As someone that has been eating a very high fat diet for over a year now, I just thought I'd weigh in with some of my personal experience on this topic. I started eating a ketogenic diet last year in order to put my body into a state of nutritional ketosis which means that my body derives most of its energy (technically ATP production) from fat-based sources rather than carbohydrate (glucose) sources. The typical arguments against this type of diet include increased risk of heart disease as well as the inability to properly control weight due to an increased caloric load. I have experienced neither of these issues.
For perspective, I started this diet in July of 2014 with a goal of weight loss. My target range for carbohydrate intake has been 100g per day or less and most weekdays I try to achieve 20g or less. I haven't kept a meticulous journal, but I'd say that I've kept well within this range. I've also focused on eating high-fat foods to keep my fat intake at 70%+ of caloric load. I had a blood test performed prior to starting and here are the cholesterol figures:
Total: 131mg/dL HDL: 52 mg/dL Triglycerides: 25mg/dL Rest (LDL): 79mg/dL
From what I have read triglycerides are the primary factor to look at in men as an indicator of heart disease unless you have access to a lab that can test for inflammation markers. When I asked my doctor for his interpretation of my triglycerides, his response was "non-existent". For reference, normal is considered <150mg/dL and "optimal" is <100mg/dL.
From the start the rules have been simple: eat what I want, when I want but only eat when I am hungry and only eat foods high in saturated fat. Sugars were eliminated almost completely at the start and I've experimented with adding them back in for treats. Never have I counted a single calorie. The only statistic I monitor is the grams of carbohydrates in foods. For anyone that has ever had to count calories meticulously I can't tell you how liberating it is to never have to worry about this.
So what have I see in that time? From July through December I didn't see much progress. The primary changes I noticed were in unexpected areas. Prior to going on this high-fat adventure I had various digestive issues. These went away immediately. I've also noticed dramatic decreases in my cravings for sweet foods and my ability to taste sweetness has increased so much that I am nearly sickened when I eat things like candy. As of now the only really sweet thing I can eat is a Cliff's Builders Bar and I start feeling a tad nauseous about three-quarters through one of them. There have been several other physical effects but to really sum it up, I have an overall better general sense of well-being and health now.
What has happened since January of this year has been pure magic, however. At the start of this year I was 265 pounds and was wearing size 44 pants. As of today I am walking at 210 pounds and now fit comfortably in size 36s. It has been a complete transformation. I've blown well past my goal for the year so everything past this point is just gravy (which is hideously bad for you, btw).
The real question, of course, is what did this do to my cholesterol figures. In July of this year I got more blood work done and here are the results:
Total: 128mg/dL HDL: 32 mg/dL Triglycerides: 52mg/dL Rest: 86mg/dL
While these numbers are still very low overall there were some interesting shifts. My total stayed the same, but HDL was lowered and my triglycerides more than doubled. This is certainly a move in the wrong direction, but I have a couple of ideas as to why. One thing that wasn't illustrated above was that prior to going on a ketogenic diet I had been involved in a fairly intense weight training program with a friend for a period of about 5 months. I sustained a minor injury to my back around July and started lessening my workouts considerably. By January my exercise regime had become one activity: breathing.
The entire course of this year I have been absolutely physically inert. And yet the weight is melting off of me. This could help explain why my cholesterol figures are moving the way they are. Exercise is linked to lowering triglycerides while increasing HDL. My theory is that my numbers now reflect a more casual state of normal and would probably quickly lower again if I started hitting the gym. I'm going to stick with the couch for a bit, though since it seems to be working
So I'm not sure what all you want to take out of this. You could easily discard it as an n=1 anecdote. My personal experience and knowledge in this area however leads me to believe that there's a whole lot more to the world of fat and cholesterol to explore. I'm certainly going to continue experiment in my life to find what is optimal for me. I encourage others to do the same.
