High fat, lower carb diet (grain free)

[Tradingdummy]

R. Raskolnikov,

If your interested in this stuff, look up metabolic typing when you get a chance, if you have not already. BTW, I'm in the same camp as you, HF and LC.

 

[LEAPup]

Guys, check out a book called "wheat belly." Also, make sure you're eating every three hours, and yes, small servings. It gets down to calories. Drop all the exotic name diets as they're shit. It's simple, yet, America is always looking for a magic bullet, and there are none.

Lean proteins
Complex carbs
Good fats
(Yes, in that order of importance)

Burn more calories than you take in. It's that simple.

 

[blah12345678]

Give quinoa a try. It's neither a grass nor a grain. It's gluten-free.

It's a complete protein - low in calories, high in protein, and high in fiber.

The nutritional values on the web are all over the place, but the 1 lbs bags at Trader Joes ($4/lb versus $7/lb at the big grocery chains) lists:

Serving Size - 1/4 cup (uncooked)
Calories - 160
Fat - 2.5 g
Carbs - 30g
Fiber - 3g
Protein - 6g

The Trader Joe's brand is pre-rinsed. Just throw it in the rice cooker at a 2-1 ratio (typically 2 cups water / 1 dry cup quinoa), and add spices/soy sauce to taste.

I tend to make pseudo-chicken in a pot - mix in 1 pound of chicken, onions, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, celery, red peppers, zucchini, garlic, jalapenos, salt, pepper. 20 min later, dinner is served.

 

[R. Raskolnikov]

The body craves fat, the brain craves fat, heck the brain is made up of water and fat. It's the best source of fuel, for our bodies are set up to burn fat as energy way more efficiently than glucose (carbs, even complex ones). Advocating lean meats doesn't get the job done IMO. And eating every 3 hours? Why? You should eat when you are hungry, not otherwise. 7 days into this experiment and I haven't had a single incident of being hungry in the traditional sense (stomach rumbling, blood sugar feeling low). I get a subtle feeling that it's time to eat, I'll have a couple eggs and I'll be good for awhile.

Don't you find it interesting that the obesity epidemic started taking off almost immediately after the food pyramid was introduced in 1977. The govt advocated 6-11 servings of grains (carbs) per day and put the heart disease and obesity onus on saturated fats and cholesterol and put less emphasis on the evils of sugar. So a few decades of "low fat, high carb diet" took hold and this had led to a huge jump in obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Clearly, processed foods are a huge culprit as are industrial made vegetable oils, which are laden with carbs and bad fats respectively.

The science today is starting to come around to the notion that the food pyramid and govt recommendations were totally wrong. Not to mention based on faulty science (see Ancel Keys). Keys cherry picked data to create a linear relationship between saturated fat and cholesterol consumption and heart disease. He used 6 countries to make his point. Problem is, he left out all 22 nations studied which, when plotted, showed no correlation between heart disease/obesity and saturated fat and cholesterol.

Anyways, the point is I can honestly say I haven't felt this good or had this much mental clarity in years. I get almost no hunger even after many hours and what I do eat is very satisfying (meat (not lean), butter, eggs, veggies, whole fat cheese/yogurt, coconut) and I get zero side effects (foggyness, laziness, mood swings etc) that I used to get when I would eat bread, cereal and pastas. Don't get me wrong, those taste great too, but for me, not worth the improvements I'm feeling eating only these foods.

If this sounds crazy, do some research on this subject. There are many studies now that show this type of eating lifestyle actually reduces triglycerides and cholesterol, counter intuitive I know, but the science is there. Problem is there is a large vested interest in keeping the status quo (big pharma, big agra etc) and therefore change will come about slowly.

Guys, check out a book called "wheat belly." Also, make sure you're eating every three hours, and yes, small servings. It gets down to calories. Drop all the exotic name diets as they're shit. It's simple, yet, America is always looking for a magic bullet, and there are none.

Lean proteins
Complex carbs
Good fats
(Yes, in that order of importance)

Burn more calories than you take in. It's that simple.

 

[R. Raskolnikov]

I like quinoa and it's definitely a good alternative to grains but it's kinda high in carbs. In small amounts it seems fine though. And I do think it can be a part of a healthy diet, especially the fiber aspect.

The goal of this way of eating is to eat a lot of fat, especially saturated fats which have long been vilified but are now being seen by many nutritional scientists as being incredibly beneficial for the body and mind (coconut oil, grass fed beef, grass fed butter etc). I know it sounds nuts and flies in the face of conventional thinking but I've been doing a ton of research lately and feel very confident that the govt and it's "low fat/high carb" stance was completely misguided.

I would suggest to anyone who thinks that they could improve in terms of energy levels, mental clarity, and better sleep, try this for 1 week and see how they feel. I felt these positive effects after only 2-3 days.

Give quinoa a try. It's neither a grass nor a grain. It's gluten-free.

It's a complete protein - low in calories, high in protein, and high in fiber.

The nutritional values on the web are all over the place, but the 1 lbs bags at Trader Joes ($4/lb versus $7/lb at the big grocery chains) lists:

Serving Size - 1/4 cup (uncooked)
Calories - 160
Fat - 2.5 g
Carbs - 30g
Fiber - 3g
Protein - 6g

The Trader Joe's brand is pre-rinsed. Just throw it in the rice cooker at a 2-1 ratio (typically 2 cups water / 1 dry cup quinoa), and add spices/soy sauce to taste.

I tend to make pseudo-chicken in a pot - mix in 1 pound of chicken, onions, carrots, turnips, rutabagas, celery, red peppers, zucchini, garlic, jalapenos, salt, pepper. 20 min later, dinner is served.

 

[blah12345678]

I like quinoa and it's definitely a good alternative to grains but it's kinda high in carbs. In small amounts it seems fine though. And I do think it can be a part of a healthy diet, especially the fiber aspect.

The goal of this way of eating is to eat a lot of fat, especially saturated fats which have long been vilified but are now being seen by many nutritional scientists as being incredibly beneficial for the body and mind (coconut oil, grass fed beef, grass fed butter etc). I know it sounds nuts and flies in the face of conventional thinking but I've been doing a ton of research lately and feel very confident that the govt and it's "low fat/high carb" stance was completely misguided.

I would suggest to anyone who thinks that they could improve in terms of energy levels, mental clarity, and better sleep, try this for 1 week and see how they feel. I felt these positive effects after only 2-3 days.

Fortunately, quinoa is really low on the glycemic load - it's only 13, so it doesn't spike the insulin into fat-storing mode...

Regarding the higher fat, sounds like Mark's Daily Apple has another convert. Especially with the coconut oil, which he's big on.

Have you bought his books? It's definitely interesting to learn that excess glucose (and not cholesterol) is the reason for the build up of artery plaque and blockages.

And it's really hard to stay at/below 50g of carbs a day to get into the desirable ketonic state...

 

[R. Raskolnikov]

Good point re. Glycemic load of Quinoa

As far as a convert, I'd say it all starts with whether or not I actually find value in something before going all in. So far, I feel 20 years younger eating this way and already dropped a few lbs (in a week). Most importantly, it's my energy levels and mental clarity that I'm most surprised with. I'm eating less than 50 carbs per day and alot of fat and, I would think this would have zapped my energy, but it's done exactly the opposite. Very cool stuff.

I haven't bought any of his stuff yet, just watched a few youtube videos and perused his blog but yes, the science behind what actually clogs arteries is fascinating. The idea that glucose causes small tears in the arterial lining that cholesterol and white blood cells must then come in to kill bacteria and repair the damage. The fact that cholesterol is "on the scene" of blocked arteries made it public enemy number one for many years. It's like blaming a fireman for the fire when he's found to be at the scene of every major fire.

But yeah so now we know that cholesterol is super important. Heck our bodies make it naturally.

What are your thoughts on the high fat portion of the recommendation, especially the saturated fats? I'm interested in hearing opinions/testimonials of what worked or didn't for people. Thanks!

Fortunately, quinoa is really low on the glycemic load - it's only 13, so it doesn't spike the insulin into fat-storing mode...

Regarding the higher fat, sounds like Mark's Daily Apple has another convert. Especially with the coconut oil, which he's big on.

Have you bought his books? It's definitely interesting to learn that excess glucose (and not cholesterol) is the reason for the build up of artery plaque and blockages.

And it's really hard to stay at/below 50g of carbs a day to get into the desirable ketonic state...

 

[blah12345678]

Good point re. Glycemic load of Quinoa

As far as a convert, I'd say it all starts with whether or not I actually find value in something before going all in. So far, I feel 20 years younger eating this way and already dropped a few lbs (in a week). Most importantly, it's my energy levels and mental clarity that I'm most surprised with. I'm eating less than 50 carbs per day and alot of fat and, I would think this would have zapped my energy, but it's done exactly the opposite. Very cool stuff.

Do keep in mind that the first lbs of weight loss is water. Less carbs means less water retention. Couple that with no caffeine, and you'll see an immediate reduction of 5-15 lbs just from water loss.

Also, 3 weeks seems to be the magic time frame. It takes about 3 weeks for ketosis to kick in. It also takes about 3 weeks to replace an old habit with a new one.

Our body is smart enough to know when we're full of it. More practically, I don't think our ancestors starved much longer than 3 weeks before a feast in the form of a meaty animal or grove of fruit/nut trees crossed their paths...

What are your thoughts on the high fat portion of the recommendation, especially the saturated fats? I'm interested in hearing opinions/testimonials of what worked or didn't for people. Thanks!

I don't have much. I defer to MarksDailyApple, since he's the expert, and I'm not.
The one area I think it will be of help to me is alleviating my dry skin, especially in the winter. Our skin is moisturized from the inside out, so adding essential fats can only help, not hurt.

My discipline has been lacking. I've been doing the StrongLifts.com 5x5 program for the last 8 weeks, so I'm thinking of complementing it with a 60-day program of the quinoa/chicken/veggies meal that I mentioned previously. At the very least, I need the protein as I'm nearing the weight level where my diet will lead to plateaus if I don't change, and adopt an "eat healthy to grow muscle" plan.

Also, myproblem is my gut, which research suggests is due to insulin resistance. Which means I need get below 50g/day carbs (and eliminate all fructose) in order to get the insulin sensitivity back to where it belongs. Then I should see a serious reduction in the waist line. Especially as I blow past 200 lbs on my squat / deadlift.

 

[TGregg]

Also, myproblem is my gut, which research suggests is due to insulin resistance. Which means I need get below 50g/day carbs (and eliminate all fructose) in order to get the insulin sensitivity back to where it belongs.

I picked up a free (after rebate) blood glucose meter to check this out for myself. Doesn't measure insulin or resistance, but it helps me see if my blood sugar is out of whack, which can be an indicator of insulin resistance.

I buy test strips at Amazon for WAY less than stores.

My blood sugar used to be ~110 in the mornings before breakfast. Cut way down on grains and refined sugar. Now it varies from 80-100.

 

[blah12345678]

I picked up a free (after rebate) blood glucose meter to check this out for myself. Doesn't measure insulin or resistance, but it helps me see if my blood sugar is out of whack, which can be an indicator of insulin resistance.

I buy test strips at Amazon for WAY less than stores.

My blood sugar used to be ~110 in the mornings before breakfast. Cut way down on grains and refined sugar. Now it varies from 80-100.

Well, that was a just a theory of what's wrong with me.

All the women on my mom's side all have had their thyroid's removed, so maybe I have a much slower metabolism now...

Plus, I imagine I have a pretty low testosterone levels, which excessive fructose and phosphorous is known to inhibit.

And I have absurdly low HDL levels, especially given that I'm pre-disposed to endurance activities (i.e I can cycle or use the elliptical at 85% HR or higher for hours if I wanted)... If I didn't have foot plant issues, I'd be running 40-80 miles every week.

I'm a biological frankenstein.... Fixing my diet should go a longs ways toward fixing most things. That, and stretching my hip flexors...