Low carb eating actually works
Thanks for sharing the article. Hereâs the underlying study itselfâŚ
LowCarb-NutritionalSufficiency-Aug24.pdf (290.3 KB)
Perhaps it goes to show that (1) we donât need to eat nearly as much as we think (2) the minimum daily requirements are screwed up. Take your pick.
I definitely need WAY more food than that or else I will be starvingâŚ
Oh my, a bite of chicken breast, 2/3 of a normal sized egg, a sprinkle cheese, a little bit fat and some decoration? Itâs not a lunchâŚ
The 5 oz salmon is actually visible with the naked eye even if I would prefer 20oz pork chuck or something at that pointâŚ
The article is problematic on multiple points for me. Many of us have a low-carb diet that is definitely low in fiber (and itâs perfect for us, zero works for quite many people), I donât think low-carb should be blamed for low iron (just eat iron rich low-carb food, I never have found that hard though I never ever worry about my iron as I had no reason for it) and 10-35% as the right protein intake is just stupid. Our protein need is in grams, not in percentages. If I am in that range, I most probably donât eat right for my goals and needs. And I imagine 10% protein, while in that range, would be very very low protein for someone with a smaller caloric need even if their protein need isnât particularly high.
And whatâs wrong with starchy vegs if sugary fruits and whole grains are fineâŚ? No idea how grains could keep my net carb intake in check but I suppose itâs for people who get super full from eating any fiber or something. I am not like that.
Of course, itâs lovely if low-carb gets some nice PR but if I read about low-carb like this, I get some very different idea about low-carb than I ever had during my low-carb times and I did a few kinds with various carb intake. There are zillion different styles of low-carb, thatâs fine but the article acted like high fiber is a must and well, it isnât for everyone.
The key is learning to listen to your body. Your body can and will govern what you eat and how much you eat, if you just listen to it. I have stopped counting calories or micronutrients. I did gain some weight at first and was concerned that I was out of control at first but I stuck to it and it has paid off. My weight first stabilized and stayed stable for 3 months then my weight has slowly been dropping. I now spend more effort monitoring my blood pressure than how much I eat or even what I eat. I am still not eating fast food or processing food, I seldom eat in restaurants, I drink no soft drinks. My goal isnât simple, it is controlling my blood pressure with out the need for prescription drugs. Which I am at this point. My body has a weight range that is optimal for my normal blood pressure. That weight range isnât what my doctorâs charts say I should weigh, but my doctor is coming around and understanding my rational thinking. I have a norrow 10 pound weight range that keeps my blood pressure in my normal range. And my body is starting to zero in on the center of that range. Depending on my salt intake my weight will vary as much as 3 pounds day to day. But as long as I am in my 10 pound weight range my blood pressure stays normal.
I find that to be quite true. For me, fluctuations of 2 or 3 or even 4 pounds a day is mostly ânoiseâ. And I, too, find that there is about a 10 pound range where I can expect ânormalâ to be for me.
I know some people get really excited by a 1 pound move in either direction. To me, thatâs too small of an increment to be meaningful. After all, a drink of water is 1/2 pound or maybe even more.
1 pound is nothing to be excited or happy about even for me! And my weight is pretty stable. 2 pounds usually hints at changes, my weight just doesnât fluctuate that much under normal circumstances. I donât even have water weight changes, at least not that much 
Many scales arenât even that accurate!
Good that it works for you. I once listened to my body have a 20 lbs weight gain!
That works for some people, usually people who can maintain their weight in a range. I listened to a podcast recently (do not remember name) which talked about a certain off switch being broken in people who are heavy or have been heavy. Even if they have lost weight, I think the switch is still broken
I once weighed 290 pounds. My weight while in the Navy was 210, my weight now at 77 years old is 210. The charts that the doctors worship say I should weigh 180 but my body has all types of problems if I lower my weight that low. High blood pressure, hyperglycemia, my nerves go nuts, and even my eye sight gets worse. At 210 where my body wants to be all system are go. Normal blood pressure, normal blood sugar, and normal lab results. But yes I have a larger belly than my ego would like. I say to hack with my ego and the charts that doctors worship and go with what makes my body happy.
Yeah, those charts seem to want everyone to be an anorexic stick person.
Like you, Iâve been less in weight and felt horrible.
So far, the advice by one of the Keto / Carnivore docs that I particularly like seems about right⌠Waist measurement about 1/2 height or a little under, not over, is a pretty good general rule of thumb. It works well for me and seems to fit my personal physique. And itâs pretty much about where I feel best.
I was once a bit over 300 pounds, not a good place to be. Over the past couple of years, a little over 200 seems to be where my body wants to be. Lowest just over 200, highest about 230, about in the middle of that right now and have been there for a couple of years now. Itâs kinda funny, though, that after being in this area for a while, it has become a lot less focused upon than it once was.
For my height, Iâm supposed to weigh below 165 to be ânormalâ. I havenât been normal since I started lifting weights. While I wouldnât mind getting closer to 165, that is way too skinny. Back then, I was using a 45 pound plate on a decline machine while doing sit ups. (Not sure Iâd recommend doing that today â there are probably better exercises.) If you have any âlargerâ muscles at all, youâll never make it to ânormalâ.
I use my eyes, I know it doesnât work for everyone but probably does to me. I donât care about weight, just how I look, how I feel. Isnât that normal? Not focusing on the scale only. I use the scale as it gives me good information, itâs not like I quickly gain muscle or anything⌠But I donât aim for a specific weight, I only have some very vague idea in my mind - but only that. I never was normal, just overweight (well itâs pretty normal in my countryâŚ) so I canât possibly know when I can stop. My minimum was 137 lbs and I had a very fatty belly there so probably less than that? But I still will use my eyes to decide.
Itâs very obvious that BMI canât be used for normal cases (if itâs 10 or 50, thatâs informative⌠but when one isnât too far from a good weight⌠nope, just use eyes or measure body fat or whatever), every sane person can see that⌠Or I would think. So the weight itself is the same, it doesnât tell us everything when the height, gender and age are fixed. Itâs not even just about muscles, some people have wider backs/hips/whatever. I canât afford a high weight as itâs impossible for me to look okay and having the right fat mass there. Others may be able to pull it off, even short women.
Letâs focus on more important things, not just weight though again, if itâs too far from what is good for us, it shows something is wrong but that is quite visible.
I just came across a chart that suggested the best bmi in terms of low risk of cvd would be 18.5 or less. This would be under 98 pounds. I havenât weighed 98 pounds since I was 12. The lowest Iâve been as a 40+ adult was 104 and I was frail and weak and sick. No thanks.
Great advice in theory, and I agree in principle. However, the vast majority of people who try keto do so because they are overweight or obese. Their hunger hormones (Ghrelin and Leptin) are disfunctional. They do not get the message that they are full, so they keep eating. When I started keto, almost 15 years ago the figure of 90% fat was the norm; now it is âuntil satiated.â The problem with this is if you are obese, you do not get that signal you are full. I now primarily eat LCH/keto (80%) and really only monitor my protein intake. After 15 years of this, my concern is that my ghrelin hormones (hungry) do not function as they should. I am never hungry, regardless of my level of activity. From an evolutionary point of view, feast or famine was the norm. I have noticed that this happens to many long-time LCH or keto people. Some may say this is a good thing, but it is not. I will eat more on a heavy, active day by choice, not because I have listened to my body; rather, itâs what I think I should be doing.
There is a reason why high blood pressure is called the silent killer; 50% of people who have it do not know it. Getting on blood pressure medication can immediately reduce your risk. If lifestyle changes do not work, then get on the meds or do both.
As i learned the hard way prescription drugs my help to say lower your blood pressure and at the same time screw your bodies balance in other elements that your body needs, like potassium, iron, and even zinc. The so called brain trust that try to help us with one issue can and do cause other issues that they havenât consider. This is a never ending process of âfixingâ one thing and screwing up the body in a number of other ways. I have seen it over and over. And the 'easy â answer is more drugs, and more issues and more drugs. Doctors are in the business as is the drug industry of making money and not curing people. I am 77 years old I have been fighting my weight since I was 30, you name it I tried it, always looking for the easy answer. There isnât an easy answer, if you truly want to be as healthy as possible you have to do what your body truly needs and that is real food, and real cures. Man made food, and drugs are your enemy and not your friend.
Thereâs definitely something up with hormones, though itâs quite complex, as always. For one, there are so many hormonesâŚjust so many of them. And some of them, like GLP-1 are delayed: They donât hit until well after youâve eaten. And Iâve seen studies where they give people hormonesâŚthat do nothing.
A sample:
Just the section on GLP-1 alone makes my head hurt:
I recently read a study where the researchers were able to turn up GPL-1 naturally by increasing the two specific gut bacteria that can help recolonize the gut. The two were ankkermansia and the family of bidifobacterium. They also showed that there were also bacteria that would turn off GLP-1. I will post later.
The key to being able to listen to your body is simple once you think about it and research what started the obesity and diabetic issues in the first place! And that is man made so called food, in otherwords lab chemicals and artificial sweeteners, highly processed wheat and other grain that are in cereals, bread, desserts, and wheat pastas. And also chemical drugs, it all screws up the bodyâs hormones and causes all types of problems from obesity, over eating, and diabetes just among a few. The less manmade so called food and chemicals from so called medicine I intake the more my body tells me what it needs and requires.