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The opposite of HIIT
HIIT is all the rage, so you LC iconoclasts might enjoy this: Run Slower, Get Faster ... a growing body of research suggests that 80 percent of your workouts should be done at a slow speed, with just 20 percent at medium to fast. At this ratio, you're able to get all the performance-enhancing benefits of high-intensity…
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The Truth About Carbs
$0.99 today, and it looks pretty good if you plan to exercise while low carb: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QCSU55O/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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The New Atkins
Just got a copy from the library. This is the version of Atkins modified by Phinney and Volek. So far, I like it. Lots of good advice backed by science. Yet I can't recall anybody using it here. Did I miss something? Is it popular and I didn't notice, or is it unpopular and I missed the reason it didn't catch on?
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Low Carb Math
How low is too low? A little back of the envelope math may help. The brain normally runs on about 120g/day glucose. Source In ketosis, some sources say the optimal balance between ketones and glucose in the blood is 50/50, but let's go with Wikipedia, that says your brain can run on 70% ketones. So, 30% glucose = 40g/day…
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Dragon Breath
My daughter was watching an episode of Grimm. She stopped in the middle of the show, and asked me if I was on a low-carb/high-fat diet. Apparently, they were chasing fire-breathing dragon-wesen in that episode. The Blutbad was explaining to the Grimm how this particular wesen was able to breath fire: ketones!
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Why'd you quit?
Have you been low-carb before, and now you're back? What happened last time? How'd you fall off the wagon? Last time for me was about 10 years ago. I can't remember exactly how I lost momentum, but I think it was caving into the social pressure. Family and friends were eating carbs, so carbs were ALWAYS available.…
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Earache?
I've been making ketones without really trying (please don't hate me), and I think I'm having some mild symptoms of adaptation. Yesterday, I was feeling a bit tired and had a mild earache. This was after a pretty good workout. Took a nap, felt better, and the earache was gone. Curious, I googled and found a couple of…
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Soreness and recovery time
I ran my first 5K last weekend (woohoo!). It felt like an easy pace. I wasn't breathing hard, and I felt great at the end. Until the next day. I was sore for the next 3-4 days. I'm usually a slowpoke, but I finished the 5K in 30 minutes, which is a pretty fast pace for me. So, a few questions: Anybody else find that their…
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Honey, you should lose some weight.
No, I would never say that. I may be stupid, but I'm not suicidal. :) I was secretly hoping that my wife would take an interest in diet and health when she saw me losing weight, running a 5K, doing a zillion push ups, etc. No such luck. And I have no clue how to get her interested. Her interest sometimes perks up when she…
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I'm keto and I didn't know it
I've always suspected that you can be ketogenic on a lowish-carb diet (around 100g/d carb). Your brain needs that much glucose, so you should deplete glycogen stores pretty quickly. Just not as quickly as you hardcore LCHF folk. Anyway, I decided to test my theory by getting some ketostix. I'm peeing about 40mg/dL of…
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Mechanisms of Insulin Resistance
For the biochemistry geeks in the house: Tissue-specific insulin signaling, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disease. The pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome remains debated. However, initiation of the typical case of metabolic syndrome is due to a degree of genetic predisposition created by multiple genes coupled…
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Faux Foods: Good or Evil?
Delicious low-carb treats. Are you for them or against them? I'm against them philosophically. I believe in the brain/behavior aspect of carbs, and that tells us that we overeat stuff because: 1) It tastes tooooo good. Like nothing to be found in nature. 2) It doesn't satisfy our hunger. 3) The foods with properties (1)…
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Vinegar and Insulin Resistance
OK, this is completely new to me, but apparently it's old news. Anybody here drinking vinegar? Vinegar Improves Insulin Sensitivity to a High-Carbohydrate Meal in Subjects With Insulin Resistance or Type 2 Diabetes http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/1/281.full These data indicate that vinegar can significantly…
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Sufficient Protein
We're all targeting "sufficient" protein, right? It may be that only FIT_Goat is hitting the appropriate target. :) @Foamroller posted this excellent video in the insulin sensitivity thread: https://youtu.be/4KlLmxPDTuQ Quick summary: target at least 90g/d of protein, and at least 30g per meal. Especially at breakfast. He…
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Beyond Weight Loss
I don't recall seeing this study before. Nothing new to the folks here, but still a nice summary: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23801097 Ketogenic diets are commonly considered to be a useful tool for weight control and many studies suggest that they could be more efficient than low-fat diets, although there is not…
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Macadamia Nuts
I think I'm addicted to macadamia nuts. I've only had one 11oz bag so far. (No, not all in one sitting.) Liked them so much, I went to Costco to see if they had them in bulk. Apparently, they're "seasonal" at my Costco, and they didn't have them in stock. But they had Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Clusters. (Cue "Jaws"…
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Intermittent Ketosis?
As you may know, there have been a few studies on the long-term effects of low-carb diets that show increased all-cause mortality and cancer mortality. A study last year suggested that the increased cancer mortality may be due to an increase in IGF-1 -- a normal growth factor that may also promote the growth of cancer…
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Lowish carb, but not keto
I get lonely here sometimes. It seems like the whole world has gone keto on me. :) This is the first weight-loss diet I've ever been on (tried other diets years ago just to understand their effects on my lipid profile), so I don't think I even heard any keto-vocab till a couple months ago. Gotta admit, the idea appeals to…
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Zits
There are theories that insulin levels are associated with acne, but I couldn't find any confirming studies. This paper lays out the theory: http://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/336404 So I'm curious if any of the self-experimenters here have seen an effect. Do you see an increase, decrease, or no change in acne associated…
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low-fat vs low-GI vs LCHF
Very cool study posted in another thread on this site: Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance Cut to the chase: The low-fat diet produced changes in energy expenditure and serum leptin that would predict weight regain. In addition, this conventionally recommended diet had…
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Low carb vs low cal for metabolic syndrome
Noob here with a long-time diagnosis of metabolic syndrome. In the past, I viewed my metabolic syndrome as a curiosity. No meds were recommended because my total cholesterol and blood sugar were "normal." That changed this year after AMA guidelines for recommending statins changed. Apparently, the new guidelines recommend…
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Dark Chocolate
What's your favorite dark chocolate? The darker, the better. After years of dedicated research, here are my top three: 1) Trader Joe's Chocolate Lover's 85% -- not bitter, interesting fruity taste, and a bargain compared to most other bars. 2) Equal Exchange Organic Panama Extra Dark Chocolate (80% Cacao) -- smooooth! 3)…
