I'm new to this forum. Hi.

Is anyone out there familiar with books or research dealing with calorie excretion? I have found several references to this physiological effect in books by the following authors: Paul Stitt, Rex Russell, MD, and Luis Guerra, MD.

Dr. Guerra reports laboratory analysis of fecal material reveals that 2 to 42 percent of fat calories pass through the digestive tract without being absorbed into the bloodstream. The amount of soluble fiber ingested with the fat is tied (literally) to the amount of fat remaining in the fecal material.

Dr. Russell, citing research done in Africa, reports that 20 to 60 percent of all calories get excreted; again depending on the amount of soluble fiber present in the food.

Mr. Stitt's book is Why Calories Don't Count. He also cites research done in Africa but doesn't supply figures for percentages of calories excreted. This explains, in part, why adding fat calories to ones diet does not necessarily result in weight gain.

Another important physiological phenomenon is the internal remodeling that takes place with improvement in nutrition and increase in fat intake. Those who eat a low-cal (starvation) diet to lose weight often force their bodies to become more efficient at absorbing calories. Researchers have observed both increased stomach capacity (sometimes double) and increases in surface area of the small intestine.

Finally, a comment about saturated fat. Many people are afraid to eat animal derived foods because of the supposed connection between fat/cholesterol intake and clogged arteries. I know from 20 years of eating a high-fat diet and extensive reading that this hypothesis has no basis in clinical or experimental evidence. Yet convincing my obese friends that it is OK to increase fat intake is like trying to persuade someone dangling over an abyss to let go of whatever it is he is clinging to. Most people cling to the opinions of experts and suffer accordingly. Wish I could help them.

For anyone new to low-carb who wants reassurance regarding saturated fats, I recommend Know Your Fats by Mary G. Enig.

Dave

Dietary fat has very little to do with Body fat.
As far as sat fats, I do enjoy them in beef. But I get most of my dietary fats from Fish oils, Flax and Virgin coconut oil.

Jag

your post wasn't entirely clear, are they saying more fat is excreted with a higher fiber diet?

The digestive system is something like 40 to 80 percent efficient at absorbing calories into the bloodstream. Soluble fiber keeps a substantial portion of digested carbs, fats, and proteins from touching the receptor sites in the intestinal walls. Receptor sites are like off ramps on a freeway. Eating foods high in soluble fiber is like adding a lot of big trucks to the traffic on the freeway. Only cars in the outside lanes can exit. The rest are prevented from changing lanes easily because of the high proportion of trucks. Digested food molecules (fat included) get boxed in by the soluble fiber contained in the food. To consistantly achieve this effect one should include foods containing fiber (generally vegetables but some fruits such as apples contain soluble fiber) with every meal. Hope this helps

Yes, eat your veggies!

DavidBrown, I liked your analogy.

Thanks David! I thought it went along those lines, but wasn't sure that was their conclusion.