Do I need extra fat if I am already fat? page 2

[Wrenwood]

I have been primal for about a month and have lost 10 lbs very painlessly - not bad for 54 and currently not able to exercise. I cook in coconut oil, eat plenty of saturated fat through consuming animal products (eggs, dark-meat chicken, beef, and bacon) and also eat oily fish like wild salmon and sardines. Oh, and I butter my cooked veg. If you just take the grains and sugar out of your meals and replace it with fat + protein, it's way easier than trying to replace the carbs with low-fat protein sources. Bonus - not being hungry all the time and not feeling like I am "on a diet" which is automatically something that will end at some point. Good luck to you!

[Gravyboat]

Best analogy I know~ if you want to start a fire, you need some kindling~ you can't just throw a match on a log. Get yourself some MCT (medium chain triglycerides) like coconut oil and get that fire going!

Short answer, yes, you need to get into fat burning mode and MCT will get you there.

This.

Also, BMI is a crock of shit, so don't bother with that.

[jojohaligo]

I've lost a bit of weight now, but from the start in January (and still now) 50 to 60 percent of the energy I eat is from fat, and I am still losing.

[UniqueTII]

I've lost a bit of weight now, but from the start in January (and still now) 50 to 60 percent of the energy I eat is from fat, and I am still losing.

Same here, at least 40% of my daily calorie intake is from dietary fat and on some days it can be 70+%. My weight loss is moving along swimmingly, and my meals are all fantastic. Just eat the food.

[oxide]

I am considering cutting back on my fat intake only because I am so full.

You're answering your own question. Sounds like your body wants to burn more of its body fat. So cut down on the amount you're putting in and let your body do its work.

[jimhensen]

I am still according to my BMI (33.74) obese. I am wondering if for my diet I really need to incorporate extra fat into my diet or is my own fat enough provided I am consuming the requisite Protein and Nutrition part.

Should I add coconut oil, animal skin, or anything else, or can I cut out all the extra animal fat and maintain the protein and nutrition?

It really depends on your goals. You will lose weight very quickly if you just eat protein and vegetables. This diet is called a protein sparing modified fast and is basically the best way to lose weight quickly and without health risks. The problem is that the diet is super restrictive, bland, and can make you feel sluggish and just all around bad (some people feel great on it though...depends on the person). I personally wouldn't suggest it as it was far too intense for me and actually caused me to binge.

I would suggest you figure out your maintenance calories, subtract maybe 500-1000 depending on how strict/how fast you want to lose the weight, eat enough protein and get enough veggies and fruit in to make sure you are getting your vitamins, and fill in the rest of your calories with whatever keeps you sane and least likely to fall off the wagon. That is the best way to lose weight. If you are not losing weight or not losing it quickly enough, cut calories by a couple hundred calories and adjust from there. Pretty simple...it just takes discipline to stick to it.

[jimhensen]

This.

Also, BMI is a crock of shit, so don't bother with that.

For most people BMI is a good indicator of where they are health wise. Obviously there are super athletes that are super muscular and are "obese" according to the BMI scale and there are skinny fat people that are "normal" on the BMI but have a large body fat percentage, but these people are few and far between. For most people, the BMI is just fine.

[zoebird]

My husband qualifies as "overweight" currently, and was "obese" when we had to do BMI to come to this country.

But, our doctor included a note with the BMI asserting that DH was in great shape, with less than 15% body fat (he didn't do a calculation, he just looked at him. He also wrote "And is built like a brick sh*thouse" on our immigration health form. LOL I loved that guy.

Since he lost muscle coming here (recovering from injuries and focusing on body weight, mobility, etc to heal those injuries), and also fat (he's down below 10% fb currently, his BMI went down to the "overweight" category. Still, he's not at all 'overweight' in any way that would be unhealthy (it being all sexy muscle).

At a certain point, I think that focusing on your body fat percentage is more effective than weight or BMI. but you may not be at that point yet, and that's cool.

I think it's fine if you want to decrease the amount of fat that you are consuming. Why wouldn't it be?

[fastjane]

I just occasionally work out my percentages, and as long as Im getting around 60% of my daily calories from fat, I don't fiddle with it. I love the fat, and yes it does make you full, but isnt that the point? Im a woman, so I need more fat than you possibly... Nothing will make me give up my high fat, adequate protein limited carbs way of eating!

[chickenbackside]

My own experience was, fat loss didn't quite kick off until I upped my fat intake significantly.

I just can't eat much when fat is a big percentage of my diet, and it keeps me so full that I can only eat once a day.

Now if I need to really lean out for summer or something, it's pretty easy. I just eat less protein and more fat, which ends up to be less calories overall and feeling full all the time. Fat is pretty yummy too.

Doesn't get easier than that.