by glucose, so this means that eating ordinary sugar, sucrose (a...

raypeatforum.com

I heartily agree. Keeping fat quite low is very important to this metabolic lifestyle if you are eating high carb and don't want to gain fat!

Also, don't exercise strenuously too often. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but intense and stressful exercise will just encourage fat gain. I have experienced this firsthand. Now that I have quit running and quit keto and quit intermittent fasting, all of my pants are looser and I am not hungry all the time and I can sleep through the night. It took a year to stabilize however

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

I heartily agree. Keeping fat quite low is very important to this metabolic lifestyle if you are eating high carb and don't want to gain fat!

Also, don't exercise strenuously too often. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but intense and stressful exercise will just encourage fat gain. I have experienced this firsthand. Now that I have quit running and quit keto and quit intermittent fasting, all of my pants are looser and I am not hungry all the time and I can sleep through the night. It took a year to stabilize however

LadyRae I couldn't agree more! My post, linked below, is all about how counterproductive most exercise can be....

Aging Fast & Alien Confusion

“Besides fasting, or chronic protein deficiency, the common causes of hypothyroidism are excessive stress or “aerobic” (i.e. anaerobic) exercise, and diets containing beans, lentils, nuts, unsaturated fats (including carotene), and undercooked broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and mustard greens...

raypeatforum.com

 

[LadyRae]

LadyRae I couldn't agree more! My post, linked below, is all about how counterproductive most exercise can be....

Aging Fast & Alien Confusion

“Besides fasting, or chronic protein deficiency, the common causes of hypothyroidism are excessive stress or “aerobic” (i.e. anaerobic) exercise, and diets containing beans, lentils, nuts, unsaturated fats (including carotene), and undercooked broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and mustard greens...

raypeatforum.com

It looks like your post drew in a lot of interesting comments! It is fascinating to me how we have all been duped into believing that we have to vigorously exercise in order to maintain a certain weight or health goal.?

Now I'm off to fold laundry and possibly rake up a few piles of pine needles.....?

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

It looks like your post drew in a lot of interesting comments! It is fascinating to me how we have all been duped into believing that we have to vigorously exercise in order to maintain a certain weight or health goal.?

Now I'm off to fold laundry and possibly rake up a few piles of pine needles.....?

That sounds like perfect "Peaty" exercise! Aliens wont be confused either ?

 

[KRB8]

@Rinse & rePeat

my major problem is getting satiated! How in the world will I feel full without the fat?! I loooove my masa tacos with grass fed beef, cheddar and sour cream! Also, take today for example, the snack that just works for me is 1-2oz of cheese (10g fat serving) and OJ. There went 20g fat! I was at 40% calories from fat yesterday and I’m thinking no way I can get below 30% especially avoiding starches. I also struggle to feel remotely like I’ve eaten when the fat is low. Maybe with time and slow reduction this will get easier!

 

[KRB8]

@LadyRae oh yes! I learned the hard way when cross fitting! Killed my thyroid. I’m finally back to healthy thyroid but still can’t fix the constipation seemingly caused by the havoc those years wrought on my body’s. Having to take several hundred mg of magnesium daily to be normal in that arena. Nothing else does a thing .

 

[KRB8]

@Rinse & rePeat

lastly, I mention this for reference in case you run into it again. Before Peating, I was heavy on the WAPF concepts. Always ate starch with fat: potatoes with heavy butter, sour cream, cheese, sourdough with butter, etc etc. so it’s soooooo hard to tap that down now!

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

@Rinse & rePeat

my major problem is getting satiated! How in the world will I feel full without the fat?! I loooove my masa tacos with grass fed beef, cheddar and sour cream! Also, take today for example, the snack that just works for me is 1-2oz of cheese (10g fat serving) and OJ. There went 20g fat! I was at 40% calories from fat yesterday and I’m thinking no way I can get below 30% especially avoiding starches. I also struggle to feel remotely like I’ve eaten when the fat is low. Maybe with time and slow reduction this will get easier!

Gosh I lived on your exact taco combo and mixed liver in with beef for a tostado 3 days a week. It was my favorite go-to meals until this past 5 weeks. I feel that all protein wasn't being used properly from lack of adequate calcium, and then of course all the fat with the sugar just would not get me in fat loss direction. Now I have lowered my fat to egg yolks sauteed in butter with fresh orange juice with added sugar and salt, skim my milk to a 1% to 2% and have 5 to 6 glasses which I have a big spoonful of raw honey with each one, sometimes some shellfish at night. I think starting my day with heavy fatty foods and hot sauce made the lighter foods sound too unappealing. I don't think feeling full is an energy producer. Feeling light on my feet and not hungry has been a better feeling for me. The problem people are having is you cant pair high fats with sugars which is why RP says pair proteins with sugar and fats with starches.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

.....

@Rinse & rePeat

lastly, I mention this for reference in case you run into it again. Before Peating, I was heavy on the WAPF concepts. Always ate starch with fat: potatoes with heavy butter, sour cream, cheese, sourdough with butter, etc etc. so it’s soooooo hard to tap that down now!

Bu nature I am a dairy and starch eater, my whole life, with high fat and hot sauces. I never liked meat, fruits or vegetables so I know exactly how satiated and yummy your food is. Homemade mashed potatoes and gravy, potato soups, Cheerios & milk and croissants were my favorites, and I disliked sugar and sweets my whole life, so I get you. For me giving up the starches and my beloved butter and getting this Ray Peat diet right was worth a better looking and feeling me, and I am am surprised how easy it is and how good it feels. I am not gonna say I wont miss a croissant, cause it is kinda of light, but generally i am not missing my tacos, hot sauces or mashed potatoes at all.

 

[PowertothePeatple]

@Rinse & rePeat

my major problem is getting satiated! How in the world will I feel full without the fat?! I loooove my masa tacos with grass fed beef, cheddar and sour cream! Also, take today for example, the snack that just works for me is 1-2oz of cheese (10g fat serving) and OJ. There went 20g fat! I was at 40% calories from fat yesterday and I’m thinking no way I can get below 30% especially avoiding starches. I also struggle to feel remotely like I’ve eaten when the fat is low. Maybe with time and slow reduction this will get easier!

Have you tried low fat cheeses? I love low fat string cheese and eat it a lot. There is also low fat cheddar and swiss.

But now that I am thinking about this more I do wonder if what you are actually craving is salt? I find the most difficult part about the Peat diet for me is eating less starch. I don't feel satiated without starch. If you switch bread and potatoes for fruit and milk you are not only dropping starches you are dropping all the salt in the bread and potatoes. Recently I have been adding 1/8 tsp salt to every glass of milk or juice and all of a sudden I feel satisfied without starch. I think I must have a bit of an adrenal insufficiency and need a lot of salt.