Put this on the list of other problems I never thought I'd have! I am thinking my l-o-n-g stall (going on 7 weeks here) might be at least partly due to too much fat. I'm trying to get my fat percentage down around 55-65% (I know that doesn't sound low compared to "real" low-fat eating, but it's lower than I've been doing). But, believe it or not, I'm having trouble getting in enough calories now!

Does anyone have some good suggestions for medium fat/low carb/medium calorie things to eat, other than low-fat meats? I can keep either carbs or fat down with portion control, but that's there I'm having trouble getting calories up.

Thanks in advance for all ideas!
Jo Ann

JoAnn,

do you have quite a few recipes for casseroles and such that require heavy cream in them? I cut the fat without cutting many carbs in these recipes by only using half the amount of cream called for and replacing the missing cream with water. I mix the cream and water together before adding it to the recipe and it seems to do okay. The recipe for crab casserole that I've seen on here (with broccoli, cauliflower, cheese, green onions, and bacon, etc.) is good that way, and considering it calls for 1 Cup of cream it sure helps. I've also heard of people actually using milk (yes milk) instead of the cream. That will add carbs but lower the fat content considerably, but I have never tried this.

Maybe by trying to use just a hair less salad dressing you can cut a little fat to try to 'tweak' your percentages.

I know this is a difficult issue as I'm trying to deal with it myself. Unfortunately, we are either cutting carbs, or we are cutting fat (and hence risking too few calories) My fat intake percentage runs from about 64-70% of my calories from fat. I'm searching through my fitday to try to find the few days that I managed to get 64% on the fat and I will try to post them here for you later.

If you come up with any other ideas please post them and maybe together we can figure this out.

Susan

LC and feeling better every day!

Atkins since 7/18/03
210/185/140

Jo Ann,

curious - your stall is at 7 weeks now... how long have you been low carbing?

My first major stall hit me at around week 9 or 10 and lasted 8 long miserable weeks... I tried everything to break it... and then finally gave up trying, just kept up eating LC then one day, i just started losing again.

sometimes we just have to wait these things out, and when our body is ready to lose again - it will.


My LC web site
LCE Member since 12/00

Jo Ann,

Here is a menu from a day that I had my fat at 64%, the lowest I've ever done. I'm really not sure I would recommend much lower as it would be really hard to get the calories we need, besides being hungry. But, as you can see there was room for reducing the fat a tad without going too low on calories.


Breakfast
1 Cup scrambled eggs (nuked in the microwave)
2 ounces boneless cooked ham


Dinner
Denny's Shrimp Scampi
Denny's Green Beans (double serving)
1 slice Healthy Life Low carb bread

Snack
1 serving pepperoni slices
1 ounce of aged swiss

Lunch
Chef Choice Garlic Beef and Broccoli

Snack
(gasp) An atkins peanut butter bar

I know, I should have skipped the bread and had a salad instead for those 6 carbs. The bar thing is questionable too. I was at work (I work 12 hour nights), had the chef choice thingy for lunch before I left for work and I was starving and it wasn't dinner time yet. Thank God I had that bar in my locker for emergencies. I could have dropped the fat a little by either skipping the pepperoni or having a half serving and it wouldnt have affected my carbs, but then that was a snack before I had lunch.. Cant imagine how hungry I would have been without it.

My calories came in around 1800 for the day, with 30 net carbs. 64% calories from fat.

Funny, but my lower fat days seem to center around eating at Denny's (LOL) and not frying my eggs for breakfast. Their scampi is awesome. Their buffalo wings are great.. extremely filling (I cant eat the whole serving - I order the appetizer - 1 doz wings) and the darn things have only 1 carb per dozen according to their website!

My guess is that the real old timers on here would say, dont cut it to 55%, you will be very hungry. Just stay with the plan as outlined in DANDR and have patience. The weight loss will come.

Susan

LC and feeling better every day!

Atkins since 7/18/03
210/185/140

I have to agree with Susan on the Fat%

i know i've posted it before... if i get below 50% i'm just ravenous.. .and i know i've read others are too.

What about cutting down on the fats for cholesterol? Mine went from 225 to 306 in 4 months! I don't have the other numbers here, but they weren't good,the trig were the only thing ok.

I was on a weight roller-coaster (gaining and losing the same 5-6 pounds) from mid-May to September. I started drinking protein shakes almost every day. I am stricter about trying to stick with the WW points plan (I do WW and CALP) and I use more olive oil most days. I finally seem to have come off the roller coaster.

As I get older (50 now), I find that I am very sensitive to excess carbs, sodium, certain spices (they make me bloat). Excess carbs and MSG trigger strong hunger cravings for me. And Equal triggers strong sugar cravings. Splenda does not.

Ilse

380/304.6(WW)/229.5(current)/154
5'7"
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible"
Walt Disney

What about simply increasing veggies and decreasing portion sizes of fat/protein dishes?

As I got smaller, I had to reduce portions to keep losing weight. I kept gaining and losing the same 2-3 lbs for months. One day I realized that smaller bodies need less fuel.

I eliminated or cut back on things like sausage, bacon, salami, salty nuts, premade shakes, pork rinds, etc. I also swapped half-and-half for the cream I was using, with no loss of palatability. I cut my meat portions from 7 to 10 oz. down to 5-6 oz. Because my nutrition tracker (DietPower) automatically tracks calories as well as carbs, I started paying attention to find the total calorie level I could eat and still lose weight.

BTW, I think nutrition trackers are just the best thing for weight management!

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic

Some great ideas here, thanks!

Terese, I started Atkins on July 30. Did fine on induction (12 pounds). That 12 pounds is the sum total of what I've lost; so, with last day of induction 8/13, I have been stalled for 6-3/7 weeks at this point (actually longer, because the 12 pounds was gone before the last day of induction). No pounds lost, no smaller measurements, no clothes fitting looser, nada.

I went off the wagon just once, on Labor Day, ate 1 high-carb meal. Have been 100% legal since.

Following various advice from these forums, I drink no diet soft drinks and don't eat low-carb desserts. Used the bars during induction while traveling only; have not eaten one since. Have never used the shakes. I try to keep calories up (within reason) and carbs around 25-30. I compute my carbs as carbs minus fiber, so am not "accidentally" getting excess sugar alcohols.

Recently visited the doctor and urine did show ketones, so I know I'm burning fat. My current theory is that I'm burning dietary fat, instead of body fat. Thus, I want to reduce the amount of dietary fat.

Teelbee, I track with FitDay. I am reducing portions, but am having trouble keeping calories up that way. And I am nowhere near maintenance (+100 pounds to lose still). If I increase vegetables too much, my carbs get too high. Likewise, if I increase meat too much, my fat gets too high.

Susan, I haven't made any casseroles at all. Have eaten 2 of the Chef's Choice bowls (days apart). So far I'm still eating mostly "basic" foods, i.e., meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, butter, mayo, salad dressing, the occasional slice of LC bread (about every 3-4 days, maybe). I have also eaten 3 bags of Atkins Crunchers over the 6 weeks. Thank you VERY MUCH for the menu posting; that really helps with some guidelines.

Have eliminated cheese, as some indicate that created problems for them. Am taking none of the meds noted as problematic by Atkins. Drink a LOT of water (my doctor was astonished at the amount).

Anyway, I will keep posting as I try the reduced-fat approach and let you all know if it seems to help. I'm pretty much at a loss for other ideas at this point.

Aderyn

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>If I increase vegetables too much, my carbs get too high. Likewise, if I increase meat too much, my fat gets too high.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well, everyone is different, but it seems unlikely that carbs from legal veggies will cause anyone to stall. I'm not saying it couldn't happen if someone had a peculiar metabolism; but I suspect that's pretty rare.

If you are concerned about fat from protein, try choosing fish and chicken more often. Also, add an extra egg white or two to your scrambled eggs.

I do think you are on the right track. Asking questions, trying different things, and keeping records of the results of your experiments will help you find what works best for you. Also, keep in mind that what works during one period of your weight management program may not work as well later. As our bodies change, they may have different requirements.

~~~Teelbee

174 (Mar. 2002, highest weight), 164 (Jan. 2003, begin LC)
164/135/137-134
remember, amateurs built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic