10 Week's To June

When you bonk on a low carb type of lifestyle it is caused by one of two things.

1) Your carbs aren't low enough. When you're eating lowish carb - you can burn through your muscular and liver glycogen stores rather quickly because your body is still burning glycogen as it's main, go-to energy source. After a stressful workout, your muscular glycogen stores can be used up (but seriously - stressful is the key here, not moderate jogging type stuff) which means, you're due for a carb busting meal.

2) You haven't been low carb for long enough to start producing keytones. (Anywhere from 3-12 days depending on the person and the insulin sensitivity from years or a lifetime of high sugar diets.) Once your body realizes that it's not getting any more incoming glycogen (glucose from carbohydrates) and starts taking fat (both dietary and body fat) into the liver and producing keytones. The body can use keytones for energy throughout the body. It's pretty amazing stuff - but you have to make it through the firs 3-12 days to really feel the effects!

As a note - occasionally someone who actually knows stuff will point out that there are two problems with keytones. Two major things can only run on glycogen - red blood cells and parts of the brain.... (you know, the thing women use.) So if you're not eating any carbs ever, this is a slight problem. Your body can product glycogen in the liver from complete amino acids, the breakdown of muscle and fatty acids. However, for anyone eating the Primal/Paleo low-carb approach, this isn't a problem at all, since we eat tons and tons and tons and tons of veggies!

Eat your veggies people!!!!

Steve or any other low carbers how low a % is technically low carb? I lost the bulk of my weight through eating fish, chicken, Turkey, a littke red meat, berries, vegetables and salad but low fat - really clean eating too! Since then I've reintroduced more carbs and now seem to be about 40/40% carbs/protien - it varies from day to day but I seem to be managing training well dependent on when I eat the carbs.

Well, I'd like to say that I feel I like this group - its nice to feel you are getting to know where people are up to and I like the fact people can disagree in a nice way AND that the advice is good and based on study rather than some of the strange things you read on here! Thought I'd say that!!

I TOTALLY agree with you here! I actually meant to say this yesterday - I love discussing something that is as polarizing as nutritional views without egos getting crazy!!! 2 years ago, what I thought was healthy, I currently think is quite bad for you - I would have debated current self all day long!

This whole process is one of evolution and education - and I LOVE LOVE that we're all on that same page - and it really shows!

As for carbs go - my baseline is 30g of carbs to maintain ketosis during the week, but that's "net" carbs (carbs - fiber). But the basic rule is:

1. Eat all the veggies you can jam in your mouth all day.
2. Eat limited fruit.
3. No rice, corn, grain.

Even with eating enormous salads (seriously - ENORMOUS!) I rarely hit my 30g a day. Why no grains? Here's a really clear article that I found on the topic.

Why We Don’t Eat Grains (www.whole9life.com)


A. Grains provoke an inflammatory response in the gut

Lectins are specialized proteins found in many plants and foods, but are found in high concentration in grains (particularly wheat), legumes (particularly soy), and dairy. The most commonly referenced grain lectin is called “gluten”, but there are many others which are found even in pseudo-grains like quinoa. Lectins serve many biological functions in animals, but foods with high concentrations of lectins are harmful even if consumed in moderate amounts.

Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily, and are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. They migrate through your digestive tract largely intact, and disrupt the intestinal membrane, damaging cells and initiating a cascade of events leading to eventual cell death. (Translation: lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines, leading to small “microperforations” or tiny holes in your intestinal lining.) These holes allow intact or nearly intact proteins, bacteria and other foreign substances to cross into the bloodstream – where they do not belong. As the immune system notices foreign substances in the body, it responds and attacks. The immune response can manifest in an unlimited number of conditions (not just in the digestive tract!) commonly referred to as “auto-immune” in nature.

It’s important to note that these cautions are not just critical for those with a diagnosed Celiac condition. These negative downstream effects happen to everyone who eats grains, to various degrees.

B. Grains spike insulin levels

Grains pack a whopping amount of carbohydrates in a very small package. As most grains are also heavily processed (yes, even whole grains) they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in your body very quickly. A high amount of ingested carbohydrate broken down very fast leads to a spike in blood sugar. The body, demanding homeostasis, then releases a massive dose of a hormone called insulin to pull blood sugar levels back down. This is often referred to as an “insulin spike”.

When too much blood sugar is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat. In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body doesn’t need it. Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.

C. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body

A net acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and systemic inflammation. Grains are one of the highest acid-producing food groups. By replacing grains and grain-containing processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance (and a more positive calcium balance). Recent research out of Tufts University has also shown that a more alkaline diet preserves muscle mass. We like muscle mass.

D. Grains are “empty calories”

All grains – things like oatmeal, pasta, breads and cereals – have two things in common. They are calorically dense, and nutritionally meager. A small portion of grains packs a whopping amount of calories, almost all in the form of carbohydrates. All those calories, however, contain a miserly amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals). Compare the calories, carbohydrates and vitamin profile of two large slices of whole grain bread (100 grams) to one cup of chopped, cooked broccoli (184 grams – nearly twice the mass). (Nutritional stats from NutritionData.com)

Note that we’re not saying there is nothing good to be found in grains. They do contain vitamins and minerals in various proportions and amounts. But the serious down sides of grains far outweigh any potential health benefits. Bottom line – there is NOTHING found in grains that you can’t get from a better source with NO down sides (like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds).