Anyone Doing Low-Carb High-Fat?

The only prob with this diet is that Im constipated a lot.

More veggies will solve the problem. Veggies are naturally low in carbs.

I am currently dealing with this problem. I have not had a problem with constipation until about a month ago. I've done a lot of reading regarding low carb, keto, paleo diets and constipation. Fiber is not the answer. Based on what I've read supplementing with more fiber can actually make it worse. The issue is the lack of sugars is starving out the good flora in the tummy. The answer is probiotics. I just ordered some. If you eat dairy, add yogurt or kefir into your diet. If you don't eat dairy, raw sauerkraut adds good bacteria into your stomach.

I take a tsp of coconut oil in my coffee every day. I don't usually have a problem if I do this.

On the rare occasion, I'll drink Smooth Move tea (avail in health food stores).

I consume a lot of coconut oil and other fats daily. I also consume a lot of fiber. I drink tons of water and other fluids. I take magnesium every day. I have resorted to taking stool softeners regularly. It's still a problem. Every indication is that it is due to a lack of flora in my tummy.

I've been on a very low carb diet and in ketosis for 9 months. I am healthier than I have ever been. My diabetes is under control without medication. My total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides all dropped and my HDL went up. My A1c went from over 8.0 down to 5.7. I have a Dr. appointment tomorrow and I'm expecting the A1c to be even lower. Increasing my fat macro has given me even better control of my blood sugars. My doctor wants me in ketosis until I reach a healthy weight. That is still a long way off but I'm a lot closer than I was 9 months ago.

Are there issues with a low carb/moderate protein/high fat diet? Yes: Better skin, better sleep, no bleeding gums, no sugar cravings, healthier hair, no feeling of deprivation, less aches and pains, no acid reflux, very little gas, no bloating, no swollen ankles, all the bacon I want... I could go on but that might get discouraging for some.

Well said Laura and my experiences have been v similar although I don't/didn't have diabetes. It's a great way to eat and just feels so much healthier!!!

Yes, with much success including losing 68 lbs and getting of my epilepsy meds!! I use the primal/paleo template as well. Best thing that ever happened to me health and nutrition-wise. It's made me SO much more aware of how important WHAT we put into our body is vs how much we put into it and how each type of food affects our body. It totally changed my understanding of nutrition.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/high-protein-low-carbohydrate-diets

Please read this.

Many people are not aware of the strain in puts on your body to eat SO low in carb, as your diary suggests.

Thanks for the link, but WebMD is just repeating the party line by quoting the AHA. The fact is, no study has ever proven the cholesterol theory. The real poison to the body that spikes insulin is sugar / simple carbs -- and docs have known this for a long time.

Gary Taubes explains this well in his book Why We Get Fat.

I'm excited to see you provide such thorough information and retaliating against the crap that the prevailing medical community, pharma community, and research bodies are spewing at us.

For thousands of years human beings ate a low carb all natural diet. In the past 150 years we have see a substantial rise in "Western" diseases. Ironically, this rise in these diseases directly mirrors the changes in the Western Diet from lower carb all natural foods to high carbs, high sugar, and highly processed foods. Diseases that hardly existed prior to our day.

I don't want to get conspiratorial in this post but it is clear that the main benefactors of the high carb healthy diet MYTH are Big Pharma and Big Agra. And they are both VERY BIG! And they control our politicians and the FDA. A low carb approach to wellness on a nationwide scale would result in the reversal of diseases and the reduced need for manufactured drugs. I'll let the readers of this post draw whatever conclusions they want. All I will say is that I know without a doubt that Washington DC doesn't have my best interests at heart. Do they have yours?

Eat low carb, be healthy, and live long. Glad you have stumbled upon the truth and thank you for sharing it.

I am doing low carb by follow Diane Kress's book called The Metabolism Miracle. I just count carbs and she prefers that we choose lower fat foods but sometimes I don't. She basically explains that if you eat really fatty stuff your body will first have to burn the fat you ate before it gets to burning the fat on our bellies and rear ends I have lost 40 lbs on the plan and still have another 20 to go before I'm at my current goal.

Also - with that 40 lbs of fat I've lost I've gone from a size 24 to a 16. pretty substantial difference!

Your instincts are correct in avoiding going low-fat in addition to low-carb. The idea behind lower-carb diets is to train your body to burn fat for its fuel instead of carbohydrates. When you restrict carbs and fats, you force your body into burning some protein for fuel--not a good idea. You must eat fat if you want to burn fat. People who restrict both fats and carbs endanger their lean muscle mass. At least that is the current thinking among the gurus. I still think that a ketotic diet is probably not okay for extended lengths of time because of the restrictions on vegetables and fruit. But I can see it working pretty well in the short term.

I don't want to get conspiratorial in this post but it is clear that the main benefactors of the high carb healthy diet MYTH are Big Pharma and Big Agra. And they are both VERY BIG! And they control our politicians and the FDA. A low carb approach to wellness on a nationwide scale would result in the reversal of diseases and the reduced need for manufactured drugs. I'll let the readers of this post draw whatever conclusions they want. All I will say is that I know without a doubt that Washington DC doesn't have my best interests at heart. Do they have yours?

Eat low carb, be healthy, and live long. Glad you have stumbled upon the truth and thank you for sharing it.

This is so true! As a health editor I once published an article by pediatrician Dr. William Sears (Sr. - not his son who is on the show The Doctors) who was one of the first to advise parents not to feed their children high fructose corn syrup. Well, the "corn board" came after us big time - throwing reports at me (which they had paid for). Dr. Sears was wonderful! He stood his ground and the magazine I was working for at the time stood theirs too. These days, with magazines under financial pressure, I'm not sure that would be true.

But just to back up your view, these agricultural lobbyists are powerful. Woe to the university researcher who crosses them. Their university will see funding pulled out from under them and pressure will be brought to bear.

It is a real problem. The power of these lobbyists is also very likely reason that the "food guidelines" are so strongly pushing grains and cereals.

I wouldn't exactly say that it is a conspiracy as much as it is a combination of ignorance and (for Big Agra and Big Pharma) a defense of their profits. They have the money to hire the "science" they want to hear. Here is a link to a VERY interesting article (from about a year and a half ago) by Mark Hyman, M.D. who has run afoul of both of those corporate interests from time to time. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/high-fructose-corn-syrup-dangers_b_861913.html

bump for later reading

What are the benefits of adding it? Avoiding constipation?