High fat low carb

In a previous post I mentioned metabolic testing. I went and had loads of tests done on me to measure my body fat percentage and to find out which fuel I burn the most - carbs, fat or protein.
When it comes to healthy eating I have always had a higher carb diet and a reasonably low fat diet. Most of the carbs came from fruit. I always knew that fruit had sugar in it but never considered that combining the amount of fruit I ate, especially high in the glycemic index such as bananas, pomegranate and grapes, with my nagging sweet tooth would be making much difference.
But, I had hit a plateau with my weight loss. I understand a lot of the pounds are now muscle rather than fat, and I am in no way over weight but I still wanted to lose a couple more pounds.
I also know that snacking like I do doesn't help but on the most part it has never been a problem when I wanted to drop those hefty extra pounds.
So learning that my body burnt next to no fat and way too much sugar it all became clear. I need to cut back on the sugar so my body will look to my fat stores for energy.
So this week I have written a diet plan. I am in day two and so far I have stuck to it really well but I have to admit I am struggling. Usually when I am peckish and eating well I reach for some fruit, while I am still eating fruit I have to cut back considerably. So this has been difficult. But I have succeeded.

Today's results

As you can see, I keep a food diary using the My Fitness Pal app, which I think is fantastic and would recommend. It calculates everything from the amount of sugars consumed through carbs and which fats you have consumed. (I am pleased to say the high fat count comes from virtually all healthy fats and saturated fat intake is still low as always.)

But to burn more fat I need to provide my body with fat. Anyone with the slightest interest in nutrition knows that you can't have both a high fat and high carb diet as sugar makes fat stick. And there is a lot of arguments out there over which is the best, I personally think it is individual. Hopefully after a few weeks of working really hard, eating loads of fat and protein, no unnatural sugars and limiting my carb intake I will be able to make my own mind up.

Coming from someone with a sweet tooth who eats a lot of fruit to combat it, I am finding it tough. High fat and protein means I am even more limited in satisfying my need for a sweet treat but hopefully cutting back on it will help. Luckily I love yoghurt and milk which have been saviors when I have just needed a sneaky swig of something extra. One thing is for certain I MISS CEREAL sooo much. The cheerios will just have to wait for a rainy day and if my body fat percentage lowers, hopefully it will motivate me to cut back on the naughty snacks for good. 

Metabolic testing

Last week I went to a health clinic for some metabolic testing and nutrition advice. 
It was very interesting and something I hope to follow up.
Unfortunately I found myself on Thursday night mindlessly binging on cereal and cereal bars (sugar central!) So I don't think I gave myself a chance at a fair reading. Nevertheless it really helped me understand my body more. 
I also want to lose an extra seven pounds so this can only help with that. Worth a try.
So I rocked up and got started. Using a special machine that Clinical Edge Health Care have the rights to, I breathed into the apparatus to get my reading.

Breathing into this mouth piece sent readings into a machine to measure my fat.

It measured my carbon dioxide output and from that worked out what type of fuel my body burns the most.

Now, I could have guessed that sugar would be high, my low blood sugar and constant sweet tooth made that blindingly obvious but what I didn't expect was the shocking numbers.

My body burns 88% sugar (as I said before this was probably a little inaccurate due to my binge, but I doubt it is far off) and only 12% of fat. Ideally it should burn between 48-83% fat and 17-52% sugar. 

I was given lots of advice and I learnt quite a bit too. At this clinic they recommend a higher fat and protein diet and lower carbohydrates. They completely made me re-evaluate the type of food I eat and at what times of the day. So starting on Monday (when I have finished my current detox (will blog about that at the end of the week)) I will be changing my lifestyle and seeing if it works. Instead of carby oats for breakfast I will eat more protein like eggs and yoghurt. I already eat a huge amount of fruit and vegetables but I will be trying to cut back on sugary fruits and eating more berries and plowing even more veg onto my plate.

I am not sure how I will react to this because I love cereals and oats for breakfast but I will keep updating the blog on my progress.