Body efficiency argument

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(Tim Bourguignon) #1

Hi all, just wanted to share with you a discussion tip that has worked wonders in most of my Keto encounters recently: natural balance.

When discussing with someone, even someone that is against Low Carb High Fat diet, I find it pretty easy to get them to agree that our bodies are very efficient as storing energy in fat.

Then it is pretty easy to jump to the idea that since nature usually keeps things in balance, there should be an equally efficient way to pull energy out of those reserves.

Usually, this is enough to get people to shut up and listen to the rest of the keto intro :wink:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #2

Creative and useful. Thanks Tim.

(Omar) #3

very smart

are you engineer?

(Bunny) #4

One thing about this that’s interesting:

Dr. Bruce Ames triage theory posits that when faced with micronutrient inadequacy, our body will always choose distribute the micronutrients we’ve got to optimize for short-term survival and reproduction at the cost of allowing insidious damage to slip through the floodgates and endanger our long-term health. Maybe this is cholesterol build up in our arteries in the form of atherosclerotic plaques, or maybe it’s shortening of our telomeres leading to eventual cellular senescence and death. …More

(Tim Bourguignon) #5

Hum… you lost me there. Can you maybe explain the connection?

(Bunny) #6

The connection is “about jumping to the idea that nature usually keeps things in balance” in terms of some people thinking their body so efficient that they think micronutrients are not essential in the long-term to their vitality and all they need is meat and fat which are not “equally efficient for pulling energy from reserves” without encountering some type of resistance like damaging their DNA (chromosomes) or the equivalent of being blasted by an X-ray machine creating breaks in the chromosomes!

Dr. Bruce Ames about his triage theory, which he proposes that the body has developed a rationing response to shortages of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) throughout evolution. When cells run out of a vitamin or mineral, that scarce micronutrient is allotted to proteins (in the body) essential for short-term survival. Proteins needed for long-term health, including those that protect DNA, lose out and become disabled and lead to diseases of aging. In addition they discuss how RDAs are chosen and what Bruce calls “longevity vitamins” which he calls a class of nutrients that exist mostly to prevent degenerative diseases of aging in addition to essential vitamins and minerals. …More

(Tim Bourguignon) #7

Ok, I see your point and I totally agree that keeping micronutrient in balance is truly important. Your argument applies regardless of the diet, HighCarb-LowFat and LowCarb-HighFat alike. Thus I fail to understand why you felt important to mention it here…

The only point I intended to make: we all know how easy it feels to gain fat, and how hard it feels to lose it. On a HighCarb-LowFat diet, this requires a caloric deficit that leaves you energy-less, mostly hungry and will only work on the short term, getting you ready for a yo-yo-effect. It is only on a LowCarb-HighFat diet that the caloric deficit becomes easy to do, since your body can then pull from its reserves and cope with the change.

As asked by @Alpha, yes I am an engineer, and to me it makes perfect sense that the body is able to go both ways. It makes sense that it is able to pull from its fat reserves without making the fuss it used to do when I fasted while on a HighCarb-LowFat diet.

In my experience, talking to people about “Low Carb” leads to people becoming defensive, as if I was trying to take away their cupcake. Thus I don’t start by talking about limiting the carbs. Instead, I talk about what I described here above… and when my conversation partner is hooked, I can start explaining how to achieve it.

(Ken) #8

It’s even better when you are able to explain the entire process of Lipolysis, rather than attempting to explain it only within the limited framework of ketosis.

(charlie3) #9

I believe the low carb idea will spread fast, not because of a slick sales pitch but because of the statistics relating to T2 diabetes and the sensational successes of people who lose a lot of weight. On the rare occaisions the topic comes up it’s my physical condition today, compared to 8 months ago, that does most of the persuading.

I remember my first thoughts about low carb…no more sweets and goodies and bread and pasta?! That seemed like a huge sacrifice until I started listing foods I also like to eat that can remain, meat, eggs, cream, butter, green leafy veggies, etc. I like what I’m eating now enough that it’s no challenge to walk past the sweets and treats.