4 Common Fat Myths You Believe In
May 26th, 2007 by Mehdi
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I used to avoid fat at all costs. Buying fat free products. Removing the fat from my meat. Separating the yolk from the eggs.
You might recognize yourself in this behavior. I used to be like you. Not anymore.
This is the truth behind 4 common fat myths.
1. Fat Makes You Fat. People have massively switched to low fat diets during the last 30 years. However obesity has increased. What’s wrong?
Fat doesn’t make you fat. What makes you fat is:
- lack of exercise
- stress
- genetics
- excessive caloric intake
It’s pretty simple: the less fat you give your body, the more it wants to store it. The solution? Switch to a High Fat/High Protein/Low Carb diet. It will turn your body into a fat burning machine vs. a fat storing machine.
2. Fat Leads to Cancer. Fat has been associated with cancer of the colon, breasts & prostate.
Another myth. Eating junk food will get you cancer, not eating fat. Take a look at the Mediterranean people. Olive oil is their main source of fat. They’re definitely in better health than the average Mississippian.
3. You Need Carbs to Function. Another popular belief is that switching to a low carb diet leads to a lack of energy. The truth:
- High carbs meal makes you feel heavy
- Carbs make you want to sleep
Carbs make you lazy. Once you switch to a high fat/low carb diet, fat will be used as primary energy fuel. You’ll be full of energy.
4. Fat Leads to Heart Diseases. Same as point 1. Heart diseases are caused by:
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity
- Stress
- Genetics
- Caloric intake
Don’t believe me? Check the Eskimos. Eating high fat/low carb for years. Try to find a high incidence of heart diseases or artery problems.
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One myth about carbs that is totally true. When you first go without them, you will CRAVE them. Keep it up though it gets better, just like any other time you try to eat healthier.
Mike,
Very true. First week switching from a high carbs to a low/zero carbs diet, most feel sick (like if having the flu).
Thanks for the comment.
Does any one actually believe this crap? Eating high-fat red meat is probably one of the worst things you can do, save for throwing down a stick of Crisco…. and heart disease is caused by bad cholesterol also, you know, the kind in red meat.
Johnny Boy,
Saturated fat doesn’t cause cholesterol. I get 100g saturated fat daily, my health is fine.
Check cholesterol myths for more info.
I am sorry, but most of your “facts” about fat lack description. Although it is true that you don’t want to completely avoid fats, since you may be missing out on certain health benefits. It is in no way true that someone on a diet should look for fats. And fat definitely makes you gain weight, look up studies on trans fats, those are one of the most unhealthy things you can put in your body, you will be gaining weight like there is no tomorrow.. Saturated fats are more neutral, not super bad for your health, but still can make you gain weight. Now, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are great for you, in fact your body needs them. And when you said that you burn more fat when you consume more, that means that you have excess and it would burn faster to get rid of it, but on a low fat diet it it has not reached the point of being excess so it won’t burn particularly fast, yet you would not have the fat to need to burn anyway.
PS: I suggest including various dry, organic, unsalted nuts in your diet to help get necessary amounts of good fats.
Facesmelt,
1) Transfats = junk food. I avocate healthy omega 3/6/9, not transfats. Saturated fat (omega 6) is needed for testosterone levels & cholesterol.
2) Fat doesn’t make you gain weight. A caloric excess makes you gain weight.
3) The body holds what it doesn’t get. Don’t eat fat: body keeps fat. Don’t drink water, water retention. Etc. Eat more fat, your body will retain less fat.
4) Nuts are a good source of fat, and you should get fat out of more sources than nuts alone. Olive oil, fish, red meat, butter,… Look at your overal calorie intake. Cut down carb consumption. Eat green fibrious veggies. Get fiber. Drink water. You’ll be ok.
Hey there, I was wondering how “low carb” you needed to be for this to be successful. I don’t need to lose weight as much as I need to maintain my current weight, and I’m concerned that I’d feel terrible and lose a bunch of weight since that happened to my fiance when she did low carb (less than 35g of carbs a day). Are there any books out there that talk about a “lower carb” diet as opposed to a super low carb diet so it would be more managable? Thanks!
Protein contains 4 calories per gram
Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram
Fat contains 9 calories per gram
eat fat = caloric excess
I was on the Anabolic Diet for a while last year, and once you dial it in just right, it rocks. Agreed that the initial week of carb cravings can be rough, but after that it was smooth sailing for me. No lack of energy or strength either and I never went higher than 11 grams of carbs (except for the 12-24hr weekly carb-up).
Mehdi,
I already checked your spurious “Myths about cholesterol” which, I am sorry to say is just as misleading as this entire article. You mention that cholesterol is good… YES there are two types of cholesterol, GOOD (HDL) cholesterol and BAD (LDL) cholesterol. A person should eat Good cholesterol, you fail to mention that, you lump them all into one category. Secondly, just so you Understand that Sat fat does not contain the Good cholesterol you want in your diet, read this excerpt from the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial and published out of Harvard, “What is becoming clearer and clearer is that bad fats, meaning saturated and trans fats, increase the risk for certain diseases while good fats, meaning monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to substitute good fats for bad fats.” (source: “http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats.html”)
You don’t cite any sources and your material is misleading, you just say things and expect people to listen.
Also you say “Bottom line. It’s always better to have high cholesterol levels than low cholesterol levels.” That is just reckless, because once again it is the GOOD cholesterol you want not that bad, high levels of BAD cholesterol MAY lead to heart disease. Nonetheless, sometimes how much cholesterol you eat doesn’t effect your total levels and that is just genetic. If you don’t agree with what I am saying please CITE A REPUTABLE SOURCE that shows otherwise.
I actually feel better on the Anabolic Diet than eating high carb. Some people are more carb sensitive than other. It all depends upon the individual. Thanks for sharing Mike.
Paul, this is just general advice about fat intake. Some people fear fat, and that’s what keeps them fat. Obesity is caused by excess calorie intake & in most invidivual messed up insulin sensitivity, due to high carb intakes (cfr Junk food). The real time bomb is carbs + fat.
Back to your question. Whether you need to go low carb or not depends on the individual. There are plenty of healthy low carb diets available:
-The
-The Ultimate Diet
I don’t advise the Atkins Diet FYI.
Low carb or not: try & see what you prefer & respond to best. The key to losing weight is always to decrease your calorie intake. Whether this is by eating less or burning more (more exercising).
Fat satiates, so it will be hard to eat as much fat as protein/carbs. Try it for yourself: 200g of full fat cheese vs. 200g pasta. Report back what was the easiest to consume. It will be the carbs.
Johnny Boy, I’m not here to argue with you or anyone else. If you don’t like what I write: don’t read it. I prefer using my time helping people who want to get helped, rather than discussing with people who have already decided what they want to do.
You want reputable sources, check & the Anabolic Diet
If what you do works for you, keep it going.
You allow comments… So I commented…
I appreciate your comments Johnny Boy. Feel free to continue. If you have particular questions I’ll be glad to help. Use the contact form if you want to keep it private.
Yeah, by being on the Anabolic Diet, I realized how negatively carbs effected me. I felt great on my no-carb days, but after 24hrs of refeeding mainly on carbs, I was sluggish, lazy and tired.
The first 12-18 hours of the refeed were awesome though. I could see my body transforming as the my glycogen-depleted muscles sucked up all the simple carbs, in turn making me look bigger and more ripped than any other time of the week. It’s amazing how manipulating macronutrients can have such an immediate effect on your appearance. (I quickly learned why professional bodybuilders cut carbs & water, then load up on carbs just before a show. I also learned why they could end up missing that window of “perfection” by a few hours and look flat and smooth instead of shredded at show time)
Did you stop the Anabolic Diet since then Mike Diesel?
[...] So, let me say this: Reading “Get Rich Slowly” and applying the lessons therein will make you a richer, happier person. While I’ve bookmarked many articles and tried to apply the lessons, it’s hard to just share a snippet with Cheap Seats readers and walk away. The article I’m featuring would help us with something we all struggle with: how to get the most our of our food budget and eat healthy foods. Here’s some advice from 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping It Cheap: 4. Eat Fatty Meats. Fatty meats are cheaper & more tasty than lean meats. You think it’s not healthy? Check the Fat Myths: [...]
Yeah, I did it for about 8 weeks. I’m about to go back on it again as part of a recomp.
Also, I should point out that the sluggishness from the carbs that I mentioned earlier was because the first 24 hours of the refeed I ate all simple carbs, not complex. Once I adjusted that to more complex carbs on the refeed, I felt much better.
Myeah you don’t have the coma couch when you go for complex carbs. We learn everyday, isn’t it.
Good luck with the recomp Mike Diesel.
i see you don’t make or know that there are a few differences between fat types
“2. Fat Leads to Cancer
Fat has been associated with cancer of the colon, breasts & prostate.
Another myth. Eating junk food will get you cancer, not eating fat.”
fat doesn’t lead to cancer by itself, but where did you wrote about the different types of fats in that article? you are not at all exhaustive, and you only present information on a subjective trend … yours
about the fact that fats are associated with cancer [colon and breast] - come on man … just don’t deny all the studies with words - try proofs
Point 2, Balaurul. Junk Food = trans-fats. Other fats (omega 3/6/9) are ok. Sugar is the bad guy.
Read Dipasquale’s book: the Anabolic Diet if you want proof. It has the studies you want.
Great point. People who have never gone on a low-carb diet can’t relate to this. After eating carbs, you’ll crave more carbs shortly after. Eating a fat-rich meal with a low amount of carbs will keep you feeling satiated for a while - definitely longer than a carb-only meal would.
I challenge anyone that thinks that excess carbs (anything over 150 - 200 grams per day) aren’t detrimental, to try an experiment…..
…..Eat a diet that has an equal amount of calories as your current diet, but take in 30 grams or less per day of carbs and make up the remaining calories with a fairly even split of fat & protein. After maintaining that for at least 7 days straight, take one day to eat all the carbs you want. Before you have that carb-up day, reflect on how your energy levels & moods were during the time you ate a low-carb diet. Then go eat carbs to your heart’s content. Pay attention to your energy level and your mood on your day of carbohydrate bliss. Most people will find that carbs actually make them sluggish, tired, and moody. I’m not saying carbs should be avoided altogether, but there really isn’t much need for any more carbs than you would get simply by consuming 5-6 servings of veggies each day.
Totally agree MikeDiesel. You don’t need as much carbs as you think you need & you’ll definitely feel better eating high veggies/high protein/high fat/low carb. Good comment.