Fat What % is needed and why?

[calsurfman]

Hello, i was just curious, is there a certain percentage of Fat that i need to eat, Im trying to go very lean for instance turkey burgers and Fish, if there is a certain amount of fat needed could you please explain why and how much?

Thanks

[Georgiana]

You should go for 65% fat during induction. You need this high fat intake to get and keep your body into ketosis.

Below are some (general) reasons why fat is important.

Originally Posted by http://www.empowerfoods.com.au/news/?article_id=6

Whilst much of the population has been told that all fat is bad for you (hence the popularity of the low-fat diet), fat is actually an essential part of any diet. In addition to supplying energy, fats act as carriers for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D E and K. Removing fat from the diet also removes these important vitamins. By aiding the absorption of vitamin D, fats help to make calcium available to the body's tissues, bones and teeth.

If we look at the digestive process, we quickly see another important role of fat in the diet. Because fats take longer than protein and carbohydrate to digest, they provide a longer-lasting sensation of fullness after a meal - meaning we are less tempted to snack.

[julirama723]

Put very simply, we burn fat for fuel.

On Atkins, our bodies switch from being glucose-burning machines to being fat-burning machines. We need to eat fat for energy, and though it seems contrary to popular belief, many people find they lose MORE weight when they eat MORE fat.

On induction, you should be aiming for 30% protein, 5% carbs, and 65% fat. The fat will gradually decrease and carbs gradually increase as you climb the rungs of OWL, protein continues to hover around 30%.

[calsurfman]

Thank you for clearing that up for me i know i shouldn't try to change the system -from both of these posts i understand now fat is needed Thanks

[not2late]

Fat is needed because Atkins is a high fat diet.

[Skeptika23]

Natural Fat is also deee-licious!

[SugarFreeSheila]

I just focus on allowing all the fat coming to me (skin on chicken as well as my husband's(!), plenty of marbling on my rare 13-oz. steaks, lots of extra-virgin olive oil, a good amount of mayonnaise, I love nut butters, etc. - and I never go near light/low-fat products) as opposed to forcing it. It's very easy to get enough fat in your menu if you just relax & train yourself to completely ditch the reduced-fat mentality. This way of eating is so easy and stress-free, it almost isn't fair.

[Mistyweather]

Gosh, I'm not sure how to get that much fat down me. Having trouble getting enough water down as well.

[Skeptika23]

Originally Posted by Mistyweather

Gosh, I'm not sure how to get that much fat down me. Having trouble getting enough water down as well.

It's shockingly easy, especially if you track what you eat in a tool like Fitday!

As SugarFreeSheila said - break your low-fat (and no fat) mentality when you buy items like dairy and meats.

[sallyseachange]

Extra virgin olive oil is a wonderful boost to fat intake. Makes veggies taste simply fantastic.