Fatty breakfast fry-ups are 'great way to lose weight' says woman who shed 3 stone

Katy Gob was tipping the scales at almost 16st at her heaviest and was told by doctors that her only hope was to have a gastric bypass

A woman who shed an amazing 3 STONE while tucking into FATTY FRY-UPS has shown that fat can be healthy.

Katy Gob lost almost a fifth of her bodyweight on a low carbohydrate, high fat diet - after struggling with conventional diets for years.

The 58-year-old was tipping the scales at almost 16st at her heaviest and was told by doctors that her only hope was to have a gastric bypass.

But lucky for her, her brother-in-law was nutrition expert Sammy Pepys, who put her on a diet that saw her lose 3 st and significantly reduce her blood sugar levels - all without having to go under the knife.

Sammy spent three years investigating the various medical claims made against saturated fat in a bid to separate “fat from fiction”.

And he says that there are many who have missed the real facts when it comes to eating well.

“Katy was a classic case in point. When I advised she swapped her low-fat cereal for a fry up, and full fat milk to replace skimmed, she thought I was mad.

“But I wouldn’t risk her health on a fad. My research highlighted a low carbohydrate high fat diet as the best option and it worked fantastically, with no subsequent weight-gain or yo-yo dieting as is common with a high carb, low fat diet.”

Having poured over hundreds of scientific reports on the subject, Sammy 's assertion is backed by studies that have shown that processed and refined carbs, as found in foods such as cereals, bread and potatoes, can lead to the body storing fat and increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease .

Sammy, who dubs himself ‘the reluctant nutritionist’ on account of the controversial nature of his advice, says that all fats except trans-fats have been “demonised” unfairly and are actually both essential and beneficial to humans.

And his findings mean that the classic full English breakfast — traditionally centred around generous helpings of fried sausages, bacon and eggs — is no longer off the menu due to concerns over its high fat content.

Weighing in with a whopping 95g of saturated fat, and nearly 1,200 calories per serving, the national dish has been blamed for increasing the risk of obesity, heart disease, bowl cancer and other serious health problems.

But under Sammy's guidelines, which recommend that Brits increase their intake of fat while cutting down on carbs, the full English breakfast is a great choice to start the day.

Sammy, who has just released ‘no-nonsense’ nutrition guide Fat is our Friend, said: “Natural fats found in, for instance, butter, lard, whole milk, coconut and olive oil have been demonized by doctors and health organisations for almost 50 years.

“However, my research found that in almost all cases the evidence just isn’t there to support the orthodox view that we should minimise our intake of fat. There is no clear link between fat and cholesterol, for example, or fat and heart disease.

“In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Natural fats give us essential vitamins, regulate our hormones, provide energy and stop us feeling hungry.

“We all need to be eating more fat and reducing our intake of carbs, which cause a spike in blood sugar levels and increase the risk of obesity and related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers.

“Swapping cereal for a full English breakfast is the simplest and best way to boost our fat intake. It’s not only good for us in moderation, but is delicious as well.”

Current health guidelines recommend a daily intake of between 50 and 60 per cent carbs, while women should limit their fat intake to 20 per cent, and men to no more than 30 per cent.

The 62-year-old nutritionist, however, recommends reducing the daily carb intake by 10 per cent, or up to 20 per cent to lose weight, and increasing the fat we eat by the same amount.

His claims chime with a growing awareness among medical professionals of the value of a low carb, high fat (LCHF) diet.

A study led by Professor Jeff Volek of Ohio State University in 2014 found that a higher consumption of carbohydrates, not saturated fat, was associated with changes linked to diabetes and heart disease.

More recently, a report by the National Obesity Forum and the Public Health Collaboration in May this year claimed saturated fat does not cause heart disease – and can even protect it, while also claiming full-fat dairy such as milk, yoghurt and cheese also contribute to a healthy ticker.

Sammy is calling for a major overhaul in dietary guidelines, claiming current advice is “confusing and misleading”.

He said: “Medical advice seems to lump ‘good’ fat - anything except trans fats - with junk food and heavily processed foods. It’s an outdated concept and something that is being called out by a growing number of doctors.

"There is a lot of misinformation and confusion, even among medical professionals.

Sammy says that there are a few changes needed to ensure a full English breakfast is optimised for health, but that it doesn’t involve cutting out the fat.

He suggests, instead, that people remove ingredients that are high in carbs, including baked beans, fried bread and hash browns.

“I wouldn’t necessarily suggest eating a full English breakfast every day as it’s important to have variety, but it’s a good option on a semi-regular basis.

“The main ingredients — the sausages, bacon and eggs — can remain, and be fried in lard or whole butter for extra fat content, but skip the toast and beans as they are carb-rich.

“If you like washing it down with a cuppa then you need to use only the tiniest drop of milk. Milk contains just under 5g of sugar in the form of lactose per 100 grams, so go for whole milk, which has fewer carbs than skimmed, or cream, which has less than two grams. It all adds up.”

The low carb high fat English breakfast

• Two slices bacon (50g)

• One meaty, gluten-free, free-range sausage (50g)

• One large fried egg, free range (50g)

• One portion mushrooms (100g)

• One portion fried tomato (100g)

Fry the food in lard or whole butter

But make sure you leave out these high carb offenders...

• Baked beans

• Bread

• Fried potatoes (hash brown

http://www.mirror.co.uk/

Graham