Anyone else have issues with low carb diets?

Type1Rachelle

you might be confusing me with someone else - I never posted anything from Mark's Daily Apple - I think that guy is nuts.

Just curious as to why you think he's nuts? I'm not trying to flame or anything, honestly just curious lol. I haven't heard a lot of people say that.

I just don't agree with a lot of what he has to say, just personal preference... funny enough though, your post made me check out his site again, and I found that he wrote about T1 diabetes recently

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/type-1-diabetes-paleo-primal/#more-33355

"Exercise intelligently. “Vigorous” exercise can exacerbate blood glucose levels, with some researchers even proposing an intense 10 second sprint as an effective way to boost blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetics experiencing a hypoglycemic episode. Lift weights, walk a lot, and sprint occasionally – but be careful about how often and how intensely you do it."

be careful of exercise? low carb for T1 diabetes? yeah, maybe if you're sedentary. I'm a very active T1 endurance athlete and I have an A1c of 6.4% (very well controlled) AND I eat 70% of my calories in carbs. I'm not an anomaly either... I know plenty of other T1 endurance athletes who eat the same way. of course low carb diets will lead to better control in T1s who have poor control - it's a simple cause and effect solution. but to tell T1s they should be careful of exercising too intensely? awful advice. people have to eat, sleep, travel, LIVE with T1 24/7 - why would exercising be any different?

he just sort of misconstrues the studies and information out there to make his own points - I guess that's nothing new, but it irks me in a way - just my personal response to him.... maybe "nuts" was too strong of a word, I apologize.

Type1Rachelle

I've read quite a bit on the benefits of a ketogenic diet for epilepsy. It dates back many years. It can actually cure epilepsy in some children if followed strictly for a couple of years. They're even trying it in adults for whom drugs alone just aren't controlling the seizures.

You don't seem to have done much actual research on low-carb, Atkins, South Beach, or Paleo/primal. A reduced-carb diet that lowers your need for insulin would benefit you as a T-1 diabetic. It's entirely possible to race, and race well, without tons of processed grains and sugar. If, like me, you've read Runner's World or Bicycling over the years, you've surely heard of Tim Noakes, a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of Cape Town. For years, he was a huge proponent of athletes in training eating high amounts of carbs. He's recently (within the past year) done a total about-face, both in his own diet and in what he recommends for athletes.

Here's a link to a statement he made in Runner's World back in March: http://www.runnersworld.co.za/nutrition/novel-dietary-ideas/

I'm sure some people here would consider him a "nut", but if someone with his training and experience has changed his mind so completely, maybe we should take a look at his reasoning.

awesome! this is actually very interesting... I don't see where he talks about the differences he experienced in high carb vs. low carb though. and he admits to having issues digesting carbs (CR) and issues with losing weight, which is what set him on this journey in the first place. "I limit myself to about 50 grams a day as that is the amount that allows me to regulate my body weight effortlessly without hunger"

Also, I don't eat processed grains or sugar, I eat fruits and vegetables (lots of them) for carbs and I don't have weight issues and feel it fuels me greatly through my full time job, part time school and sometimes intense training schedules.

And low carb diets naturally work in people with T1 who are poorly controlled or first diagnosed. I've had the disease for 14 years and am very in tune with my body - I'm also taking 40% LESS insulin now on a high carb, low fat, very little processed diet than I was on a moderate carb, moderate fat diet, very processed diet. shocking, I know... the effect dietary fat plays on glucose and insulin absorption is quite amazing,but that's just from personal experience. I'd like to point out, however, T1s do not typically have insulin resistance issues - they just don't produce any... so as long as I "cover" every carb with insulin, I don't have an issue.

thank you for the article, I did enjoy reading it - it came across as honest and informative.

sobriquet84

to the OP:

i didn't read through the 4 pages of replies.

but i've got 2 words..

CARB CYCLE.

also... every low carber out there isn't on a ketosis inducing/maintaining diet. there's a difference between striving for ketosis, and living low carb. i stay at 40-70 net when not doing a high carb/cheat day, which is "low carb", but i'm not in ketosis.

and, by reading your original post, i'm pretty sure you don't understand why low/lower carb works better. protein and fat DOES turn into glucose, and this process is extremely beneficial to weight loss.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/273899-do-fat-protein-turn-into-glucose/

how do you know you're not in ketosis? do you test your urine for ketone bodies? just curious how you maintain this state of non-ketosis on a 40-70g of carbs a day diet? I thought the general rule of thumb was that if you're getting less than 100g a day, you're in ketosis?

oh, I know exactly why low carb works and why it works fast, but I disagree on it working "better" because I don't believe it to be healthy. that's what this thread is about. I know all about gluconeogenesis - and fat is not the first source of energy for it, protein is. in order to prevent catabolism of skeletal muscle (to go with your weight loss), you need to consume large amounts of dietary protein which has its own metabolic waste product called uric acid.

sorry, but I prefer to get my info from actual studies, not articles on Livestrong:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2826524

and that's why i carb cycle.

but i'm assuming you skimmed over that part.

i do much better on lower carb, its just how my body works. i feel better (not to mention look better), my mood is better, i'm less hungry, and i have more energy. not everyone is suited to consume hundreds of grams of carbohydrates a day. if you want to throw around the "that's not healthy!!!!!" thing, well, i personally consider being on a high carbohydrate diet to be unhealthy, unless you're, say, an extreme athlete.

jukyu

Type1Rachelle - I'm sure as an endurance athlete you'll agree with me that trying to run a race without carbs isn't even worth entertaining!

The way I see it: Carbs don't make you fat. Eating processed crap sure does, though.

Sadly, the "diet" community is always latching on to some faddish diet that demonizes an entire food group/macronutrient. I personally don't get it.

sobriquet84

Carbs don't make you fat. Eating processed crap sure does, though.

Sadly, the "diet" community is always latching on to some faddish diet that demonizes an entire food group/macronutrient. I personally don't get it.

its called science.

Type1Rachelle

to the OP:

i didn't read through the 4 pages of replies.

but i've got 2 words..

CARB CYCLE.

also... every low carber out there isn't on a ketosis inducing/maintaining diet. there's a difference between striving for ketosis, and living low carb. i stay at 40-70 net when not doing a high carb/cheat day, which is "low carb", but i'm not in ketosis.

and, by reading your original post, i'm pretty sure you don't understand why low/lower carb works better. protein and fat DOES turn into glucose, and this process is extremely beneficial to weight loss.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/273899-do-fat-protein-turn-into-glucose/

how do you know you're not in ketosis? do you test your urine for ketone bodies? just curious how you maintain this state of non-ketosis on a 40-70g of carbs a day diet? I thought the general rule of thumb was that if you're getting less than 100g a day, you're in ketosis?

oh, I know exactly why low carb works and why it works fast, but I disagree on it working "better" because I don't believe it to be healthy. that's what this thread is about. I know all about gluconeogenesis - and fat is not the first source of energy for it, protein is. in order to prevent catabolism of skeletal muscle (to go with your weight loss), you need to consume large amounts of dietary protein which has its own metabolic waste product called uric acid.

sorry, but I prefer to get my info from actual studies, not articles on Livestrong:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2826524

and that's why i carb cycle.

but i'm assuming you skimmed over that part.

i do much better on lower carb, its just how my body works. i feel better (not to mention look better), my mood is better, i'm less hungry, and i have more energy. not everyone is suited to consume hundreds of grams of carbohydrates a day. if you want to throw around the "that's not healthy!!!!!" thing, well, i personally consider eating that many carbohydrates to be unhealthy, unless you're an extreme athlete.

no, I didn't skim over anything... you said you carb cycle and you said you take in 40-70g of carbs on your non high carb days... so how do you know you're not in ketosis on those days? do you know how long it takes to be in ketosis? how long are your low carb days? I'm genuinely interested here... I'm just curious how you can back this statement up "i stay at 40-70 net when not doing a high carb/cheat day, which is "low carb", but i'm not in ketosis." that's all.

to each their own... as long as you feel better... I would argue that "looking better" and being "less hungry" are not synonymous with actual health, it's probably more of a weight loss/maintenance thing, but like I said, as long as you're happy.

maybe that's the disconnect - do you work out? what do you consider an extreme athlete? I consider myself an endurance athlete - I am currently training for a marathon in less than 2 weeks and I ran 16 miles two days ago - does that make me an "extreme" athlete?

jukyu

What is called science? Low-carb?

Type1Rachelle

Carbs don't make you fat. Eating processed crap sure does, though.

Sadly, the "diet" community is always latching on to some faddish diet that demonizes an entire food group/macronutrient. I personally don't get it.

its called science.

science says carbs specifically make you fat?

please, humor me....

TLCEsq

you might be confusing me with someone else - I never posted anything from Mark's Daily Apple - I think that guy is nuts.

Just curious as to why you think he's nuts? I'm not trying to flame or anything, honestly just curious lol. I haven't heard a lot of people say that.

I just don't agree with a lot of what he has to say, just personal preference... funny enough though, your post made me check out his site again, and I found that he wrote about T1 diabetes recently

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/type-1-diabetes-paleo-primal/#more-33355

"Exercise intelligently. “Vigorous” exercise can exacerbate blood glucose levels, with some researchers even proposing an intense 10 second sprint as an effective way to boost blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetics experiencing a hypoglycemic episode. Lift weights, walk a lot, and sprint occasionally – but be careful about how often and how intensely you do it."

be careful of exercise? low carb for T1 diabetes? yeah, maybe if you're sedentary. I'm a very active T1 endurance athlete and I have an A1c of 6.4% (very well controlled) AND I eat 70% of my calories in carbs. I'm not an anomaly either... I know plenty of other T1 endurance athletes who eat the same way. of course low carb diets will lead to better control in T1s who have poor control - it's a simple cause and effect solution. but to tell T1s they should be careful of exercising too intensely? awful advice. people have to eat, sleep, travel, LIVE with T1 24/7 - why would exercising be any different?

he just sort of misconstrues the studies and information out there to make his own points - I guess that's nothing new, but it irks me in a way - just my personal response to him.... maybe "nuts" was too strong of a word, I apologize.

No worries! You're entitled to your opinion, I was just curious. As I said earlier, a low(ish) carb diet works best for me because it reduces my hunger and is less of a strain on my adrenals. I also do not consume caffeine. I think for people with endocrine and other hormonal imbalances, losing fat is not just a matter of calories in, calories out. I'm living proof of that along with many other people, and I think everyone just has to do what works for them.

llstacy

you might be confusing me with someone else - I never posted anything from Mark's Daily Apple - I think that guy is nuts.

Just curious as to why you think he's nuts? I'm not trying to flame or anything, honestly just curious lol. I haven't heard a lot of people say that.

I just don't agree with a lot of what he has to say, just personal preference... funny enough though, your post made me check out his site again, and I found that he wrote about T1 diabetes recently

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/type-1-diabetes-paleo-primal/#more-33355

"Exercise intelligently. “Vigorous” exercise can exacerbate blood glucose levels, with some researchers even proposing an intense 10 second sprint as an effective way to boost blood glucose levels in type 1 diabetics experiencing a hypoglycemic episode. Lift weights, walk a lot, and sprint occasionally – but be careful about how often and how intensely you do it."

be careful of exercise? low carb for T1 diabetes? yeah, maybe if you're sedentary. I'm a very active T1 endurance athlete and I have an A1c of 6.4% (very well controlled) AND I eat 70% of my calories in carbs. I'm not an anomaly either... I know plenty of other T1 endurance athletes who eat the same way. of course low carb diets will lead to better control in T1s who have poor control - it's a simple cause and effect solution. but to tell T1s they should be careful of exercising too intensely? awful advice. people have to eat, sleep, travel, LIVE with T1 24/7 - why would exercising be any different?

he just sort of misconstrues the studies and information out there to make his own points - I guess that's nothing new, but it irks me in a way - just my personal response to him.... maybe "nuts" was too strong of a word, I apologize.

I'm not looking for a debate or anything since you haven't read any of the latest research concerning carbs and disease there's not much point but maybe this blog post (with links) would spark an interest in learning more. These type 2 diabetics who were doing everything the experts predicted would help them are DYING following that advice. You obviously care about your health so maybe if you spent some time on the low carb sites you'll get links to the latest research in nutrition and not just the fat bad, vegetables/grains good nonsense that crops up every other month from epidemiological studies.

http://high-fat-nutrition.blogspot.com/2012/10/look-ahead-trial-stopped.html

bigfatbino

I don't have as much beef with low carb in general. I think that sugar is the real culprit. I do limit my carbohydrate intake to whole grains in smaller doses and those found in veggies. But. Short term, if you need to lose 50+ lbs (to just throw a number out there), then there is no question that these plans do work. I have on following Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution for over a year now, and have been very successful. I just make sure I drink plenty of fluids (which we should all do anyway, right?) and get good exercise and sleep. I just FEEL better when I get most of my nutrition from veggies and lean proteins and very limited carbs.

PitBullMom_Liz

I just don't understand the fascination some people have with criticizing somebody else's diet. I'm eating Primally (put simply, paleo plus dairy) and I've never felt healthier. Yes, I'm losing weight, a touch over a pound a week. But you know what the best part is for me? My blood sugar no longer plummets within a couple hours after a meal. I don't get shaky/sweaty/dizzy if I don't eat every couple hours. I don't have to keep an emergency stash of granola/jerky/something to stop me from crashing with me at all times. I eat 3 meals a day, sometimes 2. It works for me. If you don't like it, or you disagree with it, DON'T DO IT. Nobody is holding a gun to your head and saying, "eat less processed foods! Eat lots of veggies! Eat some meat if you want it!" Because that's my diet - minimal processed foods, tons of veggies, meat once or twice a day. Yep, pretty horrific.

But seriously, why start a thread to debate it? I don't go around posting random threads to talk smack about non-Primal/Paleo diets, so why the fascination with knocking these. So simple - don't like? DON'T. DO. IT.

HypersonicFitNess

The only low carb I do is low processed foods and that goes for all processed foods not just carbs. I prefer my carbs whole the way they come from the earth (fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts & seeds...I am not vegetarian though - I do eat meat just not every day)....and I do stick with low glycemic "most" of the time b/c I do have problems with sugars....

californiagirl2012

That's why I like this saying: "Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent."

These were the diets I tried and failed and did the diet yo-yo with for 15 years:

Low fat high carb, Slim-Fast, Weight Watchers, Atkins, Organic, Weston Price Diet, The Schwarzbein Principle, Eat Fat Lose Fat, The Ultimate PH Solution, The Makers Diet, A friends diet from a personal trainer/dietician

I finally just got sick of it all and made up my own diet with healthy foods I enjoy and smaller portions.

I ate my meals from small desert plates and bowls. I stopped eating in the evenings. I started calling what I did mini-meals and mini-fasts and I lost 40 lbs. Then I found Eat Stop Eat and learned why it worked and everything took off for me at that point.
Eat what you want, eat what you like, mostly healthy.

So this is what I learned for myself. I'm not saying others have to follow it but I find such freedom now from diet food restrictions after spending all those years on the various diets. And what is interesting is that by giving up the food restrictions I finally lost weight: Don’t deprive yourself of foods you love unless there is a serious health risk. Depriving yourself of food you love and creating extensive good food and bad food lists at some point borders on a mental disorder. It will drive you insane.

TheVimFuego

The only issue I have with lowering carbohydrate (I see it as 'adequate carb', not 'low carb') is the rubbish that is parroted ad infinitum about the dangers.

RatherBeFishing

I personally love the low carb diets. I know what they do for me and my body type. I also get blood tests on and off of a low carb diet and my test results have always been better when I am on a low carb diet. They don't work for everyone, people say they always gain it back when they go off the diet. It's not the diets fault. It the persons fault, they don't understand how the diet works nor they they change how they eat (this is my issue I really love pizza) and keep doing the increased exercise. For me I know the first two weeks loss on a low carb diet is mostly water weight. I drop 10-14 lbs in the first few weeks just from water. I have also gained 20 lbs in one weekend for carb loading and drinking lots of water after doing a CKD (a type of low carb diet) for a week. This was all water weight I knew that when I started my carb load. I might have gotten a little off topic there. The fact is simple some diets work better for some people then others. I know because I have helped others drop weight. I helped my mom drop 70 lbs, one of my friends over 50 lbs. I have also helped people I work with drop weight by not using a low carb diet but a diet that works for them. I think the thing to learn is not every one is the same different diets work for different people. That is the fact.

Here is a good read from one of my favorite authors. It's on insulin and fat uptake.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/insulin-levels-and-fat-loss-qa.html

beckajw

Of course, she talked about the effect of ketosis on the kidneys, not fuel sources for the brain. Besides, the fact that the brain can use ketones doesn't change the fact that glucose is the brain's preferred source.

Not exactly. If glucose is available, the brain will use it. As far as "preferred", however, the brain has been shown to run better on ketones. The brain only truly requires about 30g to 40g glucose, which can be synthesized by the body, but it will use around 120g to 130g if available.

Right, if there is glucose available the brain will use it. Hence it is preferred. Whether the brain runs better on ketones or glucose is open to debate.

castlerobber

Of course, she talked about the effect of ketosis on the kidneys, not fuel sources for the brain. Besides, the fact that the brain can use ketones doesn't change the fact that glucose is the brain's preferred source.

Not exactly. If glucose is available, the brain will use it. As far as "preferred", however, the brain has been shown to run better on ketones. The brain only truly requires about 30g to 40g glucose, which can be synthesized by the body, but it will use around 120g to 130g if available.

Right, if there is glucose available the brain will use it. Hence it is preferred. Whether the brain runs better on ketones or glucose is open to debate.

We seem to be using the word "preferred" two different ways.

Let's say my 1999 Dodge car accelerates faster and gets higher gas mileage on fuel without ethanol added, since it wasn't designed to burn an ethanol-containing fuel. Unfortunately, there isn't a gas station near me that carries ethanol-free gasoline, so I have to use the 10% ethanol gas most of the time. By your logic, then, ethanol-added gas is my "preferred" fuel--which it obviously isn't...

Not a perfect analogy, of course, but I think you can see the point I'm making.