I admit... I am a low carb idiot. I have never read Atkins.. or done low carb at all in my life until Kimkins. Kimkins was easy.. simple... I was given a number range to shoot for.. a list of foods to choose from.. and it worked.

Well.. now.. I'm confused!!!
Jimmy I know you said I should shoot for rations of 50/40/10 to 65/30/5 (fat/prot/carb), and I also figured out how to "do the math".
The problem I'm getting is.. it seems like I always end up with my fat and protein numbers flipped. I can't figure out WHAT to even eat! Where do I find foods with fat, but not protein? As of "lunch time"... my numbers are:
954cal 64fat 82prot. 5carbs

That gives me a ratio of 42/54/3

I can obviously eat more carbs.. but it seems that no matter what I "add" into my menu for dinner.. it ups my protein at the same time as my fats.. and still keeps my numbers flipped.

I mean.. what am I suppossed to eat for dinner?? Chicken makes my protein go way up.. steak does the same... fish has hardly any fat, so what am I suppossed to do?

Is there anything wrong with the flipped ratios like 40/50/10? I lost on that type of ratio this week so far?? Or is that not healthy???

Deni, your pictures are beautiful! What you've done is just amazing--and I really admire the way that you've gracefully taken some heat in the last few weeks. It is obvious that you are a lady. :-)

From a medical perspective, 40-50 grams of fat per day is considered a "low fat diet." (Former RN here.)

If it agrees with your tastes, I recommend increasing the fat higher than this. Double would not be too much at all, provided that carbs are controlled.

One of the best ways is to ditch the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and lean cuts of steak.

Look for well-marbled, fattier meats as the basis--dark meat poultry with skin (often cheaper), ground beef or skin-included ground turkey (the cheap ground turkey), sausage, spare ribs, rib eye steak, porterhouse, New York strip (-), T-Bone, flank steak (-), skirt steak, salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines (especially in olive oil), tuna in a nice oil, etc.

Not all counters account for the differences, but there is a lot more fat in those choices.

Add butter, EVOO, and salad dressing wherever you like. (I buy my salad dressings in the refrigerated area and deliberately choose those highest in fat. Not only are they better for me, but they taste best. I can load this stuff on with very little carb consequence.)

I keep it SIMPLE. I don't do any math. I just go for the richest steaks and fish--or if I like a leaner cut, I add fat in the form of butter, EVOO, or coconut oil.

Dress it up. After butter, EVOO, and salad dressing, you can add Hollandaise, Alfredo, pesto, and other high fat sauces.

I love cod, but it's very low in fat. I had cod for lunch and spread it with a mixture of 1 T butter, 2 T cream cheese, salt, and pepper. So simple and very good!

Another option is Chocoperfection or Chocolate Dreams (high-fat, almost pure fat, and no yucky sweeteners either).

Live it UP! Eat rich! Think: YUMMY. Think: As much as I want to feel pleasantly full. (We're not just taking the edge off here.)

This is the no-deprivation, luxurious way to *nourish* your body to its healthiest composition.

And, no, this isn't the devil on your shoulder talkin'.

I buy rib eye steaks from Wal-Mart at $10/box.

Thanks for asking this Deni! I low carbed before kk but I feel like the last few months have completely wiped out any knowledge I had about healthy low carbing. Ugh.

So, with regard to increasing fat, sticking with chicken breast but eating the skin would help, right? I'm still removing the skin from chicken before I eat it. I feel like this is such a dumb question but I guess I just need someone to tell me to eat the skin.

The difference between a 6 oz ribeye and a 6 oz New York strip is about 1 tsp of fat, so if the NYS is cheaper and you decide to go with it, you can always baste it with a little oil.

Unless you're going to do some serious basting avoid chuck steak, cube "steak," pure-red stew meat, and all the other "healthy" cuts with not a hint of white fat.

I won't suggest giving up tenderloin or filet mignon, but those are rare treats for most people anyway. (And you can always add fat.)

I am *still* waiting for my Groves book from Amazon, but from what I've heard, he's not interested in having people do any math. And I know Atkins isn't. (Or, at least, not beyond simple addition.)

Absolutely GREAT advice from Valerie and Charles. You can cook with butter and coconut oil, eat nuts and seeds, add cream and cheese to recipes...things like this, Deni. They may seem small, but they up your fat percentages and total calories.

You're doing FANTASTIC, so don't be discouraged. I'm so proud of you, girl!

Eat the skin, Julie! Eat the skin! If you bake your chicken, stick it under the broiler at the last to crisp it up. Yum!

If someone in your family doesn't eat the skin, broil it by itself. It makes a crispy, delicious "chip." Yum, yum!

When I cook white meat chicken, I slash it deeply and broil it. When it's nearly done I pour EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) over it so it collects in the slashes. Then I sprinkle Parmesan cheese generously and give it another minute under the broiler.

Really delicious--and before I discovered this method (last week! HA!), I was still waaaay burned out on white meat chicken from my low-fat days.

Another option is to use something like 1/2 ranch or blue cheese dressing and 1/2 sour cream as a dipping sauce for bites of chicken.

Well.. I guess I'm gonna have to go back to the store.

I've ALWAYS eaten chicken breasts.. b/c they are so simple... (prepackaged tenders were easy to grab and cook fast!!!)
I've always eaten sirloin for my steaks. I guess until I use up what's already in my freezer.. I can just add in butter and oil and stuff to bring it up.
I think my main concern today was that I've already eaten 84 grams of protein and 79 grams of fat today.
I can't figure out how to eat ANYTHING else today without upping the protein...
(I'm going off advice to keep the protein under 90)

I guess I'll just have to deal with high protein numbers for awhile till I get the hang of this!

(and as for chocoperfection.. I"m actually one of those strange people that really doesn't like chocolate by itself. Now.. throw in some peanutbutter and I'm all over it!!! (but again.. there's protein in peanutbutter!!!!)

Thanks to both of you for answering my question though.. I think it pretty much means that today won't be a true on plan day...

(btw.. so far I ate:
2 egg omlette with canadian bacon and cheese (cooked in PAM... something I've done my entire life!!! I don't even know how to make eggs without PAM! )
6 oz sirloin tips (meat for stir fry) cooked in olive oil.. served over a bed of lettuce with cucumbers and full fat creamy ceaser dressing.
cheese stick for snack
Then.. trying to up fat without upping protein.. led me to a Carbsmart icecream bar.

Stats are:1124 calories 79 grams of fat 84 grams of protein 14 grams of carbs.

I'm not hungry... but will need to make dinner tonight.

I was planning on chicken alfredo and some broccoli with cheese.. which will up my totals to: 1344 cal 89 fat 107 protein 24 carbs

again.. ratio turns into 40/48/11... guess that'll have to do for now!

Man.. for an x kimkinite.. these types of numbers are really scary!!!!
Thanks so much for all the encouragement that's it's really okay to eat this much!

Eat even more, Deni! I think that's a good message to keep sharing with anyone who was on Kimkins--EAT! The fat is GOOD for you and so you should eat up. It may look scary now, but one day you'll be kicking yourself for ever eating less than 100g fat a day!

Deni, I hope you don't mind me taking up more of my share of space in *your* thread, but I just wanted to tell you that when I first started with LC, I was FLOORED by how good eggs taste fried in pure butter!

I really had *no* idea. I'm used to it now, but with a little salt and pepper it was a shocking taste sensation! (Long-term Pam girl here, too.)

I still remember my husband saying, "WHAT did you do to the EGGS?" <hear him IMPRESSED>

Honestly, as long as your fat content is up there (and, kudos to you, it is!), I wouldn't worry about the protein count very much. (I know Charles would agree.) You'll find what works for you. Just keep chanting, "Fat is my friend." LOL.

Portion control on the CarbSmart, of course, but isn't it good? I love their Butter Pecan ice cream; they were all out at Wal-Mart last night and I was

LOL.

Deni -

Can I asked who reccomended maxing out at 90 grams of protein? You might want to check out the reccomendations about protein that the authors of Protein Power have - depending on your body weight right now 90 grams is likely the minimum amount you should eat.

Bottom line is that you can eat more protein as long as you are keeping carbs in check and having fats.

I'm with the folks that said toss out the numbers and ratios. Just watch the carbs. You are doing great in transitioning over to healthier eating and your meals today sound yummy. :-) If you are cruious about what I'm eating you can take a look at my daily menus at jkmfrog daily menu.

Jennifer

I don't know exactly where I got that 90 grams of protein thing.. but it's been in my head.. and even in trying to figure out my percentages .. b/c Jimmy keeps mentioning them it seems like my protein is always too high...

But.. I just realized I can add more olive oil when I'm cooking my chicken alfredo tonight.. so that will bring me up even further in the fat department.

New daily totals:
1464 cal 103 fat 107 protein 24 carbs.
YIKES!!!
ratio improves to: 44/45/10 Baby steps!!!!

Thanks Valerie! I know these things but I just need someone else to tell me to ignore all this low fat stuff in my head.

Deni - I think that 90g of protein was a number Heidi threw out there as a maximum protein level. Clearly, she has no idea what she's talking about but that may be why it stuck in your head.

I only mention the ratios as a guide, Deni. I agree with Jennifer that all you need to do is watch your carb intake and nothing else. That's what I've done and my ratios just seem to fall perfectly into place.

Oh Deni, I'm so glad I'm not the only one having trouble with my numbers! We've been brainwashed by "her".

Also, I agree about the peanut butter! I could eat the whole jar. I had to give mine away to keep from eating it all.

I am having a problem figuring out the ratios. I know it is probably something easy to figure but math (and ratios) was never my best subject. Accounting I can do in my sleep, however!

Today my numbers were:

1442 Calories
111 Fat
27 Carbs
78 Protein


I am going to look for the post that explains how to get the ratio's. Wish me luck!

Robin

Not too shabby, Robin!

51/36/13

Calories are SUPERB!

Be sure to round up so the numbers add up to 100...

Deni & Jimmy,

Thank you very, very much! I knew I was doing it wrong but I couldn't figure out where I was going wrong!

Robin

Happy to help! Here's to your success, Robin!