wabmester Member

The cool thing about Greek yogurt is the low-fat doesn't mean high-sugar. I just switched to 2% Fage. Check out the nutrition label. Here's the low-fat: And here's the full-fat: Same carbs in both. More protein in the low-fat. (As well as less fat and lower calories, of course.)

Ouch! Here's my blow-by-blow account: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10239560/kidney-stones/p1

Nailed it, @chaoticdreams! It takes enough motivation to make it a habit. My CVD risk score did that for me. And once the habit gets you on autopilot, "cheating" has no appeal. Personally, my whole mindset changed about food, and now I see food as an opportunity to fuel different kinds of exercise. If I eat a few too many…

You may get a lot of opinions on this, but here's what I think (after about the same time on LC). LDL is a risk factor. It's not a huge factor, but it's well established as a factor. Saturated fat in the diet increases LDL for many people. This is one reason why saturated fat has been vilified for 50+ years. For most…

It looks like the Hall article is now behind a paywall, but here's what he says about the drivers of weight regain: Specifically, it has been estimated that for each kilogram of lost weight, calorie expenditure decreases by about 20 to 30 kcal/d, whereas appetite increases by about 100 kcal/d above the baseline level…

Not sure I understand your question, but it sounds like you're wondering about the differences in the timing of effects of sodium, fluids, and carbs. Honestly, I don't know, but the more I learn about this stuff, the more I appreciate the complexity. Sodium itself is pretty simple. You know about osmosis, right? Higher…

Timing doesn't matter much. As you've discovered, it works pretty quickly, so I just adjust my salt intake to prevent or treat symptoms. The lower your carb intake, the more sodium you lose. That especially applies to fasting. And the more you exercise, the more sodium you lose. So I usually time my intake for before and…

Yeah, probably a good "cleansing" effect. But also a thermogenic effect. And a significant appetite effect. Fascinating stuff, fat is. Different effects depending on chain lengths, number of double bonds, positions of bonds, and even cis vs trans isomers.

No, not all fats are equal. Not all carbs are equal. And not all protein sources are equal. You want a simple experiment? See how much MCT oil you can eat at once and observe the effects. :)

Coritsol isn't just for panic. It also wakes you up in the morning, for example (which is why it's associated with sleep problems). But the thing cortisol always does is tell the liver "we need more glucose!" So it makes sense if you're running low on glucose, as might be the case in extreme carb restriction.

"Brain fog" is usually due to insufficient sodium intake. Poor sleep can be due to higher cortisol levels. What's the difference between 20g and 40g? With 20g, you'll lose more sodium, and you'll have higher cortisol levels. So, yeah, the level of carbs matters a lot for some things. For weight loss? Not so much.

The brain requires about 500 kcal/day, and it's the main consumer of glucose in your body. 500 kcal = 125g carbs. So if you're below that level (which you probably are at 20%), then you're making ketones, and you're fat adapted. If you're exercising a lot, you're probably making more ketones than sedentary folks eating…

http://www.hopkinsarthritis.org/arthritis-info/gout/gout-treatment/ About 20% of uric acid is derived from purines ingested in food. Causes of hyperuricemia can be divided into two major categories: decreased clearance of uric acid from the kidney and increased synthesis of uric acid. So somewhat similar to cholesterol in…

Was he LC at some point? Ketogenesis can cause an increase in serum uric acid. Never heard of whole grains and low fat as a cure. I think they just mean whole grains are better than white bread, but carbs in general can be a trigger. Low fructose and maybe low purines is pretty well established. But I only briefly read up…

He's not a big believer in LDL size as a factor, but he is a big believer in the LDL particle count being a big factor, and he makes it clear that LDL-C often fails to predict LDL-P. I.e., get an NMR. :) It’s not that LDL-C is meaningless, it’s just that 30-50% of the time it’s not in line with the actual driver of risk,…

Buried somewhere on his site is his clinical experience. IIRC, he said about 1/3 see an increase in LDL, about 1/3 see a decrease, and about 1/3 see no change.

OK, I had to google the bug: lactobacillus reuteri http://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/70456-lactobacillus-reuteri-atcc-pta-6475-most-potent-thing-ever/ And I found people buying surplus breast milk from craigslist to get it. Cool. B)

I have nothing against the guy or his diet, but he had heart disease and cancer according to this interview with his wife: http://www.marinij.com/article/NO/20151105/FEATURES/151109886 Stanley underwent successful heart bypass surgery in 2004 and shortly thereafter was diagnosed with stage four throat cancer.

Start by googling "familial hypercholesterolemia" assuming it's genetic. Sounds like a lot more going on than just diet.

@KnitOrMiss, I think we're still a long way off from evidence-based approaches gaining mainstream acceptance. For example, if somebody is diabetic or insulin resistant, we all agree it makes sense to minimize insulin response and glucose loads, right? So the best approach might be fasting. Next best might be carnivore.…

You bring up some good points. Let's start with insulin and glucose. First, insulin affects more than glucose. It also drives fat into adipose tissue, for example. Taubes and Ludwig suggest that high-carb meals cause an increase in hunger. Insulin overshoots and drives sugar so low that you can end up with hypoglycemia a…

Volek did a study you might like. Fat levels in the blood are actually lower on a high-fat diet compared to a high-carb diet. https://news.osu.edu/news/2014/11/21/study-doubling-saturated-fat-in-the-diet-does-not-increase-saturated-fat-in-blood/ http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0113605 The…

It's a hormonal thing. Some combination of melatonin, insulin, and cortisol. You want to minimize cortisol (stress), and you want to ensure your circadian rhythm is entrained to both light and food intake. The usual ways to reduce stress should help, but both calorie restriction and carb restriction will increase stress…

I use the Microsoft Band, and it estimates my HRmax and VO2max based on monitoring. This calculator matched its estimate for HRmax: http://nowlin.com/heartrate.htm Here's one that'll estimate %VO2max from HR: http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-and-percent-vo2max-conversion-calculator.aspx

130g carbs = 520 kcal. That's about what your brain burns in a day. If you have enough liver glycogen, then the article's right about the minimal glucose burn. If you don't have enough liver glycogen (e.g., depleted by low carb or fasting), your brain will burn ketones instead of glucose. That's why you make ketones.

Neither your pedometer nor the MFP database know anything about your level of exertion. RQ (CO2/O2) is the best indirect way to know both your calorie burn and the fuel burned. VO2 is the next best. HR is just a proxy for VO2. So your Polar F6 should be able to give you a fairly reasonable estimate, but it's still a rough…

Happens to me too, but it's just a temporary plateau. :) Try to understand the bioenergetics of mitochondria, for example: The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life @macchiatto, I go through various snack phases. I used to be nuts about nuts, but they've recently lost their appeal. I switched…

Call me crazy, but I was glad to get out of the "food is entertainment" mindset. :) Time for a new hobby? I find musical instruments endlessly entertaining.

It's not really a "deficiency" (but it can develop into one). Your body compensates. How does it compensate for sodium losses? By dumping water. That keeps the sodium concentration in the blood the same as before. How does it compensate for the loss of water while trying to maintain blood pressure? By constricting blood…

The dehydration results in low blood volume (not necessarily low blood pressure). The dehydration is caused by sodium losses. All you have to remember is "water follows sodium." The sodium losses are due primarily to ketone losses. The fewer carbs you ingest, the more ketones and sodium you lose in your urine. As you've…