Brooke,

I have a question about the amount of fat in my protocol. I weigh and measure my food. I can tell you exactly what I have been eating. I am trying to dial in the amount of fat I eat for satiation, fat adaption and weight loss.

Breakfast 4 oz of protein, 8 oz of veggie 2 TB of fat
Lunch: 4 oz of protein, 8 oz cooked veggies, 2 TB ghee, 8 oz salad 2-3 TB salad dressing
Dinner: 4 oz of protein, 8 oz cooked veggies, 2 TB ghee, 8 oz salad 3 TB dressing

You mentioned that you eat 3 TB of fat with your 2 meals. Does that mean 3 TB overall? You said you eat like an 8 to 10 oz salad for each meal so in total across 16-20 oz of veggies, you eat only 3 TB of fat?

I have been following my protocol for a few weeks. When I first started, I was following this same protocol with only 1 TB of fat per 8 oz of veggies. I had been off flour and sugar for only week when I started my protocol so certainly I am still going through withdrawals. I was really struggling on 1 TB of fat per 8 oz of veggie. I was told I should eat fat to satiation and I am trying to figure what that is. Now it is either 2 or 3 TB of fat per 8 oz of veggies. That means sometimes I am eating 6 TB of fat at lunch or dinner.

I like what you said about there is no research about how fast you lose weight being harmful. I want to dial in my weight loss for many reasons. One of them is a big trip in a couple of months. I am 150 pounds overweight and any weight loss before that trip would help me physically on that trip. I want to stamina for this trip. I am walking every day and doing some yoga twice a week too. So, talk to me. I was already doing this protocol and off flour and sugar before I heard your Stop Overeating workshop so you can imagine how thrilled I was to hear what you shared. You were teaching things I had fought hard to figure out.

I feel so good about committing to my food plan the night before. I have a support group for that. I am weighing and measuring my food. I am eating tons of veggies. I think 1 TB of fat per 8 oz of veggies is too little at the moment. But maybe 3 TB per 8 oz of veggies is too much. I have to stick with a version of the plan for at least a week and often two before I change it and I don’t want to burn up my limited time before this trip messing around with it if you can help me tune in to what is good for weight loss.

I am getting more fat adapted. I spent a year in Dr. Fung’s long-distance program so I am used to intermittent fasting. I mostly preferred to fast twice a week for 24 hours. I have also done 36 hour fasts, 42 hour fasts and even a 2 week fast. Over the past ten years I have been off flour and sugar multiple times–eating Paleo, allergy-free and low-carb. I have been off of them for 6 months, 3 months, a year. But I think I was caught mostly in diet mentality. That going off flour and sugar was just until I could be “normal.” What finally clicked for me was that flour and sugar are addictive substances and I have ridden their trippy and hellish brain train for too long. If I stay away from them I don’t have to trigger the addiction and I can choose out of the multiple and cascading effects of consuming them. I have spent a lot of time suffering under their influence and I choose out of it now.

I think, you will, of course, suggest that I do some intermittent fasting. I think I can push my fasting to 12pm and eat lunch at 12pm and dinner at 5 pm giving me a 5 hour eating window and a daily fasting time of 19 hours. That’s great. I just gotta get my sponsor to agree to it. If I am messing with fat consumption and intermittent fasting, can you see how it will eat up my time before this trip if I can only change my protocol every two weeks. Help me dial this in.

Also, just a note. Some of the stuff you said in that workshop? It was like you were inside my brain. This experience of overcoming obesity has been the toughest thing I have ever done. You said that too. You said losing weight and figuring out the emotional eating and your model and your feelings and the weight was the hardest thing you have ever done. Just know that I was cheering when I heard that. So nice to meet someone from the trenches who can articulate and systemize a pattern for going through it. Totally awesome.