Please explain low carbs and it's magical proprieties

meshashesha2012

more often than not, people tend to cut the carbs out and not replace the macros else where creating a larger deficit.... haha.

this. so people stop eating bread but dont replace those calories and magically it's the new low carb diet that caused the weight loss

salamagundy

Not all calories are the same. Calories from ESSENTIAL fats and protein are used for cell growth and repair. I don't know exactly what proportion of the calories consumed from fats and protein foods are initially used up for cell growth and repair but what is certain is that sugary and starchy food rich in carbohydrates are simply the body's main source of energy. And, if you consume more fuel (carbohydrate and sugar) than your body requires for energy, the excess is laid down as fat. Hence, the partial truth of conventional wisdom that insists calorie counting is the one and only way to lose weight. However, given that there's is no such thing as ESSENTIAL carbohydrates or sugar, it makes sense to me to first meet the body's calorific requirement for essential nutrients i.e. fats and protein before indulging in a carbohydrate 'fest'. Furthermore, a diet richer in protein and fat is proven to satiate hunger and thereby reduces the urge to snack between meals, which naturally reduces calorific intake. Thus, without calorie counting or ever feeling hungry, you can more easily lose weight by eating nutrient dense foods like vegetables, grass-fed meats and responsibly sourced fish, eggs, some nuts and seeds and plenty of good fats like olive oil, avocados, coconut and good quality butter. Magic :-)

fruttibiscotti

This is a valid question Yanicka, and I'm sure I'm going to get a whole bunch of bloggers on MFP attacking me on this, but I will give it a go anyway....

I discovered LCHF, which stands for low carb high fat, on a business trip to Scandinavia. It is a low carb diet that in 2008 was endorsed by the Swedish health and welfare board, which is the first time in history that a low carb diet was ever endorsed by a national health board. When I returned home, I decided to take the plunge and go on the diet, and after being on it for several months, I cannot believe how well it works, not only for weight loss but also skin cleared up, sleep better, more energy, no more hunger pains, allergies gone, etc. I've been on MFP for a long time, without success, and it wasn't until I switched to LCHF that I finally figured it out and consistently losing at least 1 lb per week. I'm also noticing the LCHF is picking up speed in other parts of the world, including US and Canada, endorsed by medical doctors and universities with medical faculty.

The low carb diet is based on the premise that we have two metabolic regimes: glycolysis and ketosis. We have these two metabolic states because of the survival mechanisms that we inherited through evolution. These two metabolic regimes control two very important hormones, called insulin and leptin. Insulin controls the amount of sugar we ingest that is stored as fat, and leptin controls the signal that goes back to the brain saying "stop eating, I'm full". During the glycolysis regime, insulin is promoted to convert sugar to fat and store fat, while the leptin hormone signal is blocked - result is sugar is stored as fat, and brain doesn't get the "stop eating, I'm full signal". During ketosis, insulin levels remain low, and therefore depressed or no conversion of sugar to fat, and leptin signal does not get blocked, telling the brain "stop eating, I'm full" when sufficient food is eaten.

Through evolutionary process, we developed survival mechanism to thrive through changes in food availability during the seasons. During seasons when there is high carb foods available (like strawberries, peaches, etc) the advantageous metabolic regime is glycolysis - because it "fattens" you up in preparation for the subsequent "lean" seasons, and your leptin signal is blocked, so it causes you to "gorge". During the season without availability of high carb foods, your body survives perfectly well on ketosis, eating mainly a protein and fat rich diet (I.e. Animal rich diet and not much fruit) as well as burning your body's stored fat and leptin signal gets to your brain telling you to stop eating when full. We live in a modern food economy, where with agricultural and transport industry, we no longer have seasonal food deprivation (I.e. Strawberries are available year round). Also, the work it used to take to gather foods has been minimized with mechanical means, so for a few cents today you can have a huge plate of spaghetti - imagine what it would take if you were to make pasta noodles from grain sources without use of machines or tools. We are in permanent glycolysis metabolic state, no more need for ketosis for survival, and therefore in a state with insulin levels promoting fat storage, and leptin blocking the "I'm full, stop eating" signal. As a result, to stay lean in a permanent glycolysis state (which is possible) you must expend many hours at the gym, burning your calories - seems a bit silly (why eat calories to burn them at the gym - it's like forcing yourself to make more money so that you can buy more pairs of jeans, when you only need a couple of jeans to begin with).

A good site providing free advice on LCHF by a medical doctor is www.dietdoctor.com. There are no gimmicks, no powders, no bars....just real science based advice and real food discussed. There are also universities with medical faculty who endorse and provide science-based evidence on health benefits of low carb eating, like the university of California at San Francisco.

Ok, I know what's going to happen now....a bevy of bloggers who are going to rip this apart. Some are pretty outright nasty commentators, and many of which in past blogs have told me that there is nothing wrong with eating highly processed food, fast food, junk food and sodas. Meanwhile, the obesity and diabetes 2 epidemic is getting out of control and will soon present a terrible challenge to the healthcare industry and taxpayers. Here's a thought...how about if we eat foods that does not cause fat gain, food addiction or hunger pains, and that does not require us to spend hours in the gym. How about if we eat real food, resembling what it looks like from animal or plant origin, instead of processed garbage. How about if we reduce our carbon footprint, and not have industrial food industry making highly processed junk, and shipping it all over the place. How about if we don't eat more due to food addictions, saving money on food, and being healthier? Why not endorse an eating lifestyle that promotes eating REAL FOOD with a macronutrient proportion that does not promote fat storage and diabetes?

Sarahnade42x

Are you thinking of a ketogenic low carb diet? That plan basically relies on the idea that:
-Your cells (especially your brain) need glucose (a carbohydrate) to produce energy.
-If your body doesn't have enough carbohydrate, it'll turn stored fat into something called a "ketone body" that can be used for energy instead. This uses up fat storage.

I don't swear by this diet; I actually don't think it's a good idea at all. Ketones are a much less efficient energy source and you'll most likely feel fatigued or foggy after the switch (your brain would be the first organ to suffer from a drop in glucose levels). Also consider how high your blood lipid profile would be on a low-carb, high-fat diet. Not good. Personally, I'd rather give my body adequate levels of all the nutrients it needs instead of pseudo-starve it and hope the ketogenesis makes me drop a few pounds.

ronrstaats

This is a valid question Yanicka, and I'm sure I'm going to get a whole bunch of bloggers on MFP attacking me on this, but I will give it a go anyway....

I discovered LCHF,

<snip>

Why not endorse an eating lifestyle that promotes eating REAL FOOD with a macronutrient proportion that does not promote fat storage and diabetes?

This is why this place needs a like button. :happy:

pseudomuffin

When you get all of your energy from the breakdown of sugar...

It is impossible to get all your energy needs from sugar unless you are significantly over-eating.

It's not like the average person is eating pure sugar all of the time. Chemically speaking, carbohydrates are made up of sugar molecules bound together by oxygen. When they break down, they are reduced to sugar in the body, which is much simpler to break down into energy so your body picks that first. Eating carb rich foods means you have all of those sugars to burn through first, and your body might not get to the protein, so it'll save it for later except that your next meal may be carb rich too so that process continues.

Yes, if you're overeating on calories you're not going to lose weight. And calories in/calories out/deficits are obviously still VERY valid as low carb dieting is not a magic cure-all, it's just a way of working with the way our bodies already chemically break down & process foods for greater efficiency.

jofjltncb6

I like magic.

ronrstaats

Thank god for magical low carb. It's the only thing that helped m drop weight. And not just a small loss but a huge loss of 230 pounds. Surprisingly with all that fat and protein I have eaten over the years my kidneys haven't exploded, my heart hasn't stopped from clogged arteries or exploded from high blood pressure (cholesterol and BP are in healthy range FYI) I have never lost my way home due to "brain fog" (what ever the hell that is).

This is the way to look at it. If you try it, it works and you can continue it then that is great. I am all for what ever works for people to get them healthy.

fruttibiscotti

Are you thinking of a ketogenic low carb diet? That plan basically relies on the idea that:
-Your cells (especially your brain) need glucose (a carbohydrate) to produce energy.
-If your body doesn't have enough carbohydrate, it'll turn stored fat into something called a "ketone body" that can be used for energy instead. This uses up fat storage.

I don't swear by this diet; I actually don't think it's a good idea at all. Ketones are a much less efficient energy source and you'll most likely feel fatigued or foggy after the switch (your brain would be the first organ to suffer from a drop in glucose levels). Also consider how high your blood lipid profile would be on a low-carb, high-fat diet. Not good. Personally, I'd rather give my body adequate levels of all the nutrients it needs instead of pseudo-starve it and hope the ketogenesis makes me drop a few pounds.

Can you provide sources for your statements? As in peer reviewed scientific literature, or medical doctor advice on his/her website, or information disseminated by a university with medical faculty? Very easy to state claims without back up of sources.

vampirequeen1959

Other people have explained the science. I really don't understand how it works but it does. I didn't start eating a LCHF diet to lose weight. I was desperate to find some way to relieve IBS. It worked and I found that weight loss was a (welcome) side effect. I feel healthier than I have for a long time. I'm far less lethargic than normal at this time of the year (I have SADS) and my eczema has also improved.

I have no scientific evidence that the LCHF diet is the reason I feel much better and am 20lbs lighter but I can't see any other reason for it as it's the only change I've made in my lifestyle.

jofjltncb6

Other people have explained the science.

Where?

fruttibiscotti

Other people have explained the science.

Where?

Here's a TED talk presentation by medical doctor Dr. Peter Attia:

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html

jofjltncb6

Other people have explained the science.

Where?

Here's a TED talk presentation by medical doctor Dr. Peter Attia:

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html

Here's a random youtube video addressing Dr. Attia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6RkBE2YefA

and a random article too:

http://carbsanity.blogspot.com/2012/12/stossels-food-bunk-i-paging-dr-attia.html

ldrosophila

in for sckiense...quick someone remind me about kreb's cycle before we start talking about metabolism cuz i be forgettin

mmapags

Are you thinking of a ketogenic low carb diet? That plan basically relies on the idea that:
-Your cells (especially your brain) need glucose (a carbohydrate) to produce energy.
-If your body doesn't have enough carbohydrate, it'll turn stored fat into something called a "ketone body" that can be used for energy instead. This uses up fat storage.

I don't swear by this diet; I actually don't think it's a good idea at all. Ketones are a much less efficient energy source and you'll most likely feel fatigued or foggy after the switch (your brain would be the first organ to suffer from a drop in glucose levels). Also consider how high your blood lipid profile would be on a low-carb, high-fat diet. Not good. Personally, I'd rather give my body adequate levels of all the nutrients it needs instead of pseudo-starve it and hope the ketogenesis makes me drop a few pounds.

Can you provide sources for your statements? As in peer reviewed scientific literature, or medical doctor advice on his/her website, or information disseminated by a university with medical faculty? Very easy to state claims without back up of sources.

An interesting request in light of the fact that you have used such illustrious sources such as Marks Daily Apple to prove some of your theories.

mmapags

Other people have explained the science.

Where?

Here's a TED talk presentation by medical doctor Dr. Peter Attia:

http://www.ted.com/talks/peter_attia_what_if_we_re_wrong_about_diabetes.html

Attia? Seriously?? How about you come up with some peer reviewed studies for a change instead of requesting them from others?

Mr_Knight

It is a low carb diet that in 2008 was endorsed by the Swedish health and welfare board, which is the first time in history that a low carb diet was ever endorsed by a national health board.

The only low-carb diet "endorsed" in Sweden calls for 40% of calories to be derived from carbs. That is *far* above the levels advocated by the low-carb faithful.

Mr_Knight

Eating carb rich foods means you have all of those sugars to burn through first, and your body might not get to the protein, so it'll save it for later except that your next meal may be carb rich too so that process continues.

The only time that matters is, again, if you are eating at a caloric surplus. If you are eating at a caloric surplus, you will gain weight no matter what your macro ratios are.

LolBroScience

This is a valid question Yanicka, and I'm sure I'm going to get a whole bunch of bloggers on MFP attacking me on this, but I will give it a go anyway....

I discovered LCHF,

<snip>

Why not endorse an eating lifestyle that promotes eating REAL FOOD with a macronutrient proportion that does not promote fat storage and diabetes?

This is why this place needs a like button. :happy:

Dumbest thing I've ever read on this site. BRB eating higher carb, real food, and being lean. Seriously...

Wetcoaster

Some science

http://www.maxcondition.com/page.php?152

http://www.alanaragonblog.com/2013/03/13/2013-nsca-personal-trainers-conference-looking-back-at-my-debate-with-dr-jeff-volek/

http://www.leangains.com/2009/02/low-carb-talibans.html

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/ketogenic-low-carbohydrate-diets-have-no-metabolic-advantage-over-nonketogenic-low-carbohydrate-diets-research-review.html