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Tag Archives: Paleo
New challenge! Maybe.
Okay, I stuck with the last challenge for 3 out of 12 months before spectacularly crashing in flames. After that I fell completely off the wagon and swung to the other end of the diet continuum. That threw my body into a tail spin, sending me to the doctor yesterday, who totally read me the riot act. She’s making me come in every two weeks until I get things back under control.
Sigh. That’s annoying, even if I do know it’s for the best. (Grains and sugar are evil, people. Truly evil.)
I knew I needed to start a new challenge, but I wasn’t MOTIVATED to start a new challenge yet. Then, this morning, my friends and I solidified plans to go to the Bay Area of California next February. And as we discussed costs I realized I was going to want some hefty spending money.
Enter motivation for a challenge!!!
Our trip is almost exactly 10 months away. (Can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait!) Original challenge had a particular monetary payoff for 12 months. I knocked off a sixth of that and came to a wonderful round number for ten months of effort.
(When I told my husband I wanted the money for spending money, he said, “No way! What are you going to buy? A mongoose/cobra death match?” My eyes opened wide. “If I find one, hells to the yes!”)
(That, by the way, links to the funniest Internet story EVER.)
Anyway, I reread that thing, can’t stop giggling, and have totally lost my train of thought.
Challenge. Okay, right. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t like the monetary terms of the new challenge. Last time I was collecting some cash and lots of time off. This time I want money, and he’s not thrilled with the idea of trying to set aside that amount while we’re remodeling the basement. I get that. I also get that the money was the ONLY reason I stuck to the challenge before, and I’m pretty sure I won’t do it without money this time.
(I mean, look, if the health benefits were enough, I and every other fat person would be thin, active, and healthy. Right? Whether they *should* be enough is utterly irrelevant.)
So, I suppose the challenge is a big maybe while he and I negotiate.
Terms of the challenge:
This challenge will/would be similar to the last, but not exactly the same. I’m tweaking the diet a bit and adding some flexes.
- Between today and June 8, I’m following the Leptin Reset Protocol by Dr. Jack Krause. It’s strict Paleo, no cheats, fewer than 25g net carbs per day.
After June 8, everything loosens up a bit:
- Six days a week I’ll follow strict Paleo. That means no grains, no legumes, no starches, no sugar (except for dark chocolate and as explained in the Flex section below), and no dairy. I can do limited fruit — my doctor wanted me to include berries — raw honey, and dark chocolate. But I want to keep myself to fewer than 50g net carbs per day. Preferably far less.
- The seventh day is still a free day, but for the most part I want to keep it more controlled than it used to be. I have ideas about what I want to do, but to keep flexibility, for the purposes of the challenge, Saturdays are still a free day.
Flexes. The biggest issue with the challenge last time was that it had zero flexibility, and life just isn’t that predictable.
- Flex #1. I’m going to build in 10 “Get Out of Jail Free” cards. That averages 1 per month, but that’s not how I have to use them. Basically a flex allows me to have an additional free day. They will keep me sane when I’m sick, when I have to spend ALL DAY at a work function, when I have to travel, when we lose power and can’t heat food, etc.
- Flex #2. Salad dressing. I had this one last time. I don’t eat a lot of salad, but when I do — particularly if I’m at a restaurant — I don’t want to futz with trying to ensure the dressing is Paleo-friendly.
- Flex #3. I eat very few prepared foods, and I’m not changing that. But occasionally there’s something we want to try that’s 99% Paleo… but it has some minute quantity of sugar or non-honey sweetener in it. Get over it. I’m tired of that level of micromanagement. Daily net carb levels DO apply, however, and this isn’t an excuse to go on a dessert binge.
- Flex #4. Soy sauce. Tamari is preferred, but if I can’t get it, I will survive, even though soy sauce has gluten in it.
- Flex #5. Occasional cheese. I want to be 99% dairy-free. However sometimes my husband likes to cook a meal that has some cheese. It shouldn’t be a regular thing, but I can live with special occasions.
Low Carb/Paleo/Primal resources
When people ask me about low carb or Paleo/Primal, I find I recommend the same resources over and over. I decided to compile them, so I’d have a good place to send them for the details.
Blogs I highly recommend
The first two are written for the lay person. They present a fair amount of science, but they’re still strongly skewed toward a lay audience.
- Mark’s Daily Apple (The Primal Blueprint) — My favorite on a daily basis. For basics about the Primal Lifestyle, however, I think you’re better off reading his book.
- Robb Wolf (The Paleo Solution) — I find this one kind of hit or miss on a daily basis, but overall there are more hits than misses.
These next three blogs have a more science-heavy bent. I think they’re still (mostly) accessible to a lay audience, but they go into a lot more depth. DOn’t be scared off, though. The information is FANTASTIC.
Blogs that are sometimes helpful
- Healthy Diets and Science — a compilation of scientific research that supports low carb dieting. I don’t always love how the person who runs the site summarizes the results, but the studies are fascinating. Includes links to the studies themselves, if you want to delve into nitty gritty.
- Chris the Kiwi — the guy behind “Athletic Greens.” Defnitely for the lay person. Not as good as Mark’s or Robb’s sites, but occasionally interesting.
- The 4-Hour Life — based on Tim Ferriss’s 4-Hour Body. Not all of that book agrees with Paleo/Primal, but there’s still some good info here. I *think* this site is written by a doctor.
Books
If you want an intro with lots of science but still written for a lay person:
- Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It, by Gary Taubes
- Good Calories, Bad Calories, by Gary Taubes
If you want the in-depth science (written for doctors by doctors), this has become my BIBLE:
- The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living: An Expert Guide to Making the Life-Saving Benefits of Carbohydrate Restriction Sustainable and Enjoyable, by Drs. Stephen D. Phinney and Jeff S. Volek
Other books
These two outline the diet principles, but don’t delve exhaustively into the science behind obesity:
- The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy, by Mark Sisson
- The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet, by Robb Wolf and Loren Cordain Ph.D.
This one, again, doesn’t agree entirely with Paleo/Primal, but it has some AMAZING tips and tricks:
- The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman, by Timothy Ferriss
Finally, if you’re not interested in Paleo/Primal, but are still open to low carb, check out these two:
- The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The Simple Plan to Flatten Your Belly Fast!, by Drs. Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades
- Protein Power: The High-Protein/Low-Carbohydrate Way to Lose Weight, Feel Fit, and Boost Your Health–in Just Weeks!, by Drs. Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades
My journey to low carb
For my entire adult life, I have been the voice of Common Wisdom when it comes to nutrition. A healthy diet should be 50-60% carbs, with a foundation of complex carbs from whole grains, should have a moderate amount of low-fat protein, and should be low in fat overall. Carbs were, after all, the body’s primary fuel! Doctors said it, nutritionists said it, government agencies said it, and goodness knows, the media said it. Weight loss was about a healthy diet and calories in/calories out. I was fat because I ate too much crap and didn’t move enough.
I didn’t just believe it, I *knew* it. It was TRUTH. And because that was truth, low carb was WRONG. It was a lie. Temporary weight loss due, I thought, to calorie restriction. High fat levels meant those foolish adopters would die of heart disease. High protein meant they would all have kidney stones. And their brains were starving to death because their bodies were ketogenic.
TRUTH, I tell you! TRUTH!
Back in late January 2011, I heard about a book called 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. Dr. Oz grudgingly admitted that the tips in the book had solid science behind them, and I was intrigued. It didn’t sound like the usual diet book, and it wasn’t. The book is much, much more than a diet book, and I highly recommend it. But the diet portion — just two or three chapters out of the whole thing — was intriguing enough that I was willing to try it. It’s called “Slow Carb” — not low carb, and at no time does he call it a low carb diet (which is good because I’d have immediately shut my mind to it) — and Ferriss claims that by following these insulin-reducing steps, you can lose 20lbs a month. I didn’t lose 20lbs per month, but I shed 30lb in about 8 weeks, and I felt great the whole time.
Slow Carb is a difficult diet to maintain. No grains, no fruit, no dairy, no starchy veggies. It’s not intended as a permanent lifestyle; it’s formulated for quick fat loss. Six days a week are extremely restrictive and not fun at all, and after a business trip broke my streak and focused me on other things, I found it hard to go back to. But it had one extremely important lasting benefit: It turned me on to the importance of insulin in weight loss.
Fast forward a few months. I had gained back a little of the weight (not all by a long shot, not even most), and I really wanted to get back on track. At the beginning of the year, I had begun working out, and I had kept up at least occasional weekly workouts throughout the year. In July I got interested in improving my endurance. I am built for power, not endurance, and cardio workouts have always been pure torture for me. But, I decided that there were some bucket list goals I had that required endurance, so I needed to get past that hurdle.
I found a book by a man named Phil Maffetone published in the mid 90s. Maffetone’s method was used by elite endurance athletes to get *better*. His book wasn’t just about training, though. He also talked quite a bit about diet. One of the problems the people who came to him had was that even though they were winning races, they were completely wiped out afterwards — and they occasionally bonked during long races and lost. He had them completely change their diet — a change away from the carb-heavy diet promoted by endurance coaches and athletes everywhere.
He never mentions the term “low carb,” which is good because I still wouldn’t have listened. He starts with a two-week carb intolerance phase. No sugar, no grains, no starches. Preferably no fruit. Only heavy cream and unprocessed, full-fat cheese in the dairy category. No processed food. To be 100% honest, I did this because I thought a nice limited intro like this might be good for my *husband*. I knew from Slow Carb that being grain-free felt great. (My husband did it, and struggled through the first week. But he has been a believer since!)
During the Carb Intolerance test, I began researching different, similar diets. I created a spreadsheet comparing Slow Carb, Maffetone’s Carb Intolerance phase, Maffetone’s general recommendations, Paleo, and Primal Blueprint. I wanted something I could live with. No grains was okay, but I still couldn’t tolerate the words “low carb,” so I didn’t look at South Beach or Atkins. Why, out of all the choices, did I choose Paleo and Primal as possibilities? Because of my Crossfit trainer, Jenny.
Jenny is an amazing woman. Amazing. She’s a Crossfit trainer, a weight lifter, a firefighter, and a triathlete. She’s in her late 40s, but she has roughly 14% body fat — and she doesn’t diet. She eats eggs and avocados and coconut milk. She’s Paleo all the way. Jenny had been telling me about Paleo for a couple of years at least, but I wasn’t interested. Frankly, the whole argument that we should emulate the diet of cavemen seemed ridiculous to me. That was a million years ago, and they died at, like, 24. Besides, Paleo guidelines flew in the face of that TRUTH about nutrition I was sure I knew.
I had a lot to learn.
I started reading Mark’s Daily Apple, the blog of a man named Mark Sisson, the mind behind Primal Blueprint. Although Sisson is steadfastly no grains, Primal is fairly flexible about things like dairy and fruit, so I found it the most attractive of the options. In truth, his blog isn’t the best place to go for basic info on Primal. He’s a bit… wordy and hard to follow sometimes. His professionally edited book is a much better source for that. But his blog is filled with interesting tidbits and fantastic success stories. He frequently goes into the science of weight loss and reviews various scientific studies, picking them apart. I began to realize that the science of nutrition isn’t as cut and dried as Common Wisdom would have us believe.
I think it was Mark who was responsible for another major change in my thinking. Common wisdom says that carbs are our primary and preferred fuel. This makes no sense. Our bodies are capable of unlimited fat storage. In contrast, our muscles can provide about 20 minutes of energy via glucose. To fill our bodies with carbs is to increase insulin, which science has known for decades is the culprit behind the physiology of obesity. Our bodies were *meant* to burn fat as fuel, not carbs. That means we are *supposed* to be in a ketogenic state. Our bodies thrive on it. (There is a long continuum, from producing a tiny bit of ketones to a potentially fatal condition called ketoacidosis. A person can exist as a ketone-producing, fat-burning machine indefinitely without ever suffering from ketoacidosis. To suggest otherwise is simply a scare tactic.)
My husband turned me on to another blog, that of Dr. Michael Eades. Yup, an MD. Dr. Mike and his wife are the minds behind a low carb program called Protein Power that came out in the mid-90s. His blog goes much more into the science behind nutrition and obesity. Fascinating reading. For more fascinating reading, I downloaded (for Kindle) one of his more recent books, The Six-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle. Devoured it in a day. Probably the most interesting part was where he presented case studies from his obesity patients. It wasn’t the weight loss that was fascinating — it was the changes in blood chemistry. When he switched people to his low carb plan, he had them stop taking their blood pressure and cholesterol medication *that day*, and their readings were down to normal within two weeks. (He said the actual major changes occurred within three days, but most people didn’t retest that quickly.)
Then I read a book Dr. Mike highly recommended, Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes. This book doesn’t provide an eating plan, as I’d hoped. (I wanted to compare it to the others.) This book is all about the science of why we get fat and the history of that science. Did you know that prior to the 1960s (70s?), that obesity was considered a physiological issue, not a moral failing? They knew, as early as the 1920s that insulin and issues with how and when it signaled the body to retain/release fat were the problem behind obesity. Now obesity is the problem of lazy people who overeat and don’t move. The cure: eat less and move more! But Taubes explains why that solution fails and will continue to fail.
He explores WHY the current nutritional wisdom is what it is. Basically, in the 70s, heart disease became a key issue. Someone concluded that because people with heart disease have saturated fat and cholesterol clogging their arteries, then saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet must be bad. Whole grains reduced some of what was determined to be bad. So a whole generation of “heart healthy grains” and “low fat diets” resulted. The problem is, heart disease has increased (yes, really), and we’ve all gotten fatter. And the science that is supposed to show that dietary saturated fat and dietary cholesterol raise fat and cholesterol in the blood don’t show that. They show the opposite.
Taubes also looks at the diets of different peoples around the world, both now and historically. It’s very clear, and rather frightening, that populations that had no history of obesity developed it after the introduction of sugar and white flour. And cavemen? Well, I was wrong about that one too. Humans were hunter-gathers for 99.5% of their total existence. Only .5% of our existence has occurred since the advent of agriculture. From an evolutionary perspective, we were meant to eat a mostly meat diet, high in animal fat, with some plant-based carbs, some seasonal fruit (in some cultures — some, like the Innuits, had NO veggies or fruits [or obesity prior to the introduction of sugar and white flour]), and little (if any) dairy. From an anthropological perspective, the same diet appears in modern hunter-gatherer populations and in the populations with the lowest incidence of obesity. Obesity can be clearly mapped to the introduction of sugar and white flour, especially the flour. (There are some populations that have grain in their diets without obesity, but they prepare the grains through fermentation.)
Basically, I have read enough now to believe that common wisdom is wrong. The science just doesn’t back them up. And frankly, neither do the results. Any system where 95% of dieters gain back the weight they lost is BROKEN.
So based on what I’ve read and learned, I am now firmly in the low carb camp. I’m losing weight slowly and steadily, and I feel fantastic. I have a ton of energy, and I have no problem finishing a hard, trainer-led workout. We’ll see what the long-term results are. I’m scheduled for my annual physical at the end of October, so we’ll see then how my blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol numbers have faired.