Choline and l-carnitine to work through stall?

science
(Mark Rhodes) #1

Going through some research papers and articles I have read it does seem as if carnitine a fat oxidizing amino acid can only be retained and used if choline is adequate. I have been working through my recent 12 pounds of fat gain since July 2018 due to nicotine cessation and found out that my weight gain was almost inevitable due to the link between nicotine and insulin sensitivity . Furthermore in researching this and posting about it @Dipper_Actual and @Nimitta brought in some really good points. Namita especially alerted me to choline and carnitine.

Although carnitine has been brought up many times in the Ketogenic Forums ( do a search) choline has not. The last time to my knowledge was @atomicspacebunny response in Does Keto cause insulin resistance?

However none of these links show the correlation between being able to use the carnitine and choline. The Suppveristy link I posted above discusses the relevance and has some good links within the article that talk about the relationship. There has been enough evidence supported in all of this for me to begin a supplementation program for 30-45 days of

220 pound male, 19% BF

  • 1.5 - 3g of choline daily
  • 2 g of carnitine daily
  • 1 g of acetyl-carnitine daily

hopefully this will help me move the Dexascan results of bodyfat down again. I will keep you all posted but was also wondering if any one has any insight into the choline & carnitine issue?

Giving up smoking
What happens to carbs/sugars when in keto/fat adapted
Nicotine aids lipolysis. What to do when you quit nicotine?
(Michael) #2

There was also this thread but it didn’t get much traction:
Stalled Anyone? Perhaps try Choline supplementation…

(Mark Rhodes) #3

HAhaha…there goes my weekend, down the choline rabbit hole.

(Bunny) #4

Add Arginine (turbo-trigger for HGH) and B-3 to that mix and it will burn the fat even faster, but it will or can (might) make your immune system a little weaker and more susceptible to getting a cold!

I try to get these from natural sources but pills not sure about!

(Mark Rhodes) #5

B3? Not B5? I’ve read The Life Extension Manual written by Jerry Emanuelson. and he suggests arginine because it A) blocks insulin B) taken 30 grams on an empty stomach promotes HGH. Being that my 5 day fasts are built upon maximizing my lifting days to coincide with those peak HGH days I’m wondering if I could push that HGH spike fueling it with lipolysis.

(Mark Rhodes) #6

Just an update: None of this supplementation altered much that I can tell. After 3 more months of weight gain and supplementation I was eventually able to again begin to do extended fasts again…This over everything has made the difference. This combined with the gym has allowed me to use fat for energy once again and hold more glycogen and water in my muscles…so while my weight is not coming down my Dexascan readings have:
Dec 27 2018 24%
March 2019 22.0%
April 3 2019 21.8 %
May 15 2019 17.6%

#7

So the difference you see in the last 2 DEXAs is during the fasting phase?

(Mark Rhodes) #8

The major drop, yes. Plus a ten day refeed at about 3500 calories per day.

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Don’t be fooled by the LBM increase. First off it was low the previous reading. Usually 171 was 167. that is four pounds right there. I had been drinking more water as it got warmer in Wisconsin so lets say that is two more and up to 6 accounted for. SO MAYBE a 3 pound gain that is not easily accounted for.

My HGH tested at 96 hours was 1.2 ng/ml, not very high at all. It is pulsatile but still.

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(Mark Rhodes) #9

@carolT will you be at Ketofest by any chance this year? @PaulL and myself met in person for the first time last year.

#10

Nah, we don’t travel much unless it’s a necessity. Maybe someday…

(Mark Rhodes) #11

I was that way until this WOE. Now for some silly reason I fly all over the country going to conferences. Makes no sense.