EFGT LET ME SHARE WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

[houndho]

I would so like to wrap my brain around eating all this extra fat and see if it works. I've been doing low carb since 1/1/2011 and have not even bought any bacon or butter yet. I did just buy a jar of coconut oil but haven't used it yet. I've been losing but oh so slowly (lost a lot first couple weeks but much slower since then). Will increasing the fat help the weight drop more quickly?

[CarolynF]

Hi hound...Your percentages should be around 20 percent protein and 65 percent fat and 15 percent good carbs. Go on ****** and enter your food for a while to make sure you
are near the "mark".

Energy should come from fat, not protein, so watch the protein amount..

[Quandria]

Mr B

I'm about 3 weeks in now, and think your earlier advice about just sticking with the plan and not worrying about cheat days or cheat meals is fantastic advice. Now that my mindset is to just stay on plan I find it very easy to follow and my carb cravings are pretty much non existent.

Thank you!!

[mrbiggs007]

Originally Posted by Quandria

Mr B

I'm about 3 weeks in now, and think your earlier advice about just sticking with the plan and not worrying about cheat days or cheat meals is fantastic advice. Now that my mindset is to just stay on plan I find it very easy to follow and my carb cravings are pretty much non existent.

Thank you!!

Your most welcome. I will say this there are going to be stalls, and there will be setbacks. Just don't give up and keep fighting. This program works, and it will change your life. Keep up the good work.

[Ravenj9]

This woe is very interesting. I've been doing the HCG diet and during phase 3 when we can eat anything but sugar & starch up to our calorie limit (which is pretty high to maintain), I noticed that I was able to maintain my weight eating a ratio (according to ******) of 65% fat, 20% protein, and 15% carbs. Every time I increased my protein too much over 20% I would gain. I was so confused as to why this was working for me until I read the EFGT threads on this forum. I am excited about continuing this woe to maintain my weight.

[LisaG]

Just received the book Natural Health and Weight Loss (which is the updated EFGT book) and I am loving it. Read through the first 3 chapters in no time. Just finished the part about breakfast studies that were done and which types of breakfasts worked best. I'm learning so much!!! Who knew the fat on meat actually contains all 40 nutrients that we need? That just blew me away. I think if I shared this book with any of my family members or friends they would look at me like I was bonkers.

[LisaG]

Quandria and others,
I would love to know how people are using coconut oil. I'm new to it and just received my big tub! So it's solid...but I realize I can melt it and use it to cook with. I didn't get to that part of Groves' book yet and I'm wondering what you all do with it. I stirred some into my coffee but that was just weird to me b/c I could see oily bits in my mug- blech. The smell seems strong, but I didn't taste anything different- so I assume I can use it in many ways and just don't know how. Help!

[sojogogo]

I don't know how the rest on here use coconut oil, but I make it into a bark and just account for the small amount of sugar/honey (because it's not really edible without it). It's like eating a very rich piece of slightly sweet chocolate candy.

I do note, that I did try it a few other ways first, like in a smoothie, which you should not do (I'm even shaking my head as I write this) because coconut oil instantly hardens when it gets a little cold. I call my little 'candies' pecan joy. Here's my recipe:

Pecan Joy

1 cup pecans, broken up (really any kind of nut you like will do)
1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut (Bob's Red Mill unsweetened is good)
16 oz coconut oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt (this makes the flavor of the cocoa come out)

In a saucepan put in the oil, honey, cocoa, salt. Heat it to get it all to melt, don't boil, just melt it all.

Take off the heat, put in the nuts, coconut and vanilla.

Divide into 16 cupcake tins (don't put a liner in, it will soak up the oil).

Put in the freezer and let them get frozen, like 2 hours or so. They'll pop out easy if you slide a knife down the side and put a little pressure on them to come up. Keep them frozen and take one out and let it thaw about 15 minutes and eat. You should get about 2 Tbsp of oil per 'joy'.

Note:
I soak raw nuts and dehydrate them for this since most nuts are roasted in vegetable oils which are not good for you. And I usually use raw honey for the sweet part which is why I just try to get it warm enough for it all to melt and not boil it.

Also, if you want a change of pace you can whip up a can of coconut milk (not lite) just like you would whipping cream and fold the recipe (cooled) mixture into it and pour it into 16 lined muffin tins and they're about the height of cupcakes. Freeze and keep frozen as well. These you have to let thaw about 1/2 hour or so before eating. It's a little different taste, but it's all good.

[CarolynF]

On the coconut oil thing, Lisa..It needs to incorporated into your 65 percent. It is a good sub for the oil you use when you stirfry or cook eggs. Many people make coconut bark candy, which is so delicious, but again needs to be part of the 65 percent.

[Aediekins]

I like to use it in my omm, or any type of baked goods that calls for oil.

[mrbiggs007]

Thank you everybody for the recipes and the updates. Hope everybody has a nice mothers day.

[jlhinbrisvegas]

Very interesting thread and lots of great information. I ordered Natural Health and Weight Loss and should have it tomorrow. Can't wait to read it!

[LisaG]

sojogogo, THANKS! I will be making that...today!!!

Finished the book over the weekend- great read! Really interesting about the evolution of our diets, and the whole section on Dr. Banting who did low carb like 200 years ago! I will be sharing the book with others.

The only thing about the book I didn't like...the recipes! For some reason I can't bring myself to eat liver and kidneys. Maybe they are more commonly eaten in England where Barry Groves lives? Or maybe I am just close minded! Can't do it!

[sojogogo]

Hey Lisa, I'm happy to help. I've spent hours on the internet trying to figure out how to make something edible. hehehe. This recipe is the way I found to get that much coconut oil into my body and not gag. (and you get a little chocolate, a little sweet, and you're still staying low carb, so it's all good in my book).

I remember having liver when I was little, and I couldn't find it around town until last week and I was looking at it and I put it back on the shelf. I don't think I'm ready for it. I can handle chicken stuff, but... yeah, ew. I ate it with a lot of ketchup if I remember right.LOL!

I've found for food I just go back to my own recipes and retool them, or get ones that I remember being so fatty that everyone, when we ate it, went 'oh, this is so bad for you', and worked with those. Except for desserts, I can't touch those or I eat the whole thing. I have a piece of super dark 85% chocolate which can sit on my desk and unless I'm desperate I won't touch. Or a sugar free popsicle, that's my limit on artificial sweeteners.

My all time favorites are oddly enough sandwiches. I think people forget it's not 'no carb' it's 'low carb' and I'm gluten intolerant, but I can handle sprouted bread, but if you account for it in your daily carbs, then why not?

And if you make ones that are super high in fats... half a one is about my limit for a meal. At the moment, I finished figuring out the muffaletta which is fat heaven, and I'm on to the philly cheesesteak.

I admit, the hardest thing is the ratios, I got fed up with ****** so I follow more of what Groves states about 60 grams of carbs a day, but I go between it and 100 because some days, it's what feels right to me. No two people are the same, even when it comes to food.

[LisaG]

I also gave up on Fit Day! Now I don't feel so bad.

[ChristineCQ]

Originally Posted by LisaG

I also gave up on Fit Day! Now I don't feel so bad.

Oh, me too!!!

[hillgirl]

Hi Sojogogo I was just reading through this thread when I saw youlr recipe. I tried it last night and - WOW! its great! Thanks so much. It shoud be on the recipes page. This is so much better than the bark recipes. Thank you!

[sojogogo]

YAY! I'm glad you like it hillgirl! Honestly, I didn't know there was a recipes page here, I never looked. (I was just looking for the EFGT topics...) Now I'm going to have to go look at it. And I guess I'll put the recipe over there as well. Thanks.

I'm glad that there are others who understand my frustration with ratios and ******. Not that it's a bad thing. It just made food not fun.

And eating fat is not so hard, I eat the pecan joys and homemade boursin with raw veggies if I'm needing something outside of a meal. If you have never had boursin, I'll post that recipe too, it's incredible and pretty much all fat - but you'd never know it.

[pgray1229]

I would love the recipe for boursin! What's in it?

[sojogogo]

HOMEMADE BOURSIN
This stuff is rich and fabulous! I usually just eat it with raw vegetables, but I've used it in a meat reduction sauce with a little wine and it was incredible. I can see using it with any meat you want to put an herbed butter on, or dab on smoked salmon, lots of stuff.

4 roasted garlic cloves (raw if you want, but I prefer the mellowness of roasted)
8 oz butter, softened
2-8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon chives
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dill weed

Put everything in a bowl and cream it all together with a hand mixer, maybe a minute. You want to see little flecks of garlic around.

Spoon mixture into a container and chill overnight. It's more creamy at room temp, but I never make it that far.

[97 Day Challenge]

Very informative and great post. Thank you!

97 Day Challenger

[helenback]

Originally Posted by sojogogo

HOMEMADE BOURSIN
This stuff is rich and fabulous! I usually just eat it with raw vegetables, but I've used it in a meat reduction sauce with a little wine and it was incredible. I can see using it with any meat you want to put an herbed butter on, or dab on smoked salmon, lots of stuff.

4 roasted garlic cloves (raw if you want, but I prefer the mellowness of roasted)
8 oz butter, softened
2-8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon chives
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dill weed

Put everything in a bowl and cream it all together with a hand mixer, maybe a minute. You want to see little flecks of garlic around.

Spoon mixture into a container and chill overnight. It's more creamy at room temp, but I never make it that far.

Hi, This sounds so good!! Do you know how long it lasts if refrigerated?
Thanks for the recipe!

I am just re-starting healthy eating and am going to EFGT, which I think is the only thing will work for me.

Thanks again!
helenback

[sojogogo]

LOL! You know, I honestly don't know, I usually always ate it all within a week, I'll even just sit and eat it plain... usually late at night when I want a snack. But it's butter and cream cheese, I'd say more than a couple of weeks. If it's too much halve it, I've made it that way too.

[babajer]

Thank you Mr. B for all you have contributed here. I've been "stalled" at WW for over 7 months and now I see why.Your explainations are awesome. Although I am afraid of fat, I'm going to give EFGT a try. I plan to start a thread where we can post what we eat....meal plans are helpful to me and maybe others who are just starting, at least til we get the hang of the ratios.

[chrissym]

I just want to say how I feel that I have stumbled upon the greatest miracle of my life. I am so impressed with this plan. Thank you.

[mrbiggs007]

It sad to say but true, that most of what we know about diets and health is a lie or just plain wrong. At the end of the day its about money. It just is not smart to give people the truth when there are billion dollar industries like the diet, heath, and fitness businesses that make so much off of the lies they spread. Think about it is it in your doctors best interest for you to be healthy or for him to try and make you healthy. Do diet companies really want you to loose and keep weight off in the long run? Does the Gym work for the average person? The truth is out there , but nobody wants it.

[libertariangirl]

Thanks for sharing! I see the notes on Atkins but please understand the original Atkins was like the plan you are doing now. It was after Atkins passed away that the corporation changed everything and told people to eat lean meat. That new atkins book gives him a bad name.

Good luck on your progress!

[mrbiggs007]

Fat or Thin at the end of the day we need to love ourselves. I'm not saying we don't try to better ourselves, we just don't have to hate ourselves to change is all. You can be on your journey and feel great even if you are not at your goals. A person who was 400 feels great at 300. They are not to their goal but they feel great. It could take years to reach a major goal, but less than a month to start feeling healthy and good about yourself.

[mrbiggs007]

Take a nine inch round pan pour in 6 eggs scrambled cover with 1-1 1/2 cups of cheese(your choice) ad on top 6-8 cooked and chopped bacon slices. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Enjoy with sour cream on top or other favorites i.e. hot sauce

[MsM]

Hi all, this is my very first post and so glad I found it. MrBiggs, you are an inspiration and I need your help! A bit of background, I am 43 years old, 25 kilos overweight (currently 89 kilos but ideal healthy weight for me would be between 60-65kilos). I have tried every single program to lose weight. I have had 'success' from some diets but my weight soon crept up again. Please advise me where to start. P.S. I am a coffee addict!!! Thank you