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[Low-Carb Diets]: Now with awesome recipes on the first page!

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Posts

  • PerpetualPerpetual Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    So after a month on a ketogenic diet I've gained weight, really starting to think this low-carb thing is a bunch of BS, costing me nearly double for food compared to before and it's not helping one bit

    I mean I've gone off it two times but I've been under 260 pounds for 10 years without doing anything and now I'm 266 after a month of low carb

    Feel more energetic and stuff, but thats probably just placebo effect

    It would help if you posted your diet and what workouts you do. Since your results run contrary to what the vast majority of people (both here and elsewhere) have experienced, I think we can apply Occam's Razor here and say that you're probably doing something wrong.

    One thing I know is that a lot of people think they are on a ketogenic diet but aren't. Maybe that holds true for you too.

    Perpetual on
  • wallakawallaka Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Yeah...I've lost 15 pounds in 5 weeks after being plateau'd on a standard diet for months. Still holding on in the gym too, I've hit BW+35 for the first time ever in bench press. Still only 225, lol

    wallaka on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited July 2010
    Uncle_John wrote: »
    Adrien wrote: »
    Personally I haven't found drinking and low-carb diets to be incompatible. Just drink hard liquor.... I don't mix it with diet soda myself, since something about the combination of alcohol and diet soda tastes gross to me. I haven't found a combination I like.

    Or go off the diet entirely on your drinking nights, so long as you don't do it too often.

    That said, I haven't had the weird hangover effect you've described. To me it sounds more like dehydration than anything else.

    Yeah, second this. I've found drinking beer makes me sick without getting much more than buzzed; but I've had good experiences drinking straight liquor (and it doesn't take much).

    Not to go off topic, but do you guys think the wodka did it? My experience with hard liqour comes mainly from whiskey, which I have always been able to handle fine, even when I get shitfaced. Can you have a different reaction (hangover wise) from different hard liqours?

    not really. you probably just got hit harder than you were used to by the liquor while in a catabolic state (is this the same as ketosis?).

    i've been doing low-carb (~20g carbs/ day) for not even a full week now and even in these early days it takes just one gin drink to get me past where i need to be.

    speaking of, i've been trying to find some way to adapt my liqueur-and-citrus-heavy mixed drinks to something more compatible with this diet. i have found that the martinez works nicely if you pare it down as follows:

    2.5 oz gin (no carbs)
    0.5 oz sweet vermouth (about 2g carbs here)
    1/2 tsp (1/12 oz) maraschino liqueur
    2 dashes bitters

    Irond Will on
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  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder what's going on with your livers.


    oh, wait, it's your diet. Your body needs energy to counter alcohol toxification so not having quick stores of it will lead to decreased alcohol metabolism. I forgot most of it, but it involves NADH.


    On another note, what say you to these two secondary effects of insulin: sodium reabsorption in the distal nephron and decreased plasma potassium? The former, at least, explains the copious water weight loss at onset of ketogenesis. The latter could stand further investigation for what it truly means - and if there need to be additional nutritional monitors on the diet.

    Paladin on
    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    geckahn wrote: »
    So basically you're looking at meats and veggies as the main components. Low sugar fruits could work as well. Fermented foods are a good idea (homemade sauerkraut and kefir are good options) for the probiotic benefits and lactic acid. And she should take probiotics daily. I can recommend a good brand if she ends up needing it.

    Oh, I can use your rec on the probiotics brand. Thanks, dude.

    Schrodinger on
  • exmelloexmello Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    exmello wrote: »
    Guys, chicken hearts make a fantastic ingredient in soup. Super cheap, and a great source of iron (I have two close friends with anemia).

    I'm trying to figure out how to make better use of the "garbage" parts of animals. And it looks like the local Kroger keeps having to put chicken hearts on clearance, since no one is buying them.

    I LOVE beef kidney, but it's never in stores. Last time I asked at the butcher's counter at the grocery store, I was told no one buys it so they don't stock it anymore.

    I might have to try the farmer's market or something.

    Recipe suggestions?

    There's a place in my area that will ship grass fed beef kidneys.

    Barring that, you can always check an Asian market. Asian markets sell the sort of foods that normally get reserved for hot dogs. Want to buy some pork tongues? They have that. You know, just in case you ever have a recipe, calling for pork tongues.

    One thing I want to learn to make is steak and kidney pie. It is absolutely delicious.

    Generally I just make a stew in my slow cooker though. Put down a layer of chopped carrots, cover with stewing beef and kidney in cubes, slather in Jack Daniels bbq sauce, dijon mustard, meat tenderizer, salt/pepper and cumin, then top it off with a can of tomatoes (don't drain, you need a liquid in the slow cooker), white onion, celery and whatever other chopped veggies you like.

    exmello on
  • AdrienAdrien Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Irond Will wrote: »
    2.5 oz gin (no carbs)
    0.5 oz sweet vermouth (about 2g carbs here)
    1/2 tsp (1/12 oz) maraschino liqueur
    2 dashes bitters

    Well ethanol is, technically, a carbohydrate :P

    Adrien on
    tmkm.jpg
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Perpetual wrote: »
    So after a month on a ketogenic diet I've gained weight, really starting to think this low-carb thing is a bunch of BS, costing me nearly double for food compared to before and it's not helping one bit

    I mean I've gone off it two times but I've been under 260 pounds for 10 years without doing anything and now I'm 266 after a month of low carb

    Feel more energetic and stuff, but thats probably just placebo effect

    It would help if you posted your diet and what workouts you do. Since your results run contrary to what the vast majority of people (both here and elsewhere) have experienced, I think we can apply Occam's Razor here and say that you're probably doing something wrong.

    One thing I know is that a lot of people think they are on a ketogenic diet but aren't. Maybe that holds true for you too.

    I don't work out, but then again I never worked out. Going to give it another go and try to stay under 20 carbs instead of under 50.

    How do you keep your food budget low? Xantham gum is $17, coconut milk is $6, just about any cooking substitute costs a fortune

    override367 on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    How do you keep your food budget low? Xantham gum is $17, coconut milk is $6, just about any cooking substitute costs a fortune

    Where in the world does coconut milk cost $6?

    Schrodinger on
  • Protein ShakesProtein Shakes __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2010
    Butter doesn't cost a fortune.

    Why are you chewing Xantham gum?!?!

    Protein Shakes on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited July 2010
    Adrien wrote: »
    Irond Will wrote: »
    2.5 oz gin (no carbs)
    0.5 oz sweet vermouth (about 2g carbs here)
    1/2 tsp (1/12 oz) maraschino liqueur
    2 dashes bitters

    Well ethanol is, technically, a carbohydrate :P

    strictly speaking, both fat and protein are hydrocarbons

    but

    nutritionally, it's different i guess

    Irond Will on
    Wqdwp8l.png
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited July 2010
    so i am about a week in on this (on 20g) and am pretty regularly cloud-headed.

    is this normal? does it get better? i'm an engineer by trade and can't really afford to be mentally dull.

    Irond Will on
    Wqdwp8l.png
  • Protein ShakesProtein Shakes __BANNED USERS regular
    edited July 2010
    It can take 2-3 weeks for it to go away, yes.

    Protein Shakes on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Butter doesn't cost a fortune.

    Why are you chewing Xantham gum?!?!

    What should I use as a thickener?
    How do you keep your food budget low? Xantham gum is $17, coconut milk is $6, just about any cooking substitute costs a fortune

    Where in the world does coconut milk cost $6?

    Williams Bay, Wisconsin.


    Edit: guess I'm just bummed, this will be far easier once my nephew leaves (visited for 3 weeks during summer) and he refuses to eat any vegetables, any "cheese" other than American, etc - it's been exceedingly difficult and it's entirely possible I've slipped above my 50g target without realizing it on occasions

    override367 on
  • ShurakaiShurakai Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Irond Will wrote: »
    so i am about a week in on this (on 20g) and am pretty regularly cloud-headed.

    is this normal? does it get better? i'm an engineer by trade and can't really afford to be mentally dull.

    Its called induction sickness. If Cloudy-Headedness is all you are feeling count yourself lucky.

    You are coming off a drug known as sugar and your body is reorganizing a million things in order to run a different way than it has gotten used to running for years.

    After its done, you will likely feel euphoric and full of energy for a little bit, and then you will feel completely normal while your body drops the pounds.

    *****

    Edit: Since the thread has resolved into more of a conversation about low-carb as opposed to a debate, I might as well complain a little bit about it, which I don't normally do because the positives are so overwhelming.

    Alright. So, some negatives.

    -As others have probably said already, if you dont have someone to cook for you or are feeling lazy when it comes to cooking, the meals can get repetitive. I realize its my fault, as there are jillions of recipes out there, but its still unfortunate that the quick meals I generally rely on tend to have a similar salty/ savory flavor to them.

    -When I am seeking a way out from under this too-much-salt dilemma, I generally go a bit overboard on the artificial sweeteners, and have found that they effect my body in strange ways if I have too much.

    Stevia and Splenda- Causes my heart to beat harder and faster than it should, like caffeine. This is bad because I have anxiety related to my heart and heart disease.
    Aspartame- Causes fatigue and a sort of.. stiffness that is very similar to a hangover stiffness from alcohol

    I realize I'm supposed to avoid aspartame but I'm a bit loose with the rules now that I have lost 75lbs and am close to my goal weight.

    - Eating becomes.. a chore, almost. The food I eat tastes great, but I compare it kind of to losing your sex drive. You don't care anymore about it. It doesn't matter. And that would be great, except you remember a time when you were excited to eat and you kind of miss that a bit, even if you know it was just your primal glands kicking in and telling you to eat moar carbs.

    - You must eat quite a bit. I find if I forget a meal, or miss a meal for whatever reason, I get a strong hunger pang that lasts for about 15 minutes, and then nothing at all. Your body just slowly loses energy until you are quite useless and you decide that eating is much better than being useless. In a way this is a good thing, as it punishes actively trying to starve yourself which of course is terribly bad for you, but I am constantly in fear of sleeping in and missing breakfast, as it would make me useless for at least half of my work day.

    Anyway, those are some small complaints, but of course as already mentioned the positives far outweigh any trifling nags that happen to bother me.

    Shurakai on
  • ShurakaiShurakai Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Perpetual wrote: »
    So after a month on a ketogenic diet I've gained weight, really starting to think this low-carb thing is a bunch of BS, costing me nearly double for food compared to before and it's not helping one bit

    I mean I've gone off it two times but I've been under 260 pounds for 10 years without doing anything and now I'm 266 after a month of low carb

    Feel more energetic and stuff, but thats probably just placebo effect

    It would help if you posted your diet and what workouts you do. Since your results run contrary to what the vast majority of people (both here and elsewhere) have experienced, I think we can apply Occam's Razor here and say that you're probably doing something wrong.

    One thing I know is that a lot of people think they are on a ketogenic diet but aren't. Maybe that holds true for you too.

    I don't work out, but then again I never worked out. Going to give it another go and try to stay under 20 carbs instead of under 50.

    How do you keep your food budget low? Xantham gum is $17, coconut milk is $6, just about any cooking substitute costs a fortune

    You must stick to the book if you are too start the diet off properly and begin the process of loosing weight.

    Starting off cheating left and right with substitutes and food that isn't on the list of acceptable foods is a (ololpun) recipe for disaster.

    You don't have to count carbs even -- I didn't -- you just have to have a rough idea in your head about what counts and what doesn't. Eat all the meat you want. Eat good amounts of cheese but don't go overboard. Don't eat any nuts or any other substitutes until you have cleared the two weeks required on 20 grams. Eat lots of veggies (no carrots , though. That's important.). Eat zero sugar. If there is sugar on the package (with the exception of 1g sugar salad dressing) don't eat it period.

    If you do all of the above, you will lose that weight you have gained and probably a good 15 or so more in the next 30 days.

    Keep in mind that the 20g period does not have to only last 2 weeks. If you really want to lose it and lose it fast, you can do it indefinitely, though you might go a bit crazy having so many restrictions. The second stage of the diet onward is much more open to experimentation, though your weight loss will slow down.

    One more tip: Focus on the food, not the carb count. If you find you are going a little beyond 20, thats ok. What counts is that you are eating the right things, and only the right things, for the first while.

    Shurakai on
  • BraincowBraincow Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Adrien wrote: »
    Irond Will wrote: »
    2.5 oz gin (no carbs)
    0.5 oz sweet vermouth (about 2g carbs here)
    1/2 tsp (1/12 oz) maraschino liqueur
    2 dashes bitters

    Well ethanol is, technically, a carbohydrate :P

    No. No. No.

    No.

    No.

    NO.

    Carbohydrates have the general formula Cx(H2O)y. Ethanol is C2H5OH (ie C2H6O). While you can convert ethanol to glucose via gluconeogenesis, it does not make ethanol a carbohydrate.

    No keto diet considers ethanol a carbohydrate. In fact, ethanol consumption lowers insulin levels and increases insulin sensitivity.
    Irond Will wrote: »
    strictly speaking, both fat and protein are hydrocarbons

    Strictly speaking, no. Hydrocarbons are defined as molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen.

    "Fat", or triglycerides, are complex macromolecules that are composed of a glycerol backbone and fatty acid chains. Glycerol molecules have three hydroxyl groups, which means they cannot be hydrocarbons. Glycerol can be derived from glucose, but is not a carbohydrate. Fatty acids have hydrocarbon chains, but are modified with a terminal carboxylic acid. Thus, they are also not hydrocarbons.

    Proteins are composed of amino acids, which by definition have amine and carboxylic acid groups, which automatically disqualifies them as hydrocarbons.

    Geez people. Learn your biochemistry.

    Braincow on
    Brainchow.png
  • The CatThe Cat Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited July 2010
    I know this thread has kind of died, but there doesn't seem to have been much talk about getting adequate fibre while low-carbing so I thought I'd bump.

    My flatmate recently had a bout of diverticulosis, which basically means a topographically-challenged colon. Not too pleasant! What would have been an overnight stay in the hospital for an appendectomy turned into about 5 days on nil-by-mouth, and he was pretty sick the first couple of days.

    Now, it was mostly brought on by the appendicitis and the subsequent operation, it kind of runs in his family, and its not exactly common. However, reading up on it I found a lot of comment to the effect that low-carb diets increased the odds of developing the disorder, and made it harder to manage/more likely to go critical if you already have it. The surgeon said the same thing; that it was likely aggravated by the low-carb diet he'd been on for the previous few weeks (nb: that had nothing to do with the appendix problem, though - that was just random).

    The answer to managing/avoiding diverticulosis is simple: get enough fibre to bulk out what's in your digestive tract, and stay hydrated. I figured its probably a good idea to reinforce that if you're going to eat a low carb diet, you should make sure you get some kind of indigestible fibre like Psyllium into you, probably in a small dose with each meal. It tastes like crap, but it will fill you up and it beats turning your colon into a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

    The Cat on
    tmsig.jpg
  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Looking at the wiki article, it would be interesting to know why a diet high in fat would aggravate diverticulosis, and also what kind of dehydration (probably lumen) would also do this.


    I have a theory that the epithelial health I was talking about earlier also has something to do with this

    Paladin on
    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited July 2010
    still chugging along with this. i've been staying under 20g carbs but have been hovering around 180 all week, after dropping from 185 or so. I guess for us not-too-fat dudes the big rush of water weight dropping just doesn't really happen the way it does with husky guys.

    happily, the cloudy-headedness and lethargy are abating.

    i guess one of the things that is not obvious is that you still need to restrict your calories. i mean in the early days you're trying to train your body to metabolize fats and enter ketosis and all of that, and you're not really required to watch calories since weight loss isn't the primary goal for induction and the theory is further that your appetite will self-regulate. but ultimately, if you take in 3000 calories of fat and protein, you're gonna put on fat if you're not working it off in any way.

    anyhow, this has been kind of a painful diet for me so far - i guess my body is just used to burning sugars. i think i'm starting to get into it though.

    Irond Will on
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  • geckahngeckahn Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Irond Will wrote: »
    still chugging along with this. i've been staying under 20g carbs but have been hovering around 180 all week, after dropping from 185 or so. I guess for us not-too-fat dudes the big rush of water weight dropping just doesn't really happen the way it does with husky guys.

    happily, the cloudy-headedness and lethargy are abating.

    i guess one of the things that is not obvious is that you still need to restrict your calories. i mean in the early days you're trying to train your body to metabolize fats and enter ketosis and all of that, and you're not really required to watch calories since weight loss isn't the primary goal for induction and the theory is further that your appetite will self-regulate. but ultimately, if you take in 3000 calories of fat and protein, you're gonna put on fat if you're not working it off in any way.

    anyhow, this has been kind of a painful diet for me so far - i guess my body is just used to burning sugars. i think i'm starting to get into it though.

    Yeah once you get past the first few weeks it becomes much easier.

    And you really dont need to restrict calories in the sense that you need to count anything. Just dont stuff yourself. Excess calories will actually be more likely to be burned by an increase in energy/metabolism since your insulin levels will remain low, thus preventing fat accumulation. But it will also decrease the amount of fat lost, since you won't be needing stored fat for energy. So just don't eat past your hunger. And you can do intermittent fasting, which is just basically just skipping a meal, every few days.

    geckahn on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    So it turns out that my celiac friend also has candida, so she's going to have to go on a carb detox at some point. Right now, the three steps are 1) Detox, 2) Elimination, and 3) Re-population. I suggested that she add an introductory step to start weening herself off of carbs and getting used to relying on fats and proteins for the bulk of her calories before going full on detox.

    Does anyone have any thoughts on the alkaline/acid theory of disease? I'm wondering how important this is.

    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/ph-levels-candida.htm

    Schrodinger on
  • geckahngeckahn Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    So it turns out that my celiac friend also has candida, so she's going to have to go on a carb detox at some point. Right now, the three steps are 1) Detox, 2) Elimination, and 3) Re-population. I suggested that she add an introductory step to start weening herself off of carbs and getting used to relying on fats and proteins for the bulk of her calories before going full on detox.

    Does anyone have any thoughts on the alkaline/acid theory of disease? I'm wondering how important this is.

    http://www.thecandidadiet.com/ph-levels-candida.htm

    I had candida too. The pH candida stuff I consider unimportant. pH is important, but only in the sense making sure that your body is adequately regulating intestinal pH. Which it's supposed to do - but in the case of low stomach acid it wont. Partly because your stomach pH isnt low enough, and partly because by not achieving low enough pH in the stomach your pancreas and liver do not release enough enzymes/bile salts. Bile alkalizes the food entering the small intestine, allowing carbs to continue being digested (low pH shuts down carb digestion). etc. But I really dont think the ph of foods matter, and food choices are going to be severely limited anyways . . so, dont worry about it.

    geckahn on
  • YarYar Registered User regular
    edited July 2010
    Not sure why, but I've personally found that green tea, hot or iced, but not sweetened of course, is very helpful in reducing some of the early adverse side effects, like carb cravings and stuffy/light-headedness.

    Yar on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    So typically when you render lard, you need to use water and then heat to 212 so that the water will evaporate.

    But is there any reason why I couldn't simply use a previous batch of lard as the cooking medium? That way, I could heat it up at a much lower temp.

    Schrodinger on
  • wallakawallaka Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    So typically when you render lard, you need to use water and then heat to 212 so that the water will evaporate.

    But is there any reason why I couldn't simply use a previous batch of lard as the cooking medium? That way, I could heat it up at a much lower temp.

    I am pretty sure I've done that before without any problems.

    wallaka on
  • dlinfinitidlinfiniti Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    don't do that too many times
    that cycle is how transfats are made

    dlinfiniti on
    AAAAA!!! PLAAAYGUUU!!!!
  • wallakawallaka Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    That's a new one for me, I thought that trans fats were generally the result of the hydrogenation process used on vegetable oils, and not from animal sources. And you aren't able to make them on your stove anyway except with a pressure cooker and very high temperatures.

    wallaka on
  • YougottawannaYougottawanna Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Irond Will wrote: »
    still chugging along with this. i've been staying under 20g carbs but have been hovering around 180 all week, after dropping from 185 or so. I guess for us not-too-fat dudes the big rush of water weight dropping just doesn't really happen the way it does with husky guys.

    happily, the cloudy-headedness and lethargy are abating.

    i guess one of the things that is not obvious is that you still need to restrict your calories. i mean in the early days you're trying to train your body to metabolize fats and enter ketosis and all of that, and you're not really required to watch calories since weight loss isn't the primary goal for induction and the theory is further that your appetite will self-regulate. but ultimately, if you take in 3000 calories of fat and protein, you're gonna put on fat if you're not working it off in any way.

    anyhow, this has been kind of a painful diet for me so far - i guess my body is just used to burning sugars. i think i'm starting to get into it though.

    This has gone counter to my experience (the calorie thing). The first few weeks I was on the diet I still counted calories out of habit, and tried to stay at 2000 or below. Then I said "fuck it" and started eating more, up to 3000 sometimes. I kept losing weight at the same rate. Now I don't even count anymore.

    But then, I just never had a problem with carb cravings. That might be because I had cut down on grains and sugar for a while before starting it though.

    Yougottawanna on
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    Shurakai wrote: »
    Perpetual wrote: »
    So after a month on a ketogenic diet I've gained weight, really starting to think this low-carb thing is a bunch of BS, costing me nearly double for food compared to before and it's not helping one bit

    I mean I've gone off it two times but I've been under 260 pounds for 10 years without doing anything and now I'm 266 after a month of low carb

    Feel more energetic and stuff, but thats probably just placebo effect

    It would help if you posted your diet and what workouts you do. Since your results run contrary to what the vast majority of people (both here and elsewhere) have experienced, I think we can apply Occam's Razor here and say that you're probably doing something wrong.

    One thing I know is that a lot of people think they are on a ketogenic diet but aren't. Maybe that holds true for you too.

    I don't work out, but then again I never worked out. Going to give it another go and try to stay under 20 carbs instead of under 50.

    How do you keep your food budget low? Xantham gum is $17, coconut milk is $6, just about any cooking substitute costs a fortune

    You must stick to the book if you are too start the diet off properly and begin the process of loosing weight.

    Starting off cheating left and right with substitutes and food that isn't on the list of acceptable foods is a (ololpun) recipe for disaster.

    You don't have to count carbs even -- I didn't -- you just have to have a rough idea in your head about what counts and what doesn't. Eat all the meat you want. Eat good amounts of cheese but don't go overboard. Don't eat any nuts or any other substitutes until you have cleared the two weeks required on 20 grams. Eat lots of veggies (no carrots , though. That's important.). Eat zero sugar. If there is sugar on the package (with the exception of 1g sugar salad dressing) don't eat it period.

    If you do all of the above, you will lose that weight you have gained and probably a good 15 or so more in the next 30 days.

    Keep in mind that the 20g period does not have to only last 2 weeks. If you really want to lose it and lose it fast, you can do it indefinitely, though you might go a bit crazy having so many restrictions. The second stage of the diet onward is much more open to experimentation, though your weight loss will slow down.

    One more tip: Focus on the food, not the carb count. If you find you are going a little beyond 20, thats ok. What counts is that you are eating the right things, and only the right things, for the first while.

    So are there like varying quality in carbs?

    Is 1g of sugar worse than 1g from a pistachio nut worse than 1g from a tomato?

    I shouldn't eat almonds or anything with soy flour, xantham gum, anything except lettuce and meat?

    override367 on
  • PaladinPaladin Registered User regular
    edited August 2010
    carb "quality" varies depending on how complex it is, which translates to how much of it is digested and successfully absorbed before the large intestine. Simple carbohydrates, unbranched small polysaccharides, etc will most probably be broken into glucose, fructose, and galactose and be absorbed in the small intestine. Some complex carbohydrates will not be absorbed there and instead will survive to the colon, where bacteria will convert them to short chain fatty acids which will be used as energy for the cells lining the colon's lumen.

    This is unlike proteins and fats which are pretty much vacuumed up in the small intestine as long as your body is working correctly


    I don't know if this counts, but dietary glucose and galactose also aid in water reabsorption from the lumen to replenish secreted and excreted solutions necessary for digestion or filtration. Failure to transport glucose and salt from your intestinal lumen into your blood results in loss of water and pretty much diarrhea. Reduction of glucose in diet reduces one facet of water conservation, which explains the rapid water loss at the onset of a high protein diet. This is a small part of why you get fuzzy at the onset of the diet as well: in conjunction with metabolic turnover and varying glucose concentration, this situation lends itself to reduced blood pressure, which the brain will complain about more than any other organ.


    Of course your body is a homeostatic powerhouse so assuming everything's working in tip top shape it will tweak a number of dials and self regulate assuming it's up to regular environmental stresses.


    Oh yeah, insulin is also used for potassium regulation after eating a lot of protein.

    Paladin on
    Marty: The future, it's where you're going?
    Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    So I have a friend with anemia. She took me to this "health food" place and told them she needed iron, and they gave her this awful carrot drink that tasted nothing like carrot (which I happened to like) containing kale, spinach, celery, ginger, lemon, etc. It tasted like urine smells.

    I told her, "You know, your body can't really digest this form of iron anyway. If you really want to eat a healthy, natural source of iron, you should do what the Vietnamese do. Soup with pigs blood. You literally can't find a source of iron that would be richer and easier to digest."

    Her reply was, "Eww, that's gross!" And it probably is. But I tried that carrot drink for her, and it tasted it far more awful than pig's blood ever will.

    I'm trying to convince my friends that a lot of "health food" isn't actual "health food." But simply what can be marketed as health food. Eating one serving of pig's blood for a $5 will probably give you more iron than a dozen of those drinks at $50, all in one sitting. But you can't market pig's blood to Americans. If the health food place said, "Oh, you want iron? Try pig's blood," I'm sure that most customers would walk out. So instead they create a laundry list of complicated solutions that won't help anyone out anyway. Why? Because it's easier to market.

    Schrodinger on
  • Irond WillIrond Will WARNING: NO HURTFUL COMMENTS, PLEASE!!!!! Cambridge. MAModerator mod
    edited December 2010
    well, fwiw, most "health food" places are at least quasi-vegetarian, so they probably have something against the consumption of pig's blood anyways

    Irond Will on
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  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Oh wow thread revival

    I can't believe how bummed I was on this page

    For the record im down 60 pounds and counting, and my diet is stable and I vary from it sometimes (every other weekend roughly, following the next day with incredibly small amounts of food, if any), at between 10 and 50 carbs a day

    Even going to vegas for 5 days and not sticking to it only added 2 pounds, which quickly went away. I'm so glad I found this thread. Really need to look into exercise routines to deal with this flab now :)

    override367 on
  • surrealitychecksurrealitycheck lonely, but not unloved dreaming of faulty keys and latchesRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Was thinking of trying this but being in Japan all the noodles and rice are too tempting to miss.

    surrealitycheck on
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  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I stopped missing noodles, rice is still my arch nemesis because I enjoy chinese. Sometimes I'll get chinese from a new place forgetting to ask for no rice (since Im a regular at my usual place and they already know how to prepare it for me) and it will sit there, mocking me.

    Carbquick has pretty much made my life tolerable because it makes good pancakes and this stuff tastes enough like the real thing to be good (especially with butter)
    Walden-Farms-Calorie-Free-Pancake-Syrup-072457880665.jpg

    override367 on
  • Alistair HuttonAlistair Hutton Dr EdinburghRegistered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Was thinking of trying this but being in Japan all the noodles and rice are too tempting to miss.

    Don't worry, asian cuisine is exempt.

    Alistair Hutton on
    I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/

    I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.

    Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Was thinking of trying this but being in Japan all the noodles and rice are too tempting to miss.

    Don't worry, asian cuisine is exempt.

    Man, that would be nice

    override367 on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    I stopped missing noodles, rice is still my arch nemesis because I enjoy chinese. Sometimes I'll get chinese from a new place forgetting to ask for no rice (since Im a regular at my usual place and they already know how to prepare it for me) and it will sit there, mocking me.

    Carbquick has pretty much made my life tolerable because it makes good pancakes and this stuff tastes enough like the real thing to be good (especially with butter)
    Walden-Farms-Calorie-Free-Pancake-Syrup-072457880665.jpg

    From the sound of it, rice doesn't have a lot of the downsides that other carbs do. It's glucose based rather than sugar based, and supposedly it doesn't do as much to feed nasty intestinal bacteria.

    It would probably still prevent you from ketosis, though.

    Schrodinger on
  • SchrodingerSchrodinger Registered User regular
    edited December 2010
    Anyway, I am lowering my carb intake, but not for the sake of weight loss, so I'm not triggering ketosis. But I am trying to improve digestion and overall health. My main criticism of atkins has always been "How do Asian people stay skinny with all that rice?" By shifting the goal and the mindset a little, it makes a bit more sense to me.

    Schrodinger on
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