This will be my last post on Inner Carnivore. I will continue blogging, but am moving to my new blog, Low Carb Wisdom.
Why the change? Inner Carnivore could best be described as the "honeymoon period" I have had with the low carb way of life. It was a voyage of discovery for me, as I learned a lot of new things about the low carb way of eating. However, after five months and 55 pounds of weight loss, I have also begun to notice the warts about low carbing and I want to change the focus of the blog.
The new blog will be a critical examination of the pros and cons of low carbing, including an in depth examination of the Conventional Wisdom and Prevailing Opinion about the low carb lifestyle. I will continue the low carb way of eating, but as I mentioned in the previous post, it is not a magic weight loss bullet. Hard work, willpower, and calorie counting are still necessities, as I will explain.
So if you have enjoyed reading Inner Carnivore, follow me over to Low Carb Wisdom.
Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Showing posts with label low carb. Show all posts
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Low Carb vs. Low Fat for Weight Loss
Apparently, 14 clinical trials comparing a low carb diets with low fat diets with statistically significant results have been published between 2003 and 2008. In all 14 trials, those on low carb diets lost significantly more weight than those on low fat diets. The author is careful to point out that he only selected studies that statistically compared one diet to another, and that the "low carb" diets were truly low carb. (Some studies claiming to compare low fat with "low carb" are not really low carb, as there are more than 30% of calories from carbohydrates. In a true low carb diet, carbs are usually 5 to 10% of calories).
The author of the article summarizing this list has given permission to copy it onto other blogs, so I am taking advantage of his generosity. Here are the studies, complete with links, for you data junkies out there.
Randomized controlled trials showing significantly more weight loss with low carb diets:
The author of the article summarizing this list has given permission to copy it onto other blogs, so I am taking advantage of his generosity. Here are the studies, complete with links, for you data junkies out there.
Randomized controlled trials showing significantly more weight loss with low carb diets:
- Brehm BJ, et al. A Randomized Trial Comparing a Very Low Carbohydrate Diet and a Calorie-Restricted Low Fat Diet on Body Weight and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Healthy Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2003;88:1617–1623.
- Samaha FF, et al. A Low-Carbohydrate as Compared with a Low-Fat Diet in Severe Obesity. N Engl J Med 2003;348:2074–81.
- Sondike SB, et al. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss and cardiovascular risk factor in overweight adolescents. J Pediatr. 2003 Mar;142(3):253–8.
- Aude YW, et al. The National Cholesterol Education Program Diet vs a Diet Lower in Carbohydrates and Higher in Protein and Monounsaturated Fat. A Randomized Trial. Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:2141–2146.
- Volek JS, et al. Comparison of energy-restricted very low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on weight loss and body composition in overweight men and women. Nutrition & Metabolism 2004, 1:13.
- Yancy WS Jr, et al. A Low-Carbohydrate, Ketogenic Diet versus a Low-Fat Diet To Treat Obesity and Hyperlipidemia. A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004;140:769–777.
- Nichols-Richardsson SM, et al. Perceived Hunger Is Lower and Weight Loss Is Greater in Overweight Premenopausal Women Consuming a Low-Carbohydrate/High- Protein vs High-Carbohydrate/Low-Fat Diet. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105:1433–1437.
- Gardner CD, et al. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and learn Diets for Change in Weight and Related Risk Factors Among Overweight Premenopausal Women. The a to z Weight Loss Study: A Randomized Trial. JAMA. 2007;297:969–977.
- Shai I, et al. Weight loss with a low-carbohydrate, mediterranean, or low-fat diet. N Engl J Med 2008;359(3);229–41.
- Krebs NF, et al. Efficacy and Safety of a High Protein, Low Carbohydrate Diet for Weight Loss in Severely Obese Adolescents. J Pediatr 2010;157:252-8.
- Summer SS, et al. Adiponectin Changes in Relation to the Macronutrient Composition of a Weight-Loss Diet. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011 Mar 31. [Epub ahead of print]
- Daly ME, et al. Short-term effects of severe dietary carbohydrate-restriction advice in Type 2 diabetes–a randomized controlled trial. Diabet Med. 2006 Jan;23(1):15–20.
- Westman EC, et al. The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low- glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutr. Metab (Lond.)2008 Dec 19;5:36.
- Dyson PA, et al. A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Diabet Med. 2007 Dec;24(12):1430-5.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Low Carbing on the Road in Maine
The Bed and Breakfast in which we are staying in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, hardly serves anything I can eat for breakfast. On the first morning here, I had an herbal tea with a pat of butter in it for breakfast. Actually, I went to the store and bought some deli roast beef and cheese. Lunch was more deli meats and cheese, but we actually had a decent dinner. That has been my pattern since. Very little at the B&B for breakfast, then meat and cheese for lunch, and a decent dinner (meat and salad).
Eating out is a real pain some times. The best places to eat are very expensive and the worst sell nothing but pure carbage. I am looking forward to the end of traveling when I return home on Saturday. I haven't strayed from my low carb lifestyle at all, but the things I have been eating at times are interesting. For example, I had a bag of pepperoni slices for breakfast, plus a few raspberries and half a cup of heavy whipping cream, which I drank straight up. Home cooking, I miss you!
Eating out is a real pain some times. The best places to eat are very expensive and the worst sell nothing but pure carbage. I am looking forward to the end of traveling when I return home on Saturday. I haven't strayed from my low carb lifestyle at all, but the things I have been eating at times are interesting. For example, I had a bag of pepperoni slices for breakfast, plus a few raspberries and half a cup of heavy whipping cream, which I drank straight up. Home cooking, I miss you!
More Mainstream Talk about Low Carb
First, there was a positive article about the low carb lifestyle in the LA Times. Now there is another positive low carb piece in the Monday, July 18 edition of the New York Times:
Despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period. . . . But, consistent with the new study’s findings, metabolism takes a hit from refined carbohydrates — sugars and starches stripped of their fiber, like white flour. When Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston compared the effects of refined carbohydrates with the effects of whole grains in both animals and people, he found that metabolism, which determines how many calories are used at rest, slowed with the consumption of refined grains but stayed the same after consumption of whole grains.
The quotes are from the second page of the article, which was written by Jane Brody, one of the influential nutrition writers at the NYT. Where have we read advice like this before? Oh, yeah, from Gary Taubes. While not strictly an article about low carb, at least there is some recognition that carbs are the problem, not dietary fat.
Taubes' book is what prompted me to go low carb and that is why I have lost 50 pounds (so far) in five months. My blood sugars are nearing normal, my blood pressure is normal, I am sleeping better and I am in general much more healthy than I was when trying to lose weight on a low fat, high carb diet.
Despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period. . . . But, consistent with the new study’s findings, metabolism takes a hit from refined carbohydrates — sugars and starches stripped of their fiber, like white flour. When Dr. David Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston compared the effects of refined carbohydrates with the effects of whole grains in both animals and people, he found that metabolism, which determines how many calories are used at rest, slowed with the consumption of refined grains but stayed the same after consumption of whole grains.
The quotes are from the second page of the article, which was written by Jane Brody, one of the influential nutrition writers at the NYT. Where have we read advice like this before? Oh, yeah, from Gary Taubes. While not strictly an article about low carb, at least there is some recognition that carbs are the problem, not dietary fat.
Taubes' book is what prompted me to go low carb and that is why I have lost 50 pounds (so far) in five months. My blood sugars are nearing normal, my blood pressure is normal, I am sleeping better and I am in general much more healthy than I was when trying to lose weight on a low fat, high carb diet.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living
I just finished a most interesting book, called The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D. and Stephen D. Phinney, M.D., Ph.D. The book is targeted at medical professionals who might be interested in treating patients with a low carb diet and it gives all of the ins and outs of the process. Only a couple of chapters (that went into the clinical application of low carb diets) were not relevant to me and my experience. My verdict: I highly recommend this book.
It tackles all of the big questions (e.g., "Won't eating saturated fat cause you to have a heart attack?" or "All the weight lost on low carb diets is water weight") and outlines not only a comprehensive low carb eating plan, but also a low carb "maintenance" plan for eating, after you have lost your weight.
It is fully referenced and includes all of the pertinent studies backing up everything it claims. It also concludes with a section on healthy recipes for a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet.
I must say, the book is well written, but it looks like it was self-published. Nevertheless, it is quite the resource. If my physician gives me any grief about my low carb lifestyle on my next visit in early September, I am tempted to recommend it, or even give it, to her.
Some gems from the book:
- A listing of diseases successfully treated with a low carb diet (e.g., high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, sleep apnea, etc.); see p. 170.
- An in-depth explanation of why a low LDL reading is not necessarily bad; see pp. 91-95.
- In the discussion of fructose (a sugar that partitions like fat), the authors have this gem: "Most energy drinks and sports beverages use sucrose or high fructose corn sweetener as their primary energy source. Given that the average exhausted athlete still has tens of thousands of fat calories in body energy reserves but is running out of carbohydrate (glycogen), why would one want to add a sugar that cannot be used for quick energy, with most of it eventually ending up as fat?" P. 57.
- The authors explain the "Whoosh" experience (where someone stays at the same weight for days, then, "whoosh," over night they lose several pounds); it is a function of water retention. You are losing fat and inches, your clothes are feeling looser, but for whatever reason, you are holding on to water. Eventually, you will lose the water. When that happens, whoosh, you have lost five pounds overnight! P. 73.
- The authors introduce the concept of "carbohydrate intolerance" (chapters 14 and 15). If you don't tolerate carbohydrates very well, restrict them. A lot of good things will happen to your health. So I can now say I am carb intolerant, and cite this book as proof.
- A maple walnut ice cream recipe (pp. 229-230).
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Dear Doctor, Part I: High LDL Readings
The letter below is the first of a series of letters to my doctor about the impact of my low carb lifestyle on my health. I have no idea how she will react to my health tests, so these are "just in case." But I thought it would be useful to collect the relevant information in one place, so I (and others) can show physicians why statin drugs may not be appropriate in every case. Where possible, I will link to the relevant studies from the medical literature. Future letters will discuss HbA1c results, diabetes drugs, cardiovascular health, "healthy" eating, and any other subjects I find interesting.
Dear Doctor:
I have been following a low carb diet for over six months now and you recently prescribed a lipid profile for me. The results are in and they are generally good. My HDL cholesterol level is up, my triglycerides are down, and my total cholesterol number is acceptable. Yet you want to prescribe a statin drug for me because my LDL cholesterol reading is high.
Consider this: the LDL cholesterol in my blood was never measured; it was calculated, using this formula[1]:
LDL=Total Cholesterol -[HDL + (triglycerides/5)]
Why is this calculation a problem? It overestimates the presence of LDL cholesterol. If we assume that a low carb diet lowered my triglycerides (a good thing), but total and HDL cholesterol numbers stayed the same, this is what we would have:
Total HDL TRI LDL (Calculated)
Before LC Diet 200 60 200 100
After LC Diet 200 60 75 125
So lowering triglycerides (a good thing), causes the LDL number to go up (a bad thing, in your opinion), based on the above equation. But what is my actual LDL, not the calculated LDL? We don't know, because you did not test for it. You could have ordered an NMR lipoprofile test to learn the actual measure, but you did not. So all we are left with is a problematic calculated value.
Also, are all LDL particles equally bad? The calculated number says nothing about the size of the LDL particles. Are they large and fluffy (also referred to as pattern A particles), or small and dense (also referred to as pattern B particles)? The large and fluffy LDL particles are not dangerous, and may even be somewhat beneficial, but recent research also shows that the small, dense, and sticky LDL particles are the real danger signal for heart disease.
But that new test to determine particle size may be expensive. Fortunately, there is a workaround. Take the ratio of my triglycerides to HDL (Triglycerides/HDL), which is an effective surrogate of the NMR lipoprofile test. If the ratio is below 3.5, I probably have pattern A and if it is above 3.5, I probably have pattern B. If I have pattern A LDL particles, I do not need a statin drug to lower my cholesterol.
Since my HDL went up and my triglycerides went down, I probably have pattern A particles, which are beneficial, not dangerous. So I respectfully decline your invitation to put me on statin drugs.
Sincerely,
[1] I learned much of the information in this letter from reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D. and Stephen D. Phinney, M.D., Ph.D., pp. 91-95. The example used is taken from these pages.
Dear Doctor:
I have been following a low carb diet for over six months now and you recently prescribed a lipid profile for me. The results are in and they are generally good. My HDL cholesterol level is up, my triglycerides are down, and my total cholesterol number is acceptable. Yet you want to prescribe a statin drug for me because my LDL cholesterol reading is high.
Consider this: the LDL cholesterol in my blood was never measured; it was calculated, using this formula[1]:
LDL=Total Cholesterol -[HDL + (triglycerides/5)]
Why is this calculation a problem? It overestimates the presence of LDL cholesterol. If we assume that a low carb diet lowered my triglycerides (a good thing), but total and HDL cholesterol numbers stayed the same, this is what we would have:
Total HDL TRI LDL (Calculated)
Before LC Diet 200 60 200 100
After LC Diet 200 60 75 125
So lowering triglycerides (a good thing), causes the LDL number to go up (a bad thing, in your opinion), based on the above equation. But what is my actual LDL, not the calculated LDL? We don't know, because you did not test for it. You could have ordered an NMR lipoprofile test to learn the actual measure, but you did not. So all we are left with is a problematic calculated value.
Also, are all LDL particles equally bad? The calculated number says nothing about the size of the LDL particles. Are they large and fluffy (also referred to as pattern A particles), or small and dense (also referred to as pattern B particles)? The large and fluffy LDL particles are not dangerous, and may even be somewhat beneficial, but recent research also shows that the small, dense, and sticky LDL particles are the real danger signal for heart disease.
But that new test to determine particle size may be expensive. Fortunately, there is a workaround. Take the ratio of my triglycerides to HDL (Triglycerides/HDL), which is an effective surrogate of the NMR lipoprofile test. If the ratio is below 3.5, I probably have pattern A and if it is above 3.5, I probably have pattern B. If I have pattern A LDL particles, I do not need a statin drug to lower my cholesterol.
Since my HDL went up and my triglycerides went down, I probably have pattern A particles, which are beneficial, not dangerous. So I respectfully decline your invitation to put me on statin drugs.
Sincerely,
[1] I learned much of the information in this letter from reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Jeff S. Volek, Ph.D., R.D. and Stephen D. Phinney, M.D., Ph.D., pp. 91-95. The example used is taken from these pages.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Trade Off
A lot of feathers were ruffled by Hope Warshaw's condemnation of the low carb diet. I wrote about it and so did a lot of other people. The article cut off comments and the editor of the online magazine in which it appeared, Nadia Al-Samarrie, wrote a follow-up article in an attempt to calm the storm. I won't comment further on the essence of that debate, but something in the follow-up article drew my attention:
"Personally, I have not been successful on a low-carb diet, and that's true of many other people with whom I am familiar. A low-carb diet is difficult to stick to."
Is a low carb diet difficult to stick to? Myself, I have no trouble sticking to the low-carb lifestyle, and even though my journey is only five months old, I feel a sense of commitment to low carbing that I never felt with other diets I have tried. I have freely admitted on this blog, for example, that I am a Weight Watchers failure. But I do know people who cannot stick to the low-carb way of living, despite the many advantages of this way of eating. So I ask myself, why is the low-carb experience different for me? Do others fail at low carbing because they are so completely addicted to carbs? Is it because they cannot give up bread and sugar? Are their carb withdrawals too intense? Or is something else going on? I do not know the answer for other people, but I think I understand why I am committed to the low carb way of life.
I have type II diabetes. The trade off for me is being ravaged by complications associated with diabetes or following the low carb way of life. I can die ten to fifteen years earlier than I might otherwise; I can go blind, suffer amputations, go on dialysis, have wounds that won't heal, get Alzheimer's disease, experience heart disease, and spend a lot of money on drugs as the disease gets progressively worse... or I can follow a low carb way of life. In my mind, this is a no-brainer.
But there are other reasons, too. I have had an intellectual conversion to the low-carb way of life, thanks to the many books and articles I have read about it. My introduction came by reading Why we Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes, but I have since read many other books and articles on the topic.
I have rediscovered tasty eating. My low-fat diet days are now a distant, bad memory. I experience a sense of fullness when I eat low carb meals that I never felt on Weight Watchers. Fat is my friend and I think that products like steak, bacon, butter, and cream really add spice and flavor to life. I am able to fast now, which has greatly improved my spiritual life. I am sleeping much better and I am not snoring as much as I used to. And I just feel better in general, both physically and psychologically.
So, yes, for me the decision to go low carb was an easy one and I do not find it difficult to live.
"Personally, I have not been successful on a low-carb diet, and that's true of many other people with whom I am familiar. A low-carb diet is difficult to stick to."
Is a low carb diet difficult to stick to? Myself, I have no trouble sticking to the low-carb lifestyle, and even though my journey is only five months old, I feel a sense of commitment to low carbing that I never felt with other diets I have tried. I have freely admitted on this blog, for example, that I am a Weight Watchers failure. But I do know people who cannot stick to the low-carb way of living, despite the many advantages of this way of eating. So I ask myself, why is the low-carb experience different for me? Do others fail at low carbing because they are so completely addicted to carbs? Is it because they cannot give up bread and sugar? Are their carb withdrawals too intense? Or is something else going on? I do not know the answer for other people, but I think I understand why I am committed to the low carb way of life.
I have type II diabetes. The trade off for me is being ravaged by complications associated with diabetes or following the low carb way of life. I can die ten to fifteen years earlier than I might otherwise; I can go blind, suffer amputations, go on dialysis, have wounds that won't heal, get Alzheimer's disease, experience heart disease, and spend a lot of money on drugs as the disease gets progressively worse... or I can follow a low carb way of life. In my mind, this is a no-brainer.
But there are other reasons, too. I have had an intellectual conversion to the low-carb way of life, thanks to the many books and articles I have read about it. My introduction came by reading Why we Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes, but I have since read many other books and articles on the topic.
I have rediscovered tasty eating. My low-fat diet days are now a distant, bad memory. I experience a sense of fullness when I eat low carb meals that I never felt on Weight Watchers. Fat is my friend and I think that products like steak, bacon, butter, and cream really add spice and flavor to life. I am able to fast now, which has greatly improved my spiritual life. I am sleeping much better and I am not snoring as much as I used to. And I just feel better in general, both physically and psychologically.
So, yes, for me the decision to go low carb was an easy one and I do not find it difficult to live.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Misc. Thoughts, Studies, and Blog Posts
No updates this week, as I am traveling and away from home, where I weigh myself. However, I can feel my pants getting looser by the day, so I am confident I have lost weight. Below are some jumbled thoughts and ramblings from my surfing throughout the low carb blogosphere.
I have received two books in the mail from Amazon.com that I am currently reading: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig and The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek. I haven't had time to read them yet, but will report on them when I do. The first one, Nourishing Traditions, is actually a cookbook which explains the philosophy behind the Weston A. Price Foundation's view on achieving perfect health. As I have flipped through it, it looks very interesting and unlike other cookbooks I have referenced. The second book is a How To book, which explains the ins and outs of the low carb lifestyle. It is targeted towards health professionals.
In news from around the low carb blogosphere, Chris Kresser of the Healthy Skeptic has a new post on natural childbirth. My daughter has been educating me on natural childbirth (I've commented on the topic before), and I find it interesting that a man has written on the topic. His wife makes several comments about the topic (e.g., here, here, and here) in the comments section and he is fully supportive of the procedure. In fact, it seems logical, given his focus on natural health and the paleo diet.
Denise Minger of the Raw Foods SOS blog tweeted about a study showing a link between antidepressant drugs (e.g., Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa) and the occurrence of autism. Caution: this is an observational study which shows correlation, not causation. Nevertheless, it is an interesting hypothesis that warrants further study.
Tom Naughton of the Fathead blog writes that most vegetarians become ex-vegetarians. He reviews a news article on the subject and makes some interesting conclusions. People who chose vegetarianism for ethical reasons are now eating meat (prepared in an ethical manner, e.g., grass fed, not feedlot meat). Poor health from the vegetarian diet is the number one reason people go back to eating meat.
A recent rodent study showed that a low carb diet helps prevent weight gain, cancer development and progression, and tumor growth.
Another study shows that fake fat (like Olestra) causes more weight gain than real fat. It was fun watching the authors spin the results of this study!
I have received two books in the mail from Amazon.com that I am currently reading: Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig and The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living by Stephen Phinney and Jeff Volek. I haven't had time to read them yet, but will report on them when I do. The first one, Nourishing Traditions, is actually a cookbook which explains the philosophy behind the Weston A. Price Foundation's view on achieving perfect health. As I have flipped through it, it looks very interesting and unlike other cookbooks I have referenced. The second book is a How To book, which explains the ins and outs of the low carb lifestyle. It is targeted towards health professionals.
In news from around the low carb blogosphere, Chris Kresser of the Healthy Skeptic has a new post on natural childbirth. My daughter has been educating me on natural childbirth (I've commented on the topic before), and I find it interesting that a man has written on the topic. His wife makes several comments about the topic (e.g., here, here, and here) in the comments section and he is fully supportive of the procedure. In fact, it seems logical, given his focus on natural health and the paleo diet.
Denise Minger of the Raw Foods SOS blog tweeted about a study showing a link between antidepressant drugs (e.g., Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa) and the occurrence of autism. Caution: this is an observational study which shows correlation, not causation. Nevertheless, it is an interesting hypothesis that warrants further study.
Tom Naughton of the Fathead blog writes that most vegetarians become ex-vegetarians. He reviews a news article on the subject and makes some interesting conclusions. People who chose vegetarianism for ethical reasons are now eating meat (prepared in an ethical manner, e.g., grass fed, not feedlot meat). Poor health from the vegetarian diet is the number one reason people go back to eating meat.
A recent rodent study showed that a low carb diet helps prevent weight gain, cancer development and progression, and tumor growth.
Another study shows that fake fat (like Olestra) causes more weight gain than real fat. It was fun watching the authors spin the results of this study!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Another Reason Why Low Carb Works
Yesterday, I attended the baptism of my 8-year-old nephew and afterward, there was a big family get together. With food. Lots of food, and almost all of it pure "carbage." So I ate what I could (a few strawberries and the roast beef and cheese innards from a croissant sandwich plus some other green veggies) and left the feeding trough satisfied.
But I noticed that everyone kept going back to the chips, potato salad, cookies, sandwiches, watermelon, soda pop, etc., while I abstained. I wasn't suffering and felt quite full, actually, with what I ate. I realized that by nourishing my body with nutrient dense calories, my appetite was sated and I probably consumed a lot fewer calories than most people there. A lot fewer calories. Feeling full and then spontaneously consuming fewer calories is one of the reasons people lose weight on low carb diets. I saw a vivid example of that principle in action yesterday.
But I noticed that everyone kept going back to the chips, potato salad, cookies, sandwiches, watermelon, soda pop, etc., while I abstained. I wasn't suffering and felt quite full, actually, with what I ate. I realized that by nourishing my body with nutrient dense calories, my appetite was sated and I probably consumed a lot fewer calories than most people there. A lot fewer calories. Feeling full and then spontaneously consuming fewer calories is one of the reasons people lose weight on low carb diets. I saw a vivid example of that principle in action yesterday.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Good, Better, and Best
Abandoning the standard American diet (SAD) and embracing a low carb lifestyle is a very good thing to do. You immediately stop eating a lot of dietary toxins, you eat more real food and less processed junk, you lose weight, your blood pressure goes down, your lipid profile improves, and your blood glucose levels become normal. Plus a lot of other very healthy things happen, such as better sleep patterns, fewer problems with gall stones, reversing conditions associated with diabetes, and perhaps even improving your fertility.
However, as I learn more about the low carb lifestyle, I have discovered there are good reasons to follow the lifestyle (such as those mentioned in the previous paragraphs), better ways to live low carb, and perhaps even a best plan for healthy eating.
A better way of eating, for example, would be to abandon the SAD and eat, for example, organic, grass-fed meats instead of supermarket fare. Consume pastured eggs from free-range chickens, eat cream and butter from grass-fed cows, never use artificial sweeteners, and only eat organic vegetables.
Then there are the best plans, like those advocated by the Weston A. Price foundation, the Perfect Health Diet, or the Healthy Skeptic. In these diets, you follow the principles above for a better way of eating, plus you do other things like consume raw milk, eat a lot of organ meats such as liver, supplement with cod liver oil, meditate, reduce stress, etc.
While I agree that there is a better way to low carb, and perhaps even a best way, I have some issues with these approaches. The major problem: the better and best methods are incredibly expensive. Grass-fed beef costs twice as much as supermarket beef and is hard to find. Also, adherents of the better and best ways sometimes take on the air of religious zealots with precisely defined dogma. Stray from this dogma at your peril, you potential food criminal!
I ran across a recent article calling out these so called low carb food Nazis and asking for a little calm on the subject. Abandoning the SAD, as in the good method I am following, provides for a lot of healthy benefits. My son and son-in-law are following the low carb lifestyle and are struggling to afford even that. What is the use of telling them to eat grass-fed beef and pastured butter? They are both seeing dramatic results doing what they can afford (they are both still undergraduates).
So, let me go on record as saying it is okay to use artificial sweeteners, buy supermarket meat and produce, and skip the liver. As you are able, incorporate what you can (you really will be more healthy on the better and best ways of low carbing) but by all means, do not abandon the low carb lifestyle if you cannot. You are already much more healthy than those eating the standard American diet.
However, as I learn more about the low carb lifestyle, I have discovered there are good reasons to follow the lifestyle (such as those mentioned in the previous paragraphs), better ways to live low carb, and perhaps even a best plan for healthy eating.
A better way of eating, for example, would be to abandon the SAD and eat, for example, organic, grass-fed meats instead of supermarket fare. Consume pastured eggs from free-range chickens, eat cream and butter from grass-fed cows, never use artificial sweeteners, and only eat organic vegetables.
Then there are the best plans, like those advocated by the Weston A. Price foundation, the Perfect Health Diet, or the Healthy Skeptic. In these diets, you follow the principles above for a better way of eating, plus you do other things like consume raw milk, eat a lot of organ meats such as liver, supplement with cod liver oil, meditate, reduce stress, etc.
While I agree that there is a better way to low carb, and perhaps even a best way, I have some issues with these approaches. The major problem: the better and best methods are incredibly expensive. Grass-fed beef costs twice as much as supermarket beef and is hard to find. Also, adherents of the better and best ways sometimes take on the air of religious zealots with precisely defined dogma. Stray from this dogma at your peril, you potential food criminal!
I ran across a recent article calling out these so called low carb food Nazis and asking for a little calm on the subject. Abandoning the SAD, as in the good method I am following, provides for a lot of healthy benefits. My son and son-in-law are following the low carb lifestyle and are struggling to afford even that. What is the use of telling them to eat grass-fed beef and pastured butter? They are both seeing dramatic results doing what they can afford (they are both still undergraduates).
So, let me go on record as saying it is okay to use artificial sweeteners, buy supermarket meat and produce, and skip the liver. As you are able, incorporate what you can (you really will be more healthy on the better and best ways of low carbing) but by all means, do not abandon the low carb lifestyle if you cannot. You are already much more healthy than those eating the standard American diet.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Weekly Update, Part II
It's been two weeks since my last "weekly" update, because we were traveling around Europe with a group of business students and spending most nights in a different hotel. But as I hinted at yesterday, I still lost weight, but I wanted to wait to report it until Monday, my usual day. Since I am jet lagged and unable to sleep in, I am writing this post fairly early in the morning. In the two weeks since my last update, I have dropped 4.8 pounds. Follow my progress using this chart.
I am particularly pleased by this drop, as I have spent most of the last two weeks eating out three times per day. Since we were staying in hotels instead of our usual apartment in Antwerp, we could do no cooking and relied on the hotel restaurant, stores, and other restaurants to eat. But even in a challenging environment such as this, one can make good and wise choices about what to eat.
In related news, I also lost several inches off my waist during the trip to Europe. I took a pair of pants with a 48-inch waist and one with a 46-inch waist. But even the 46-inch waist pair of pants was too big after a couple of weeks and I had to wait for my daughter to arrive a few weeks later with another pair of jeans with a 44-inch waist. I wore those jeans the last two weeks, but by the end, they were becoming too big as well. Yesterday, I went through my closet and discovered that most of my 44-inch waist slacks and jeans were too big and that the 42-inch waist slacks and jeans, for the most part, fit better. That was a huge psychological booster. I had to go through all of my clothes to find something appropriate to wear to work today. That's a six-inch drop off my waist in a little over seven weeks.
And the best news of all: I lost this weight without being hungry and by eating lots of butter and cream, which truly adds flavor to my life. I honestly don't know how I suffered through the bland, tasteless, cardboard-like low fat diets all those years. Low carb is the way to go.
I am particularly pleased by this drop, as I have spent most of the last two weeks eating out three times per day. Since we were staying in hotels instead of our usual apartment in Antwerp, we could do no cooking and relied on the hotel restaurant, stores, and other restaurants to eat. But even in a challenging environment such as this, one can make good and wise choices about what to eat.
In related news, I also lost several inches off my waist during the trip to Europe. I took a pair of pants with a 48-inch waist and one with a 46-inch waist. But even the 46-inch waist pair of pants was too big after a couple of weeks and I had to wait for my daughter to arrive a few weeks later with another pair of jeans with a 44-inch waist. I wore those jeans the last two weeks, but by the end, they were becoming too big as well. Yesterday, I went through my closet and discovered that most of my 44-inch waist slacks and jeans were too big and that the 42-inch waist slacks and jeans, for the most part, fit better. That was a huge psychological booster. I had to go through all of my clothes to find something appropriate to wear to work today. That's a six-inch drop off my waist in a little over seven weeks.
And the best news of all: I lost this weight without being hungry and by eating lots of butter and cream, which truly adds flavor to my life. I honestly don't know how I suffered through the bland, tasteless, cardboard-like low fat diets all those years. Low carb is the way to go.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tips for Starting a Low Carb Diet
Michael R. Eades, M.D. recently ran a two-part series on starting a low carb diet that is very good. Here is part one and here is part two. Dr. Eades is co-author of the Protein Power Life Plan, which is a very good introduction to a low carb diet.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Low Carb Diet and the Treatment of Chronic Diseases
A new article in Nutrition in Clinical Practice reviews the safety and efficacy of the low carb diet as a way to treat chronic diseases such as type II diabetes and heart disease. (Here is a link to the full text if you work somewhere, such as a university, that grants access).
The linked abstract concludes with this advice: "It is time to embrace LC [low carb] diets as a viable option in reversing diabetes mellitus, risk factors for heart disease, and the epidemic of obesity." This is a particularly important article, as it is targeted to medical practitioners. They are the ones actually treating patients with these chronic problems and some of them give bad advice, especially to those who are type II diabetics.
Hat tip: Dr. Eades.
The linked abstract concludes with this advice: "It is time to embrace LC [low carb] diets as a viable option in reversing diabetes mellitus, risk factors for heart disease, and the epidemic of obesity." This is a particularly important article, as it is targeted to medical practitioners. They are the ones actually treating patients with these chronic problems and some of them give bad advice, especially to those who are type II diabetics.
Hat tip: Dr. Eades.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Low Carb Food Storage
My daughter is visiting us in Belgium, and one of the first questions she asked was about low carb food storage. That was an excellent question and caused me to do a bit of research on the Internet while my students were taking an exam.
My first thought was of meat in the freezer. Food storage is not just for a natural disaster, but can also come in handy if you lose a job and still need to feed the family. A disaster might knock out the electricity for the freezer, putting the meat at risk. That is also why we have wired our home to run off a generator. You can keep meet frozen in a freezer longer by adding dry ice or by running the generator and power the freezer for a couple of hours each day. Also, the more food there is in the freezer, the longer the food will stay frozen, even in the absence of electricity. Of course, we live in Fargo, ND, where the inside of the freezer is often warmer than the outside air (-40 degrees Fahrenheit is not uncommon here). So no problem if the power goes out during the winter!
This post from the Carbinator is about food storage items for the low carb Mormon. She suggests storing coconut and palm oil; canned coconut milk (rotate frequently!); canned meats such as tuna fish, chicken, turkey, sardines, etc.; and vegetables, either canned or dehydrated.
Laura Dolson suggests the following: canned fish and meats; dried meats like beef jerky; almonds and other nuts and nut butters; and vegetables. She also suggests storing soy products, but I disagree here, as soy products are generally unhealthy.
Others on low carb forums suggest storing vitamins, pet food, dried or bottled fruits and vegetables, and pemmican. Pemmican is dried beef, fat, and perhaps berries or other items. It was used by traditional cultures in many parts of the world. Mark Sisson has a good recipe for (and explanation of) pemmican. Pemmican, though kind of tasteless, is energy dense and will store indefinitely. It can also be used to feed your dog or cat.
Any other low carb suggestions? This is a good topic to consider. Thank you, daughter-of-mine for making me think about it.
My first thought was of meat in the freezer. Food storage is not just for a natural disaster, but can also come in handy if you lose a job and still need to feed the family. A disaster might knock out the electricity for the freezer, putting the meat at risk. That is also why we have wired our home to run off a generator. You can keep meet frozen in a freezer longer by adding dry ice or by running the generator and power the freezer for a couple of hours each day. Also, the more food there is in the freezer, the longer the food will stay frozen, even in the absence of electricity. Of course, we live in Fargo, ND, where the inside of the freezer is often warmer than the outside air (-40 degrees Fahrenheit is not uncommon here). So no problem if the power goes out during the winter!
This post from the Carbinator is about food storage items for the low carb Mormon. She suggests storing coconut and palm oil; canned coconut milk (rotate frequently!); canned meats such as tuna fish, chicken, turkey, sardines, etc.; and vegetables, either canned or dehydrated.
Laura Dolson suggests the following: canned fish and meats; dried meats like beef jerky; almonds and other nuts and nut butters; and vegetables. She also suggests storing soy products, but I disagree here, as soy products are generally unhealthy.
Others on low carb forums suggest storing vitamins, pet food, dried or bottled fruits and vegetables, and pemmican. Pemmican is dried beef, fat, and perhaps berries or other items. It was used by traditional cultures in many parts of the world. Mark Sisson has a good recipe for (and explanation of) pemmican. Pemmican, though kind of tasteless, is energy dense and will store indefinitely. It can also be used to feed your dog or cat.
Any other low carb suggestions? This is a good topic to consider. Thank you, daughter-of-mine for making me think about it.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Moderate Carb Reduction and Weight Loss
A moderate reduction in carbs leads to reduced total body fat, according to a recent study. I should point out that the "low carb" diet used in this study is hardly low carb at all, with 43% of calories coming from carbs. On a true low carb diet, only about 10 to 15% of calories will come from carbs. My very low carb diet is perhaps 5%. But even still, a modest reduction from 55% of consumed calories from carbs down to 43% led to deep fat loss in the subjects. Why? Because rapidly digested carbs are fattening.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Living in Diabetes Denial
I was diagnosed with type II diabetes in December, 2002, eight and a half years ago. I immediately lost some weight, but when I saw there was no immediate health problems, I slipped back into my old ways. This probably happened some time during the summer of 2003.
Beginning in 2005, for whatever reason, I lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers and my blood sugars went down dramatically. In fact, I stopped taking medicine. (Note, however, my lipid profiles only improved somewhat; my overall score was low, but my LDL was high, my HDL was low, and my triglycerides were quite high). Then, since Weight Watchers is what Gary Taubes called a "semi-starvation" diet, when I quit starving myself, my weight came back on and my diabetes came back with a vengeance. I followed WW religiously from November, 2005 until May 2007. Then I regressed and gained back much of the weight I lost. I just pretended I didn't have type II diabetes and ate what I wanted to eat, without concern about the effects it was having on my body. I guess you could say, I was in deep denial. By May 2008, my blood sugars were terrible again.
During June, 2010, I had an episode of reactive arthritis, which was treated with Prednisone and my blood sugar readings rocketed from the already high range (180-190) to the stratospheric (350 to 450). At this point, I had to start injecting insulin to try to counter the effects of Prednisone. I visited my physician during the fall of 2010 and she put me on a regimen of slow acting and fast acting injectable insulin. This was the beginning of my exit from denial, but I was still partially in denial.
Of course, I was hanging around the 300 to 310 weight range and felt fat, tired, and awful. I was having trouble sleeping and had no energy most of the time. Doing normal tasks, like walking, was getting harder and I started to come to the realization that I would die. I started reading about the complications of type II diabetes and it is not pretty.
In desperation, I started Weight Watchers again in January, 2011. But after four weeks of strict adherence to the program, I had only lost 0.8 pounds, not my normal WW experience. At first, I thought it was the new WW program, so I tried reverting to the old WW program. That didn't work, either. Then I read a blog entry on Instapundit.com that changed my life. The author, Glenn Reynolds, linked to the book, Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. I downloaded it on a Saturday, February 12, and finished listening to it by the next day. I realized I was not losing weight on WW because of the insulin I was injecting. I now understood, thanks to Taubes' book, that if I wanted to have any hope of losing weight again, I had to get off insulin, and the low carb lifestyle Taubes described seemed like it would do the trick. So I started low carbing on February 14, 2011.
It did. That's why I have started this blog, to share with others who are struggling with weight or diabetes the method that has proven extraordinarily successful for me. I am no longer in diabetes denial; I am off injectable insulin and back on Metformin. I will be weaning myself from that as soon as I lose another 30 pounds or so. My blood pressure fell substantially, within a few days, and my blood sugars are now near normal. My new low carb lifestyle has very literally saved my life.
Now when I know about friends or acquaintances who are diagnosed with type II diabetes, but who are in deep denial, I want to reach out to them and tell them there is hope, that they can control the disease and lead a mostly normal life. A low carb diet is the key. Yes, it requires sacrifice, but it is worth it. But I also realize they must get past denial. The earlier it is treated, the better, before the pancreas is too compromised.
My plea: get out of denial and start dealing with your type II diabetes.
Beginning in 2005, for whatever reason, I lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers and my blood sugars went down dramatically. In fact, I stopped taking medicine. (Note, however, my lipid profiles only improved somewhat; my overall score was low, but my LDL was high, my HDL was low, and my triglycerides were quite high). Then, since Weight Watchers is what Gary Taubes called a "semi-starvation" diet, when I quit starving myself, my weight came back on and my diabetes came back with a vengeance. I followed WW religiously from November, 2005 until May 2007. Then I regressed and gained back much of the weight I lost. I just pretended I didn't have type II diabetes and ate what I wanted to eat, without concern about the effects it was having on my body. I guess you could say, I was in deep denial. By May 2008, my blood sugars were terrible again.
During June, 2010, I had an episode of reactive arthritis, which was treated with Prednisone and my blood sugar readings rocketed from the already high range (180-190) to the stratospheric (350 to 450). At this point, I had to start injecting insulin to try to counter the effects of Prednisone. I visited my physician during the fall of 2010 and she put me on a regimen of slow acting and fast acting injectable insulin. This was the beginning of my exit from denial, but I was still partially in denial.
Of course, I was hanging around the 300 to 310 weight range and felt fat, tired, and awful. I was having trouble sleeping and had no energy most of the time. Doing normal tasks, like walking, was getting harder and I started to come to the realization that I would die. I started reading about the complications of type II diabetes and it is not pretty.
In desperation, I started Weight Watchers again in January, 2011. But after four weeks of strict adherence to the program, I had only lost 0.8 pounds, not my normal WW experience. At first, I thought it was the new WW program, so I tried reverting to the old WW program. That didn't work, either. Then I read a blog entry on Instapundit.com that changed my life. The author, Glenn Reynolds, linked to the book, Why We Get Fat by Gary Taubes. I downloaded it on a Saturday, February 12, and finished listening to it by the next day. I realized I was not losing weight on WW because of the insulin I was injecting. I now understood, thanks to Taubes' book, that if I wanted to have any hope of losing weight again, I had to get off insulin, and the low carb lifestyle Taubes described seemed like it would do the trick. So I started low carbing on February 14, 2011.
It did. That's why I have started this blog, to share with others who are struggling with weight or diabetes the method that has proven extraordinarily successful for me. I am no longer in diabetes denial; I am off injectable insulin and back on Metformin. I will be weaning myself from that as soon as I lose another 30 pounds or so. My blood pressure fell substantially, within a few days, and my blood sugars are now near normal. My new low carb lifestyle has very literally saved my life.
Now when I know about friends or acquaintances who are diagnosed with type II diabetes, but who are in deep denial, I want to reach out to them and tell them there is hope, that they can control the disease and lead a mostly normal life. A low carb diet is the key. Yes, it requires sacrifice, but it is worth it. But I also realize they must get past denial. The earlier it is treated, the better, before the pancreas is too compromised.
My plea: get out of denial and start dealing with your type II diabetes.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Eating a High Fat Diet and Staying Lean
The results of a recent study show that a low carb diet (high fat, medium protein, low carb) plus exercise helps people to lose weight quicker than a low fat diet. Vascular health was also monitored, and there were no negative impact on vascular health reported with either diet. The trial was short, so the authors put in a boiler plate mention that the long term effects are "yet to be determined." Other research has demonstrated the safety of the low carb diet over the longer term.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Advice Goddess: Low Carber
So what does a low carb woman eat? And what does she look like? Check out this blog post from Amy Alkon, the author of I See Rude People: One Woman's Battle to Beat Some Manners into Impolite Society and the writer of The Advice Goddess blog. Scroll to the bottom to see what she ate the day she wrote this column, and to see the photo taken of her on Memorial Day.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Low Carb Diets and High Blood Pressure
Apparently, one in five adults between the ages of 24 and 32 have high blood pressure, due to expanding waist lines. This is a problem, because most young adults don't see a physician regularly and are probably not aware they have high blood pressure.The article suggests cutting salt as a way to reduce blood pressure, but we also know that the fear of salt is almost as overblown as the fear of fat so that is a pretty useless suggestion.
If you want to lower your blood pressure, why not try a low carb diet? My high blood pressure normalized within two weeks of starting my low carb lifestyle, and empirical research shows low carb diets are very effective at lowering blood pressure (here is the actual journal article). You will have dramatically lower blood pressure results a lot more quickly than cutting your salt intake.
If you want to lower your blood pressure, why not try a low carb diet? My high blood pressure normalized within two weeks of starting my low carb lifestyle, and empirical research shows low carb diets are very effective at lowering blood pressure (here is the actual journal article). You will have dramatically lower blood pressure results a lot more quickly than cutting your salt intake.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Research Update
Want to increase your odds of getting Alzheimer's disease? Then eat a high carb diet. Of course, as I have mentioned before, Alzheimer's disease is sometimes called type III diabetes, and the best way to deal with diabetes is a low carb diet, combined with exercise, drugs, and insulin, where necessary. Thus, it makes sense that a low carb diet will help to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
This article follows 13 to 15 year old girls who exercise, and concludes that exercise increases causes these girls to work up an appetite and to eat more. As we have mentioned before, there are many good reasons to exercise, but exercising in an effort to lose weight is not one of them because people work up an appetite and eat more. In fact, just thinking about exercise causes people to eat more.
Hat tip: Michael R. Eades' twitter page.
This article follows 13 to 15 year old girls who exercise, and concludes that exercise increases causes these girls to work up an appetite and to eat more. As we have mentioned before, there are many good reasons to exercise, but exercising in an effort to lose weight is not one of them because people work up an appetite and eat more. In fact, just thinking about exercise causes people to eat more.
Hat tip: Michael R. Eades' twitter page.
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