I speak a lot about clean fats in my coaching.  Whenever I mention it, the next question is usually, “What do you consider to be a clean fat?”

That depends.

The eBook I wrote recently (Good Food Hunting) goes into detail about the whole high-fat program that I encourage for maintenance.

But did you know “clean” fats have a place in P2 as well?  Yes, fats on P2!

Now, before you go and shake your head in disbelief, I have found in over 5 years of being associated with The hCG Protocol that some fats can actually help with achieving losses during Phase 2.  I have come to this conclusion by testing my theory with hundreds (if not thousands … haven’t really counted!) of HTA Members through the use of Boot Camp and The Bod Squad.

Just two of my theories:

• Priming the Pump:  Especially when you are closer to goal, I feel that sometimes it’s almost as if the hCG has a hard time finding the “abnormal” fat, and that adding a little fat into a P2 day will actually help the hCG find it and break it down, and take some of its friends with it!  With priming the pump comes the idea of cycling calories, which I discuss further in this article.
• Subtle Changes in Food Quality:  With the plethora of information available today via the internet, there is no doubt that the quality of food available today is not the quality of food that was available when Dr. Simeons wrote Pounds and Inches.  I believe that the meats of his day had a lot more healthy fats naturally in them, and that we are missing that in just our usual 3.5 oz of flesh protein a meal.  So adding fats, I think, makes it more like his day.

Now, before you ask, “But wasn’t the meat actually leaner back then?” let me tell you this.  I believe that it WAS leaner back then, but it was also “cleaner.”  Think about it.  Today animals are fed tons of antibiotics along with their highly unnatural feed (grain and corn), and that unnatural feed fattens them up considerably.  Since the impurities collect in the fat of the animal (not just the fat surrounding the muscle, but also the fat running through the muscle itself), the fat of the animals today is “less clean” than back when Dr. S wrote.  The fat in the animals at that time was “clean” because it didn’t have the concentrated impurities in it.  Thus, in eating the meat of these animals, you would have been getting a higher percentage of “clean” fat.  Said another way, although we actually get a higher percentage of TOTAL fat in our meat today, it’s not all “clean” fat; the actual percentage of “clean” fat is likely much lower today than it was in Dr. S’s time, though you could argue that grass-fed beef today is likely much closer to the beef back then.

The above being said, it isn’t just a case of eating whatever fats you like.  You can’t just go willy nilly and expect the phenomenon to work.  No, I have come up with a list of what I call “clean” fats, or fats that are acceptable for P2:

• Sour Cream*
• Greek Yogurt*
• Butter*
• Ghee*
• Oils**
• Avocados
• Raw Macadamias
• Half and Half*
• Mayo***

*Any Dairy:  Please make sure that you are using dairy that has NO carrageenan as this is counterproductive to losses.  Optimal is using pasture-fed sources of dairy for health and consistent losses.  If the stores in your area are anything like mine, there has recently been an insurgence of grass-fed hormone-free dairy available, and for just cents more than the other variety.

**Oils:  Please stay away from canola and vegetable oils, stick more with olive oil.  And before you ask, NO to coconut oil which will be a post for another day.

***Mayo:  It is probably best that you use home-made mayo as soy is counterproductive to losses.  Or, if you are fortunate to be able to get bottled mayo without any soy, then do that!

Cycling Calories

When adding fats to your P2, it’s best if you concentrate on alternating calories.  In other words, I don’t see added fats working on a daily basis.  Something about the body catching on and then slowing down and not releasing as you would like it to.

Here’s an approach that has worked for many of my coaching clients.  Start with one day of standard VLCD at 500 calories.  The next day, go up to 750 calories (regular P2 menu with the added clean fats to reach 750), and the next day increase it again to 1,000 calories.  Then you go back down again with another day of 750 calories, and then back to 500 calories.   Rinse and repeat.  Applied to days of the week, it looks like this:

• Monday – 500 calories
• Tuesday – 750 calories
• Wednesday – 1000 calories
• Thursday – 750 calories
• Friday – 500 calories
• Saturday – 750 calories
• Sunday – 1000 calories

The cycle starts over again on Monday.

A couple of things to keep in mind when trying to work with clean fats in your P2:

• It’s best if you are within 20 pounds of goal.  There is a caveat … if you are more than 20 pounds from goal but are extremely active (let’s say, like a firefighter!), then this most likely will work for you.
• Fattier meats work, too.  So, for example, you could simply just change a fish portion to salmon or tuna, or a beef portion to rib eye, and possibly get the same effect.

Most of all, remember that this is a case of your mileage may vary.  You can never go wrong with just following the protocol as written.  You may not see movement on the scale, but I can guarantee that you will see movement either on a tape measure, or by comparing pictures.

Have you had experience with using fats on P2?  If so, I would LOVE to see your comments by posting below.  Do you have questions?  Ask away!!!