The first artical is by a Phil Kaplan who I had the plessure to meet on a couple of occasions - and he is, though extremly over the top, one ofthe greatest influences on how this industry is deeloping - less about the oh mighty $ and more about getting people healthy and loving what you do - and from there the money will find it's way to you.
Whew! That's me taking a deep breath for two reasons. First, breathing is good for you (it certainly beats the alternative). Secondly, I'm about to tackle a topic that might very well be the most controversial issue in the fitness and weight loss markets today.
I've written several articles over the past few years sharing my position on the low-carb diets and have received my share of praise and condemnation. In writing this piece, which promises to be lengthy, I anticipate there will be an outpouring of agreement and criticism and I welcome both. Before I explain what I see as potential flaws in some of the low-carb offerings, I want to extend my sympathies to Dr. Atkins' friends and family and assure every reader this is by no means an anti-Atkins article. In fact, I admire much of what Dr. Atkins accomplished. I believe it was courageous and important for Dr. Atkins to openly challenge the FDA and the USDA on some of their rulings and theories that had infiltrated the medical community as fact when they were merely opinions open for debate. I fully agree with his position on simple sugars and refined carbs and greatly appreciate that he brought the connection between insulin and fat storage to the forefront. I think the more material the public has available, the more qualified the individuals who make up that public are to embark on a sensible nutritional course.
Periodically an article of mine that confronts some low-carb issues gets posted on a low-carb board and the venomous e-mails pour in. I can almost hear the crafters of the e-mails screaming at my through their computer screens. Many of them disregard much of what I say and erroneously categorize me as an Atkins hater. I'll urge you to read this in its entirety before you form an opinion on whether or not the information I share is sound. If, after reading this piece, you decide to pursue the Atkins diet, or any other reduced carb program, I applaud you for reviewing both sides of the coin and making an educated decision.
Atkins, although he may be the most well known low carb advocate, was not alone in his pursuance of a low-carb lifestyle, and while there are many who are in his corner, there are many who represent what might best be described as the opposition. I've been in touch with the heads of the American Dietetic Association, of Pritikin Longevity Centers, and with nutritional experts at Tufts and Berkeley Universities, and they express concerns and aversions regarding the "cut carbs" mentality that's sweeping the weight loss wanting nation.
The battle continues to rage and recent inconclusive studies and reports such as those published in the Journal of the American Medical Association just add fuel to the fire.
I don't categorize either side as "wrong," but I do believe the truth can be found somewhere in between their respective conclusions. Consumers and dieters are entangled in a battle between "low carb" and "low fat" and the "experts" tend to eliminate the middle ground where I believe the most sensible approach for the masses lies.
A part of the reality that must be considered when confronting the impact of the low-carb diet approach is, while many of the low carb books do provide accurate information, most of the low carb dieters I've met NEVER READ A COMPLETE DIET BOOK! A friend, or a friend of a friend, shares the questionable advice, "just stop eating carbs and you can eat all the protein and fat you want." That is absolutely not "the Atkins diet," although those half educated dieters will be the first to tell you they're "on Atkins." The misinformation passed along from person to person takes one aspect of a low carb protocol completely out of context, but we can't blame the misinformed.
In today's society, people are being pulled in various directions believing there's a quick easy magical fix thanks in great part to the efforts of slick marketers of fraudulent and potentially dangerous diets. The hype is so powerful Americans are getting sucked in by the millions.
There's an oft-aired infomercial that's cleverly disguised as a talk show on which a low carb diet is aggressively "sold." The "guests" discuss feasts of bacon and eggs, cheeseburgers, and lobster dripping with melted butter. They explain that "fat doesn't make you fat, carbs make you fat." They've all somehow done the impossible . . . they've "melted fat." Butter may melt in a heated pan, but bodyfat doesn't melt. Fat loss is a two-step process. First adipose material has to be released from an adipose cell, and then the fatty acids have to be shuttled into the mitochondria of a muscle cell where they can be burned as fuel.
It's fair to suspect that the majority of viewers of that "show" do not purchase the product being marketed, but many follow marketing hype as fat-melting gospel. No mention is made of water. No mention is made of caloric consumption. No mention is made of the thermic effect of food. No mention is made of exercise. The illusion is, "just cut carbs and you'll love life and have the body of your dreams."
My criticism is not one of the passionate and well-informed professionals who inhabit the low-carb camp, but rather one of a reduced carbohydrate diet being aggressively promoted as a solution for the masses.
But It "Worked" For Someone I Know!
While any diet with millions of followers will have its fair share of success stories, those "successes" might not be representative of what most followers will experience. Being in the fitness industry and having amassed a long chain of weight loss success stories, I often meet the less successful dieters seeking yet a new "solution." I've met far too many who have suffered everything from minor discomforts to chronic ailments after following a path of deprivation. Many of these unfortunate diet victims had their bouts with a low-carb approach, and after coming in contact with hundreds of such cases, I personally can not find comfort in aligning with the low-carb advocates, although I certainly welcome them into any forum for open discussion. I've frequently seen Atkins dieters in their post diet conditions complaining of a residual weight gain greater than the weight lost during the diet. I've met many who reported significantly increased LDL (bad cholesterol) levels only weeks after diet abandonment. I am an advocate primarily of education and my study has raised some questions and conclusions that I believe might make the low-carb diet a contraindication for many seeking long term healthful weight loss. I don't pretend to be the all-knowing authority, but believe my questions and concerns merit consideration.
Regardless of the stories anyone provides for public consumption, as long as a band of people hold tightly to the extreme "carbs are the enemy" dictum, criticism by clinicians and conventionally trained and educated experts is inevitable. Along with medical experts raising an eyebrow will come highly qualified fitness professionals. Exercise experts with a background in mainstream nutrition are certain to indict the popular diet books as an impotent piece of the puzzle if those books do not address the importance of exercise.
I'm going to do the best I can to explain some of the realities the infomercials and low-carb marketers may not share. Much of the information that follows is excerpted or re-written from previous articles I've released. I am hoping, with this compilation, to create a single informational piece raising all of the significant questions and providing all of the necessary information to counter or support the readings of someone considering a low-carb lifestyle.
Glycogen = Fuel
When you consume a healthful and supportive diet complete with proteins, carbs, and fats, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Glucose is actually blood sugar. Some of that glucose is transported and stored in muscle tissue as "glycogen." This is sort of the fuel in your fuel tank. That's important to understand. Glycogen = Fuel.
Glycogen is used to produce energy that fuels muscle contraction. ALL muscle contraction! Don't think of muscle contraction only as exercise. Any movement requires the contraction of muscle, from blinking your eye to rising from bed in the morning. As long as you're consuming carbohydrates you access and burn up stored glycogen, but quickly replace it with new muscle fuel. An understanding of that simple fact -- that carbohydrates are the source of muscle fuel -- should raise an immediate red flag toward anything that suggests seriously limiting carbs for any extended period of time.
Once you understand the basic premise behind muscle glycogen, you should understand that the liver also plays a role in fuel storage. Some of the carbs that you eat ultimately wind up stored as liver glycogen. Think of the liver as sort of a "pump" for blood sugar. The brain burns more calories than any other organ in your body, and guess what it uses as its primary source of fuel. Glucose! Carbohydrates! As brain activity results in the "burning" of blood glucose, the liver accesses its glycogen stores to keep blood glucose in adequate supply. Again, as you expend glycogen, the carbs that you ingest replete your supply.
LOW CARBS? AT FIRST YOU'LL DO FINE . . . BUT . . .
On a low carb regimen, at first you'll do just fine because you have a limited glycogen reserve. After a day or two, you're using up your stored glycogen and you're not replacing it. Your body shortly thereafter begins amplifying its production of ketone bodies. Ketones are intermediaries in the process of metabolizing fat that are found in abnormal amounts in the blood and urine during periods of metabolic impairment. Give up all of your stored glycogen without replacing it and you're likely going to be in such a state (Note: if you take in too many protein calories, it is possible to avoid carbs and never enter a state of ketosis rendering the low-carb ketosis theories useless). Atkins leads you to believe that the presence of these ketone bodies indicates ongoing fat release. He also assures you that they feed the brain. That is partially true. Here are just a few of the issues he neglects to address:
Extended periods of ketosis may affect the chemical composition of the blood in such a way that you increase risk of cardiac incident (blood ketoacidosis).
In a state of ketoacidosis, carbon dioxide accumulates in the tissues. Oxygen delivery to the cells is impaired. This can lead to a wide range of disastrous consequences ranging from respiratory ailments to metabolic illness.
Toxic ammonia buildup resulting from severe cases of ketoacidosis can be lethal.
I don't want to sound any false alarms here. I'm not saying everyone who enters a state of ketosis is going to be at risk of death. I'm just pointing out that there is potential danger in what many people misinterpret to be an ideal physiological state to maintain. For clarity I'd like to repeat, ketosis is not fatal, but ketoacidosis can be. Ketosis and ketoacidosis are different states, but there is a link. Ketone levels in the blood are elevated during times of carb depletion. If blood glucose rises in conjunction with blood acidity, the pH of the blood, the actual chemistry of the blood is altered. Someone with normal pancreatic function and efficient use of insulin would not likely shift from ketosis to ketoacidosis, but so many Americans have undiagnosed blood sugar irregularities and that's where the risks come in. It is also possible for stress to alter levels of cortisol and the "stress hormones" which directly antagonize insulin so the possibility does exist that someone who normally has controlled blood sugar can enter a state of ketoacidosis when placed under undue stress with elevated ketone levels. Ketoacidosis can lead to a reduced heart rate, breathing difficulties, and a loss of body fluids, all which put the heart at greater risk.
At the very least, the risk, just as risks of medications, should be addressed and made public. If Atkins does share that information with readers, I couldn't find it. He also neglects to tell you that the liver is called into play to "filter" the abnormal chemicals building up in the blood. This leads to a residual buildup of uric acid. This uric acid accumulation can lead to formation of kidney stones.
Kidney stones may be common among low-carb dieters, but don't mistake that for an indication that they're normal! If all is working optimally, uric acid levels stay quite manageable, the kidneys continue to function normally, and you will likely never have stones accumulating in your urinary tract.
BUT DON'T YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
By depriving themselves of carbs and/or cutting caloric intake down below basal metabolic needs, dieters may wind up lightheaded, spaced out, uncomfortable, irritable, and all around miserable . . .but when they get on the scale, there's a moment of emotional ecstasy! They're losing weight! Suffering through fraudulent and potentially harmful weight loss alternatives has almost become more the rule than the exception, and I can't point a finger at those who are victims. I blame an industry that thrives on fraud and deception.
While the public searches desperately to find a solution, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the 2-day miracle diets, the Papaya Diet, and the Ice Cream Diet add to the confusion. In order to combat the marketing power of these "quick easy" diets, marketers of more legitimate nutritional regimens are almost forced to promote using over-the-top hype if they're even going to compete in the same arena. Of course, the low-carb diets being thrown into the mix serve to further confuse as there is little unity among the diet camps. While marketers do battle, most of the "victims" don't realize there is an "eat right and exercise" alternative, one that truly works, and in the absence of that realization, they're primed to be suckered in by the "Diet Du Jour."
At this point pro-Atkins readers of this article may be on the verge of crafting one of those "you don't know what you're talking about" e-mails. They will insist that I am off base because I mentioned that dieters may feel out of sorts and they in fact feel wonderful. If you feel wonderful on the Atkins Diet, or any other diet, far be it from me to discourage you. This was not written for those who may be thrilled with a low-carb lifestyle, but rather for balanced information among those who are considering carb reduction or are less than satisfied with a carb restricting diet. Many people who begin a low carb diet might feel that uncomfortable lightheadedness I described, but after a matter of days the discomfort subsides. This may be the result of ketones feeding the brain, or it may be the result of the body converting amino acids into glucose. In order to scavenge the branched chain amino acids that can be converted into brain fuel, the "I feel OK now" might be accompanied by muscle tissue breakdown.
Before evaluating whether or not a low carb diet works, It's important to understand why the initial weight loss can be substantial. When I had the opportunity to discuss weight loss attempts with Dr. Atkins during an interview on WZTA in Miami, I asked if he agreed that calorie deprivation leads to metabolic slowdown. His response was, "Absolutely." I then expressed my concern that his diet book encourages people to judge their progress by their pounds on the scale rather than body composition. If muscle is lost, metabolism slows, yet the scale would indicate weight reduction. Isn't this the major problem with the conventional calorie deprivation diets? Isn't a reduced carb diet that results in muscle catabolism simply another outgrowth of a metabolism destroying plague of non-solutions categorized as "Diets?" If "Diets Don't Work," why are the low carb gurus selling you a Diet?
I'm not a doctor, and I certainly defer to someone medically trained, but that deference is not at the exclusion of my right to question. I was educated to believe that one gram of glycogen attracts 2.4 grams of water, thus if you hold less glycogen in muscle due to carb restriction, it's a given there will be substantial water loss. Dr Atkins agreed that much of the initial weight loss may in fact be water.
Of course this issue of rapid weight loss leaves plenty of room for debate, but it's pretty clear that when dieters on any restrictive program lose "10 pounds in 10 days," or "30 pounds in 30 days," it is combined loss of water, fat, and muscle. I believe, based on the continuous marketing of "quick weight loss," many diet sellers are using rapid water loss as a trick leading people to believe they're losing weight permanently when in reality the "result" is short term.
I am by no means suggesting weight lost on a carb restrictive plan is ALL water weight. I already mentioned it may be a combination of water, fat, and muscle (which I'll get further into shortly). I'm simply saying that in the first week, many are overly enthusiastic as they believe the 5 or 6 pounds lost is permanent.
WHERE'S THE RESISTANCE EXERCISE ELEMENT?
In Dr. Atkins' book, "The Age Defying Diet Revolution," he does encourage people to exercise with resistance, but that encouragement is limited to one paragraph. In his previous work, Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution, there is virtually no mention of resistance exercise! He offers resistance exercise in his "new" book only as a vehicle to resisting the diseases of aging. He makes no mention of lean body mass and its link to metabolism. This omission allows for a host of variables that may or may not lead to unpredictable metabolic changes. Any diet or weight loss program that fails to consider body composition (fat vs. lean body mass) in measuring its effectiveness is going to generate random conclusions at best.
WHERE'S THE PROOF?
I guess the most relevant question asked by critics of Atkins' theories is, "where is the proof?" Scientists have been trained to seek out published peer-reviewed research as evidence and then to seek out an overwhelming abundance of evidence as proof. Personally, I'd like to see one case study, carried on over the long term (3-5 years), not funded by Atkins that can stand as a foundation upon which proof can be built.
I'm aware of the recent studies and reports the low carb dieters cling to as "proof," but do they honestly serve as clear evidence that the diets are a valuable long-term weight loss solution? I don't believe they do. One of the oft-referenced studies was conducted at Duke University. (Westman EC, Yancy WS, Edman JS, Tomlin KF, Perkins CE. Effect of 6-month adherence to a very low carbohydrate diet program. Am J Med 2002 Jul;113(1):30-6).
It should be noted that the Duke study was funded by a grant from Atkins. While that doesn't dismiss its validity, it does add question marks to the "conclusion." Had the conclusion proved otherwise, would the study have ever been publicized? The abstract of that study included the following:
"While we're impressed with the weight loss of this diet, we still are not sure about the safety of it," Westman said. "More studies need to be done in order to be confident about the long-term safety of this type of diet."
For example, all participants developed ketonuria, the presence of measurable ketones in urine. The level seen in this study translates to roughly that of a non-dieting person if they didn't eat for a couple of days, said Westman. "This is a finding that we need to learn more about. The level of ketones present was not terribly high, but we don't know if this is safe or harmful to one's health over a long period of time."
A part of the challenge with using these types of studies to indicate that a diet is "safe and effective" goes right back to the strict measure of "pounds lost" rather than reductions in bodyfat. If muscle is lost, that would show up as positive, yet in the long run it would be detrimental to metabolism. Another challenge in interpreting the study's value is it's short term. All diets have the potential to stimulate short-term weight loss, but to date the long term success statistics are abysmal.
Another work that is held up in defense of low carb strategies is, The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, A HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL BOOK By Walter C. Willett, M.D. In his book, "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy," Willett clearly challenges the food pyramid established by the FDA and I'm right in his corner on that one. He also talks about the importance of EFA's, essential fats, the Omega 3's and Omega 6's. That's a bit different than consuming saturated fats in bacon, cheeseburgers, etc. While there are similarities in Willett's findings and Atkin's teachings, there are also enough discrepancies to disregard it as an endorsement of the Atkins Diet.
On July 7, 2002, the New York Times published an article by Gary Taubes titled, "What If It's All a Big Fat Lie." I've written an entire article in response to that Taubes feature.
Supplementing the science we can find an abundance of opinion among those who have pursued the Atkins Diet at one time or another. These opinions, otherwise referred to as anecdotal "evidence," range across the board. Is anecdotal evidence important? Scientists say it's to be dismissed. I believe it should be considered if it is directly linked to the strict adherence to a given protocol. The question then becomes, "did these opinion forming dieters actually follow a prescribed course of action?" As I mentioned earlier, many have never read a complete diet book which leads to great discrepancy among the manner in which they attempted to go "low carb." Typically, these diet bandwagon jumpers heard from a friend who heard from a friend that carbs are bad and are to be avoided at all costs. While Dr. Atkins, in the "Induction Phase," suggests 20 grams of carbs per day, and gradually increases carb intake over time, a passed-along "just cut carbs" mentality is not fully representative of the advice disseminated in "The Diet Revolution." There's just so much misinformation circulating that rumors and conjecture abound where true science appears to be elusive. As an example of a single risk that is enhanced with the omission of a prescribed piece of the dietary puzzle, those who fail to read a book before beginning carb manipulation may fail to recognize the need for consuming ample quantities of water, and in a glycogen depleted state, that can further add to risk of kidney stones and other disorders. As a result, while we can look at and begin to sift through the opinions, there is a long way to go before science can actually "prove" this diet concept's value.
EAT ANYTHING?
Let's take a look at another low-carb premise, one that OK's the consistent ingestion of red meat, of bacon, of butter, and other saturated fats. I can do a complete article on this topic alone, but I'm going to bypass it since saturated fat has been so conclusively linked to coronary artery disease, it doesn't even merit discussion here.
I have, as I mentioned, met with great numbers of Atkins dieters, and I've found some very consistent data in understanding their adherence to the diet. They all cut out simple sugars and refined and processed flours. That's good! I encourage people to do that as it will help stabilize blood sugar and facilitate fat release . . . providing that some other aspects of nutrition are in place (not extended ketosis) and providing that they are involved in a supportive exercise program. Another interesting thing I found, when analyzing their food intake, is although they are told by Atkins they don't have to cut calories, in every case they wound up eating fewer calories than they were before the diet!
Here's why I believe that's true in many cases. Firstly, while butter and cream cheese and sour cream are permitted, you're not allowed to eat potatoes or bread. By eliminating most foods people tend to flavor with fats, dieters have offered themselves fewer opportunities to consume those fats, fats that very well may have been in their scope of daily food intake prior to the diet. Most people I've met on Atkins' plan or a facsimile thereof have bacon and eggs for breakfast, but they stop eating the cereal. For lunch they have a cheeseburger sans the bun. Bread, cakes, pastries, and other carb foods are very calorie dense. Most Americans are filling their mouths with high carb foods, thus if you eliminate carbs, you're eliminating MOST of their caloric intake and a significant portion of their pre-diet fat intake. A steak, although it is higher in fat than many carb foods, is also more water dense, thus, when you take out the carb foods, it becomes quite challenging to keep caloric intake high!
It's also meaningful to note that a diet composed primarily of protein and fat will decrease appetite by two separate mechanisms. By eliminating erratic sugar intake you stabilize blood sugar minimizing sugar-induced food cravings, and by stimulating certain amino-acids to cross the blood-brain barrier in greater amounts, you develop a greater sense of satiety. That means that not only are you taking in fewer calories, but your desire for food is decreasing leading to a continual drop of caloric consumption. That is precisely the type of calorie restrictive diet Atkins claims has failed America!
Will people lose weight on any diet of reduced calories? Of course! But is that healthful and permanent? Another question up for serious debate. Let's go back and look at some of what might happen after the water loss. Remember, glucose (stored as glycogen) is the preferred source of fuel for muscle contraction. In a state of calorie deprivation combined with the absence of that preferred fuel source the body finds a way of creating its own glucose, the blood sugar that it's lacking. It can manufacture blood sugar from amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are three of them, known as the Branched Chain Amino Acids, leucine, valine, and isoleucine, that can be simply converted into glucose. You can get these amino acids by breaking apart complete proteins and simply metabolizing the other amino acids or dismissing them from your body as waste.
If I've confused you, I want to un-confuse you. I want you to understand this. Let me make it a bit simpler. Carb intake is severely reduced. Your body wants for glucose beyond that being supplied so it makes its own. It uses amino acids as the raw material. To get those amino acids, it must break down either dietary protein . . . or muscle tissue! Since muscle, as opposed to fat, is tissue that actually burns calories, this process slows metabolism and increases the likelihood that when you go off of the low-carb diet, you'll wind up gaining back all of the weight you lost plus additional fat.
BUT . . . WE'RE ALL CARB SENSITIVE?!?!?
The low carb proponents throw the term "carb sensitivity" around and often claim that all Americans, due to their unsupportive eating habits, have developed a case of this mysterious ailment.
It appears, based on clinical research, that 10-25% of Americans do have some level of insulin resistance (carb sensitivity). Conclusive research has clearly shown that improvements in body composition (lean body mass vs. fat) and regular exercise are far more important in offsetting the challenges of insulin resistance than cutting back carbs.
IS A CARB A CARB?
There's no question that a gradual American shift to pretzels, Snackwell cookies, and processed bagel breakfasts has led to impaired carbohydrate metabolism in some individuals, but there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. Carbohydrates are a nutrient, and nutrient, by definition, means "something your body needs to ingest to sustain life." There's obviously a flaw with any program that asks people on a massive scale to eliminate intake of a vital nutrient. With a true understanding of the differences between complex carbs and simple sugars, it becomes possible to eliminate the true culprits (simple and refined sugars) and reacquaint carb sensitive individuals with supportive metabolism of high quality valuable complex carbs (along with protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and an optimal supply of water).
WON'T THIS LOW CARB PLAN HELP MY METABOLISM?
I'm amazed that so many people buy into the claim that these low-carb diets will stimulate metabolism when I can't find a shred of evidence that lends itself toward that direction. In fact, in the absence of carbs and necessary calories, not only do you run the risk of slowing metabolism through muscle loss, but the thyroid gland also performs a neat little trick. It alters its production of the hormones T3 and T4, hormones instrumental in regulating body heat, to "protect" the body from starvation. This results in a further slowdown of metabolism and can lead to long term thyroid challenges.
I believe, since there isn't any disagreement that exercise is going to be a definite positive factor in fat reduction, fitness, health, and alleviation of disease risks, and since glycogen is fuel for muscle contraction, it's more than obvious that exercisers benefit from ample supplies of glycogen, that fuel obtained from carbohydrates. It's important to protect metabolism so the body learns to efficiently utilize carbs as fuel, proteins for cell repair and maintenance, and essential fats for their inherent biological value as components of cells.
More than ever, people need to be educated, and until enough evidence leads to indisputable proof of a regimen's value and validity, there will be disagreement over "the best way" to find health and well being.
I want to emphasize that I do not hold any personal vendetta against Dr. Atkins as a person and I'm truly sorry to hear of his passing. I believe his stand and his presence inspired the medical community to question, and as science is always nothing more than a "best guess," questions are the path to obtaining a higher level of clarity. Are there people who will lose weight and be satisfied with the "Atkins Way of Eating?" Sure, but I don't believe that makes this a sound weight loss solution for the masses. Every diet being aggressively promoted, most of which fail most people, has some sort of driving testimonial behind it. Usually those testimonials refer to pounds lost, not to improvements in body composition.
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Nutritional Article of the week: Low Carb Diets
Moderators: Mop, Dictators in Training
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Nutritional Article of the week: Low Carb Diets
by Mop » Sun Jan 23, 2005 8:29 am
Narrock wrote:I don't like rabbits. They remind me of this chick I met on teh internet like 5 years ago.
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Mop - Dictator in Training
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by Mop » Sun Jan 23, 2005 8:31 am
this second artical is from the same as above written around the same time that they lowcarb craze really took off.
If you've heard me speak about the frustrations I've experienced with the no-carb mentality that's sweeping the already misinformed and vulnerable over-fat nation we live in, I will not apologize for the repetition of the theme. Every single day, without exception, at least a dozen people ask me about these low-carb diets. I've counseled doctors on the dangers of these diets. I've been in touch with the heads of the American Dietetic Association, of Pritikin Longevity Centers, and with nutritional experts at Tufts and Berkeley Universities, and they share similar frustrations. People are being pulled from the truth by slick marketers of fraudulent and potentially dangerous diets and the hype is so powerful Americans are getting sucked in by the millions.
I remember a line from the movie the Exorcist (the only movie that ever really scared me by the way). When the young priest, Father Karras is preparing to go meet the possessed girl face to face, the experienced exorcist, Father Merrin warns him, "do not listen to anything the demon says. He will mix lies with the truth to confuse you."
Mixing lies with the truth has become a powerful advertising technique. If an advertiser can impress you with enough actual science, if a marketer can gain your confidence with some legitimate and well founded information, it's not very challenging to sneak in a lie and establish a level of believability. Despite the fact that in some of these low carb diet books the authors do deliver some valuable information, I'm careful not to forget the fact that they're very often offering a no-carb or very low-carb diet plan as a "cure-all" weight loss solution for the masses. Regardless of the truths anyone provides for public consumption in the future, as long as they hold tight to this "carbs are the enemy" dictum, criticism by clinicians and experts is inevitable.
Many of the no/low carb diet books almost totally dismiss exercise, and we, as trainers, know that exercise is essential if any weight loss program is going to be healthful and long term. The body treats food very differently if it is well acquainted with exercise. One important area that is also often neglected is a concern for bone density. While it is true that osteoporosis is affecting our population in alarming proportions, bone density cannot be "repaired" or "protected" through nutrition or nutritional supplementation without a distinctive concern for resistance exercise. Beyond bone density, exercise affects hormonal production in such a way that many of the best selling nutritional supplements could easily be dismissed with a simple commitment to truly supportive eating and exercise.
New diet promoters use lots of new diet jargon and often relay a word, "ketosis," as some great indicator of body fat loss. I'm going to do the best I can to explain the real story behind ketosis and some of the other effects carb deprivation can bring about.
Glycogen = Fuel
When you consume a healthful and supportive diet complete with proteins, carbs, and fats, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Glucose is actually blood sugar. Some of that glucose is transported and stored in muscle tissue as "glycogen." This is sort of the fuel in your fuel tank. That's important to understand. Glycogen = Fuel.
Glycogen is used to produce energy that fuels muscle contraction. ALL muscle contraction! Don't think of muscle contraction only as exercise. Any movement requires the contraction of muscle, from blinking your eye to rising from bed in the morning. Without glycogen, you don't have any fuel in the fuel tank. As long as you're consuming carbs, you continue to re-fuel. You access and burn up stored glycogen, but quickly replace it with new muscle fuel. Understanding of that simple fact -- that carbohydrates are the source of muscle fuel -- should raise an immediate red flag toward anything that suggests eliminating or seriously limiting carbs long-term. Once you understand the basic premise behind muscle glycogen, you should understand that the liver also plays a role in fuel storage.
Some of the carbs that you eat ultimately wind up stored as liver glycogen. Think of the liver as sort of a "pump" for blood sugar. The brain burns more calories than any other organ in your body, and guess what it uses as its primary source of fuel. Glucose! Carbohydrates! As the brain results in the "burning" of blood glucose, the liver accesses its glycogen stores to keep blood glucose in adequate supply. Again, as you expend glycogen, the carbs that you ingest replete your supply.
CUT BACK THE CARBS? AT FIRST YOU'LL DO FINE . . . BUT . . .
On a carb-restricted diet, at first you're doing just fine because you have glycogen stored. After a day or two, you're using up your stored glycogen and you're not replacing it. Your body shortly thereafter begins producing ketone bodies.
Ketones are intermediaries in the process of metabolizing fat that are found in abnormal amounts in the blood and urine during periods of metabolic impairment. Give up all of your stored glycogen without replacing it and you're likely going to be in such a state (Note: if you take in too many protein calories, it is possible to avoid carbs and never enter a state of ketosis rendering the low-carb ketosis theories useless). The new diet gurus lead you to believe that the presence of these ketone bodies indicates ongoing fat release and that ketones feed the brain. That is partially true. Here are just a few issues that also need to be addressed:
1. Extended periods of ketosis affect the chemical composition of the blood in such a way that you increase risk of cardiac incident (blood ketoacidosis).
2. In a state of ketoacidosis, carbon dioxide accumulates in the tissues. Oxygen delivery to the cells is impaired. This can lead to a wide range of disastrous consequences ranging from respiratory ailments to metabolic illness.
3. Toxic ammonia buildup resulting from severe cases of ketoacidosis can be lethal.
They also conveniently neglect to tell you that the liver is called into play to "filter" the abnormal chemicals building up in the blood. This leads to a residual buildup of uric acid. This uric acid accumulation can lead to formation of kidney stones!
Kidney stones may be common among low carb dieters, but don't mistake that for an indication that they're normal! If all is working optimally, uric acid levels stay quite manageable, the kidneys continue to function normally, and you will likely never have stones accumulating in your urinary tract.
BUT DON'T YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
It used to boggle my mind to watch people suffer as they attempt to lose weight. By depriving themselves of carbs and/or calories, they wind up lightheaded, spaced out, uncomfortable, irritable, and all around miserable . . .but when they get on the scale, there's a moment of emotional ecstasy! They're losing weight! Notice I said it "used to" boggle my mind. It doesn't any longer because suffering through potentially harmful weight loss alternatives has almost become more the rule than the exception, and I don't blame those who are victims. Most of the "victims" don't realize there is an alternative, one that truly works, and in the absence of that realization, they're primed to be suckered in by the "Diet Du Jour."
It's important to understand why you lose weight on these carb restrictive diets, and why the initial weight loss can be substantial.
Each gram of glycogen that you hold in muscle tissue attracts 2.4 grams of water, thus if you hold less glycogen in muscle due to carb restriction, it's a given there will be substantial water loss. Thus, that quick initial drop in weight among new carb restrictive diets is primarily water loss."
Recent promoters of this "carbs are evil" mentality sometimes make claims of improvements in cholesterol levels. Here I can only speak from my own experience based upon my consultations with low carb dieters in their post diet conditions: Residual Weight Gain greater than the weight lost during the diet and INCREASED LDL levels.
EAT ANYTHING?
Some of these diets suggest you can eat anything you want as long as you avoid carbs. They ‘OK’ the consistent ingestion of red meat, of bacon, of butter, and other saturated fats. I can do a complete article on this topic alone, but I'm going to bypass it since saturated fat has been so conclusively linked to coronary artery disease, it doesn't even merit discussion here.
I have, as I mentioned, met with great numbers of these dieters, and I've found some very consistent data in understanding their adherence to the diet. They all cut out simple sugars and refined and processed flours. That's good! I encourage people to do that as it will help stabilize blood sugar and facilitate fat release . . . providing that some other aspects of nutrition are in place (not ketosis) and providing that they are involved in a supportive exercise program. Another interesting thing I found, when analyzing their food intake, is although they are told by the diet books they don't have to cut calories, in each and every case, I mean without exception . . . they are eating fewer calories than they were before the diet!
Here's why. Firstly, while butter and cream cheese and sour cream are permitted, you're not allowed to eat potatoes or bread. What in the world will you put the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream on? Most people on the most popular low carb plans have bacon and eggs for breakfast, but they stop eating the cereal. For lunch they have a cheeseburger sans the bun. Bread, cakes, pastries, and other carb foods are very calorie dense. Most Americans are filling their mouths with high carb foods, thus if you eliminate carbs, you're eliminating MOST of their caloric intake. A steak, although it is higher in fat than many carb foods, is also more water dense, thus, when you take out the carb foods, it becomes quite challenging to keep caloric intake high! It's also meaningful to note that a diet composed primarily of protein and fat will decrease appetite by two separate mechanisms. By eliminating erratic sugar intake you stabilize blood sugar, minimizing sugar-induced food cravings. And by stimulating certain amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier in greater amounts, you develop a greater sense of satiety. That means that not only are you taking in fewer calories, but your desire for food is decreasing leading to a continual drop of caloric consumption. This is, in the real world, simply a new or revisited twist on the calorie deprivation we know fails people.
So . . . will people lose weight on these diets? Of course! It's already clear that they'll lose substantial water weight. That can account for 4-10 pounds in the very first week!
Let's look at what happens after the water loss. Remember, glucose (stored as glycogen) is the preferred source of fuel for muscle contraction. In a state of calorie deprivation combined with the absence of that preferred fuel source the body finds a way of creating its own glucose, the blood sugar that it's lacking. It can manufacture blood sugar from amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are three of them, known as the Branched Chain Amino Acids--leucine, valine, and isoleucine--that can be simply converted into glucose. You can get these amino acids by breaking apart complete proteins and simply metabolizing the other amino acids or dismissing them from your body as waste.
If I've confused you, I want to un-confuse you. I want you to understand this. Let me make it a bit simpler. No carbs come in… Your body wants glucose so it makes its own… It uses amino acids as the raw material… To get those amino acids, it must break down either dietary protein . . . or muscle tissue!
If you are taking in enough protein for muscle synthesis, enough protein that would normally allow you to build new healthy cells, in a state of carb depletion you'll likely sacrifice some of those proteins to manufacture glucose. That gives you intake of protein below that which you need to maintain lean body mass so muscle breaks down and is not repaired. Once you've exhausted your dietary protein supply, your body goes somewhere else to find amino acids. It breaks down more muscle tissue! Since muscle is the site where fat is burned, that cripples your fat burning ability. Since muscle--as opposed to fat--is tissue that actually burns calories, this process slows metabolism. This combination of factors guarantees that when you go off of the no-carb diet, (and you will…you must - your body craves carbs for survival), you will wind up gaining back all of the weight you lost plus additional fat.
BUT . . . WE'RE ALL CARB SENSITIVE?!?!?
The new diet books throw the term "carb sensitivity" around and often claim that all Americans due to their non-supportive eating habits, have developed a case of this mysterious ailment. They therefore recommend that you throw away most carbs. Interestingly, when your body is in a state of glycogen depletion, it begins creating little enzymes, literally hunting for carbs. Some chemical and metabolic changes take place leading to greater carb sensitivity than ever! A friend and associate, one of the individuals I most respect in this field, Keith Klein (a nutritionist based out of Houston, Texas) has found - as I have - an unquestionable increase in carb sensitivity among low carb dieters.
In working with individuals who do have some challenges with even moderate carb intake, I've found it far better to gradually shift carb intake from non-supportive simple sugars and refined flours to the more supportive carbs in meals complete with proteins, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. It is then possible to slowly get a carb sensitive individual to gradually tolerate and optimize ingestion of potatoes, whole grains, and vegetables. It takes time, but in a great majority of cases I've used this method to bring about consistent improvement in metabolism and body composition (fat loss). Healthfully. Throwing carbs out completely only adds to the problem.
It appears, based on clinical research, that 10-25% of Americans do have some level of insulin resistance (carb sensitivity). Conclusive research has clearly shown that improvements in body composition (lean body mass vs. fat) and regular exercise are far more important in offsetting the challenges of insulin resistance than cutting back carbs.
Several low carb diet authors lump carbs together as "the enemy." There's no question that a gradual American shift to pretzels, Snackwell cookies, and processed bagel breakfasts has led to impaired carbohydrate metabolism in some individuals, but there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. Carbohydrates are a nutrient, and nutrient, by definition, means "something your body needs to ingest to sustain life." There's obviously a flaw with any program that asks people on a massive scale to eliminate intake of a vital nutrient. With a true understanding of the differences between complex carbs and simple sugars, it becomes possible to eliminate the culprits (simple and refined sugars) and reacquaint carb sensitive individuals with supportive metabolism of high qualify valuable complex carbs (along with protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and an optimal supply of water).
BUT . . . WON'T THIS LOW CARB PLAN HELP MY METABOLISM?
I'm amazed that so many people buy into the claim that these low-carb or no-carb diets will stimulate metabolism when I can't find a shred of evidence that lends itself toward that direction. In fact, in the absence of carbs and necessary calories, not only does one run the risk of slowing metabolism through muscle loss, but the thyroid gland also performs a neat little trick. It alters its production of the hormones T3 and T4, hormones instrumental in regulating body heat, to "protect" the body from starvation. This results in a further slowdown of metabolism and can lead to long term thyroid challenges.
I believe, because there isn't any disagreement that exercise is going to be a definite positive factor in fat reduction, fitness, health, and alleviation of disease risks, and since glycogen is fuel for muscle contraction, it's more than obvious that exercisers need ample supplies of glycogen -- fuel obtained from carbohydrates. It's important to protect metabolism so the body learns to efficiently utilize carbs as fuel, proteins for cell repair and maintenance, and essential fats for their inherent biological value as components of cells.
I can keep going. I won't. I believe by now you should have some clarity on the truth behind the Protein Diets. More than ever, people need to be educated, and I'll continue to commit my programs to delivering the fitness truth. I want to emphasize that I do not have a personal vendetta against any of the no-carb diet gurus. I would simply encourage them to take note of the risks, open their eyes to those who are experiencing health issues resulting from these diets, and attempt to refine their approach into one better founded in science.
I will also continue to endorse those who share in delivering truth and I will continually strive to unite the ground army of unrecognized fitness professionals that can be so powerful in finally helping America get fit once and for all.
I welcome your responses and feedback to this article.
Phil Kaplan
A Final, Final note:
If you are concerned that the information I've provided is based solely on my opinion, I assure you I've spent years researching this. Here are some references. Throughout those years I've continued to search for legitimate research backing up anything the no-carb Protein sellers profess and I haven't been able to find it. The only legitimate medical references I've found to no-carb dieting were in cases of using a Ketogenic Diet to reduce seizures in cases of brain malformations or epilepsy, and I should note that in those cases there was often fat accumulation and a concern for elevating blood cholesterol levels:
If you've heard me speak about the frustrations I've experienced with the no-carb mentality that's sweeping the already misinformed and vulnerable over-fat nation we live in, I will not apologize for the repetition of the theme. Every single day, without exception, at least a dozen people ask me about these low-carb diets. I've counseled doctors on the dangers of these diets. I've been in touch with the heads of the American Dietetic Association, of Pritikin Longevity Centers, and with nutritional experts at Tufts and Berkeley Universities, and they share similar frustrations. People are being pulled from the truth by slick marketers of fraudulent and potentially dangerous diets and the hype is so powerful Americans are getting sucked in by the millions.
I remember a line from the movie the Exorcist (the only movie that ever really scared me by the way). When the young priest, Father Karras is preparing to go meet the possessed girl face to face, the experienced exorcist, Father Merrin warns him, "do not listen to anything the demon says. He will mix lies with the truth to confuse you."
Mixing lies with the truth has become a powerful advertising technique. If an advertiser can impress you with enough actual science, if a marketer can gain your confidence with some legitimate and well founded information, it's not very challenging to sneak in a lie and establish a level of believability. Despite the fact that in some of these low carb diet books the authors do deliver some valuable information, I'm careful not to forget the fact that they're very often offering a no-carb or very low-carb diet plan as a "cure-all" weight loss solution for the masses. Regardless of the truths anyone provides for public consumption in the future, as long as they hold tight to this "carbs are the enemy" dictum, criticism by clinicians and experts is inevitable.
Many of the no/low carb diet books almost totally dismiss exercise, and we, as trainers, know that exercise is essential if any weight loss program is going to be healthful and long term. The body treats food very differently if it is well acquainted with exercise. One important area that is also often neglected is a concern for bone density. While it is true that osteoporosis is affecting our population in alarming proportions, bone density cannot be "repaired" or "protected" through nutrition or nutritional supplementation without a distinctive concern for resistance exercise. Beyond bone density, exercise affects hormonal production in such a way that many of the best selling nutritional supplements could easily be dismissed with a simple commitment to truly supportive eating and exercise.
New diet promoters use lots of new diet jargon and often relay a word, "ketosis," as some great indicator of body fat loss. I'm going to do the best I can to explain the real story behind ketosis and some of the other effects carb deprivation can bring about.
Glycogen = Fuel
When you consume a healthful and supportive diet complete with proteins, carbs, and fats, the carbohydrates are broken down into glucose. Glucose is actually blood sugar. Some of that glucose is transported and stored in muscle tissue as "glycogen." This is sort of the fuel in your fuel tank. That's important to understand. Glycogen = Fuel.
Glycogen is used to produce energy that fuels muscle contraction. ALL muscle contraction! Don't think of muscle contraction only as exercise. Any movement requires the contraction of muscle, from blinking your eye to rising from bed in the morning. Without glycogen, you don't have any fuel in the fuel tank. As long as you're consuming carbs, you continue to re-fuel. You access and burn up stored glycogen, but quickly replace it with new muscle fuel. Understanding of that simple fact -- that carbohydrates are the source of muscle fuel -- should raise an immediate red flag toward anything that suggests eliminating or seriously limiting carbs long-term. Once you understand the basic premise behind muscle glycogen, you should understand that the liver also plays a role in fuel storage.
Some of the carbs that you eat ultimately wind up stored as liver glycogen. Think of the liver as sort of a "pump" for blood sugar. The brain burns more calories than any other organ in your body, and guess what it uses as its primary source of fuel. Glucose! Carbohydrates! As the brain results in the "burning" of blood glucose, the liver accesses its glycogen stores to keep blood glucose in adequate supply. Again, as you expend glycogen, the carbs that you ingest replete your supply.
CUT BACK THE CARBS? AT FIRST YOU'LL DO FINE . . . BUT . . .
On a carb-restricted diet, at first you're doing just fine because you have glycogen stored. After a day or two, you're using up your stored glycogen and you're not replacing it. Your body shortly thereafter begins producing ketone bodies.
Ketones are intermediaries in the process of metabolizing fat that are found in abnormal amounts in the blood and urine during periods of metabolic impairment. Give up all of your stored glycogen without replacing it and you're likely going to be in such a state (Note: if you take in too many protein calories, it is possible to avoid carbs and never enter a state of ketosis rendering the low-carb ketosis theories useless). The new diet gurus lead you to believe that the presence of these ketone bodies indicates ongoing fat release and that ketones feed the brain. That is partially true. Here are just a few issues that also need to be addressed:
1. Extended periods of ketosis affect the chemical composition of the blood in such a way that you increase risk of cardiac incident (blood ketoacidosis).
2. In a state of ketoacidosis, carbon dioxide accumulates in the tissues. Oxygen delivery to the cells is impaired. This can lead to a wide range of disastrous consequences ranging from respiratory ailments to metabolic illness.
3. Toxic ammonia buildup resulting from severe cases of ketoacidosis can be lethal.
They also conveniently neglect to tell you that the liver is called into play to "filter" the abnormal chemicals building up in the blood. This leads to a residual buildup of uric acid. This uric acid accumulation can lead to formation of kidney stones!
Kidney stones may be common among low carb dieters, but don't mistake that for an indication that they're normal! If all is working optimally, uric acid levels stay quite manageable, the kidneys continue to function normally, and you will likely never have stones accumulating in your urinary tract.
BUT DON'T YOU LOSE WEIGHT?
It used to boggle my mind to watch people suffer as they attempt to lose weight. By depriving themselves of carbs and/or calories, they wind up lightheaded, spaced out, uncomfortable, irritable, and all around miserable . . .but when they get on the scale, there's a moment of emotional ecstasy! They're losing weight! Notice I said it "used to" boggle my mind. It doesn't any longer because suffering through potentially harmful weight loss alternatives has almost become more the rule than the exception, and I don't blame those who are victims. Most of the "victims" don't realize there is an alternative, one that truly works, and in the absence of that realization, they're primed to be suckered in by the "Diet Du Jour."
It's important to understand why you lose weight on these carb restrictive diets, and why the initial weight loss can be substantial.
Each gram of glycogen that you hold in muscle tissue attracts 2.4 grams of water, thus if you hold less glycogen in muscle due to carb restriction, it's a given there will be substantial water loss. Thus, that quick initial drop in weight among new carb restrictive diets is primarily water loss."
Recent promoters of this "carbs are evil" mentality sometimes make claims of improvements in cholesterol levels. Here I can only speak from my own experience based upon my consultations with low carb dieters in their post diet conditions: Residual Weight Gain greater than the weight lost during the diet and INCREASED LDL levels.
EAT ANYTHING?
Some of these diets suggest you can eat anything you want as long as you avoid carbs. They ‘OK’ the consistent ingestion of red meat, of bacon, of butter, and other saturated fats. I can do a complete article on this topic alone, but I'm going to bypass it since saturated fat has been so conclusively linked to coronary artery disease, it doesn't even merit discussion here.
I have, as I mentioned, met with great numbers of these dieters, and I've found some very consistent data in understanding their adherence to the diet. They all cut out simple sugars and refined and processed flours. That's good! I encourage people to do that as it will help stabilize blood sugar and facilitate fat release . . . providing that some other aspects of nutrition are in place (not ketosis) and providing that they are involved in a supportive exercise program. Another interesting thing I found, when analyzing their food intake, is although they are told by the diet books they don't have to cut calories, in each and every case, I mean without exception . . . they are eating fewer calories than they were before the diet!
Here's why. Firstly, while butter and cream cheese and sour cream are permitted, you're not allowed to eat potatoes or bread. What in the world will you put the butter, cream cheese, and sour cream on? Most people on the most popular low carb plans have bacon and eggs for breakfast, but they stop eating the cereal. For lunch they have a cheeseburger sans the bun. Bread, cakes, pastries, and other carb foods are very calorie dense. Most Americans are filling their mouths with high carb foods, thus if you eliminate carbs, you're eliminating MOST of their caloric intake. A steak, although it is higher in fat than many carb foods, is also more water dense, thus, when you take out the carb foods, it becomes quite challenging to keep caloric intake high! It's also meaningful to note that a diet composed primarily of protein and fat will decrease appetite by two separate mechanisms. By eliminating erratic sugar intake you stabilize blood sugar, minimizing sugar-induced food cravings. And by stimulating certain amino acids to cross the blood-brain barrier in greater amounts, you develop a greater sense of satiety. That means that not only are you taking in fewer calories, but your desire for food is decreasing leading to a continual drop of caloric consumption. This is, in the real world, simply a new or revisited twist on the calorie deprivation we know fails people.
So . . . will people lose weight on these diets? Of course! It's already clear that they'll lose substantial water weight. That can account for 4-10 pounds in the very first week!
Let's look at what happens after the water loss. Remember, glucose (stored as glycogen) is the preferred source of fuel for muscle contraction. In a state of calorie deprivation combined with the absence of that preferred fuel source the body finds a way of creating its own glucose, the blood sugar that it's lacking. It can manufacture blood sugar from amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are three of them, known as the Branched Chain Amino Acids--leucine, valine, and isoleucine--that can be simply converted into glucose. You can get these amino acids by breaking apart complete proteins and simply metabolizing the other amino acids or dismissing them from your body as waste.
If I've confused you, I want to un-confuse you. I want you to understand this. Let me make it a bit simpler. No carbs come in… Your body wants glucose so it makes its own… It uses amino acids as the raw material… To get those amino acids, it must break down either dietary protein . . . or muscle tissue!
If you are taking in enough protein for muscle synthesis, enough protein that would normally allow you to build new healthy cells, in a state of carb depletion you'll likely sacrifice some of those proteins to manufacture glucose. That gives you intake of protein below that which you need to maintain lean body mass so muscle breaks down and is not repaired. Once you've exhausted your dietary protein supply, your body goes somewhere else to find amino acids. It breaks down more muscle tissue! Since muscle is the site where fat is burned, that cripples your fat burning ability. Since muscle--as opposed to fat--is tissue that actually burns calories, this process slows metabolism. This combination of factors guarantees that when you go off of the no-carb diet, (and you will…you must - your body craves carbs for survival), you will wind up gaining back all of the weight you lost plus additional fat.
BUT . . . WE'RE ALL CARB SENSITIVE?!?!?
The new diet books throw the term "carb sensitivity" around and often claim that all Americans due to their non-supportive eating habits, have developed a case of this mysterious ailment. They therefore recommend that you throw away most carbs. Interestingly, when your body is in a state of glycogen depletion, it begins creating little enzymes, literally hunting for carbs. Some chemical and metabolic changes take place leading to greater carb sensitivity than ever! A friend and associate, one of the individuals I most respect in this field, Keith Klein (a nutritionist based out of Houston, Texas) has found - as I have - an unquestionable increase in carb sensitivity among low carb dieters.
In working with individuals who do have some challenges with even moderate carb intake, I've found it far better to gradually shift carb intake from non-supportive simple sugars and refined flours to the more supportive carbs in meals complete with proteins, vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids. It is then possible to slowly get a carb sensitive individual to gradually tolerate and optimize ingestion of potatoes, whole grains, and vegetables. It takes time, but in a great majority of cases I've used this method to bring about consistent improvement in metabolism and body composition (fat loss). Healthfully. Throwing carbs out completely only adds to the problem.
It appears, based on clinical research, that 10-25% of Americans do have some level of insulin resistance (carb sensitivity). Conclusive research has clearly shown that improvements in body composition (lean body mass vs. fat) and regular exercise are far more important in offsetting the challenges of insulin resistance than cutting back carbs.
Several low carb diet authors lump carbs together as "the enemy." There's no question that a gradual American shift to pretzels, Snackwell cookies, and processed bagel breakfasts has led to impaired carbohydrate metabolism in some individuals, but there's no reason to throw the baby out with the bath water. Carbohydrates are a nutrient, and nutrient, by definition, means "something your body needs to ingest to sustain life." There's obviously a flaw with any program that asks people on a massive scale to eliminate intake of a vital nutrient. With a true understanding of the differences between complex carbs and simple sugars, it becomes possible to eliminate the culprits (simple and refined sugars) and reacquaint carb sensitive individuals with supportive metabolism of high qualify valuable complex carbs (along with protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, and an optimal supply of water).
BUT . . . WON'T THIS LOW CARB PLAN HELP MY METABOLISM?
I'm amazed that so many people buy into the claim that these low-carb or no-carb diets will stimulate metabolism when I can't find a shred of evidence that lends itself toward that direction. In fact, in the absence of carbs and necessary calories, not only does one run the risk of slowing metabolism through muscle loss, but the thyroid gland also performs a neat little trick. It alters its production of the hormones T3 and T4, hormones instrumental in regulating body heat, to "protect" the body from starvation. This results in a further slowdown of metabolism and can lead to long term thyroid challenges.
I believe, because there isn't any disagreement that exercise is going to be a definite positive factor in fat reduction, fitness, health, and alleviation of disease risks, and since glycogen is fuel for muscle contraction, it's more than obvious that exercisers need ample supplies of glycogen -- fuel obtained from carbohydrates. It's important to protect metabolism so the body learns to efficiently utilize carbs as fuel, proteins for cell repair and maintenance, and essential fats for their inherent biological value as components of cells.
I can keep going. I won't. I believe by now you should have some clarity on the truth behind the Protein Diets. More than ever, people need to be educated, and I'll continue to commit my programs to delivering the fitness truth. I want to emphasize that I do not have a personal vendetta against any of the no-carb diet gurus. I would simply encourage them to take note of the risks, open their eyes to those who are experiencing health issues resulting from these diets, and attempt to refine their approach into one better founded in science.
I will also continue to endorse those who share in delivering truth and I will continually strive to unite the ground army of unrecognized fitness professionals that can be so powerful in finally helping America get fit once and for all.
I welcome your responses and feedback to this article.
Phil Kaplan
A Final, Final note:
If you are concerned that the information I've provided is based solely on my opinion, I assure you I've spent years researching this. Here are some references. Throughout those years I've continued to search for legitimate research backing up anything the no-carb Protein sellers profess and I haven't been able to find it. The only legitimate medical references I've found to no-carb dieting were in cases of using a Ketogenic Diet to reduce seizures in cases of brain malformations or epilepsy, and I should note that in those cases there was often fat accumulation and a concern for elevating blood cholesterol levels:
Narrock wrote:I don't like rabbits. They remind me of this chick I met on teh internet like 5 years ago.
-
Mop - Dictator in Training
- Posts: 4670
- Joined: Wed Mar 10, 2004 9:46 am
- Location: Who knows?
by Mop » Sun Jan 23, 2005 8:36 am
This final article is by a Lou Barrie - and is the other side of the fence of the other two articles - though he is ' leaning towards' a lower carb lifestyle the methodology behind it more follows a 'South Beach' more so than an Atkins diet- He believes more in the eating healthy and not eating loaded sugars or highly altered foods.
*************************************************************
We’ve been lied to for decades! Of that I am almost certain.
In most cases not deliberately, but in ignorance of the truth or possibly an unwillingness to confront the establishment. An issue that I have never been burdened with. You see, I never went to university, I was never blinkered by the need to follow the most recent or most scientifically complex study to prove to me what was right and what worked in ‘real life’. I work with logic, common sense and what we know to be fact not the dogma of a biased study. I have in fact achieved world class results with myself and many clients despite this.
I will talk to you about health, fat loss and some successes that have befallen hundreds of my clients who have "chosen the path of righteousness". I will outline in simple point form the principles behind effective long-term fat loss and health. I will also describe to you why current dogma is failing, has produced a world wide epidemic of obesity and Adult Onset Diabetes. Other information by dieticians and nutritionists should not be discounted but it should certainly be questioned and an informed decision on your own judgement arrived at.
THE FACTS
Insulin is a highly lipogenic (fat producing) hormone, which, when present in the bloodstream, inhibits the use of fat as a source of energy.
Carbohydrate, (starch & sugar) when ingested is converted to blood sugar (glucose) very quickly, eliciting an insulin producing response by the pancreas.
Insulin’s primary role is to reduce blood sugar at all costs as quickly as possible. This is done in several ways;
Convert glucose into energy for immediate energy needs.
Convert the glucose to stored carbohydrate (glycogen) if energy needs are not sufficient.
Convert any excess glucose (not used in the above) to triglycerides and store it as fat.
Prevent current glucose and fat stores being converted into blood sugar and used for energy
It is a simple process for the body to convert carbohydrate to fat.
We do not need to eat carbohydrates for energy; they simply make us fatter or at least prevent us from becoming leaner.
High carbohydrate diets promote an insensitivity to insulin, causing the pancreas to produce more in order to get the desired result, creating a condition known as hyperinsulinism (leading to Adult Onset Diabetes), which is commensurate with obesity. Currently 50+% of males in Australia are classified as obese!
In the absence of carbohydrate from the diet the body learns to produce its own carbohydrate by converting stored fats back to glucose (gluconeogenesis) to be used as energy.
The body fat level considered to be healthy in a male is 15% of body weight from fat. In an 80 kg male that would give him 12 kg of fat and a whopping 108.000 calories of stored energy.
We do not need to eat food for energy, carbohydrates are not our evolutionary food. Refined starches and sugars have only been in the diet for essentially a century. More sugar per person is consumed now in 2 weeks than it was in 1 year, 2 centuries ago.
Glucagon, insulin’s forgotten brother, is produced in the pancreas in response to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), its role is to produce glucose from non glucose sources. (Gluconeogenesis) It converts fat to glucose, allows stored glucose to be accessed and raises blood sugar commensurate with the body’s needs.
Fat cannot be accessed for energy without the presence of glucagon. Glucagon release is inhibited by the presence of insulin and our desire to eat "something sweet" when we feel low in energy. (Which we invariably do!).
Insulin, as previously mentioned, converts carbohydrate to fat. The fact is evident; consumption of carbohydrate in the form of sugars and starches is making society fat.
How do we change? What can we do? Essentially it is quite simple. We must endeavor to reduce our intake of starchy foods, increase our intake of proteins and associated fats and by doing this, teach our bodies to make use of our fat stores. Which in turn will reduce the current incidence of obesity and all its deadly relatives such as Adult Onset Diabetes, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, stomach ulcers, migraine, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue and hypoglycemia.
Hundreds of my clients enjoy a new lease of life with increased vigor and vitality once their addiction to and dependence on carbohydrate was broken.
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Current statistics show that 55% of males, 45% of females and 48% of adolescents are classified as medically overweight. That means that half of our entire population is regarded as clinically fat. This is an increase of 20% in the last decade.
Now you all know that I am not a lover of scientific studies but the facts remain obvious to even the most cynical observer;
We are far less physically active now than we have ever been.
Jobs are becoming more sedentary as tasks are made supposedly safer.
We are being encouraged to move less and maintain supposedly ‘safe ergonomic positions’.
The abundance and availability of food is at an all time high.
We now consume greater amounts of ‘energy rich foods’ than at any time in recorded history.
Our body is primed for survival. Mentally we live in almost the 21st Century. Agriculture and mechanisation can still be classified as ‘recent history’, with the former having basic beginnings 7000 years ago and the latter as little as 200 years ago, while physically our evolutionary and genetic programming is around 50 million years old. In short, physically we haven’t evolved at the same pace as our environment and we are paying the price of suffering an out of control obesity problem with all of its deadly relatives.
Our body is designed to survive and protect against perceived risk. Historically, one of humankind’s greatest threats to its survival was the threat of famine and dying of starvation. Our genetic programming is still set up to ‘defend’ against that by allowing our body to store unlimited amounts of energy in the form of body fat, which it has learned to do in times of plenty (like the present). You see our mind knows that food will always be available and that there will be no threat of starvation, but our body’s instinct is still primitive. It thinks that we are only in a temporary situation (summer) where the food is plentiful and the need to hunt and search is only temporarily suspended, that the situation will quickly change (winter) and survival will depend on our ability to ‘store energy’ in the form of fat. To be used as energy when food has to be hunted and searched for.
We’ve been in ‘summer’ now for about 50 years and the problems are only just beginning to show. People are living longer now, not because they are healthier but because of better medical care, access to drugs and the elimination of many viruses and bacteria. But whole new sets of plagues are being thrust upon us by our own doing! Such as;
Adult Onset Diabetes.
Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cardiac disorders and arteriosclerosis.
Hypertension.
Chronic Fatigue and worst of all
Cancer
Every one as potentially life and survival threatening as the plagues that we have managed to systematically eradicate.
What are the solutions? How do we fix it? Well there are no easy answers to fix the overall problem but there are solutions for the individual who is willing to make some changes to their lifestyle.
No you don’t need to wear a loincloth, carry a spear to hunt for your food or drag your partner around by the hair! But, we must become;
More active.
Eat less high-energy foods.
Teach our bodies to access our fat stores more efficiently for daily energy needs.
Smoke less and reduce consumption of alcohol.
We will now look at these points individually and give tips on how to follow them.
More Activity.
This does not mean you have to go to the gym or enroll in an exercise class, although that would be great. It simply means that you have to move more than you do at present. For example; if you can walk to your destination then do it, don’t drive. Climb stairs instead of using an elevator. Walk the dog or park the car away from your destination and finish the journey on foot. Ideally you should cumulate at least 30 minutes of activity over and above your normal daily routine.
Less High Energy Foods
Foods that provide you with energy in the form of sugars and simple starches actually prevent you from accessing your own store of fat as energy, contribute to fat gain and will lead to cravings for more. Setting you up for Adult Onset Diabetes and related problems. Your food choices should consist of items that have received little or no processing. For example; lean meats, seafood, chicken, eggs, cheeses and sugar free yoghurts for protein. Carbohydrate in the form of green, yellow, orange, white and red vegetables and salads, low sugar fruit such as avocados, rockmelon, watermelon, strawberries, green apples, berries, grapes and tomatoes, and minimal starches like brown rice, potatoes (with skin) and Lebanese style bread. (These starches should actually be contributing the smallest percentage of content to your diet). With essential fats coming from your consumption of things like nuts, avocados, vegetable oil in the form of salad dressing and whatever is in the lean protein sources. Keep to an absolute minimum (or if you can, completely avoid) foods like white rice, bread, pasta, cereals, high sugar fruits, sweets, sugars and anything with sugar as one of the first ingredients on the label. This is a shift away from what is considered normal, but it is actually more normal for us than the current dogma, which incidentally is failing miserably (see statistics at the start). For those with a sweet tooth, a low sugar dessert tip is Aeroplane Lite Jelly with Yoplait Diet Lite Yoghurt (The Internet has an abundance of low starch/carbohydrate recipes available. Some good sites are http://syndicomm.com/lowcarb.html). http://www.mesomorphosis.com
Teaching Our Bodies to Access Our Fat Stores.
Follow both the above instructions and it will happen. Individual adaptation will vary according to genetic pre-disposition, personal application and adherence. As will the results, but it will make a difference to how you look and feel.
Less Alcohol and Cigarettes.
This is a personal choice, the dangers of smoking are well documented and there isn’t a smoker alive who is unaware of the risks involved. Not to mention the reduction in fitness, the sting in your wallet and the increasing anti social attitude towards it. Consumption of alcohol increases the intake of high energy providing substances into the body, making it less likely that you will be able to access your stores of fat. The health risks, while not in the same league as smoking are nonetheless still high. Out of all the choices of alcohol, wine, in moderation is probably the best choice.
Effecting Long Term Change.
If any program is to work and have tangible benefits it must be followed for long periods of time, that is why ‘quick fix’ schemes never work in the long term. In order for the system to work the following points must be considered and applied;
Do you want to or need to change to improve your health?
Can you and will you adopt a new regime as part of your lifestyle?
Any new routine must contain the following elements;
A minimum disruption to current patterns.
Elements of what you enjoy doing.
Elements of what you need to do.
Flexibility for adaptation.
Achievability in the long term. (It must be able to be followed essentially forever).
What we are aiming to do is fix / improve / maintain our health status for life, not just shed a few pounds for a special event. Although that is often a powerful motivating force, as is suffering a traumatic experience due to self imposed ‘lack of health’ (eg a heart attack), there is no more powerful motivator than the fear of a close call with death. Many of us may not want to change, we may be happy with our life and ourselves. It is a personal choice but we all must live by the consequences of our own decisions and actions and remember that what we are and what we get is entirely controlled by the choices that we make.
Another benefit of reducing weight and improving fitness is the body’s ability to perform work tasks more efficiently and with less fatigue which in turn has the potential to minimise work place injuries. (we will discuss this in a later lecture).
Fifteen minutes of exercise and making one meal healthy every day for 5 years will have a greater, more significant benefit to your health than one and a half hours of exercise and changing all your meals each day for a month. Decide what you can and want to live with and ‘MAKE THE CHANGE’.
Suggested Eating and Taper Plans
You may notice an energy slump in the first couple of weeks, this is normal and is the interim period between your body burning carbohydrate for energy and converting to burning fat. Stick with it and you will achieve your goals.
The program is a 5-½ days on 1-½ days off schedule, the days off may be fitted in at your convenience but weekends are probably best.
Suggested eating plan No1
Meal 1. 2 eggs any way, or 10 egg whites, 2 slices of ham, 20 gm l/f. Mozzarella cheese. Make into omelette if desired, add chopped veggies & tomato paste etc. =270 kc.
Meal 2. Small tin of tuna in oil (drain oil), ¼ avocado, salad. = 200 - 250 kc.
or 2-3 scoops Musashi Whey in 300 ml water.
Meal 3. Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad (stir-fry) & ¼ avocado. = 250 kc.
Meal 4. Handful of nuts & 6 strawberries or melon equivalent =200 kc. Or protein drink as above.
Meal 5. Steak (150 - 200 gm) with veggies, 100 gm rice/pasta, salad & ¼ avocado. =300 - 350 kc.
Meal 6. (Optional) Aeroplane Light jelly, crushed nuts & fresh cream 50 kc.
Drink tea, coffee, diet drinks or water. (a load of brewed coffee is best)
Use artificial sweeteners to sweeten protein drinks & hot beverages if required.
Absolutely no fruit or sugar sources outside the weekend except where indicated.
During a 36 hr period on Saturday & Sunday basically eat what you feel like, try to keep it fairly healthy but succumb to your cravings ‘cause Monday you get strict again.
Suggested eating plan No2
Meal 1. 2 rice cakes, lite Philly or l/f cottage cheese & 1 egg, or 2sl ham & tomato. Or 200 ml (10) egg white omelette w/- mushrooms, tomato, l/f cheese, onions etc and tea, coffee or water.
Meal 2. Salad w/- ham, cheese or tuna. (If no rice cakes am. Have now.) Or handful of raw nuts & cheese Salad w/- ham, cheese or tuna. (If no rice cakes am. Have now.) Or handful of raw nuts & cheese
Meal 3. Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad & ¼ avocado Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad & ¼ avocado
Meal 4. 1 tub of Nestle diet yoghurt or raw nuts & strawberries. 1 tub of Nestle diet yoghurt or raw nuts & strawberries.
Meal 5. Lean meat, fish or chicken with 100 gm cooked rice, pasta or potatoes, veggies, salad & ¼ avocado. Lean meat, fish or chicken with 100 gm cooked rice, pasta or potatoes, veggies, salad & ¼ avocado.
Meal 6. (Optional) Aeroplane lite jelly, crushed nuts & fresh whipped cream. (Optional) Aeroplane lite jelly, crushed nuts & fresh whipped cream.
The taper in.
In order for the transition to this diet to be smooth and relatively discomfort free, a lead in period of gradual carb reduction is suggested. This is a fairly simple process, as follows;
Week 1. Diet plan only on Tuesday & Thursday.
Week 2. Diet plan on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
Week 3. Diet plan every day except Wednesday.
Week 4. Diet plan Monday to Friday.
This should see you make a smooth, pain free transition into the amazing world of fat burning.
*************************************************************
We’ve been lied to for decades! Of that I am almost certain.
In most cases not deliberately, but in ignorance of the truth or possibly an unwillingness to confront the establishment. An issue that I have never been burdened with. You see, I never went to university, I was never blinkered by the need to follow the most recent or most scientifically complex study to prove to me what was right and what worked in ‘real life’. I work with logic, common sense and what we know to be fact not the dogma of a biased study. I have in fact achieved world class results with myself and many clients despite this.
I will talk to you about health, fat loss and some successes that have befallen hundreds of my clients who have "chosen the path of righteousness". I will outline in simple point form the principles behind effective long-term fat loss and health. I will also describe to you why current dogma is failing, has produced a world wide epidemic of obesity and Adult Onset Diabetes. Other information by dieticians and nutritionists should not be discounted but it should certainly be questioned and an informed decision on your own judgement arrived at.
THE FACTS
Insulin is a highly lipogenic (fat producing) hormone, which, when present in the bloodstream, inhibits the use of fat as a source of energy.
Carbohydrate, (starch & sugar) when ingested is converted to blood sugar (glucose) very quickly, eliciting an insulin producing response by the pancreas.
Insulin’s primary role is to reduce blood sugar at all costs as quickly as possible. This is done in several ways;
Convert glucose into energy for immediate energy needs.
Convert the glucose to stored carbohydrate (glycogen) if energy needs are not sufficient.
Convert any excess glucose (not used in the above) to triglycerides and store it as fat.
Prevent current glucose and fat stores being converted into blood sugar and used for energy
It is a simple process for the body to convert carbohydrate to fat.
We do not need to eat carbohydrates for energy; they simply make us fatter or at least prevent us from becoming leaner.
High carbohydrate diets promote an insensitivity to insulin, causing the pancreas to produce more in order to get the desired result, creating a condition known as hyperinsulinism (leading to Adult Onset Diabetes), which is commensurate with obesity. Currently 50+% of males in Australia are classified as obese!
In the absence of carbohydrate from the diet the body learns to produce its own carbohydrate by converting stored fats back to glucose (gluconeogenesis) to be used as energy.
The body fat level considered to be healthy in a male is 15% of body weight from fat. In an 80 kg male that would give him 12 kg of fat and a whopping 108.000 calories of stored energy.
We do not need to eat food for energy, carbohydrates are not our evolutionary food. Refined starches and sugars have only been in the diet for essentially a century. More sugar per person is consumed now in 2 weeks than it was in 1 year, 2 centuries ago.
Glucagon, insulin’s forgotten brother, is produced in the pancreas in response to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), its role is to produce glucose from non glucose sources. (Gluconeogenesis) It converts fat to glucose, allows stored glucose to be accessed and raises blood sugar commensurate with the body’s needs.
Fat cannot be accessed for energy without the presence of glucagon. Glucagon release is inhibited by the presence of insulin and our desire to eat "something sweet" when we feel low in energy. (Which we invariably do!).
Insulin, as previously mentioned, converts carbohydrate to fat. The fact is evident; consumption of carbohydrate in the form of sugars and starches is making society fat.
How do we change? What can we do? Essentially it is quite simple. We must endeavor to reduce our intake of starchy foods, increase our intake of proteins and associated fats and by doing this, teach our bodies to make use of our fat stores. Which in turn will reduce the current incidence of obesity and all its deadly relatives such as Adult Onset Diabetes, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, stomach ulcers, migraine, arteriosclerosis, chronic fatigue and hypoglycemia.
Hundreds of my clients enjoy a new lease of life with increased vigor and vitality once their addiction to and dependence on carbohydrate was broken.
HEALTH & LIFESTYLE FACTORS
Current statistics show that 55% of males, 45% of females and 48% of adolescents are classified as medically overweight. That means that half of our entire population is regarded as clinically fat. This is an increase of 20% in the last decade.
Now you all know that I am not a lover of scientific studies but the facts remain obvious to even the most cynical observer;
We are far less physically active now than we have ever been.
Jobs are becoming more sedentary as tasks are made supposedly safer.
We are being encouraged to move less and maintain supposedly ‘safe ergonomic positions’.
The abundance and availability of food is at an all time high.
We now consume greater amounts of ‘energy rich foods’ than at any time in recorded history.
Our body is primed for survival. Mentally we live in almost the 21st Century. Agriculture and mechanisation can still be classified as ‘recent history’, with the former having basic beginnings 7000 years ago and the latter as little as 200 years ago, while physically our evolutionary and genetic programming is around 50 million years old. In short, physically we haven’t evolved at the same pace as our environment and we are paying the price of suffering an out of control obesity problem with all of its deadly relatives.
Our body is designed to survive and protect against perceived risk. Historically, one of humankind’s greatest threats to its survival was the threat of famine and dying of starvation. Our genetic programming is still set up to ‘defend’ against that by allowing our body to store unlimited amounts of energy in the form of body fat, which it has learned to do in times of plenty (like the present). You see our mind knows that food will always be available and that there will be no threat of starvation, but our body’s instinct is still primitive. It thinks that we are only in a temporary situation (summer) where the food is plentiful and the need to hunt and search is only temporarily suspended, that the situation will quickly change (winter) and survival will depend on our ability to ‘store energy’ in the form of fat. To be used as energy when food has to be hunted and searched for.
We’ve been in ‘summer’ now for about 50 years and the problems are only just beginning to show. People are living longer now, not because they are healthier but because of better medical care, access to drugs and the elimination of many viruses and bacteria. But whole new sets of plagues are being thrust upon us by our own doing! Such as;
Adult Onset Diabetes.
Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cardiac disorders and arteriosclerosis.
Hypertension.
Chronic Fatigue and worst of all
Cancer
Every one as potentially life and survival threatening as the plagues that we have managed to systematically eradicate.
What are the solutions? How do we fix it? Well there are no easy answers to fix the overall problem but there are solutions for the individual who is willing to make some changes to their lifestyle.
No you don’t need to wear a loincloth, carry a spear to hunt for your food or drag your partner around by the hair! But, we must become;
More active.
Eat less high-energy foods.
Teach our bodies to access our fat stores more efficiently for daily energy needs.
Smoke less and reduce consumption of alcohol.
We will now look at these points individually and give tips on how to follow them.
More Activity.
This does not mean you have to go to the gym or enroll in an exercise class, although that would be great. It simply means that you have to move more than you do at present. For example; if you can walk to your destination then do it, don’t drive. Climb stairs instead of using an elevator. Walk the dog or park the car away from your destination and finish the journey on foot. Ideally you should cumulate at least 30 minutes of activity over and above your normal daily routine.
Less High Energy Foods
Foods that provide you with energy in the form of sugars and simple starches actually prevent you from accessing your own store of fat as energy, contribute to fat gain and will lead to cravings for more. Setting you up for Adult Onset Diabetes and related problems. Your food choices should consist of items that have received little or no processing. For example; lean meats, seafood, chicken, eggs, cheeses and sugar free yoghurts for protein. Carbohydrate in the form of green, yellow, orange, white and red vegetables and salads, low sugar fruit such as avocados, rockmelon, watermelon, strawberries, green apples, berries, grapes and tomatoes, and minimal starches like brown rice, potatoes (with skin) and Lebanese style bread. (These starches should actually be contributing the smallest percentage of content to your diet). With essential fats coming from your consumption of things like nuts, avocados, vegetable oil in the form of salad dressing and whatever is in the lean protein sources. Keep to an absolute minimum (or if you can, completely avoid) foods like white rice, bread, pasta, cereals, high sugar fruits, sweets, sugars and anything with sugar as one of the first ingredients on the label. This is a shift away from what is considered normal, but it is actually more normal for us than the current dogma, which incidentally is failing miserably (see statistics at the start). For those with a sweet tooth, a low sugar dessert tip is Aeroplane Lite Jelly with Yoplait Diet Lite Yoghurt (The Internet has an abundance of low starch/carbohydrate recipes available. Some good sites are http://syndicomm.com/lowcarb.html). http://www.mesomorphosis.com
Teaching Our Bodies to Access Our Fat Stores.
Follow both the above instructions and it will happen. Individual adaptation will vary according to genetic pre-disposition, personal application and adherence. As will the results, but it will make a difference to how you look and feel.
Less Alcohol and Cigarettes.
This is a personal choice, the dangers of smoking are well documented and there isn’t a smoker alive who is unaware of the risks involved. Not to mention the reduction in fitness, the sting in your wallet and the increasing anti social attitude towards it. Consumption of alcohol increases the intake of high energy providing substances into the body, making it less likely that you will be able to access your stores of fat. The health risks, while not in the same league as smoking are nonetheless still high. Out of all the choices of alcohol, wine, in moderation is probably the best choice.
Effecting Long Term Change.
If any program is to work and have tangible benefits it must be followed for long periods of time, that is why ‘quick fix’ schemes never work in the long term. In order for the system to work the following points must be considered and applied;
Do you want to or need to change to improve your health?
Can you and will you adopt a new regime as part of your lifestyle?
Any new routine must contain the following elements;
A minimum disruption to current patterns.
Elements of what you enjoy doing.
Elements of what you need to do.
Flexibility for adaptation.
Achievability in the long term. (It must be able to be followed essentially forever).
What we are aiming to do is fix / improve / maintain our health status for life, not just shed a few pounds for a special event. Although that is often a powerful motivating force, as is suffering a traumatic experience due to self imposed ‘lack of health’ (eg a heart attack), there is no more powerful motivator than the fear of a close call with death. Many of us may not want to change, we may be happy with our life and ourselves. It is a personal choice but we all must live by the consequences of our own decisions and actions and remember that what we are and what we get is entirely controlled by the choices that we make.
Another benefit of reducing weight and improving fitness is the body’s ability to perform work tasks more efficiently and with less fatigue which in turn has the potential to minimise work place injuries. (we will discuss this in a later lecture).
Fifteen minutes of exercise and making one meal healthy every day for 5 years will have a greater, more significant benefit to your health than one and a half hours of exercise and changing all your meals each day for a month. Decide what you can and want to live with and ‘MAKE THE CHANGE’.
Suggested Eating and Taper Plans
You may notice an energy slump in the first couple of weeks, this is normal and is the interim period between your body burning carbohydrate for energy and converting to burning fat. Stick with it and you will achieve your goals.
The program is a 5-½ days on 1-½ days off schedule, the days off may be fitted in at your convenience but weekends are probably best.
Suggested eating plan No1
Meal 1. 2 eggs any way, or 10 egg whites, 2 slices of ham, 20 gm l/f. Mozzarella cheese. Make into omelette if desired, add chopped veggies & tomato paste etc. =270 kc.
Meal 2. Small tin of tuna in oil (drain oil), ¼ avocado, salad. = 200 - 250 kc.
or 2-3 scoops Musashi Whey in 300 ml water.
Meal 3. Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad (stir-fry) & ¼ avocado. = 250 kc.
Meal 4. Handful of nuts & 6 strawberries or melon equivalent =200 kc. Or protein drink as above.
Meal 5. Steak (150 - 200 gm) with veggies, 100 gm rice/pasta, salad & ¼ avocado. =300 - 350 kc.
Meal 6. (Optional) Aeroplane Light jelly, crushed nuts & fresh cream 50 kc.
Drink tea, coffee, diet drinks or water. (a load of brewed coffee is best)
Use artificial sweeteners to sweeten protein drinks & hot beverages if required.
Absolutely no fruit or sugar sources outside the weekend except where indicated.
During a 36 hr period on Saturday & Sunday basically eat what you feel like, try to keep it fairly healthy but succumb to your cravings ‘cause Monday you get strict again.
Suggested eating plan No2
Meal 1. 2 rice cakes, lite Philly or l/f cottage cheese & 1 egg, or 2sl ham & tomato. Or 200 ml (10) egg white omelette w/- mushrooms, tomato, l/f cheese, onions etc and tea, coffee or water.
Meal 2. Salad w/- ham, cheese or tuna. (If no rice cakes am. Have now.) Or handful of raw nuts & cheese Salad w/- ham, cheese or tuna. (If no rice cakes am. Have now.) Or handful of raw nuts & cheese
Meal 3. Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad & ¼ avocado Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad & ¼ avocado
Meal 4. 1 tub of Nestle diet yoghurt or raw nuts & strawberries. 1 tub of Nestle diet yoghurt or raw nuts & strawberries.
Meal 5. Lean meat, fish or chicken with 100 gm cooked rice, pasta or potatoes, veggies, salad & ¼ avocado. Lean meat, fish or chicken with 100 gm cooked rice, pasta or potatoes, veggies, salad & ¼ avocado.
Meal 6. (Optional) Aeroplane lite jelly, crushed nuts & fresh whipped cream. (Optional) Aeroplane lite jelly, crushed nuts & fresh whipped cream.
The taper in.
In order for the transition to this diet to be smooth and relatively discomfort free, a lead in period of gradual carb reduction is suggested. This is a fairly simple process, as follows;
Week 1. Diet plan only on Tuesday & Thursday.
Week 2. Diet plan on Monday, Wednesday & Friday.
Week 3. Diet plan every day except Wednesday.
Week 4. Diet plan Monday to Friday.
This should see you make a smooth, pain free transition into the amazing world of fat burning.
Narrock wrote:I don't like rabbits. They remind me of this chick I met on teh internet like 5 years ago.
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