Tulipgirl6's Journal, 31 December 2015

Boy do I know that feeling. I don't avoid carbs. I try to avoid the empty ones.  

I try to eat a balanced diet, not low carb or really low fat. Everything in moderation, except protein. 

I need the energy from the carbs. But, if I don't work out hard, it all turns to fat.  

CatHerder. That could be my new slogan. "Everything in moderation - except protein." 

Tulip I can't do LC either. For me lots of veggies, fruits, nutrient dense carbs and a smattering of animal proteins. Portion control is the biggest factor for me and avoiding processed, junk food, and beer.  

carb recommendations? @wholefoodnut? which ones do you favor? what about the rest of you? 

Fresh veggies, whole fruits, (no juices of any kind) and on occasion I go for oats. 

Typically when someone is failing at a Low Carb diet, it is because the diet is not structured properly, i.e., not enough Fat. Far too often people opt for high Protein, because Protein is good for you....but this comes with a warning. Excessive Protein. 58% of Protein is converted to glucose in the Liver. Cutting back on carbs, only to increase Protein could leave you at a standstill as you've substituted one carb source for another. Additionally, be careful with the excess Protein intake. "Hyperammonemia" is a condition brought on by excessive amounts of Protein. Of the three macros, Fat, Carbs, and Protein, only Protein has Nitrogen. Excess Nitrogen must be neutralized, this takes place through the production of Ammonia by the Kidneys. This is not an optimal condition, and it leaves high levels Ammonia in the blood. Ammonia is toxic and leads to organ and brain damage. 

give yourself a cheat day. go carb crazy. it has helped me a ton. 

If you understand the science, you'll realize it's not a "cheat day" at all :-) 

k  

Mahjohn, can you help explain the science a bit to us? I try not to use 'cheat daze' because they seem to cause more cravings. Help! 

I'll have to write a journal on it....each time I try to shorten it I fail. So in a few short words. It comes down to controlling Insulin. Insulin is the key to storing fat or burning fat....it doesn't even require a treadmill :-) in fact it requires zero exercise at all. If you have cravings after cheat days...you weren't fully ready for it. You should only attempt to add in "Spike Nights" as I prefer to call them after you have been low carb, keto adapted....i.e., after a good 30 days. Prior to 30 days, you still have excess glucose and have not fully detoxed from the sugar highs of before. The large insulin spike you get from the high carb foods eaten that night allows your body to utilize fat at a higher rate, as it believes winter is over, and summer is here again. Body Builders use this same technique for achieving muscle hypertrophy. Consuming carbs+aminos+protein post workout, and not "good" carbs either, candy bars, pixie sticks, pure dextrose etc...  

Mahjohn is right, you have to change your perspective from "low carb" to "high fat", that's one of many reasons I've abandoned associating my way of eating with the Atkins diet.  

As philmck can attest to, exercise is relatively optional, 80% of the Fat you lose....you exhale, yup'...you breathe it out.  

Mahjohn. Just out of curiosity. What would you say the % of fat calories are in your diet. I'm hanging around 50%. I still get lots of protein and sufficient good carbs. 

An observation of mine with the clients in our lab is that the ones who are actively trying to lose weight unsuccessfully are almost always eating diets that are high in healthy fats and low in carbs. I know the low carb trend is very popular, but I just don't see it working for a lot of people. When those same people cap their calories at their metabolic rate and decrease the fat in the diet, they all lose weight. We structure the macros so that 20% come from fats, protein is between 1.0-1.4 g / lb of fat free mass, and carbs make up the balance. This approach works in 100% of our clients who comply with it.  

For me, if I go heavy on carbs, that's when the craving starts. THAT's why I do 'low carb', which is more like moderate carbs. Of course this all depends on what you view as low carb. Carbs and protein seem to be pretty close for % for me. 20% fat tends to be what I perceive as bodybuilding broscience. Diet and exercise are as much dogma for people as any religion. Again, we can argue from the standpoint of what works for 'most people' as though it is the right thing. I'd say more people are outside of what would be considered middle response in diet than ever before mainly because of crappy carbs and a food pyramid that is essentially upside down. Industry likes starchy, processed carbs. You don't have to refrigerate them. It's about $$$. 

Brown rice topped with vegetables and chicken breast . If your working out you need carbs . 

On a typical day, my diet is ~65% calories from fat, 25% protein, 10% carbs.... that is on days that I am not in the gym lifting weights. On gym days, I eat my carbs after weightlifting to maximize insulin response.