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

[Zachs]

I have been drinking a half gallon of whole milk daily now for a week, also a few tsp of cc and random Ice cream and cheese. 0 fat gain, I feel leaner actually but hard to tell at my bf. This experiment was a huge success for me.

Zachs: you track calories now as well after you have implemented higher fat foods? feel metabolism is much better after the no fat experiment?

No, I don't track. Metabolism is indeed much better, iv never been able to handle a lot of fat and carbs at same time before.

 

[Nstocks]

Could there be substantial downsides from dropping all milk and obtaining calcium and protein from yogurt (fat free greek mixed with fruit or honey)? At a basic level yogurt is concentrated milk and the reduction liquids (at least milk) could help with my bloating from so much liquids.

 

[max219]

Nstocks - I eat a ton of nonfat greek yogurt mixed with honey and fruit with no issues.

 

[Dean]

I eat at least 2 cups of greek yogurt a day. I use the strained, Fage brand. You can really tell it has less lactic acid from its lack of tartness. You could strain it again yourself if you wanted to. I also use dry milk powder, which is another way to control your liquid intake without sacrificing protein and calcium intake.

 

[Waremu]

Could there be substantial downsides from dropping all milk and obtaining calcium and protein from yogurt (fat free greek mixed with fruit or honey)? At a basic level yogurt is concentrated milk and the reduction liquids (at least milk) could help with my bloating from so much liquids.

Remember that Greek yogurt is strained, which means that most of the whey is drained out. And most of the calcium I beiieve is in the whey so Greek yogurt most likely has a lot less calcium than is listed. So it may not be wise to rely on Greek yogurt for calcium. In this case, if one was to opt out of milk entirely, Greek yogurt plus eggshell powder would probably be ones best bet to ensure enough calcium. There is also dried milk powder. I personally will not have store-bought milk because of the possible additives that are not listed (carriers used for the added vitamins). Dried milk powder usually does not have these added vitamins.

 

[Nstocks]

Could there be substantial downsides from dropping all milk and obtaining calcium and protein from yogurt (fat free greek mixed with fruit or honey)? At a basic level yogurt is concentrated milk and the reduction liquids (at least milk) could help with my bloating from so much liquids.

Remember that Greek yogurt is strained, which means that most of the whey is drained out. And most of the calcium I beiieve is in the whey so Greek yogurt most likely has a lot less calcium than is listed. So it may not be wise to rely on Greek yogurt for calcium. In this case, if one was to opt out of milk entirely, Greek yogurt plus eggshell powder would probably be ones best bet to ensure enough calcium. There is also dried milk powder. I personally will not have store-bought milk because of the possible additives that are not listed (carriers used for the added vitamins). Dried milk powder usually does not have these added vitamins.

I thought about the calcium since greek yogurt is strained about 3 times (FAGE) and according to a search 100grams of non fat milk contains 125mg calcium and 100 grams of non fat greek yogurt contains 110mg, which isn't a big difference. I do have organic milk powder too, just incase I need it.

 

[BobbyDukes]

Could there be substantial downsides from dropping all milk and obtaining calcium and protein from yogurt (fat free greek mixed with fruit or honey)? At a basic level yogurt is concentrated milk and the reduction liquids (at least milk) could help with my bloating from so much liquids.

Remember that Greek yogurt is strained, which means that most of the whey is drained out. And most of the calcium I beiieve is in the whey so Greek yogurt most likely has a lot less calcium than is listed. So it may not be wise to rely on Greek yogurt for calcium. In this case, if one was to opt out of milk entirely, Greek yogurt plus eggshell powder would probably be ones best bet to ensure enough calcium. There is also dried milk powder. I personally will not have store-bought milk because of the possible additives that are not listed (carriers used for the added vitamins). Dried milk powder usually does not have these added vitamins.

How does cheese have a good calcium/phos ratio, if most of the calcium is lost in the whey that is drained out?

I have often wondered whether skimmed milk is just water, with dried milk powder added. All brands of skimmed milk, have an incredibly cooling effect on my body (which is not good for someone who is cold). You are correct that it is wise to be wary of store bought products of milk. Virtually all of them are garbage in my experience (well, none that I can tolerate, anyway)

 

[Dean]

I don't know a lot about the processes, but according to what I've seen the calcium lost in Greek yogurt is pretty negligible. Something like cottage cheese, however, loses a lot of calcium and eating much of that can really mess up your calcium:phosphorus ratio.

 

[narouz]

With the Fage greek yogurt:
if you take it out of the frig and let it warm to room temperature for like an hour or so,
setting on its side (closed),
you will find a significant amount of additional whey separated
that you can pour off.

 

[Peata]

Q's: There has been a lot of confusion on what you recommend to lose body weight/ fat. Some say reduce calories, others say you must raise calories (to lose weight). Many of us seem to be insulin resistant and unable to lose. Can you clear up your recommendations on lowing weight/fat?

Answer from RP on 4/12/15: Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it. Using gelatin as an extra protein source can help to raise the body temperature. Since insulin stimulates fat deposition, insulin resistance isn’t likely to lead to extra fat production.

 

[Such_Saturation]

Raymond F. Peat: Not Really Into That Bulk-Cut Bull-Crap

 

[Dean]

Q's: There has been a lot of confusion on what you recommend to lose body weight/ fat. Some say reduce calories, others say you must raise calories (to lose weight). Many of us seem to be insulin resistant and unable to lose. Can you clear up your recommendations on lowing weight/fat?

Answer from RP on 4/12/15: Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it. Using gelatin as an extra protein source can help to raise the body temperature. Since insulin stimulates fat deposition, insulin resistance isn’t likely to lead to extra fat production.

I wish he would have mentioned more of those "lots of ways." You can't keep the metabolic rate up, if you can't get it up in the first place. I guess his mentioning gelatin lends credence to some of the discussion here about glycine (eating shrimp, etc.) stimulating weight loss. Maybe I'll try that. So far for me, just adding calories while keeping fat low has only resulted in more rapid weight gain.

 

[Sea]

Q's: There has been a lot of confusion on what you recommend to lose body weight/ fat. Some say reduce calories, others say you must raise calories (to lose weight). Many of us seem to be insulin resistant and unable to lose. Can you clear up your recommendations on lowing weight/fat?

Answer from RP on 4/12/15: Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it. Using gelatin as an extra protein source can help to raise the body temperature. Since insulin stimulates fat deposition, insulin resistance isn’t likely to lead to extra fat production.

I wish he would have mentioned more of those "lots of ways." You can't keep the metabolic rate up, if you can't get it up in the first place. I guess his mentioning gelatin lends credence to some of the discussion here about glycine (eating shrimp, etc.) stimulating weight loss. Maybe I'll try that. So far for me, just adding calories while keeping fat low has only resulted in more rapid weight gain.

Most people should expect to gain weight when reversing hypothyroidism. If you are hypothyroid your muscle mass and bone density won't be optimal. When you adopt a diet that will increase the metabolism you should expect to gain muscle mass and bone density which should result in weight gain. You should only expect to reach a lower body fat% overtime as your metabolic rate increases. The exceptions might be people who are very overweight and carry considerable water weight. These people may lose weight initially due to water weight loss when adopting a good diet even though they are still building muscle mass and bone density.

You should not expect results in the short term, but should gradually reach a lower body fat% as your metabolic rate moves closer to optimal.

My experience is that overeating sugar from sources like honey and fruit/juice, and making sure to eat enough high quality protein while minimizing fat(except coconut oil), especially polyunsaturated fat, is the most effective way to boost the metabolic rate without supplements. I don't think amino acids matter that much unless you are eating too much of methioine/tryptophan/cystein. Peat sources of protein don't have too many thyroid suppressing amino acids. Seafood probably boosts the metabolic rate due to minerals like selenium as opposed to the amino acids it contains.

 

[Peata]

Q's: There has been a lot of confusion on what you recommend to lose body weight/ fat. Some say reduce calories, others say you must raise calories (to lose weight). Many of us seem to be insulin resistant and unable to lose. Can you clear up your recommendations on lowing weight/fat?

Answer from RP on 4/12/15: Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it. Using gelatin as an extra protein source can help to raise the body temperature. Since insulin stimulates fat deposition, insulin resistance isn’t likely to lead to extra fat production.

I wish he would have mentioned more of those "lots of ways." You can't keep the metabolic rate up, if you can't get it up in the first place. I guess his mentioning gelatin lends credence to some of the discussion here about glycine (eating shrimp, etc.) stimulating weight loss. Maybe I'll try that. So far for me, just adding calories while keeping fat low has only resulted in more rapid weight gain.

The part I bolded above. From what I've seen so far in his writing, ways to keep metabolic rate/temps up, include protein, carbs (sugar) and salt, coconut oil, calcium, not fasting.

 

[Peata]

So far for me, just adding calories while keeping fat low has only resulted in more rapid weight gain.

Same here, I either maintain (can't lose) or gain some. But I'm sticking with what I'm doing at this point because I'm seeing improvements in everything else.

 

[narouz]

Q's: There has been a lot of confusion on what you recommend to lose body weight/ fat. Some say reduce calories, others say you must raise calories (to lose weight). Many of us seem to be insulin resistant and unable to lose. Can you clear up your recommendations on lowing weight/fat?

Answer from RP on 4/12/15: Keeping the metabolic rate up is the main thing, and there are lots of ways to do it. Using gelatin as an extra protein source can help to raise the body temperature. Since insulin stimulates fat deposition, insulin resistance isn’t likely to lead to extra fat production.

I wish he would have mentioned more of those "lots of ways." You can't keep the metabolic rate up, if you can't get it up in the first place. I guess his mentioning gelatin lends credence to some of the discussion here about glycine (eating shrimp, etc.) stimulating weight loss. Maybe I'll try that. So far for me, just adding calories while keeping fat low has only resulted in more rapid weight gain.

I here ya, Dean.
I made a new thread to maybe shine some light. :)

 

[Such_Saturation]

Vitamin F

 

[Matty D]

post 58490 So I feel absolutely compelled to speak up here. Please understand that I don't have a scientific background or mind and I'm only relaying my personal results from my experiment. As a frame of reference, prior to Peat I was on a high fat low-carb diet for several years and ate a ton of PUFA during those years. My metabolism tanked and I started gaining weight (among many of other unpleasant side effects). I Googled metabolism, came across Peat's work and immediately jumped in head first. Within 5 months or so I had gained close to 30 more pounds on top of what I had already gained. It was downright scary, depressing and I was afraid that my metabolism was permanently broken.

I know that Peat believes losing weight slowly is more healthy/safer and I would have to agree, especially if you aren't taking thyroid meds. However, I was already on thyroid medication and so I figured what do I have to lose (except the obvious)? I figured I had enough body fat that if my body needed fat then it could pull from my ample reserves. My mitochondria were already mush, so to speak, and I was suffering.

I decided to do exactly this: I cut ALL fat from my diet, keeping it as low as possible (under 20 grams per day) and certainly NO PUFA. I ate 100 grams of LEAN protein (sometimes more) and massive amounts of sugar, ripe fruits and OJ. I paid close attention to my calcium phosphorous ratio as well as other minerals and made certain that I got plenty of sunshine, vit. A, vit. K and especially vit. E with lots of Progest-E too.

Results were that I went from 170+ to exactly 132.0 lbs. over the summer. I lost NO muscle at all and did NO exercise beyond going for a walk once in a while. I used a lot of caffeine, b vitamins, fat free dairy and gelatin too. My diet was somewhat boring, after all fat is delicious. I am happy to say that I had no stress response whatsoever. On the few occasions when I strayed and ate PUFA I could definitely feel it the next day. My skin would go greasy and break out, weight loss would stall and I would get pronounced estrogen symptoms. It was that quick and VERY noticeable.

If one is quite strict, this works beautifully for removing fat while preserving muscle. I have had many health improvements that I must believe are due to PUFA depletion. I still need to lose 7 or 8 more pounds, but thinking that should be done with exercise.

I started adding (saturated animal) fat back in to my diet a month ago and I have NOT gained an ounce. I never EVER would have believed it was possible for a middle-aged hypothyroid woman, but this works!

I simply MUST agree with haidut's conclusion, that waiting four years isn't all-together necessary, I could definitely feel the difference within weeks. Having said all this, perhaps I will be on thyroid meds for four more years...or for life, who knows? I don't have any overt signs of metabolic damage, in fact on the contrary. My temps are up and I feel better now than I have in DECADES.

Thank you for this story. This is how I feel as well. Did the same mistakes - low carb, high fat, sugar. No T was in the tank and life was boring...

But now... on sugar I got to say:

I AM BACK! My brain has literally been switsched on again. Unbelieveable.

My wife looks at what I am eating and she says I am insane. It's sooo much fun to break all her concepts!

 

[thebigpeatowski]

Hi matty D....yep, I will never go low carb again. It's been over a year since I did that experiment and I'm happy to report that I still weigh 135 lbs. So a gain back of 3 pounds, but with NO Restriction on anything whatsoever (except PUFA, I do restrict that).

I eat intuitively, basically whatever I want: ice cream, butter, whole milk etc. Tons of sugar in my coffee and Mexican cokes daily. I have a tendency to eat a lot of protein still, usually over 100 grams per day. Energy/mood/digestion are good. I still want to lose ten pounds....while I am no longer sedentary, I'm still kinda too lazy in the exercise department.

 

[Lonnie]

Hi matty D....yep, I will never go low carb again. It's been over a year since I did that experiment and I'm happy to report that I still weigh 135 lbs. So a gain back of 3 pounds, but with NO Restriction on anything whatsoever (except PUFA, I do restrict that).

I eat intuitively, basically whatever I want: ice cream, butter, whole milk etc. Tons of sugar in my coffee and Mexican cokes daily. I have a tendency to eat a lot of protein still, usually over 100 grams per day. Energy/mood/digestion are good. I still want to lose ten pounds....while I am no longer sedentary, I'm still kinda too lazy in the exercise department.

+++Thank you for sharing this. Very encouraging!