Why do I feel like CRAP on low carbs?
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Because low-carb is NOT a healthy way to eat. Yes, you'll lose weight more quickly, but it won't be healthy or sustainable. Your body NEEDS carbohydrates to carry out various functions, and decreased serotonin (happy hormone) production is a very common side effect of low-carb diets.
Just my opinion.....but....... I've low carb dieted before very successfully. Now I am doing again and down 6 pounds. There are A LOT of false statements out there about the lowcarb diet such as "Eat all the meat you want" but that is not the true way it works. I run about 20 to 35 carbs per day and they are from veggies and such. I did feel a bit sluggish the first day or two but now I feel better than ever. I have more energy. And instead of running way up on a sugar high, crashing, eating more sugar and so on, I now have a constant level of energy.
The most important thing to remember is we are all different !! Just as some people can loose weight on low fat, or low calories, there are many of us that dropping the massive carbs out of our diet works. To each his own and Success for All !!!!0 -
I'd take it from a psychiatrist, maybe, but a psychologist has no medical qualifications so why would I care what a psychologist thinks?Serotonin (happy hormone) has nothing at all to do with low carb diets.....take this from a psychologist!!!
... a psychologist most certainly can tell you that carbs have nothing to do with serotonin using their degree as a qualification for their opinion. the reason for this is that a chemical understand of serotonin is taught as part of their degree.
i am a biologist. i did not learn a thing about serotonin and i barely learned a thing about carbs during my degree. however, i too can tell you about carbs and serotonin 'because of my degree' because i am qualified in critical reading of scientific literature. i have been given the base knowledge of biological systems which i can use as a jumping point from which to further expand my knowledge.
however, i personally can't tell you anything about serotonin - carbs relationships because i haven't bothered to jump into that pool of literature. i've got a doctor and psychologist who are qualified to tell me about those things.
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glucose is the only energy source that can cross the blood-brain barrier. glucose can only be found in an easy-to-obtain form in carbs/sugars. once all the freely available carbs have been used from your blood, there is nothing to fuel your brain. the only other place that you can get the necessary glucose from to fuel your brain is proteins. deconstructing proteins in order to obtain energy is not a simple chemical reaction... it is slow, and cumbersome, and does not result in very high blood sugar levels, so your brain remains rather starved.
personally, i am a scientist so i need my brain to be functioning at optimal all day. if i can't think then i can't justify being paid to think. i do eat a fairly low carb diet, but cutting them out in an atkins style diet is not an option.
also, i want to keep my proteins! there is no 'storage' mechanism for proteins - if you are burning them, you are burning and actual building block of your body. do not want!
through trial and error, i have found a happy amount of carbs to consume, which is fairly low.
Although highly unlikely, pretty sure protein can be stored.0 -
If you have diabetes or a gluten intolerance, you should avoid those carbs, but otherwise, just have a healthy balance. I typically have 200-250 g of carbs a day. Granted, I also eat over 2000 calories a day, so it's usually about 50% of my daily intake. But I had no problem at all losing weight and felt fantastic the entire time I was losing.0
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Once your body gets into ketosis and starts using ketones for energy instead of glucose you will feel better. Just keep your fat and protein intake high. Your body will start breaking down its own fat for energy and you will feel great.
I think a lot of people don't eat enough fat on a low carb diet, when it needs to be your main source of energy.
A ketogenic diet is fantastic for losing weight and improving overall health. I've lost over 60lbs doing it, I try and keep net carbs under 30 a day.
Too bad keto diets have no metabolic advantage...0 -
glucose is the only energy source that can cross the blood-brain barrier. glucose can only be found in an easy-to-obtain form in carbs/sugars. once all the freely available carbs have been used from your blood, there is nothing to fuel your brain. the only other place that you can get the necessary glucose from to fuel your brain is proteins. deconstructing proteins in order to obtain energy is not a simple chemical reaction... it is slow, and cumbersome, and does not result in very high blood sugar levels, so your brain remains rather starved.
personally, i am a scientist so i need my brain to be functioning at optimal all day. if i can't think then i can't justify being paid to think. i do eat a fairly low carb diet, but cutting them out in an atkins style diet is not an option.
also, i want to keep my proteins! there is no 'storage' mechanism for proteins - if you are burning them, you are burning and actual building block of your body. do not want!
through trial and error, i have found a happy amount of carbs to consume, which is fairly low.
So then as a scientist you would say that all of use insulin resistant/diabetic/glucose intolerant/carbohydrate intolerant people have nothing left for our brains to function off of and we should just close up shop and call it quits because without carbs our brains will cease to function and we will essentially start the zombie apocolypse, being that we will be a group of walking brainless freaks walking around trying to get our next protein fix?0 -
Anytime you change up your diet dramatically, your body will react to the change in unexpected ways for the first few days. This happened when I upped my protein, but it was a good change. Carbs=energy, and often boost our moods. I'm not sure how low carb you are going, but you may try slowing backing them down so your body adapts to the change better.0
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Once your body gets into ketosis and starts using ketones for energy instead of glucose you will feel better. Just keep your fat and protein intake high. Your body will start breaking down its own fat for energy and you will feel great.
I think a lot of people don't eat enough fat on a low carb diet, when it needs to be your main source of energy.
A ketogenic diet is fantastic for losing weight and improving overall health. I've lost over 60lbs doing it, I try and keep net carbs under 30 a day.
Too bad keto diets have no metabolic advantage...
Ketogenic diets have been proven in mice to have greater metabolic effects. Also the lack of hunger that comes with a keto diet does help people stick to it and reduce their calories without trying. Ketones have also been shown to improve brain performance.
The fact remains that the body doesn't need carbohydrate to survive, but it does need fat and protein. Sure carbs give you energy if that's what you put in your body. But if you're obese, insulin resistant or just looking for a better source of fuel, a keto diet works wonders.0 -
Once your body gets into ketosis and starts using ketones for energy instead of glucose you will feel better. Just keep your fat and protein intake high. Your body will start breaking down its own fat for energy and you will feel great.
I think a lot of people don't eat enough fat on a low carb diet, when it needs to be your main source of energy.
A ketogenic diet is fantastic for losing weight and improving overall health. I've lost over 60lbs doing it, I try and keep net carbs under 30 a day.
Too bad keto diets have no metabolic advantage...
Ketogenic diets have been proven in mice to have greater metabolic effects. Also the lack of hunger that comes with a keto diet does help people stick to it and reduce their calories without trying. Ketones have also been shown to improve brain performance.
The fact remains that the body doesn't need carbohydrate to survive, but it does need fat and protein. Sure carbs give you energy if that's what you put in your body. But if you're obese, insulin resistant or just looking for a better source of fuel, a keto diet works wonders.
And the the mice studies are relevant, why exactly? Esp considering in human trials that metabolic advantage doesn't appear. Can you link me to some studies show increased brain performance on ketones, I've seen plenty on low carb diets negatively effect cognitive performance, not bettering it0 -
glucose is the only energy source that can cross the blood-brain barrier. glucose can only be found in an easy-to-obtain form in carbs/sugars. once all the freely available carbs have been used from your blood, there is nothing to fuel your brain. the only other place that you can get the necessary glucose from to fuel your brain is proteins. deconstructing proteins in order to obtain energy is not a simple chemical reaction... it is slow, and cumbersome, and does not result in very high blood sugar levels, so your brain remains rather starved.
personally, i am a scientist so i need my brain to be functioning at optimal all day. if i can't think then i can't justify being paid to think. i do eat a fairly low carb diet, but cutting them out in an atkins style diet is not an option.
also, i want to keep my proteins! there is no 'storage' mechanism for proteins - if you are burning them, you are burning and actual building block of your body. do not want!
through trial and error, i have found a happy amount of carbs to consume, which is fairly low.
So then as a scientist you would say that all of use insulin resistant/diabetic/glucose intolerant/carbohydrate intolerant people have nothing left for our brains to function off of and we should just close up shop and call it quits because without carbs our brains will cease to function and we will essentially start the zombie apocolypse, being that we will be a group of walking brainless freaks walking around trying to get our next protein fix?
I know... not directed at me... and you probably know the answer anyway judging by the mildly snarky tone of your post :P BUT... neurons can survive on ketones. For those who are insulin resistant (REALLY insulin resistant, not just claiming to be because it's a fad), the advantages of "manually" regulating your blood sugar via a low carb diet outweigh the advantages of eating carbs.
Individuals in other disease states (people with epilepsy, MAYBE people with neurodegenerative diseases (data still unclear), and so forth) might also benefit from low carb.
But for the non-diseased person, your brain really does prefer glucose. Really really. And since there's no metabolic advantage to low carb... I don't know why anyone does low carb unless they're diseased or they really like the life style. Some people DO really like the high protein/high fat type foods. And high protein does help with fullness... so... some people do just awesome on a ketogenic diet. But far too often, people think it's the only way to lose weight and they torture themselves trying to eat low carb when there just isn't a need.0 -
Ketogenic diets have been proven in mice to have greater metabolic effects. Also the lack of hunger that comes with a keto diet does help people stick to it and reduce their calories without trying. Ketones have also been shown to improve brain performance.
The fact remains that the body doesn't need carbohydrate to survive, but it does need fat and protein. Sure carbs give you energy if that's what you put in your body. But if you're obese, insulin resistant or just looking for a better source of fuel, a keto diet works wonders.
Mice and rats metabolize differently than humans anyway. I work with them on a daily basis. They're just different critters. They make good animal models because we can genetically engineer them and because they breed quickly and are inexpensive to feed/house... but they're not human. A metabolic advantage in mice and rats is not likely to translate directly to humans.0 -
Once your body gets into ketosis and starts using ketones for energy instead of glucose you will feel better. Just keep your fat and protein intake high. Your body will start breaking down its own fat for energy and you will feel great.
I think a lot of people don't eat enough fat on a low carb diet, when it needs to be your main source of energy.
A ketogenic diet is fantastic for losing weight and improving overall health. I've lost over 60lbs doing it, I try and keep net carbs under 30 a day.
Too bad keto diets have no metabolic advantage...
Ketogenic diets have been proven in mice to have greater metabolic effects. Also the lack of hunger that comes with a keto diet does help people stick to it and reduce their calories without trying. Ketones have also been shown to improve brain performance.
The fact remains that the body doesn't need carbohydrate to survive, but it does need fat and protein. Sure carbs give you energy if that's what you put in your body. But if you're obese, insulin resistant or just looking for a better source of fuel, a keto diet works wonders.
And the the mice studies are relevant, why exactly? Esp considering in human trials that metabolic advantage doesn't appear. Can you link me to some studies show increased brain performance on ketones, I've seen plenty on low carb diets negatively effect cognitive performance, not bettering it
Mice studies are used frequently in many sciences to simulate certain conditions. I agree it's not 100% accurate to use mice but when most studies on humans are weak observational experiments I'd prefer to go with the mice.
I can't access the specific reports as I'm on my phone, but here is a good summation of how ketones affect your brain:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201104/your-brain-ketones
My understanding is that ketones are just more efficient when it comes to getting broken down for brain energy.0 -
Once your body gets into ketosis and starts using ketones for energy instead of glucose you will feel better. Just keep your fat and protein intake high. Your body will start breaking down its own fat for energy and you will feel great.
I think a lot of people don't eat enough fat on a low carb diet, when it needs to be your main source of energy.
A ketogenic diet is fantastic for losing weight and improving overall health. I've lost over 60lbs doing it, I try and keep net carbs under 30 a day.
Too bad keto diets have no metabolic advantage...
Ketogenic diets have been proven in mice to have greater metabolic effects. Also the lack of hunger that comes with a keto diet does help people stick to it and reduce their calories without trying. Ketones have also been shown to improve brain performance.
The fact remains that the body doesn't need carbohydrate to survive, but it does need fat and protein. Sure carbs give you energy if that's what you put in your body. But if you're obese, insulin resistant or just looking for a better source of fuel, a keto diet works wonders.
And the the mice studies are relevant, why exactly? Esp considering in human trials that metabolic advantage doesn't appear. Can you link me to some studies show increased brain performance on ketones, I've seen plenty on low carb diets negatively effect cognitive performance, not bettering it
Mice studies are used frequently in many sciences to simulate certain conditions. I agree it's not 100% accurate to use mice but when most studies on humans are weak observational experiments I'd prefer to go with the mice.
I can't access the specific reports as I'm on my phone, but here is a good summation of how ketones affect your brain:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201104/your-brain-ketones
My understanding is that ketones are just more efficient when it comes to getting broken down for brain energy.
If you only think there are "weak observational studies" done on low carb/keto diets in humans, you haven't looked hard enough. There are plenty tightly controlled studies on this subject matter.
Here's a more recent one
Johnston CS et. al. Ketogenic low-carbohydrate diets have no metabolic advantage over nonketogenic low-carbohydrate diets. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (2006) 83: 1055-1061
www.ajcn.org/content/83/5/1055.full.pdf0 -
Although highly unlikely, pretty sure protein can be stored.
I don't think it can really... unless you count muscle as storage. Otherwise, I think it's got to be converted to something else for long-term storage.
I DO think it will last a while (days?) in the form of amino acids... which is why I really don't think "timing" is an issue when you're eating post-work out protein shakes or whatever...
I could be wrong though. Admittedly, I'm a bit rusty on my biochem.
Psst... I'm also stuck at work waiting for my gels to solidify. Carb threads are a great way to kill time, yes?0 -
Although highly unlikely, pretty sure protein can be stored.
I don't think it can really... unless you count muscle as storage. Otherwise, I think it's got to be converted to something else for long-term storage.
I DO think it will last a while (days?) in the form of amino acids... which is why I really don't think "timing" is an issue when you're eating post-work out protein shakes or whatever...
I could be wrong though. Admittedly, I'm a bit rusty on my biochem.
Psst... I'm also stuck at work waiting for my gels to solidify. Carb threads are a great way to kill time, yes?
Yeah, some of the aminos would have to be converted to something else for it to then be stored. I had just read something on this on another forumProteins follow a more circuitous route to becoming fat. First, they must be deaminated. After deamination, the amount of processing required depends on the individual structure of the amino acid.
The poster that stated that certain amino acids bypass gluconeogenisis and take a more direct route to becoming Acetyl-coA is correct. Alanine is converted through the Cori cycle (alanine cycle) into pyruvate, a molecule that is one step away from Acetyl-CoA. Alanine is the most abundant amino acid in nature. Glutamine is the second most abundant. Both of these amino acids funnel into gluconeogenisis and conversion into fatty acids.
Now, some will undoubtedly point out that not all amino acids can be converted to glucose. This to is true, but unfortunately, the most abundant amino acids in nature are the amino acids that when consumed in excess are most readily stored as fat.0 -
I love my carbs. Without carbs I'd never have lost 115 pounds because I'd never have had the energy to run out the door. : )0
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Although highly unlikely, pretty sure protein can be stored.
I don't think it can really... unless you count muscle as storage. Otherwise, I think it's got to be converted to something else for long-term storage.
I DO think it will last a while (days?) in the form of amino acids... which is why I really don't think "timing" is an issue when you're eating post-work out protein shakes or whatever...
I could be wrong though. Admittedly, I'm a bit rusty on my biochem.
Psst... I'm also stuck at work waiting for my gels to solidify. Carb threads are a great way to kill time, yes?
Yeah, some of the aminos would have to be converted to something else for it to then be stored. I had just read something on this on another forumProteins follow a more circuitous route to becoming fat. First, they must be deaminated. After deamination, the amount of processing required depends on the individual structure of the amino acid.
The poster that stated that certain amino acids bypass gluconeogenisis and take a more direct route to becoming Acetyl-coA is correct. Alanine is converted through the Cori cycle (alanine cycle) into pyruvate, a molecule that is one step away from Acetyl-CoA. Alanine is the most abundant amino acid in nature. Glutamine is the second most abundant. Both of these amino acids funnel into gluconeogenisis and conversion into fatty acids.
Now, some will undoubtedly point out that not all amino acids can be converted to glucose. This to is true, but unfortunately, the most abundant amino acids in nature are the amino acids that when consumed in excess are most readily stored as fat.
Cool! Thanks for the info
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Low carb diets aren't for everyone. I went on a low carb diet and felt AMAZING! Everyone's body is different. You need to find a meal plan for your specific body type, metabolism and how much activity you do in a day. Plus, if you are on a low carb diet you need to eat fats, specifically healthy fats in eggs, meat, fish, olive oil, etc. This will help your body learn to burn fat instead of carbs. Also, you need to just do light exercise to begin with and gradually increase. (ex. 10 min. then 20min. then 30 and so on.) You also should contact your doctor about vitamin deficiencies and make sure you take a fiber supplement to keep your digestive system healthy.0
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not eating enough carbs will cause low blood sugar. Eat a carb, you will feel better. Eating carbs won't hurt you, not eating them can.0
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Give it some time. I LOVE low carbs. I love the food, love that I have no bloating or 'bubblies', love that my energy is consistent throughout the day. The first week or so can be rough.0
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