low carb diet?

[torontoCPAPguy]

Again, I am not going to read all of the posts as I have heard it all before on here and on aFibbers.org. The healthiest diet, regardless of what a dietician may foist on you, is one that is high protein and low carb.... a Paleo-like diet. For we who try to lost weight and are afflicted with OSA and AFib it is important to get that weight off as quickly as possible and the high protein diet will help. It is important to modify your diet - South Beach, Dr. Bernstein, Paleo, are all good starters. Get rid of anything you cannot pronounce. Get rid of artificial sweeteners, caffeine and a host of other chemicals that are not condusive to good health nor to good sleep. DO NOT eat within at LEAST 2 hours of retiring; preferably four hours. And if you are diabetic there are a few abbreviated list 'snacks' that you can ingest prior to bedtime - one of the best being plain yoghurt (EAT to LIVE... do not LIVE to EAT).

Gassy at night? Odds are it is undigested carb in your system, h. Pyllori in your GI tract, or the need for lots of probiotics (readily available at iHerbdotcom). Blood being taken away from vital organs to aid in digestion is not condusive to solid sleep. So why do I feel sleepy when I eat? Blood being taken away to provide oxygen to digestive processes. Still, not great for solid sleep.

And since OSA is a leading cause of diabetes, Atrial Fibrillation and a host of other afflictions, one needs to address the dietary issues as importantly as choosing the right CPAP blower and mask!

80% of the NA population is deficient in magnesium, taurine, potassium and dehydrated. Take care of this as well with diet and/or supplementation.

A low carb diet is, IMHO, as healthy as any other diet as long as you don't forget the veggies, etc. You will get plenty of carbs and vitamins from the veggies without knowing it. And get used to low sodium V8... it is loaded with potassium and VERY essential to good health.

Where does one begin?

Oh. One other thing. If you are on any STATIN drugs for cholestorol? Best do some research. They are killing you. Start at aFibbers.org

[SleepingUgly]

What about fats, though? If I remember correctly, and I may not, Gary Taubes doesn't think any fats are bad. Again if I remember correctly, Mark Sisson of the Primal Blueprint doesn't think trans or saturated fats are good (someone who knows this stuff better than I do, please chime in if that's wrong). So that would entail eating lean meats, and not just whatever meats with fat that are appealing.

Admittedly I haven't devoted a lot of time to trying to wade through the likes of Mark Sisson's Daily Apple website, but I'm confused as to why they would recommend full fat foods like dairy, when there is no increase in carbs associated with the low fat version. For example, I can buy 0%, 2%, or higher fat Greek Yogurt, and there is really no appreciable difference in how much carbs is in them. So is there a reason to choose the higher fat version or should I be going with the lower fat?

[Slartybartfast]

Taubes sort of takes the extreme view, not that he's wrong; I don't disagree with him. He sort of says all fats are OK, but he also says that trans-fats should be avoided. Mark Sisson is a middle of the roader on carbs, but pretty flatly says that we have no business eating dairy products after 2 years of age, but not because of any real hard evidence, just because it's not what Grok would do. Same with the author of the Paleo diet, whose name escapes me at the moment. All of these guys agree it's best to avoid sugar and wheat products, which I think is probably 90% of the problem with most of us.

Re: yogurt, I don't think the fat is the problem, but there do seem to be lots of carbs in it, probably from the lactose that is fermented to produce lactic acid, which gives yogurt its tangy taste. And there are lactose-free yogurts, but I've never tried any of them.

[SleepingUgly]

So to your memory, what does Mark Sisson say about fats? I still can't divorce myself from the brainwashing I received about low fat...or at least saturated fats. I am afraid that it may be true that it is not heart-healthy to eat saturated fats... Does anyone reputable agree with Taubes' view on fats?

I blame my low bone density on not eating enough dairy growing up, thanks to a lactose intolerance!

Plain, unflavored, Greek yogurt is relatively very low carb. There is a brand at Trader Joe's that has 7-9 grams of carbs per 1 cup. It is NOT sweet, so I end up adding Equal, which I'm sure Grok wouldn't do.

I don't know what Grok was eating all day, but I'm personally quite tired of eating eggs, and am running out of ideas.

[JeffH]

So to your memory, what does Mark Sisson say about fats? I still can't divorce myself from the brainwashing I received about low fat...or at least saturated fats. I am afraid that it may be true that it is not heart-healthy to eat saturated fats... Does anyone reputable agree with Taubes' view on fats?

I blame my low bone density on not eating enough dairy growing up, thanks to a lactose intolerance!

Plain, unflavored, Greek yogurt is relatively very low carb. There is a brand at Trader Joe's that has 7-9 grams of carbs per 1 cup. It is NOT sweet, so I end up adding Equal, which I'm sure Grok wouldn't do.

I don't know what Grok was eating all day, but I'm personally quite tired of eating eggs, and am running out of ideas.

I eat lots of fats...all kinds but mostly coconut oil, butter, and olive oil. My most recent blood work showed that my triglycerides were 62, my HDL was in the 90's if I remember right, and my LDL was high (don't recall the number) but my cardio doc was worried about it.

After viewing the youtube video someone posted here I'm more OK than ever with the "high" LDL. The Doc in that video said there were two kinds of LDL, a large fluffy one and a small dense one. You want the large fluffy one. They don't separate the two when they do blood lipid work on you. He said the best way to tell what was going one with you is your Triglyceride and HDL readings. If Tri's were low and HDL high then your LDL reading was mostly the large fluffy ones you want to have. The opposite of this would be signs that you have the small dense ones that are dangerous.

Believe me, it's the carbs not the fat doing the harm in our diets.


JeffH

[RN1959]

About 10 yrs ago a group of co-workers and I started to low carb it, along the Atkins line...one of our docs and his wife were also doing the same. I have to say, I've never felt better in my life. I had tons of energy, felt great ( we all did ) This was in the ER setting, so we were very busy. I've often thought of going back to that, the weight loss was tremendous, and I personally, nor any of my co-workers had a problem with the diet. We shared a lot of cheese, and meat snacks !

My reluctance in going back to it has been the threat of liver damage ( although none of us experienced this ) but I suppose the main issue is my fondness of carbs, and "comfort food" Not really good for the waistline, but I simply don't want to give up bread, potatoes, noodles....etc.

I think that everyone should talk to their doc before embarking on this ( I didn't ...but everyone should ) I LOVE steak, and can eat it every night, fish, chicken....no problem, veggies, love them. BUT, I also would miss crusty bread,crackers, mashed potatoes and comfort food.

I've been thinking about this for some time actually, but I will caution you, that for me....as soon as I stopped the low carb diet initially I felt kinda ill ( cramping, nausea, fatigue...and the weight came back ) This is really a lifestyle change. Once your body become accustomed to a low carb diet, it's difficult to change back.

I've watched many friends in weight watchers, and I haven't seen a difference, except they have to count every point. That isn't for me.....

Take Care,
RN

[Janknitz]

I'm confused as to why they would recommend full fat foods like dairy, when there is no increase in carbs associated with the low fat version.

That may be true for yogurt but it's NOT true for milk. There are not quite 3 carbs in one cup of heavy cream, 12 in skim milk. I seem to get heartburn and reflux from milk sugars--skim milk is a problem but whole milk and cream are not.

I love milk but it's not that I'm going to have a nice glass of heavy cream to drink. That's a little much! I've recently discovered unsweetened vanilla almond milk--it satisfies me just like milk with very few carbs.

My reluctance in going back to it has been the threat of liver damage

Any current research substantiating this?

When I was low carbing 10 years ago, there were dire warnings it would cause kidney damage. I just read an article saying that they are finding that a low carb diet works BETTER than dialysis for people with diabetes who have kidney failure and people can get off dialysis by following a low carb regimen. HA! How about that????

[gasparama]

My husband has had a huge victory. We've known for 11 years that we should always follow a low carbohydrate diet. For a 1 1/2 years we've been fooling around, raising blood glucose and insulin levels. Then DH's legs began to swell, dangerously so. Sometimes he looked like he had elephantiasis and the bottoms of his feet would swell when he took off his shoes. The cardiologist planned for leg surgery in August to reduce this swelling. But about 2 1/2 wks ago, we went back to our default low carb plan which reduced his insulin level, in turn reducing greatly the swelling and taking off about 20 pounds. He's now off injected insulin, using oral meds only and is in great shape. Blood sugar is very normal as is BP. (I've always been the one to keep normal glucose levels, but he's better off now and I'm glad) I've been greatly influenced by Atkins, Jimmy Moore, Tom Naughton, Mark Sisson, Taubes and a host of other low carb researchers. Jimmy Moore has interviewed nearly every advocate of low carb, high fat on the planet. He does a 45 minutes interview twice a week. There is a wealth of info in those interviews.

What angers me is that the endocrinologist and the cardiologist never said one word about the high insulin level causing the swelling. I had to figure it all out myself. Can't these guys ever think out of the AMA and ADA boxes?

[Lizistired]

mmm, I'm thinking, Ketones are the by product of fat metabolism in the absence of carbohydrates where they would be burned completely through the Krebs cycle.

Saturated fat in the body is the result of excess carbohydrates raising blood glucose causing an insulin response. Once the tissues, muscles are filled with glycogen the rest is stored as fat. This is quite effective for surviving periods of famine. Not expecting that anytime soon.
I don't agree that carbs are out primary fuel source, just that they give us the ability to store fat through the insulin response.
The beast is the excess carbohydrates that cause constant blood sugar spikes, fat storage & blood sugar crash, hunger... It's a viscious cycle.

I looked up a common frozen dinner I used take to work. Chinese vegetables, white chicken and rice. Sounds healthy, right?
Cal: 290
Fat:4.5g
Carbs: 54g
Prot: 7g
This is the low fat BS we have been fed. I would have to eat vegetables non stop all day to get 54 grams. 7 grams of protein isn't enough to sustain anybody's lean muscle mass. No wonder I felt like crap and was trying to stay awake and hitting the vending machine an hour later! And gaining weight! Now I'm eating about 30g of protein per meal, come carbs and rounding out with fat.

SU, Fat is increased because, 1. It satisfies hunger, 2. your body needs various types of fats, 3. You have to replace the calories from carbs or your body will go into starvation mode and conserve energy. If you eat all protein your body will turn the excess into glucose.

Lard is 47% monounsaturated fat. We went from that to "corn oil" and "shortening". Now we praise olive oil...

[Lizistired]

A must read on Fat:

http://experiencelife.com/issues/june-2 ... istake.php

[SleepingUgly]

OK, so here is an example: The Fat free milk in our refrigerator has 12g of carbs and the 2% has 12g of carbs. Which to consume?

BTW, I am at best lowering my carbs, but I am not doing NO carbs--even on my lowest carb days, I still eat vegetables. So given that I am eating carbs, what kind of fats SHOULD I consume?

[Guest]

Ketosis isn't anything to be afraid of, at least for the non-diabetic,

How can ketosis be a problem for diabetics?

and a surprising number of people are beginning to say that mild ketosis is perhaps not an uncommon, nor a harmful physiological state for Homo sapiens.

Why is it surprising? The process of breaking down fat results in ketosis. How else can you lose weight other than breaking down stored fat into intermediate forms, known as ketone bodies? Doesn't everyone who loses weight experience some ketosis from time to time?

[Lizistired]

OK, so here is an example: The Fat free milk in our refrigerator has 12g of carbs and the 2% has 12g of carbs. Which to consume?

BTW, I am at best lowering my carbs, but I am not doing NO carbs--even on my lowest carb days, I still eat vegetables. So given that I am eating carbs, what kind of fats SHOULD I consume?

I don't think anyone is advocating that you eat NO CARBS. Your carbs should be non-starchy vegetables. Just low glycemic vegetables. This basically means no root vegetables, except sweet potatos, no corn, or peas. What my Grandmother said to avoid if I wanted to lose weight.

Do you drink milk by the glass? I used skim milk primarily for my coffee. I have found that I use a half pint of heavy whipped cream or a pint of half and half in the same amount of time I used a gallon of skim milk. I have extra space in my fridge now. You may or may not be sensitive to lactose, which is a sugar. But I was making my coffee stronger because I was diluting it with all that "healthy skim milk". I enjoy it more with HWC and I really like a touch of coconut oil on top! The Half and Half has 1 gram of carbs. If I'm only doing 20 grams of carbs a day, I'm not spending 12 of it on milk.

Something to remember is, the difference between protein and carbohydrate is a nitrogen molecule. When this splits off, it bonds with calcium molecule. So if you aren't eating leafy green vegetables, you should take a calcium supplement.

Sometimes I like a glass of milk, so the next time I do, I will put 2T of HWC in a glass of water and see what it tastes like.

[VVV]

Which raw veggies are good for this type of diet? Needs to be veggies that don't require dressings to make them palatable.

[Jade]

This is another tidbit I've read. I haven't researched or fact-checked it. Grains contain, more so than other foods, phytates and lectin. Give yourself 5 minutes to google them and see what we know about them. And that's not even touching on the big G and all the "hidden" problems with it.

People here for the most part have a good understanding that each of us truly is unique and our bodies respond in sometimes very different ways from our "neighbor's" body. Folks here are also famous for pointing out the challenge in connecting cause and effect, as in "you might not think you have symptoms of osa, but it's possible that things have progressed gradually over time that your sense of what's 'normal' for you kept pace and kept it hidden."

If the on-the-fence folks would give it a try for just two weeks, you'd have some direct, real information to add to the mix of claims, advice, and opinions. Or just admit you're not willing (yet) to give up "dating the bad boy" and spend your time on something more productive to yourself.

Anyway, for those who are already eating low-carb, I'm curious to learn roughly how many carbs are eating per day?

I'll go first. When I started, I was at about 20g/day. These days I'm around 40-50...though I'd like to lower it for a time because I experienced greater weight loss then.