There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction. ~ Winston Churchill

The world of high fat eating is only now becoming more and more acceptable after years and years of propaganda against anything with even just a trace of healthy fat.

It’s been almost 5 years since we ran the now famous (well, it’s famous in my own mind!) High Fat Experiment at HTA, and only recently do I see a ton of FAMOUS (low-carber) people willing to jump on this bandwagon.

The low carb community always knew the value of having MORE healthy fats in the diet, what they didn’t figure out until recently is the advantage of lowering protein amounts to increase the fat loss.  In other words, eating a true ketogenic diet (80% plus in fats), and doing so can grant you losses that will rival The hCG Protocol.

Don’t get me wrong, I still believe that hCG is the fastest and safest way to take weight off.  However, doing things the high fat way can come in a close second.  I do have to add this caveat … it’s MUCH easier to recover from unplanned (or planned) indulgences while on hCG than it is on high fat, don’t know why this is yet, but I am always searching!

I get asked this question more than I care to admit:  What foods are considered healthy high fat?

Glad it was asked one more time!  ::giggle::

Here are my Top 9 Favorite High Fat Foods:

1. Avocados:  How can you even start a list of high fat foods and not include avocados at the top of the list?  Hass (my preferred choice) avocados are a whopping 80% fat all by themselves, and if you add mayo (2 tbsp) you bring that number quite easily up to 87%.  Let’s not discount the fact that avocados are full of potassium (1000 mg per avocado) and have plenty of fiber (9 grams).  Yeah for the avocado!  When my store runs a special ($1 a piece), I buy 10 at a time and go on an avocado meal spree!
2. Butter:  When I was first learning the high fat way of life and was having issues with determining the right amounts, I would be toward the end of my day and not have enough fat and just starting to find any way I could incorporate butter (don’t get grossed out as I often ate a pat of butter to bring up the fats for the day).  For those of you trying to limit your intake of dairy, consider ghee instead.  Most people with an allergy to dairy can tolerate ghee, and to make it even better, you can make your own!  Butter is 99% fat!  Do try to turn over to only grass fed butters if you can, your body will thank you.
3. Sour Cream:  I think sour cream is a magic food.  I say that because I can’t find a single thing that it doesn’t go well with.  For most of my high fat dinners, sour cream is a staple, mixing either with cream cheese or mayo for a creamy base to almost anything.  I also like it better than GY for some fruits like strawberries and blueberries – just sweeten it up a bit with some of your favorite sweetener, add some vanilla, and viola, lusciousness.  My favorite brand is Daisy.  Sour cream is 86% fat!
4. Coconut:  Coconut oil, coconut cream, coconut milk, coconut flakes, anything that is some sort of pure coconut is going to give you a healthy dose of high fat living.  For those of you on a dairy free diet, consider using coconut milk for most “milk or cream” needs, and the brand I recommend is Thai Kitchen Organic Coconut Milk.  The thing about Coconut Oil however is that it’s considered therapeutic rather than dietary.  Sort of like taking a fish oil tablet.  The first 3.5 tbsp should not be counted into your total calories or fat for the day.  Coconut can be anywhere from 80-99% fat, depending on how you use it.
5. Mayonnaise:  I seriously don’t understand why mayo has such a bad rap.  Yeah, the kind you buy from the store is mostly full of soybean oil, and we all know that isn’t good for you.  However, if you have ever tried making it on your own and discover it’s too much work, let me share with you a trick … EASY PEASY Mayo Making … only works though if you have an immersion blender.  Mayo is DAIRY FREE (eggs are NOT dairy!) – and I use this oil almost exclusively.  This is also a great foundation for lots of salad dressings.  Mayo is 98% fat.  YUM!  I feel bad for all those people out there that think Miracle Whip is really mayonnaise.  ::giggle::  However, I do see the draw to sweet mayo, and if you are ever in a bind for something high fat quick?  Mix a little mayo with your favorite sweetener and then shred some cabbage, instant coleslaw.  YUM again!
6. Olive Oil:  This goes without saying right?  If you haven’t made the switch from vegetables oils to pure olive oil, it’s time you did.  I totally understand that some olive oils are strong, so just experiment until you find one that works for you.  My most favorite quick salad dressing is equal amounts of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, s&p to taste and about a clove of garlic minced for each 1/4 cup of dressing.  Don’t skimp on this 100% healthy fat!
7. Dark Chocolate:  This one I have to say is not in my top 9 for real.  I am one of very few people on earth that chocolate doesn’t do anything for.  But I think I might start a revolution unless I mentioned it in this top list.  Now, I have to say there are times where I can tolerate it, and during those times, dark chocolate is the only way to go.  There are dark chocolates out there that are dairy free, you just have to read the labels.  Dark chocolate is usually around 85% fat.
8. Macadamia Nuts:  YUM!  What else needs to be said?  They are like 88% fat, and when choosing a nut for high fat living, should be your first choice.  They are excellent just on their own.  However, for a real treat, use them as a crust for a mock danish, just loosely grind 1 oz of mac nuts, add a little butter and sweetener, press into the bottom of a ramekin.  Put it in the oven for about 5 minutes to set, then make your mock danish on the crust, YUMMY, sort of a warm cheese cake … be careful however, this breakfast can be around 650 calories!  But get this … 85% fat!
9. Eggs:  They might not be a true high fat food, being only about 60% fat, but it’s the things you ADD to it that bring it to a great ratio!  I love lots of veggies with eggs cooked in butter, then a dollop of sour cream.  YUM!  I saw a recipe the other day that make this omelet cake type thing and I was like DANG, why didn’t I think of that???  I am tweaking the recipe and will share in a future post.

Did I leave off your favorite high fat food?  You know that I could have listed 20 right, but choose only 9 so that you, my readers, could share your favorites with me!  Do that please, give me your favorite high fat food, and if you can and know it, what the fat content it?

Let’s have fun with this!

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr.

Back in early 2009, there was a group of HTA Boot Camp members who were having issues stabilizing. No matter what a fellow admin and I tried to do, we could NOT figure out why.

After weeks of collecting data, we figured out that the common denominator was either one of two things: It was the flavored coffee people were drinking, or the cream that they put in it.

We immediately dismissed the cream as the culprit. After all, we were right smack dab in the middle of a high fat experiment and cream is good for you. So, we decided it had to be the flavored coffee.

Convincing this group to stick to unflavored coffee seemed to curtail the problems with stabilizing for a bit, but not as much as I would have liked to have seen.

Almost a year later, I was still collecting data, doing research, and wondering why there was still an issue with cream and other dairy products. After all, these products help us reach the fat numbers we need to stabilize.

Like a lightning bolt, one morning it hit me. I was surfing the net, like I generally do in the morning, and I came across one sentence on a website about MSG. I saw the word “carrageenan” in a sentence:

Even if a manufacturer tells you there is no MSG in a product, there may be autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed pea protein, carrageenan, sodium caseinate, enzymes, and a whole slew of other ingredients that contain or create processed free glutamic acid (MSG) during manufacture.

I had heard of everything in that sentence except “carrageenan,” so proceeded to look it up. I was quite honestly dismayed when I found out what it is, what it does, and where it is found in foods.

MSG is counterproductive, not only to your health, but to your weight loss efforts, as well. This ingredient is used mostly as a thickening agent, and is often found in dairy products. Like the cream. Ah ha!

I immediately made this announcement to my clients and to the Boot Camp members. It spread around the site like wildfire with amazing results. People who were doing everything right were still having issues with stabilizing because of their intolerance to MSG. Consuming dairy products that contain carrageenan was causing them to fight an uphill battle.

When they cut the dairy products that contained carrageenan, their stabilization improved.

How does this relate to being dedicated to data?

In oh so many ways! ::giggle::

1. We would not have known to narrow down the culprit to cream and coffee had we not spent weeks recording data on what was working and what wasn’t working with the group we were focused on.
2. We had devised a way, albeit sloppy, to record that data so that we could make an intelligent decision about what the culprit was.
3. I kept that data and watched the trends, knowing that even though there was some movement with our original explanation, something was missing. I didn’t give up looking.
4. When I learned the new information, I added it to the data that I already had. Then, I tested a small group, and later a larger group. I finally concluded that choosing dairy products that do not contain carrageenan will help you stabilize.

Having data is super important to your weight control journey. Without data, you cannot make a determination on which way is the most beneficial direction for you to go in.

Data Collection

The sole purpose of data collection is to gather information to keep on record so that you can make decisions about important issues, and then pass that information to others.

Data collection usually involves 3 steps:

Pre-collection:  These are your goals, your targets, the definition of the data, and the methods of collecting it.

Collection:  This is the actual collection of the data.

Sorting the information:  This is where you make sense of the data you collected.

Pre-collection activities are the most crucial steps in the process. This is where you define your goals so that you know what to look for and how to measure the progress. This is the research phase.

Let’s say your goal is to weigh 128 pounds and fit in a size 6 dress or pants. To get to that weight, you must figure out how to get there (a diet), but then you must decide which diet works best for you (The hCG Protocol).

Now you need a way to measure data. In the data collection process, you need a baseline and a target. These two things will help you decide what is working or what needs improvement.

• Choosing a healthy menu is the key to successful progress. While you are on The hCG Protocol, you will discover what foods work best for you. You will start collecting menus and noticing how the foods relate to your losses. If those losses can be tweaked to get better, then figure out if that menu can be used two, three or four days in a row. Or maybe you need to rotate it? Does taking a break of 3 weeks work better for you, or just a 10 day break? Does adding fats to your menu work better for you, or do you make more progress when you stick to pure protocol? Does your body need 500 calories exactly, or does it work better with fewer? Or with more?
• The scale will become your best friend or your worst enemy. I challenge you to consider the scale as just a data collecting device. Use it as a tool rather than a weapon. It’s not there to tell you if you have been bad or good. Its sole purpose is to give you data about whether the food you ate the day before was productive or counterproductive to your goals. And sometimes, it lies. ::giggle:: The tape measure is a much better guide, and should be used religiously when you are on the active portion of weight loss.
• Pictures tell a story. I recommend you use them consistently. And do me a favor, have a trusted friend look at your pictures instead of using yourself as a guide to knowing whether or not things are happening. We are sometimes not the best data collectors when it comes to pictures of ourselves.

To truly see day-to-day results, I highly recommend keeping the data on paper or digitally. Don’t try to remember it in your head! ::giggle::

Every person is as unique as a snowflake. What works for you will not necessarily work for another. Your job is to use the information that countless others used before you (the data), and tweak it to maximize your losses and strengthen your stabilization.

What is your favorite form of data collection for your weight control journey?

You have to stand outside the box to see how the box can be re-designed. ~ Charles Handy

I made a personal decision many moons ago that in my life, traditional western medicine was my absolute last resort in any sickness. I felt that the only thing traditional Western medical doctors were good for was putting me back together in the event of an accident.

I understood early on that traditional Western doctors focus on treating symptoms instead of addressing the underlying reason that these symptoms were being produced.  This means you can most likely go to 4 different “kinds” of doctors to figure out what ONE symptom meant in your body.

I have always had a healthy respect for the body’s ability to heal itself, if given the right tools to do so. So that means I would rather go to a professional who deals with the WHOLE body, rather than just the symptom.

As a coach, I have been surprised more than a few times in the lack of information that clients (and members of the HTA site) have in “wholistic” medicine.

What is Wholistic Medicine?

First, a rather mundane point … is it (W)HOLISTIC or is it HOLISTIC? It’s a pet peeve of mine. And I am only reminded of it because as I write this document, the spell checker wants me to change the word wholistic to holistic.  And I don’t want to.  WHOLE means everything, whereas HOLE means an empty void. Treating the body as a WHOLE then would be WHOLISTIC medicine.

ANYWAY …

Here is the best definition I found for Wholistic Medicine:

Wholistic Health is actually an approach to life. Rather than focusing on illness or specific parts of the body, this ancient approach to health considers the whole person and how he or she interacts with his or her environment. It emphasizes the connection of mind, body, and spirit. The goal is to achieve maximum well-being, where everything functions the very best that is possible. With Wholistic Health people accept responsibility for their own level of well-being, and everyday choices are used to take charge of one’s own health.

When you put your sights on using a wholistic doctor, you are making a firm resolve to accept the responsibility of your own self-care. This requires massive dedication to your intention of general well-being.

Examples of Wholistic Medicine

There are many avenues of wholistic medicine, and you can choose to concentrate on one for your general health. However, as with everything else in our lives, we are individuals, so one sort of wholistic doctor might not work for all of us. I recommend searching until we land on a doctor who does work.

The trick is to first discover what is available so that you can make an informed decision.

Naturopathic Medicine – Their belief is that the human body has an innate healing ability.  They view the patient as a complex interrelated system (a whole person) and not just a clogged artery or a tumor. They blend the best of modern medical science and traditional natural medical approaches to treat disease and restore health.

Acupuncture Medicine – Acupuncture is among the oldest healing practices in the world. As part of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body.

Chiropractic Medicine – Chiropractic doctors are health care professions who focus on the relationship between the body’s structure (mainly the spine) and its functioning. Although practitioners may use a variety of treatment approaches, they primarily perform adjustments (manipulations) to the spine or other parts of the body with the goal of correcting alignment problems, alleviating pain, improving function, and supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Iridology Medicine – Iridology is the scientific practice that involves correlating the markings and patterns of the iris to reflex manifestations and bodily malfunctions among the many organs of the body. By studying the eye, doctors can discover a patient’s overall degree of health, as well as his or her apparent inherent weaknesses. In this alternative medicine technique, the eye is perceived as the gateway to the body, whereby its condition reflects the overall condition of the patient.

Reflexology Medicine – Reflexologists work from maps of predefined pressure points that are located on the hands and feet. These pressure points are reputed to connect directly through the nervous system and affect the bodily organs and glands. The reflexologist manipulates the pressure points according to specific techniques of reflexology therapy. By means of this touching therapy, any part of the body that is the source of pain, illness, or potential debility can be strengthened through the application of pressure at the respective foot or hand location.

Homeopathic Medicine – The term homeopathy comes from the Greek words homeo, which means similar, and pathos, which means suffering or disease. Homeopathy seeks to stimulate the body’s ability to heal itself by giving very small doses of highly diluted substances.

This is but a small handful of alternative practices available. I choose to stay specifically with the whole body experience; however, there are other alternative practices that focus more on the energy field (more for emotional and mental health, such as Resonance re-patterning and Reiki), and others still that focus just on the body’s health (massage).  There is even a practice that incorporates the mind, body and spirit (yoga), but isn’t really related to medicine.

It’s important to remember that when you dealing with wholistic medicine, you don’t generally see results immediately.  Going to a traditional medical doctor you will receive a pill that will alleviate the pain or illness almost in an instant; however, that will never get to the root of the issue and you might experience relapses (Anyone besides me deal with a yearlong infection, even with antibiotics?) Alternative Medicine will work on the root of the issue to get you truly well from the inside out.

Isn’t that what we are doing with The hCG Protocol?  Working from the INSIDE out?  Our bodies will only run at optimal performance if we give it the chance by letting it work together as a system.

Stay dedicated to your health.  Your nutrition is a huge part of that picture, but only a part.  Do yourself a favor and consider finding a good alternative health practitioner in your area.