Fats?? (notes from a friend)

As we journey down this road to a renewed life via WLS, we meet many folks and hear lots of advice. Some of the advice is good and aids us along the way. Some is not so good or not so sound. The following info came from a friend who is much farther along her journey than I am, though I will be two years out on Friday, 8/29/08. I trust her and know that she speaks from experience and research... I hope that you can learn from her too! The post grew from a discussion about postops using crushed pork rinds to "bread" stuff and then cooking the items in a deep fryer... This, of course, prompted an "I thought fats were bad for you" sort of conversation. Yes, some fats are bad for you. But, as WLS postops, we malabsorb many fats and need to be sure to include GOOD fats in our diet in order to keep our hair, skin,and nails healthy! Read on!!

From Gayle, written 8/23/08:

One of the things we have learned through our walk with obesity and weight loss surgery is that FATS did NOT make us fat. CARBS did. I'm not suggesting anyone go out and eat simply fat, of course, but we malabsorb fats after surgery and for the most part, should not do low-fat or non-fat totally because we need them in our diet. Sticking to healthy fats is imperative, yes!!! Of course, NO breading allowed!!!

Lard is a transfat and not a good choice. However, I will say once again, low fat items are full of fillers and are Not good for us. But, fat is very good for our bodies. Avoiding trans fats and hydrogenated fats is important but these fats are man-made.

I have had to do lots of work and research in determining just why I ballooned to 546 pounds all the while eating every low-fat non-fat tasteless cardboardy thing on the market. It did not work, people.

I have been researching foods for many years because my little boy has lots of food allergies and I have had to learn more about food that I ever really wanted to know.

Canola and olive oils are healthy. They are mono and poly unsaturated fats.
Good fats. NOT low fat, however.

Low-fat or non-fat indicates that humans have done something to the fat to try to make them taste good. Why? Because they took all the good stuff out. Those fillers are junk in our bodies and our body does NOT know how to utilize them.

I will also agree that when you eat in a restaurant you don't always know if the best oils are being used.

Many restaurants will tell you if you ask but if you don't ask you get whatever you get. For years McD's fried their french fries in the worst kind of hydrogenated fats available to man. Why? Because the fries get crispier and stay tastier longer after frying. However, because of consumer
complaints they are now using good oils to fry their french fries. Am I advocating eating french fries at McD's? Heavens, no. Just an example of the where, when and why of it all.

Then add in all of my research about polycystic ovarian syndrome which explains things so much better about why carbs and insulin make fat cells grow. Ugh!!! Just keep two facts in mind: Insulin promotes fat storage and excess carbohydrates stimulate insulin.

If you can firmly grasp the concept that excessive carbs increase blood levels of insulin, that insulin is a storage hormone that converts those carbs into stored body fat and that the only way to control insulin is through controlling the amount of carbs you eat at every meal, you can
understand why your weight struggle started in the first place. You can begin to see for the first time in your overweight life that obesity is not primarily (or even secondarily) a matter of calorie counting or cutting fat from your diet. IT IS NOT JUST A MATTER OF SELF-CONTROL. And for most readers it is not even a matter of genetics or thyroid or brown fat or
allergies.

Losing excess fat is a matter of controlling blood sugars thus controlling the storage of fat. The equation is simple: Excessive Carbohydrates = Fat tissue. That is the bottom line!

We've already learned that it's no accident that nature distributed fat abundantly throughout the food chain. Fat is an extremely beneficial food. For example, fat is used to build hormones, some of which regulate blood pressure, heart rate, vascular dilation, blood clotting, immune response,
and the central nervous system. Fat makes up a substantial part of the cell membrane of over three trillion cells, making the cell wall permeable so that nutrients can get into the cell and waste materials can be excreted from the cell, and rigid so that the shape holds firm against the pressure of the surrounding environment. Along with protein, fat acts as a receptor
on the cell wall to invite nutrients and hormones into the cell.

Fat keeps the skin soft and supple and helps to avoid premature wrinkling of the skin. Fat is an excellent energy source, particularly for the heart. And fat keeps the metabolism running fast.

We need fat in our diets. The problem comes when we eat far too much of the wrong types of fats.

An important rule of thumb I personally follow is that I never eat anything that has been put together in a chemist's lab, including new food artifacts like the "fat substitute" Olestra. These substances are toxic. They do not build the type of long-term vibrant health I want for my body. They do not perform all the important functions listed above. On top of that, they taste bad.

The types of fats you want to include in your diet are the raw, unprocessed vegetable oils, extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, and oils from nuts and seeds. You need to include the fats found in fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, and halibut. These oils are extremely beneficial in protecting the heart and nourishing the nervous system.

Make salad dressings from olive oil. Add ground flaxseed meal to your morning protein shake . . . and eat vegetables rich in essential fats (avocados and nuts and seeds, such as sesame, almond, and other nut products.) Be sure to keep your ground flaxseed meal refrigerated.

According to "Your Fat is Not Your Fault" you need to include about half of the amount of fat as your protein requirement, gram for gram. For example, if you require fifty-five grams of protein per day you will wish to enjoy about twenty-five to thirty grams of fat. Don't worry too much about the fat content of your diet. If you are eating whole, natural foods the fat will balance itself out without your help. Just restrict yourself to the healthy fats described above.

Potato chips, ice cream and deep-fried chicken must NOT be included, LOL!!!

That's it for this piece.

Hugs,

Gayle
Email Gayle if you have questions!!