Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

3

I should probably be more specific; why does cheese make me fat?

I am a 29 year old mother of two, and I have lost about 20 lbs and 10% of body fat since going paleo in March. My weight loss obviously stalls and then begins to reverse when I am consuming any significant amount of cheese in my diet, though eating tons of ghee and a little heavy cream don't seem to have any detrimental effect. I also eat homemade kefir every day, and my body seems to thrive on it.

What's the deal? And any tips for avoiding something so evil and delicious? My kids eat alot of cheese, it is soooo easy, and so it is always around.

flag	asked Sep 9 2010 at 6:09 Mama J 1,499●1●10●19

	What kind of cheese are you eating? It's not all the same. – Chris Sep 9 2010 at 14:32
	Right now it is raw, organic, sharp cow's milk cheddar. – Mama J Sep 9 2010 at 15:10
	Interesting, perhaps try some goats milk cheese for a bit, or another brand. – Chris Sep 9 2010 at 17:59
	I just discovered sharp aged raw grassfed cheddar, and it is one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted, my kiddo seems equally enamored, this could be trouble. I'm trying to dole it out in very small amounts, so if he leaves any on the plate that I feel compelled to "clean up" it won't be a lot. – Happy Now Jan 30 2012 at 11:08

Jon Thoroddsen · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-09 14:40:02Z UTC

6

Dairy products can spike your insulin response, as mentioned in this hack. This can lead to increased appetite and more fat storage, as per carbs. Old time weighlifters used to guzzle milk just for this effect, and for the hormones. Heavy cream and ghee don't, as they are mostly fat.

Here's an article that seems to have some references and background on this.

answered Sep 9 2010 at 14:40

Jon Thoroddsen
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	Thanks! Just what I was looking for! – Mama J Sep 13 2010 at 5:41
	And I thought the new paleo lore was that insulin plays a minor role and food that makes fat simply is too rewarding... :) – Ginnungagap Jan 30 2012 at 10:17
	Insulin does not lead to increased fat storage. – peter Apr 9 2012 at 0:12
	@peter Really? How does that work when it's the signal to take nutrients out of the blood and store them in fat cells when there's too much blood sugar? – raydawg Apr 9 2012 at 10:17

Dorado Galore · Answer 2 · 2012-01-30 02:34:42Z UTC

9

We are in the same boat. You want to eat "a significant amount" of cheese. Me, I want to eat lots of nuts. We both don't want to get fat.

You know where this riff is leading, right? You need to get real with cheese, me with nuts.

answered Jan 30 2012 at 2:34

Dorado Galore
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why does nuts make you fat? I know why dairy does, its insulinogenic and has hormones. – DH Feb 18 at 9:32

JakeA · Answer 3 · 2010-09-09 12:24:37Z UTC

3

Cheese is pretty dense in calories. For example just 1 ounce of pepper jack cheese is listed as 100 calories on my package. If you are still trying to lose weight, and would like to eat cheese, you might want to note how much you are eating and/or count a few calories to make sure you aren't going overboard. Cheese is super good and it's so easy to eat a bunch of.

answered Sep 9 2010 at 12:24

JakeA
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But this is assuming the calorie-in, calorie-out hypothesis, which doesn't seem to stand up in my experience, ie. I can eat everything doused in lard/coconut oil/tallow and ghee by the spoonful and still lose weight. – Mama J Sep 9 2010 at 15:25

1

Well, I think what Jake's saying is, are you no longer doing that when you eat cheese, or are you adding cheese to your normal diet? Most of the time when you add foods to your diet, it makes you less hungry and you cut other foods (lots of fat at lunch = smaller dinner), but because cheese is extra yummy and calorie dense, it can become more like a desert, where the amount you eat doesn't cause you to spontaneously consume less of anything else, or at least not proportionally (one cheese plate after dinner can > kcal at dinner). – Krisha C. Jan 30 2012 at 16:51

familygrokumentarian · Answer 4 · 2010-09-09 13:45:21Z UTC

As JakeA mentioned, it is calorie dense. Get the richest, tastiest cheeses for yourself (think Gorgonzola instead of string cheese), serve up as an accent to salad, chili, soup, or broiled on veggies. In other words, really enjoy what cheese you DO choose to eat so that you're seeking maximum cheese enjoyment from those calories.

PaleoGran · Answer 5 · 2010-09-09 14:25:14Z UTC

To know exactly how much you are eating, and of what, including how many grams of protein, fat, and carbohydrates, you might be interested in logging and tracking what you eat.

www.fatsecret.com is very easy to use. There are other programs, such as fitday, dailyplate, etc.

Once you know exactly what you are eating, and how much of each macronutrient, it will be easier to determine what food or foods might be keeping you from losing weight.

Most of us are surprised when we see the real numbers.

All the best to you.

Energymonkey · Answer 6 · 2012-01-30 02:26:09Z UTC

I tend to avoid dairy in general, as it makes me gassy and congested. However, my wife and kids do fine with it... Lucky them! I recommend using only full-fat cheese if you are eating cheese, as any reduced-fat ones will be less satiating, and have a higher glycemic index. Most folks doing paleo already know that glycemic index and glycemic load are at least as important as counting calories. IMHO, if you just leave cheese alone and eat meat instead (bacon is my favorite cheese substitute!)you will be doing yourself a big favor.

Energymonkey · Answer 7 · 2012-04-08 22:25:50Z UTC

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Watch the movie "Fat Head"... It has helped me to realize that fat is NOT my enemy! Unfortunately, dairy is.

answered Apr 8 2012 at 22:25

Energymonkey
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Kim · Answer 8 · 2012-04-08 22:50:59Z UTC

I notice you said tons of ghee and a little heavy cream. Cheese is made of the protein casein. It's just how you make cheese for the protein coagulation. It can be very problematic for some for this exact reason, concentrating the casein in this process; essentially, your mileage may vary in terms of tolerance to casein. If you have problems with casein, this is a good start. Butter contains insignificant amounts for moderately intolerant individuals, and a little cream may be alright. Other casein intolerant sufferers claim they do alright on heavy cream.

"If you have digestive difficulties, your gut may not have all the enzymes necessary to digest the proteins in casein. Avoiding casein is as simple as avoiding most dairy foods. If you eat raw dairy, note that raw cream contains casein, but that raw butter contains only very insignificant amounts of casein and tends to be better tolerated (unless you cannot digest fats well.)"

peter · Answer 9 · 2012-04-09 00:14:38Z UTC

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Cheese is very calorie dense. 100g of cheese is 400 calories.

answered Apr 9 2012 at 0:14

peter
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Why does dairy make me fat?!

9 Answers