Is your low-carb diet relying too much on Ketostix?
One of the most interesting tools we have at our disposal when we start livin' la vida low-carb to let us know whether we are doing it right or not is a testing strip that measures ketone levels called Ketostix (there are other brand names for ketone sticks, but this one from Bayer is the most common). Basically, here's how it works: you can check your urine on this testing strip to see how many ketone bodies you are excreting out of your body. Ketones are present when you are in ketosis which is instigated when you keep your carbohydrates at a ketogenic level (usually under 50g carbs daily).
I recently asked a group of low-carb experts the following question--"Is Ketosis Necessary On A Low-Carb Diet?" That seems to be a "well duh" kind of question which is why we use things like Ketostix to see whether we are in ketosis or not. But where people seem to get most confused is with the color of the testing strip. If it's light pink, then I must be doing something wrong. My Ketostix need to be dark purple if I am experiencing "deep" ketosis, right? I get these kind of questions every single week and they miss the point of the testing strips.
In Episode 47 of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube," Christine and I seek to better explain the purpose of Ketostix by telling you what they are for, what the various colors actually mean, why showing no ketones on these strips may not be a bad thing, and how you can virtually guarantee your body is in ketosis. I'm astonished by how many people are still so concerned about the results of their Ketostix, but hopefully this video will clear up some of the miscommunication.
Find out all you need to know about Ketostix in today's video:
Noted biochemistry professor Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York provided a very succinct explanation for how these Ketostix are supposed to work:
"There is a continuum of ketosis. In fact, one of the features of ketone bodies is that, unlike other fuels, glucose and fatty acids, they can be present in plasma over a wide range of concentrations. What is true is that Ketostix measure ketonuria (ketones in the urine) which may or may not give you an accurate view of plasma ketone bodies. If ketone bodies are used as fast as they are made, you may never see ketosis."
This should give those people who see pink or even beige on the ketone testing strips hope that they are indeed in ketosis even if the tests say otherwise. The bottom line you should remember is that Ketostix are merely a low-carb guide to provide proof that you are livin' la vida low-carb in a ketogenic state, but they're really not that necessary if you are keeping your carbohydrates significantly reduced below 50g daily. When you are doing that, then you WILL be in ketosis. Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion about why some people seek purple and others see pink or beige.
"The Biggest Loser" 4 contestant Isabeau Miller
Also in today's video, Christine and I share about our upcoming trip to Nashville, Tennessee to attend "Biggest Loser" 4 contestant Isabeau Miller's FitCamp. Since landing in the final four last Fall on the hit NBC-TV weight loss reality series, Isabeau Miller has taken her passion for her own personal weight loss journey and is now helping others who struggle with obesity like she once did before Jillian Michaels got a hold of her tail and whipped it into shape. Today she is a personal trainer and is giving me and several of my readers a chance to experience what it was like to be on "The Biggest Loser" over a special two-week period.
The first session of FitCamp in July just concluded and our session in August will commence on August 17th. We will be doing a daily video log of this experience and sharing it on YouTube as part of a FitCamp series of videos. Isabeau said she will not be allowed to be videotaped because of contractual obligations from her stint on "The Biggest Loser." But I'm gonna ask permission from the other people who will be there going through this experience with me to talk about how FitCamp is helping them. I am super-excited about this, especially in light of my recent 30-pound weight gain I've experienced. Perhaps this will get me back to where I need to be. I sure hope so. :)
We LOVE making videos for you and doing them on topics that YOU care about. Tell us your show ideas for future videos by e-mailing them to livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Check through all of our previous YouTube videos to make sure we haven't already tackled your favorite subject! While we were away last week, there was a sudden surge of people decided to subscribe to our YouTube videos and now we have well over 600 subscribers! WOW! Join in on the low-carb fun on YouTube and help us spread the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb to the masses!
Anyone who is considering livin' la vida low-carb absolutely needs to start with at least a two-week period of what the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins called Induction. Too many people underestimate the importance of this initial period of low-carb where you are trying to get your body into fat-burning mode, aka ketosis. But it is more valuable to your success than you even realize. So, what do you eat on Induction?
In Episode 38 of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube," Christine and I attempt to answer that question with practical advice for anyone who is considering or wants to be refreshed on the basics of low-carb Induction. It sounds easy to just keep your carbs low by eating meat, eggs, and cheese all day, but Induction is so much more than that as you will find out in this informative video we made for those who would like to begin Induction.
Look at all the food you can eat on Induction in today's video:
I get so many e-mails from people who just don't know what to eat on their low-carb lifestyle. Part of the reason for this lack of knowledge is they haven't read any low-carb books to know how to do this way of eating correctly. Let me reiterate it here: READ THE BOOK!!! It's okay to have a basic understanding of livin' la vida low-carb, but why limit your education to a few bits and pieces here and there?
Get Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution for all the details about the Atkins diet. Or you can choose a book like Dr. Jonny Bowden's Living The Low-Carb Life if you are unsure of which low-carb plan you want to choose. With all low-carb plans, the Induction phase is VERY important, so don't neglect it! We'll be expanding on the subject of Induction again in our next video on YouTube, so be looking for that coming soon.
Our YouTube videos continue to attract new viewers each week, so you can see them all by clicking here. We are quickly approaching 500 subscribers to our videos and you can join that group by subscribing to our videos for yourself and see the new episodes of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" within minutes after they are uploaded. As always, e-mail us your feedback anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. THANK YOU for your support! :)
Does Ketosis Cause An Internal Rise In Body Temperature?
Low-carb burns fat, but can it lead to extra body heat?
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I feel my temperature rising Help me, I'm flaming I must be a hundred and nine Burning, burning, burning And nothing can cool me I just might turn into smoke But I feel fine
--Elvis Presley singing "Burning Love"
Somebody's turned up the heat up in here and it's gotta be that low-carb diet I'm on, right? That's what everybody does with livin' la vida low-carb when something new happens to them after starting this way of eating--they blame it on low-carb! I mocked this notion in this blog post about an earache a couple of years ago, but what if there is merit to some rather strange side effects of following a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach? Hmmmmmm.
This 43-year old man starting cutting his carbohydrate intake beginning in January 2008 and has lost over 25 pounds so far. WOO HOO! He has really enjoyed this new low-carb lifestyle change, but was curious about an unexpected side effect that has been plaguing him with no apparent cause. Here's what he wrote:
Hey Jimmy,
After lots of searches, I'm having trouble finding out if anyone experiences a sensation of a rise in body temperature while in ketosis. There are some days I feel like I am literally burning up (but I don't have a fever or anything). Coincidentally, usually the next day after this happens, I am down another pound. It's like the hotter I feel, the faster I lose weight.
Is this a side effect of my body burning stored fat and an increase in my metabolism? I'm having a hard time finding an answer in any literature I've read. Thanks for your time!
What an awesome question! Before I started livin' la vida low-carb weighing in at over 400 pounds, I was ALWAYS hot. HOT HOT HOT with sweaty palms and underarms all the time. I felt like I was on fire all the time. But when I went on the Atkins diet on January 1, 2004, I noticed very quickly a cooling effect happening within the first few months. At first, it was kinda weird when I wouldn't sweat anymore. I REALLY liked that because it was so incessant for most of my life.
But then when I'd shake someone's hand, I could tell my hands were much colder than everyone else. It was as if someone turned the thermostat inside my body down to extreme cold when I started livin' la vida low-carb and it still happens to me to this day especially when I drink a lot of water. And the funny thing is the water doesn't even have to be cold for this to happen. Strange, I know, but that's my experience.
So when I read this e-mail asking about getting HOTTER because of the fat-burning effects of ketosis on a low-carb diet, I didn't know what he was talking about since that wasn't anything close to what I dealt with. I had my suspicions about what may be causing it and shared those with my reader:
GREAT QUESTION! I suspect the ketosis is causing the rise in your body temperature because of the fat-burning that ensues in this state.
But rather than guessing and assuming at what the reason for this is, I decided to throw this question to a handful of my low-carb expert friends to see if they had any insights or practical experiences to share with us about this phenomenon. We'll hear from Jackie Eberstein, Dr. Jonny Bowden, and Dr. Richard Feinman with their responses.
I'm at a loss. I've never heard of nor have I experienced this one. As far as I know, there is no mention in research either that I recall. Sorry I can't be more helpful.
That's okay, Jackie! Although having worked with Dr. Robert C. Atkins for three decades treating all kinds of patients with a low-carb dietary regimen, I'm surprised something like this hasn't come up at least a few times. Interesting. Let's see what Jonny Bowden has to say.
I have never actually heard of that happening, but it absolutely passes the "smell test" to me. In fact, when you stop and think about it, this makes total sense on both an intuitive and a biological level.
I suspect what's happening is that thermogenesis is raised in the body, meaning the furnace temperature is up, fat-burning is accelerated, and that is why your reader is experiencing a temporary rise in body temperature. My guess is you are absolutely right about why this is happening.
It certainly makes sense despite my own personal experience. If you are burning fat, then that could cause an increase in heat which leads to an elevated temperature. Finally, let's talk to a biochemist who really knows his stuff--Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY and the co-editor of the Nutrition & Metabolism journal.
There are reports in the literature of this kind of observation by subjects in trials of high-fat diets. Little is known, however, of what controls perception of heat and the relation to food consumption.
The phenomenon of diet-induced thermogenesis or thermic effect of feeding (the old name for this was "specific dynamic action"), however, is well known and it is generally agreed that, at least under experimental conditions, consumption of 20% of protein calories, 5% of carbohydrate calories, and 3% of fat calories is "wasted" in increased heat production.
Karst H, Steiniger J, Noack R, Steglich HD: Diet-induced thermogenesis in man: thermic effects of single proteins, carbohydrates and fats depending on their energy amount. Ann Nutr Metab 1984, 28(4):245-252.
Abstract: The diet-induced thermogenesis of 12 healthy males of normal body weight was measured by means of indirect calorimetry over 6 h after test meals of 1, 2 or 4 MJ protein (white egg, gelatin, casein), carbohydrate (starch, hydrolyzed starch) or fat (sunflower oil, butter). The effect of 1 MJ protein was at least three times as large as that of an isocaloric carbohydrate supply.
In mixed meals there is little agreement because of the small number of studies and the fact that it is so complicated with other factors. For example, drinking cold water will increase heat expenditure. We certainly have the idea, supported by both experimental studies and anecdotal observations, that low-carb diets are less efficient at fat storage and that the missing energy may appear as heat. There is also the idea that the underlying mechanism can be related to ketone bodies but it would be impossible to say whether or not this is the cause in the case described by your reader.
So, the jury is still out on the question of whether ketosis brought on by a low-carb diet leads to an increase in body temperature. Has anyone else experienced this on your low-carb lifestyle? Or were you like me and started freezing when you decided to go low-carb? Share your comments about what you've experienced. Are you hot or are you not? :)
Is Ketosis Necessary On A Low-Carb Diet? Let's Ask The Experts!
One of the most asked about aspects of livin' la vida low-carb has got to the issue of ketosis. There is so much misinformation about there about this very natural state that the body goes through when you are on a low-carb diet (primarily confusing it with a serious condition that diabetics must be careful of called ketoacidosis--NOT the same as ketosis). As such, there may be confusion that lingers out there among my readers who are just learning about this way of eating.
In this recent blog post where I provided some "quickie one-liner" responses to some e-mails, I made the following statement:
Being in ketosis is like being pregnant--you either are or you're not; regardless of what the Ketosticks show you, if you are eating less than 30g carbohydrates a day, then you ARE in ketosis.
One of my readers named Charles Fred decided to respond to my statement which he disagreed with and it gets to the very heart of this issue about ketosis. Here's what he wrote:
Your statement reflects today's informed opinion, but my article in work, Unified Physiology of the Metabolic Syndrome, has given me an unusual perspective which for the sake of brevity I'll state dogmatically.
Ketosis need not and should not be part of low-carb eating. Low-carb diets should never be labeled as ketogenic diets. Ketosis appears to be an Induction phase of low-carb eating, but in fact it is a last ditch response to inadequate glucose. As such it is either temporary or avoidable.
Low-carb eating is the evolution-derived diet of humans (unlike other primates). Humans are carnivores, hunters, because human evolution happened pre-fire and pre-agriculture when very few carbs were edible. For carnivores, gluconeogenesis in the liver supplies all necessary glucose.
But if someone abruptly switches from high carbs to very low carbs, gluconeogenesis will be inadequate to supply enough glucose - causing weakness, dizziness and ketosis.
Well if gluconeogenesis is supposed to be adequate, why does it fail? When you eat carbs they are stored as glucose (glycogen) in your glucose fuel tank - your liver. When you manufacture glucose from protein via gluconeogenesis it is stored in that same fuel tank, intermingled with those dietary carbs.
Enzymes, including gluconeogenic enzymes, are expressed only as needed. If your glucose storage is kept full by dietary carbs, expression of gluconeogenic enzymes is reduced. Eventually your gluconeogenic machinery becomes atrophied, inadequate to supply 100% of your glucose requirements.
So, contrary to usual practice, the proper way of switching from high-carb to low-carb is to gradually reduce dietary carbs over the course of about a month, inciting gradual rebuilding of gluconeogenic machinery. Then all those Induction woes which convince many that low-carb is not for them are avoided - as is ketosis.
Did you get all that? You'll recall I've explained gluconeogenesis before and it's a beautiful metabolic process that allows your body to make its own carbs (glucose) for the body's needs from the protein you consume through the liver. So, therefore, there isn't a real need for dietary carbohydrate at all.
But Mr. Fred believes eating too few carbohydrates to the point that your body is in a state of ketosis is harmful to your body and that a more gradual progression to lower and lower levels of carbohydrate is needed to keep the body from going through the "shock" of what many describe as the Induction flu. As someone who has gone through this experience and appreciated the benefits of making that "sudden" change, I could not disagree with him more.
What do the low-carb experts have to say, though? I decided to pose this theory put forth by Mr. Fred to several of America's most respected low-carb diet authorities and have them respond:
Not everyone who suddenly moves from a high-carb intake to Induction will get symptoms. Many make the transition very easily. My educated guess is that at least 50% make the transition easily. Others have only mild symptoms. A few have more severe symptoms that can be managed. I think the transition would be easier for more people if they read the book completely so they know what to expect and how to deal with symptoms.
After years in clinical practice I have only had a few patients that required a slow transition because of such severe symptoms. The Induction phase is important especially to those with a severe carb addiction. It is the fastest way to stabilize the blood sugar, control hunger and cravings and improve many diet related symptoms quickly. It is amazing how many people feel better once they are in ketosis by the 4th or 5th day.
Secondly, the mindset of the dieter is they want progress ASAP to stay motivated especially when having to give up some of their favorite foods. Induction provides that. By slowly lowering carbs many will give up too soon and miss the opportunity to find out how effective low-carb can be.
For people with severe health risks, rebalancing the body with a very low-carb intake can lead to rapid improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure, triglycerides and high insulin levels. Until insulin levels improve some of the other benefits of low-carb can't happen. I have seen many severely disordered insulin and blood sugar results that would take far too long to improve with even 60 or 70 grams of carbs.
Just as one diet does not fit all, one level of carb restriction does not fit all. We are all different. The level of carb intake needs to be the level that works for each person based on what we know about them. Dr. Atkins didn't always start in the Induction phase--some people didn't need it, yet many did and would not have been as successful without it.
Unfortunately, many are still stuck in the mindset that having ketones from fat burning is abnormal and undesirable. We know it is not. Dr. Veech, an NIH researcher, agrees that the negatives about dietary ketosis are misunderstood.
Humans are omnivores--able to survive as carnivore, but thrives as omnivore.
Gluconeogenesis isn't solely a metabolic process induced by carbohydrate restriction; it is a normal homeostatic process to maintain blood glucose, so even those consuming a high carbohydrate diet will utilize it as needed (usually when engaged in high levels of activity or during the period of sleep).
The idea that if you don't use it, you lose it, is an incomplete view--yes the enzymes will be made in lesser amounts if one doesn't rely on gluconeogenesis to fully supply glucose, but to claim "atrophy" sets in is a bit over the top.
Some people do find this approach to be a gentler way to restrict carbohydrate--slowly lowering their intake over a period of time; others do better just going "cold turkey" and reducing carbohydrate below 40g. Both reach the same endpoint--persistent state ketosis and utilization of gluconeogenesis. The idea that one will not induce ketosis (burning fat) doing the former is physiologically not possible--if your carbohydrate is below a particular threshold, you're going to make ketone bodies.
The result of reducing carbohydrate slowly isn't a lack of ketone bodies being produced, but less of them wasted, thus the less likelihood a person will register ketosis on Ketostix. Those who restrict carbohydrate below 40g initially make more ketone bodies than necessary, so they "spill" the excess in urine, saliva and sweat. But someone reducing carbohydrate slowly is also making ketones--just less likely to be spilling excess ketones.
With time the person who reduced carbohydrate below 40g and stays there will also begin to not see any measurable ketones on the Ketostix as they get more efficient at making ketones for energy. There is less wasted ketones, thus less to see on the sticks, as time passes. But, if one is keeping carbohydrate below 40g, they're burning fat for their primary energy source, which means they are making ketones whether they register on the sticks or not.
In most medical terminology, "osis" implies "the abnormal condition of"--like onychomycosis means "abnormal nail fungus," halitosis means "bad breath." Perhaps this is one reason why people unfamiliar with low carb approaches jump to the conclusion that "ketosis" is harmful. If you have no insulin in your body, as in Type 1 diabetes, a potentially life-threatening condition called diabetic "ketoacidosis" can occur. My Duke colleague Will Yancy published a paper looking at the pH in the blood of people on two diets (low-carb vs. low-fat) and did not find low blood pH ("acidosis"), but because the blood bicarbonate was lowered below the normal range we called it a "compensated metabolic acidosis." Another published study by Brehm showed the average level of blood ketones goes down over time.
In our clinic, some people always have ketones in the urine, others never do, other fluctuate back and forth. Dr. Atkins used the phrase "benign dietary ketosis" in his books. I have wondered if it would be better to say: "ketosis without acidosis" or "ketonuria" instead of "ketosis." "Ketonemia", which means "ketones in the blood" "ketonuria", which means "ketones in the urine."
I don't agree with Charles Fred's point of view. You can see why there might be confusion. If you said "if you are eating less than 20g of carb per day then you are burning fat, or in the fat burning zone, or the 'ketone zone'--apologies to Barry Sears and the Zone Diet--rather than "in ketosis," then this might be technically more correct.
This does not make a lot of sense to me. Ketone production and utilization and ultimately blood and urine levels vary along a continuum. So to suggest it is an absolute yes or no is not accurate. There is also a diurnal variation and many other factors that influence their metabolism other than diet (e.g., exercise). There is also a lot of individual variation in regards to the level of carbohydrate restriction required to see significant accumulation of ketones. So I don't see it as black and white.
Gluconeogenesis is more than adequate to supply obligatory glucose needs. How else would you explain the aboriginal hunting and fishing cultures (e.g., Inuit of the Arctic and First Nations groups in Canada) who survived for millennia with little if any identifiable dietary carbohydrate intake? I guess I'm not quite understanding the point of it all.
There is a continuum of ketosis. In fact, one of the features of ketone bodies is that, unlike other fuels, glucose and fatty acids, they can be present in plasma over a wide range of concentrations. What is true is that Ketostix measure ketonuria which may or may not give you an accurate view of plasma ketone bodies. If ketone bodies are used as fast as they are made, you may never see ketosis. Also, I personally think there may be more aspecs of normal ketone body metabolism than we know about now. There is the idea, for example that glial cells may supply ketones as fuel for neurons:
Ketone bodies make an important contribution to brain energy production and biosynthetic processes when glucose becomes scarce. Although it is generally assumed that the liver supplies the brain with ketone bodies, recent evidence shows that cultured astrocytes are also ketogenic cells. These findings support the notion that ketone bodies produced by astrocytes may be used in situ as substrates for neuronal metabolism, and raise the possibility that astrocyte ketogenesis is a neuroprotective pathway.
This theory from Mr. Fred seems to assume that ketosis is somehow foreign or not part of normal metabolism. It is true that it may take some time to adapt to it but there is no reason to assume that it is inherently undesirable. Human evolution probably had a lot of starvation. The function of ketone bodies is to keep gluconeogenesis from having to supply all necessary glucose because it can be a drain on body protein.
I don't think gluconeogenesis fails. There is just some period of adaptation. If there is evidence for Mr. Fred's theory, then I would be interested. Practically, it may feel better to adapt to low-carb slowly--I think it depends on how much carbs you start out with--but the idea you can be on very low-carb and not be in ketosis has to be tested. I personally doubt it but I don't know.
Ketone body production is under the control of many factors: glucose, insulin, fatty acids, level of oxidative metabolism, etc. I think there is also a time factor. Many people eat one meal a day, are quite happy with it and they may be in ketosis at some point during the day. So, it may be useful for some people to get into low-carb slowly but I don't react well when somebody tells me didactically the proper way to eat. "Proper" usually means the way they do it.
I don't agree with this man at all. Your body still produces ketones from all the extra dietary fat, and it gets better at doing that and using the ketones as time goes on. In our work at the University of Connecticut, with three months of following a weight loss ketogenic diet all subjects had a decline in urinary ketones over time even though they were eating the same foods and had the same caloric restriction.
What's happening is that the body is getting better at taking up the ketones--maybe ketone receptor unregulation. Also, they all still had ketones in their blood after three months and this was higher than baseline and much higher than those following a low-fat diet. Your body does not have enough metabolic machinery to produce enough of it's own glucose to support all organs (i.e. your heart).
Yes, it's true gluconeogenesis goes up, but most organs don't use it anyway. That's why blood glucose tends to drift up over time.
Now that the experts have weighed in on Charles Fred's hypothesis, why not share YOUR thoughts based on your own experience following a low-carb diet. Did you ease into livin' la vida low-carb and have excellent results doing it that way? Or did you do like most of us did, myself included, and go from a high-carb to a low-carb diet overnight? Did you see measurable results doing it that way despite having some temporary unpleasantness? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Special thanks to all the experts I quoted in this post for sharing their knowledge about this subject of ketosis. On behalf of me and my readers, THANKS SO MUCH! :)
In an ideal world, there would be clear-cut criteria laid out in black and white about how to do a low-carb diet. While there are certain basics that apply to virtually every low-carb plan, there are also what I would describe as "gray areas" where it will really depend on the individual to figure out for themselves.
One such issue is caffeine. If you have read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, then you know the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins addresses this subject a couple of times--but only in passing. Here are the two brief references I found in my mass paperback version of the book:
Page 189--"Excessive caffeine has been shown to cause a hypoglycemic reaction, which will provoke cravings and cause you to overeat. Omitting caffeine may be a big sacrifice for you, but, in my experience, weight loss often starts up again as soon as people remove caffeine from their regimen."
Page 222--"Consume caffeine only in moderation."
Other than those two points, Dr. Atkins didn't say much else about caffeine consumption. Obviously he felt there was enough of a negative metabolic response to caffeine intake for him to dissuade Atkins dieters to try to steer clear of it as much as possible.
But what about the impact of caffeine on ketosis? Is there any and what guidelines can people following a low-carb diet use to gauge what amount of caffeine intake they can tolerate while still losing weight? These are some of the questions that were explored by one of my intelligent readers in the following e-mail:
Hi Jimmy,
I would like to clear something up with your help. I feel there needs to be a summary, possibly a FAQ, on caffeine. Here's my question: What are the effects of caffeine, ESPECIALLY when one is in ketosis?
When talking about caffeine, there are several hurdles most web articles don't get over.
1. The reasons why caffeine use is discouraged on low-carb.
A. I don't use caffeine because I don't want my weight loss/maintenance to be based on a drug.
B. I don't use caffeine because it negatively affects my mind, sleep, heart rate, or other.
2. I use caffeine because it speeds up my metabolism.
Okay, most agree it speeds up metabolism. How about difference in metabolic effect between ketosis and non-ketosis?
3. Caffeine causes release of adrenaline, which causes the liver to break down glycogen, causing a temporary increase of blood sugar, which causes insulin to be released. Thus the dreaded blood sugar/insulin roller coaster.
This I cannot find an answer for. Does this same process happen under ketosis?
As you know, Jimmy, everything changes when in ketosis. Most studies do not differentiate, which usually means NONE of the subjects studied were ever in ketosis, and thus they don't know. This seems to be true in every area of science, which is why so many nutritionists are so ill-informed and against low-carb.
Since I don't have problems under #1, and #2 seems to be a benefit, my whole use of caffeine hinges on #3, and I don't know the first thing about testing blood sugar levels on myself.
If caffeine causes the rollercoaster in ketosis, then I will stop using it. But how do I find out this fact? Is a caffeine FAQ a good idea?
As always, thanks for being such a great resource for everything low-carb!
Now THERE is somebody who's putting on their thinking cap about how he needs to be livin' la vida low-carb. I can appreciate anyone who cares enough to contemplate what's best for them that they would go through the trouble of analyzing something like caffeine consumption so closely. KUDOS to my reader!
My personal experience with caffeine consumption, primarily through diet sodas, has been negligible if non-existent regarding my weight loss and maintenance. I'm a fairly heavy diet soda drinker and switch back and forth between the ones with caffeine and the ones without (depending on what's on sale).
The only adverse effect I have noticed are the headaches when I switch to the non-caffeinated diet sodas. It lasts a couple of days and then I'm better. My weight does not change enough one way or the other, so caffeine doesn't bother me. But not everyone is this way.
For some, caffeine can cause their blood sugar levels to go haywire and bring on intense sugar cravings that lead to binge eating. This is NOT a healthy reaction when you are trying to overcome carbohydrate addiction and shed the pounds. So, are there any studies on caffeine and ketosis that might shed some light on this reader's questions?
I went directly to the most knowledgeable Atkins diet expert I know--Jackie Eberstein--who worked directly with Dr. Atkins for three decades treating obese and diabetic patients with a low-carb dietary approach. Here's what she had to say about this issue:
Jimmy,
I am not aware of any studies that have looked at caffeine and ketosis. I can only comment upon my experience with myself and any number of my patients over the years.
Caffeine for someone with an unstable blood sugar can cause the blood sugar rollercoaster regardless of ketosis.
Some people are more sensitive than others and of course the amount of exposure matters. Other factors matter such as having caffeine when the blood sugar is more stable after eating a low-carb meal may have no or only limited negative effects. For some of us caffeine when we are stressed for other reasons can really provoke symptoms.
One needs to determine their tolerance. I recommend that people with an unstable blood sugar avoid caffeine intake and others limit to at most about 3 servings daily.
THANK YOU, Jackie! So the jury is still out about caffeine on a low-carb diet. I know I try to avoid it as much as possible just as I steer clear of aspartame and maltitol. There are plenty of alternatives to these that I enjoy, so there's no use in forcing myself to consume products with these ingredients in them.
When I forwarded Jackie Eberstein's e-mail to my reader to let him know her perspective about his thought-provoking questions, here's what he had to say:
Hi Jimmy,
Thank you so much for replying to my email. It seems very true when they say we are 50 years away from fully understanding the affect of food on our physiology. The essence of Ms. Eberstein's message is "see how it affects you and act accordingly."
Until we have the scientific facts, we all have to make little experiments in our diets. That makes your blog and forum one of the most valuable things because people's experiences become most important where the science is lacking.
Excellent discussion topic regarding caffeine and ketosis and I welcome your feedback on this subject matter in the comments section below. How has caffeine affected you? Does it kick you out of ketosis or lead to weight gain? Or do you avoid it like the plague so you don't have to mess with it? Let's hear from you!
Hey everyone, I'm back from vacation--albeit VERY tired right now from an early rise and long drive. But I just had to blog about an e-mail I received from a new low-carber who had some questions about her carb intake that you may find intriguing.
Rather than me explaining the obvious answers, let's see how well my very knowledgeable readers can do to respond to this. There's so much flawed in this person's rationalization of livin' la vida low-carb that it should be pretty easy.
Here's what the reader sent to me in an e-mail:
Hi Jimmy,
I've gotten past the Induction period and have been doing very well with keeping my carb intake below 20 grams per day with the exception of this evening's dinner when I ate 2 1/2 wings, 2 drumsticks and a biscuit from Popeye's which totals about 51 carbs for one meal.
I read the blog post you provided about some people eating 50-60 carbs in a day and still lost weight, but what happens if I eat 51 carbs in a day but all at one meal? Does this kick my body off of ketosis? And will it take 2-3 days to get back to ketosis or 2 weeks more of Induction?
Thanks very much for your help.
I already responded to the reader, but let's have some fun. What say YOU?
Drs. Maratos-Flier and Kliewer found the hormone behind Atkins diet
We have seen some truly remarkable research come out in favor of the Atkins low-carb diet this year, most notably the Stanford JAMA study from March 2007 showing it as the superior diet for weight and health.
People who are livin' la vida low-carb already naturally accept the physiology behind this way of eating as an excellent way to burn stored fat through the use of ketosis and that those ketone bodies become our source of energy rather than carbohydrates. We've even had studies showing a low-carb diet burns twice as much stored fat as a low-fat diet.
But now we read in this MedPage Today column that two different researcher teams have stumbled upon what one of them describe as a "serendipitous" discovery of a hormone in their studies that actually works as the very mechanism behind why fat-burning is so functional on a low-carb diet.
The lead researcher on the first team, led by Dr. Eleftheria Maratos-Flier who serves as an investigator in the department of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as well as an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, saw something peculiar happen to mice over a 30-day period that she fed a high-fat, low-carb diet--their lipid profile remained constant and didn't go up!
This coincides with a study conducted by Dr. Jeff Volek and Dr. Stephen Phinney that found people who ate a diet higher in saturated fat did not have an elevated presence of saturated fat in their blood--as has been previously theorized. This is why fat consumed does not make you fat.
Dr. Maratos-Flier says this seemingly contradictory finding has to do with a hormone called FGF21, or fibroblast growth factor 21. It is found in the liver and is responsible for producing ketones when people consume a low-carb diet. These ketone bodies are then used to provide as much as 70 percent of the energy needs of someone eating this way.
This discovery did not go unnoticed by the researchers. Unfortunately, instead of promoting the Atkins diet as a means for lowering body fat, they instead turned to the possibilities this discovery could have on future pharmaceutical opportunities.
"We think these findings would increase the desirability of a drug that (might work through this mechanism) to increase fat oxidation in the liver," Dr. Maratos-Flier said.
WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?! Why try to make a pill that will replicate what the Atkins diet has already been shown to do a beautiful job of doing, Dr. Maratos-Flier? This is just more irresponsible extrapolations pulled from an excellent study showing a high-fat, low-carb diet is beneficial. Get your head out of the sand already!
She does acknowledge that this switch to fat-burning mode in the mice only happened when FGF21 was found in higher concentration--on either a low-carb diet or during starvation. Contrary to what the naysayers say, these two are NOT the same.
The lead researcher on the second team, Dr. Steven Kliewer who is a professor of molecular biology at the Dallas, TX-based University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, also found FGF21 breaks down stored fat in animals consuming a high-fat, low-carb diet as well as fasting.
"[A high-fat, low-carb diet] turned on a starvation response, even when the animals were feeding," Dr. Kliewer noticed. "They switched from using carbohydrates to fat stores as an energy supply."
Dr. Kliewer said this is a natural reaction in animals to a shortage of food which causes them to move less and sleep more in order to store up energy.
He was surprised that a single hormone could literally "flip the whole metabolic profile" and that it can actually serve as a balancing mechanism for consuming too many calories.
"What's really exciting is that mice with excess FGF21--even when they are fed--look like they are fasted," Dr. Kliewer found.
Somewhere up in heaven today, Dr. Atkins has got to be smiling from ear to ear. This exactly what he was talking about when he described his diet as giving people a "metabolic advantage." The fact that science is just now catching up to what the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins was sharing decades ago proves he was a man long before his time.
Dr. Kliewer admitted that this fat-burning process "makes sense" when you stop and think about it.
"During fasting, the liver hormone communicates with adipose tissue to send fat to the liver," he said. "It turns on the metabolism of fat into ketone bodies--and at the same time, it sensitizes the animals to going into torpor to conserve energy."
He added that there is an "obvious possibility that FGF21 accounts for the proposed positive effect of the Atkins diet—including weight loss and an increase in [HDL] ‘good’ cholesterol."
While Dr. Kliewer states that FGF21 might explain why the Atkins diet works, Dr. Maratos-Flier brought up the ridiculous argument that this is only true in mice right now and it is unclear of the impact on humans.
Good grief, lady! Can't you even put out the notion that it is even POSSIBLE the same results could be true in humans as well? Sheeez! To her credit, Dr. Maratos-Flier is planning on study FGF21 levels in human subjects next over just a few days. How about long-term studies of weeks, months, and years, too, Dr. Maratos-Flier?
Both of these studies were funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as well as Takeda Pharmaceuticals, the Robert A. Welch Foundation, the Betty Van Andel Foundation, the Smith Family Foundation Pinnacle Program Project Award from the American Diabetes Association, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
The results of these studies were published in the June 2007 issue of the scientific journal Cell Metabolism. Check out the abstract for both studies by Dr. Maratos-Flier and Dr. Kliewer.
Describing this research as "the most exciting" study he has ever worked on, Dr. Kliewer wants to continue looking at the role of FGF21 in increasing lifespan.
"Starvation and restricted diet are linked to some fascinating physiology including longevity," he noted. "In the long term, I would like to investigate the role of FGF21 in aging, since caloric restriction has been linked to an extended life span in many species."
I don't know about the "caloric restriction" aspect of his research, but it certainly sounds fascinating to see a low-carb diet being observed in this manner. Who knows what the implications could be. We'll be watching, Dr. Kliewer!
Dr. Thomas Seyfried says low-carb starves cancerous tumor cells
This Medical News Today story shares yet another positive health benefit to livin' la vida low-carb as a way to fight cancer cells that are causing life-threatening tumors which up until now has meant painful chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
But we've already seen a series of research studies provided over the past year confirming the low-carb treatment option for other areas of the body that cancer inflicts, including the pancreas, the esophagus, and the kidneys. This latest study confirms the use of a high-fat, low-carb diet on brain cancer, too!
Research supervisor Dr. Thomas Seyfried, professor of biology at Boston College, overlooked this study featuring a product called KetoCal. Looking at their web site, the nutritional label for each 100g serving of this powder drink product shows it contains 90 percent fat (72g), 15g protein, and just 3g carbohydrates. It is also heavily fortified with all the essential vitamins and minerals for a nutrient-dense diet.
Although this product has been primarily marketed to children with epilepsy, another health ailment that has been found to improve on a low-carb diet (with all these improvements in health just by switching to livin' la vida low-carb, why aren't we hearing more recommendations by our health leaders to have people switch to this way of eating, hmmm?), now Dr. Seyfried and his team of researchers wanted to test to see if KetoCal could improve the condition of people suffering from brain cancer.
While KetoCal was used in the study, they did not pay for this study except to donate the products that the mice involved in the study consumed. But the results of this study were not so much about any particular product as much as it was about the remarkable findings of how health improves dramatically on a high-fat, low-carb diet.
The researchers implanted into the brains of male laboratory mice two kinds of malignant tumors and then divided them into three distinctive dietary groups:
GROUP 1--Low-fat, high-carb mouse chow GROUP 2--Unlimited amounts of the high-fat, low-carb KetoCal GROUP 3--Restricted amounts of the high fat, low-carb KetoCal
What were the results of the study?
GROUP 1 and GROUP 2 did not see improvements in the brain cancer. However, GROUP 3 saw a 35-65 percent reduction in the growth of the brain tumors and extended their life survival rates longer than the control groups. Moreover, the overall health of the high-fat, low-carb GROUP 3 mice was enhanced compared with the low-fat, high-carb GROUP 1.
Describing the high-fat, low-carb diet as a "novel alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer," Dr. Seyfried believes the results his team found should lend credence to finding a more natural, just as effective, and economical way to fight this devastating condition.
"While the tumors did not vanish in the mice who received the strict KetoCal diet, they got significantly smaller and the animals lived significantly longer. And compared to radiation, chemotherapy and surgery, KetoCal is a relatively inexpensive treatment option," he said.
Since brain cancer is a leading killer among the cancers in both adults and children, researchers have been looking for less invasive ways to provide long-term management that will reduce the size of tumors by using the knowledge we already have about what feeds the cells of this cancer.
What the high-fat, low-carb diet does is basically starve tumors from getting any glucose (sugar), something we have learned from other research actually feeds cancer cells. Yikes! So, despite the low-fat diet that GROUP 1 ate, it was the high-carb content that prevented their brain tumors from seeing improvements.
Interestingly, although opponents of livin' la vida low-carb have made a mockery of ketosis and the ketone bodies that are produced on a low-carb diet, the truth of the matter is tumor cells cannot effectively metabolize them and, thus, cannot grow. Do you think you're gonna hear that on the 6 o'clock news anytime soon?! Yeah right!
What's most revealing about this study is the fact that it shows a positive step in the right direction with health as a result of going on a low-carb diet. We always hear the naysayers talking about how unsafe and ineffective this "dangerous fad" diet is for people to go on. But clearly the evidence from the research that is coming out is showing just the opposite is true.
There will come a day sometime in the future when livin' la vida low-carb will be the preferred and quite possibly recommended dietary approach to treating obesity and disease in the United States of America. It won't happen soon, but I honestly believe that day is coming. I only hope to stick around on this Earth long enough to see it happen in my lifetime. It could happen in the next 50 years. Wait and see!
2-27-07 UPDATE: I heard from Dr. Thomas Seyfried in an e-mail today regarding my blog post.
Dear Mr. Moore,
Thank you for your interest in our brain cancer research. While the impact of the calorically restricted diet on brain cancer is significant, there is still much we don't know on the molecular mechanisms of action. Providing this kind of information will eventually hasten the adaption of the diet for general clinical use.
It is also important to mention that the anti-tumor benefits of the diet are observed only when given in restricted amounts to lower total caloric intake. Our previous studies showed that we could get similar results using a calorically restricted high carbohydrate/low fat diet. The phenomenon basically involves a complex series of metabolic transitions following reductions glucose and elevations in ketones. Ketogenic diets simply provide somewhat more circulating ketone bodies than restricted high carb diets, which is healthy for normal brain cells.
Sincerely,
Professor Seyfried
Well, I certainly appreciate the correspondence Dr. Seyfried. I'd be interested in seeing the side-by-side comparison of a calorie-restricted low-carb diet with a calorie-restricted low-fat diet to see what the difference would be on cancer and other health markers. That would be a fascinating subject to study. THANKS again for your e-mail!
Vee Jefferson should be feeling mighty proud of herself right about now.
In the 18-month history of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, never has anything caused more anger and disgust from my readers than this Augusta Free Press article about livin' la vida low-carb. I quite literally received a link to this article from nearly a hundred different people begging me to respond.
When I saw it earlier this week, my first reaction was to ignore it and move on. But the more I thought about it and the more people who kept telling me about it, I changed my mind and decided to confront Jefferson's thoughtless column directly. As a registered nurse for the past decade, she has been sharing others her wealth of wisdom about health. I think her patients should demand a refund of their money for her health advice because this woman is clearly delusional about diet and nutrition.
In her column entitled "Low-carb diets - some dangerous truths uncovered," Jefferson immediately laid the groundwork for her attack against the low-carb lifestyle by declaring it as "a very unhealthy way to lose weight." She adds that it is "dangerous" for reasons that go far beyond the high-fat content and added calories. Which is worse, Ms. Jefferson, the low-carb diets like Atkins or remaining obese? I'd love to know the honest answer to that question from these people who so heavily criticize low-carb.
The side effects of low-carb that generally come in the first few days of Induction and highlighted in this recent study are described by Jefferson as "signs of impending crises."
What "crises," Ms. Jefferson? I've been eating low-carb for almost three years now. When am I supposed to be in this state of crisis that you claim? The only state of crisis that I am aware of is the OBESITY one we are experiencing currently which is why so many people need to be livin' la vida low-carb now more than ever before!
Jefferson's two biggest concerns about low-carb--she calls them "the most important dangers"--are low blood sugar and low potassium which she believes are "the quick killers."
What is it killing, Ms. Jefferson? Again, I must ask where you get this kind of information from because I don't feel like I'm going to diet anytime soon from low blood sugar or reduced potassium levels. Oh, wait a minute...ooo, ohhh, ouch, umpf, er...AHHHH! Nevermind, it was just gas. I thought I was dying there for a moment. Jefferson just had me so convinced.
Give me a freakin' break, lady! Is that REALLY the best you've got? Low-blood sugar and low-potassium?! Both of these problems can be EASILY managed on a low-carb diet because your blood sugar is STABILIZED and taking a potassium supplement can remedy those problems. This is just about as empty an argument as you can make against low-carb living.
Even still, Jefferson says "these are the things the dieters really need to know about" and that she will attempt "to make these things easy to read and unmistakably clear to everyone."
Oh goodie! Can't wait! NOT!
She did have ONE good thing to say about livin' la vida low-carb before attempting to "tear down" what she thinks is bad about it. Jefferson claims it is "a very good idea to limit carbohydrate intake," primarily sugar.
Shazam, she admits she support low-carb although she doesn't support the low-carb lifestyle. HUH?! Are you like 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry where you were FOR low-carb before you were AGAINST it?! This is gonna be ugly, I can see that right now.
Oh, she clarifies what she means by the lowering of carbohydrates versus "low-carb diets." The latter is too "strict" because it only allows 20-30 grams of carbs daily. Hey, at least she didn't say ZERO like most media pundits. But she still believes there are hazards to eating even this many carbs in your diet.
"These are the diets that can kill if the dieter is not familiar with the dangers," Jefferson wrote.
Are you ready for these lame-brained excuses for NOT doing low-carb? Here we go!
1. FIBER
"Low-carb dieters may not get enough fiber, which keeps bowel movements regular and reduces the risk of heart disease, some cancers and diabetes. Without eating carbohydrates from plant sources like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans - foods limited or banned on low carbohydrate diet plans - it is difficult to get the daily recommended amount of fiber."
Says who, Ms. Jefferson? From day one of my low-carb lifestyle which began back in January 2004 when I weighed 410 pounds, I have taken a fiber supplement in addition to the fiber I receive from the foods I eat, such as flax seed and other products. Some of my favorite low-carb bars, including GoLower nut bars as well as ChocoPerfection chocolate bars are LOADED with more fiber than most of the fruits, veggies, whole grains and beans you can buy. Fiber is an integral part of a low-carb plan and stating otherwise is intentionally manipulating the truth about this amazing way of eating.
2. WATER WEIGHT LOSS
"The truth about low-carb dieting is that you do lose weight. The first bit of weight loss, however, is water weight.
Help me, glurble glurble glurble, I'm drowning in my 200 pounds of water, glurble glurble GASP, that I lost on my low-carb diet. HA! So what do you lose on a low-fat diet, Ms. Jefferson, besides your mind?! My friend Jackie Eberstein, who worked with Dr. Robert C. Atkins for decades researching low-carb diets, thoroughly dismantled the "water weight" myth that is often drudged out by those who oppose low-carb living. I have also addressed this issue at great length previously, so I won't bore you with the details again. Ms. Jefferson, go read all about it to learn something!
3. MUSCLE MASS LOSS
"As you progress on the [low-carb] diet, you will lose some fat, but you will also lose some muscle mass. And let's not forget that the heart is a muscle, too. The marketers of these low-carb diets tell you that you should consume extra protein to avoid losing muscle mass, but experts say that eating excess protein does not prevent this because there is a caloric deficit."
"When insulin levels are chronically too low, as they may be in very low-carb diets, catabolism (breakdown) of muscle protein increases, and protein (needed for muscle building) synthesis stops. Because this causes of quick muscle fatigue, the person generally exercises and moves less (often without realizing it), which is not good for caloric expenditure and basal metabolic rate (metabolism)."
Before I started livin' la vida low-carb, the constant rollercoaster ride I gave my blood sugar levels was leading me straight towards becoming a Type 2 diabetic. But when I removed sugar and other refined and processed carbohydrates from my diet, for the first time in my life I was no longer enslaved by those foods that kept me in constant physical bondage. No more ups and downs with insulin in my body working overtime. Low-carb living normalized and balanced that in my body and I've been healthier ever since.
While the first few weeks were difficult with the energy as my body was getting used to burning fat for fuel rather than carbs, ever since then I have been one of the most energetic people you will ever meet in your entire life. I am a daily exerciser getting in my cardiovascular workouts and can go for 45, 60, even 90 minutes at a time no problem. Jefferson is again lying to you about the effect of low-carb on your body. You will WANT to exercise more because of the energy RUSH you get from being on it. Get past Induction and LOOK OUT! Whooooooosh comes the energy...I'VE GOT THE POWER!
5. KETOSIS IS DANGEROUS
"Ketosis is usually marketed to the consumer by low-carb diet advocates as being a good thing - a positive thing. I'm telling you now, it's not. I've actually read a very popular book on low-carb dieting - I'm not naming any names - where the writer actually encourages the readers to go out and buy ketone test strips so that they can have proof that their bodies have reached the desired state of fat burning."
I'll name names, Ms. Jefferson. It was Dr. Atkins and I PROUDLY used ketone strips to see if I was in ketosis or not. Seeing that pink or purple strip was a reminder of the good I was doing for my body on my way to losing over 180 pounds in 2004.
"Ketosis, left unchecked, can lead to very serious consequences. Ketosis occurs when the amount of carbohydrates (the fuel that required to make the body function) drops below a critical level."
Ketosis is NOT dangerous, Ms. Jefferson. Why do you lie so much? What are you afraid of people knowing about low-carb? Regarding carbohydrates, they are NOT the fuel of a low-carber. FAT is the fuel that we live off of which burn much more efficiently than those garbage carbs you support.
"This forces the body to turn to protein and then to the body's fat stores to do the work carbohydrates are supposed to do. When protein is used in this manner, it releases nitrogen into the blood stream, placing a burden on the kidneys as they try to expel excessive urinary water due to the loss of sodium (salt). When fat is likewise used, the breakup releases fatty acids, or ketones, into the bloodstream, which causes a further burden on the kidneys. If ketosis continues for long periods of time, serious damage to the liver and kidneys may occur. Liver failure means absolute death, because doctors can do nothing to fix this. Kidney failure means dialysis, and may eventually lead to death as well."
Oh the horrors, weeping and gnashing of teeth! Somebody call a doctor for Ms. Jefferson before she has a stroke. Thanks for your concern over my kidneys and liver, but both are doing quite well despite being on low-carb for THREE YEARS! Gasp! Shouldn't I be on dialysis by now and on my death bed? Did somebody forget to tell my body all of this bad news?
6. LOW BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
"When a person stays on a low-carb diet over a long period of time, one day they may notice that they are unusually weak. They may feel an overwhelming urge to lie down and may even feel dizzy and lightheaded. It's very important that you are aware of what is going on so that you will be able to treat yourself fast. You need sugar FAST!"
No you don't! I haven't had a bit of sugar for THREE YEARS, Ms. Jefferson. If I get dizzy, then it probably means I need to EAT SOMETHING, not jump to get sugar in my blood as soon as possible since I am not diabetic. That's some just plain ridiculous advice! That would only make the problem worse as an insulin rush would then be followed by the inevitable blood sugar crash hours later. Nope, not going through that ever again!
"Now, since you're not diabetic, it's only important for you to raise your blood-sugar level fast. Any sugar is good. Drink a soda or some juice, eat some candy or anything you have that has a good bit of sugar in it. Then eat something starchy, like a sandwich or a potato, to maintain your blood sugar and lay off the diet now."
Oh sure, recommend people eat something with a ton of sugar in it and then follow that up with a high-carb food. What a disgusting solution by someone purporting to be a health professional. She describes this as "instant death" if it is not handled appropriately, but it's more like instant HYPE from her to discourage people from trying low-carb.
"What's the seriousness of very low blood sugar? You will eventually pass out, stop breathing, and die. If you're home alone, that means no one will be able to save you. If you're driving, it means you may have an accident and possibly hurt or kill someone else in the process."
Come on, Ms. Jefferson! Enough with the theatrics here. You and I both know low-carb does NOT cause you to have low blood sugar levels. What it does is bring balance to blood sugar where it was previously out of kilter. Hyperbolizing this issue like you have done is reckless and borderline criminal by purposefully leading people to the wrong conclusions about the impact of low-carb on their bodies. Three years and running and I've never passed out, stopped breathing or died (unless I'm typing this as a ghost or something!).
7. LOW POTASSIUM LEVELS
"Diets low in carbohydrates may also be low in potassium. Foods rich in potassium, but also rich in carbohydrates, such as potatoes, fruits and beans, are restricted or banned. Low potassium, also medically known as hypokalemia, is potentially fatal. There may be no symptoms at all, but the condition is still just as deadly."
Muscle pain, muscle cramps, seizures, disturbed heart rhythm which could lead to death are all alleged symptoms of a lack of potassium in the diet. While it is true many foods high in potassium are also high in carbohydrates, that doesn't mean you can't get enough potassium in your diet from supplements. I took 300mg of potassium in the early days of my low-carb plan to ward off the leg cramps and maintain adequate potassium levels in my body. Nowadays, I use products like AlsoSalt which contains high amounts of potassium. This has NEVER been an issue on my low-carb plan...EVER!
"One thing I really want the person considering doing a low-carb diet to understand is how dangerous a muscle cramp can be. No pain, no gain, right? Wrong! Your heart is a muscle! And what do you think happens if your heart starts to cramp?"
Break my bleeding heart over this load of you know what! So, if you don't get enough potassium in your body on your low-carb plan and the cramp hits your heart, then you could die. Is that your premise, Ms. Jefferson? SO TAKE A POTASSIUM PILL AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE!!! Why go through the drama about this and give people advice about how to get more potassium in their diet, hmmm? That's seems so much more productive than railing against low-carb as a killer.
NOW DO YOU SEE WHY I STRUGGLED WITH WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS COLUMN?!
After shelling out her unsolicited opinions about the so-called dangers of low-carb living, Jefferson then gives advice of her own:
- Always talk to your doctor before starting a diet and fitness regimen.
Sure, but be prepared to go it alone if your doctor does not support your decision to begin a low-carb diet. The latest research is showing low-carb is healthier than those in the medical profession once thought.
- Eat a healthy, balanced diet and leave the fad diets alone.
Here we go again! What is a healthy diet, Ms. Jefferson? Low-fat/low-calorie foods that taste like cardboard? What is so balanced about eating THAT way?! To me and many others who have mistakenly bought into the low-fat diet propaganda in the past, most of us would agree that the low-fat diet is the most agregious fad diet that has ever been released to the world. God help us reverse the negative effects that have been unleashed because of that failed nutritional approach.
- If you are very overweight, inquire about the use of prescription diet pills with you doctor.
Holy cow, can you believe this lady recommending taking DRUGS over a natural weight loss method such as low-carb?! Talk about your DANGEROUS FADS, Ms. Jefferson! Don't lecture people about the health risks associated with low-carb and then turn right around in the same column praising the use of medications to lose weight. What kind of credibility do you have as a medical professional offering up such nonsense as this. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed last night or something?
- Exercise regularly, at least three times per week, alternating between cardiovascular and muscle strengthening exercises.
No argument from me on this. Thirty minutes daily MINIMUM is good for your heart!
- Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.
AT LEAST! I drank as much as 2-3 gallons daily when losing weight and still drink about a gallon or more per day now. Water breathes life into low-carb and works with the fiber you consume to flush the stored fat out of your body.
- Sleep is important to reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. Get enough sleep every night. Eat within 20 minutes of waking (this revs up the metabolism for the day).
You won't hear me bemoan this advice. Sleep is essential to your health on so many levels and eating breakfast is vital to starting your day off fueled up ready to take on the activities of your day--even on that "dangerous" low-carb diet!
- Make breakfast your biggest meal, instead of dinner. Eat five small meals throughout the day, instead of three large meals.
- And try not to get on the scale too often. A healthy weight loss should be no more than 1-2 pounds per week. If you get on the scale and are disappointed or frustrated by your progress, it may cause you to back slide. Mostly measure your success by how good you feel and how your clothes fit, or better yet, don't fit!
While studies show weighing daily is a good way to keep the weight off for good, I encourage people to put the scale away for a few weeks if it is discouraging them. Ms. Jefferson is right about measuring your success in other ways rather than the scale! Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while!
- But most importantly, if you do insist on starting on a low-carb diet, make sure you take a break from it at least every two weeks, by resuming a normal, healthy carbohydrate intake.
Very BAD BAD BAD advice that should NOT be followed at all. If you go back to eating carbs every two weeks, then your body will never get to experience the extended weight loss and health benefits that livin' la vida low-carb will give you. And Ms. Jefferson knows this which is why she wants people to get off of low-carb. What will happen is your weight will begin to stall unnecessarily as it keeps trying to begin burning stored fat again. But the carbs you've eaten will need to be burned off first before fat-burning can commence. You're dooming your low-carb diet to fail if you take her recommendation.
WHEW! I think I need an aspirin or something after filtering through that filth of a column. I do believe this one takes top honors as the most idiotic, unresearched, imaginary defense against livin' la vida low-carb that I have blogged about here in this forum. CONGRATULATIONS, Vee Jefferson. You win the award for Anti-Low-Carb Pinhead of the Year! This was a great lesson in why I am here doing what I can to educate, encourage and inspire people about low-carb living. You tried, but you failed to convince ANYONE of your twisted views. THANK YOU for playing! Better luck next time (if you dare!).
You can send your reactions and responses about Vee Jefferson's column about the low-carb lifestyle by writing a letter to the editor of The Augusta Free Press at letters@augustafreepress.com.
It is quite possible to fail a breathalyzer test because of low-carb
You decided to start livin' la vida low-carb and you're losing an incredible amount of weight. Everything is going great for you when all of a sudden you are driving down the road one day and you see blue lights flashing at you in your rearview mirror. You pull off to the side of the road and the officer asks you to step out of your vehicle for a breathalyzer test. Despite the fact that you haven't drunk a single drop of alcohol whatsoever, lo and behold your blood alcohol content registers a whopping 0.09%--higher than the legal limit. You are handcuffed, hauled down to the local jail and treated like a criminal for driving under the influence.
WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?! I'M NOT DRUNK!
Don't laugh at this story because it is very serious and could happen to YOU if you are in the right set of circumstances. It seems the breathalyzer tests used by law enforcement officials can register a false reading based on elevated ketone levels in your body. As you know, people who are on the low-carb lifestyle, especially in the most ketogenic stages eating around 20-40g carbs daily, induce heavy ketosis in their body to begin burning all that stored fat that's inside of them. That's what makes low-carb work so spectacular!
But a recent experiment by a scientist friend of mine showed those excess ketones that come from livin' la vida low-carb can actually show up on the breathalyzer test in a negative way and create a false positive for the presence of alcohol.
Conducted over several weeks, the scientist first made sure his body was not in ketosis and tested his blood alcohol content. Predictably, it came back with a ZERO reading. Then he allowed his body to get into ketosis and ran a series of tests with the breathalyzer. He scored as high as a 0.04% blood alchol content, which is about half of what the legal limit is in most states.
Keep in mind that he consumed no alcoholic beverages, no cough syrup, no mouthwash, and had no residual starch/sugars fermenting in his mouth. This reading he obtained was based solely on the ketones his body was producing.
The conclusion of the scientist was that some people could yield even higher results that would push them at or above the legal limit for being drunk if they were administered a breathalyzer test by a police officer. In other words, without drinking a single drop of alcohol, it is very possible that someone who is livin' la vida low-carb could be arrested for DUI, convicted, have their driver's licensed suspended or revoked and quite possibly jailed all because of their low-carb diet.
Here's a scary thought: Can you imagine what the reading would be for those low-carbers who DO drink alcohol?! Yikeseroo! This might be a good reason to STOP drinking now, eh? :)
One way to possibly get around this problem with the breathalyzer test producing a false positive for alcohol in your system as a result of being in ketosis is to request a blood test instead of a breath test since ketones do not produce the same results on a blood test. It could save you the embarassment of being arrested for a crime you did not commit.
This may all sound so bizarre to you, but I highly recommend you take it seriously and protect yourself from being falsely accused of driving under the influence. I'm not drinking and driving, officer, I'm just livin' la vida low-carb! See if that one will hold up in court! :-O
Lisa Shea from BellaOnline wrote this excellent article today about the purpose of limiting yourself to less than 20 grams of carbohydrates during the first two weeks of the Induction phase when you begin livin' la vida low-carb.
I heard every question in the world from people about the Induction phase:
- Why do I have to limit myself on so many "healthy" foods during the first two weeks on low-carb?
- Can't I just have a little more carbs than just 20 grams?
- If I start to feel terrible, can I eat so I can feel better again?
- It's just too hard to limit yourself and be so strict on Atkins!
Have you found yourself asking any of these questions? If so, then you will definitely want to read what Lisa wrote in her column.
She writes: "If you're starting out in low carb dieting, in the induction phase, you are staying below 20g of carbs a day. This is to jump start your weight loss quickly."
I agree that the all-important Induction phase can and will bring you incredible weight loss during those first couple of weeks. But that's not the main purpose of eating no more than 20 grams of carbs. Rather, it is to get your body into the fat burning stage of ketosis so you can begin the process of permanently losing weight. No matter how hard you try to do low-carb, if you do not get into ketosis you are going to fail at it. Get some ketostrips to see whether you are in ketosis or not and check it daily. If you don't see a color that is pink or darker, then you are not in ketosis.
Lisa continues: "Note that low carbing never says to STAY at 20g for your entire lifetime. This is primarily to help you shake off your old addictions and clear your body of sugar.
She couldn't be more right about this secondary aspect of the Induction phase of doing low-carb. Your body will go through some drastic changes that absolutely must be done so you can move forward with your ultimate goal of weight loss and restored health. It will likely be an unpleasant experience for a few days as your body purges itself of all those years of bad habits. But hang in there! Pretty soon you will start to feel a lot better as a result of enduring through a few days of anguish. If I could do it, then I know you can do it!
Recommending that you "mix and match" your eating choices, Lisa explains that you should eat what you want to eat within the parameters of what you can have on low-carb. She provides an eating plan for an entire week in this article that will give you some hints about the kinds of foods you should be eating on Induction. If you are stuck and don't know why you can't anything to eat during those first two weeks, then follow Lisa's guide to help yourself get through this.
Some more sound advice from Lisa includes: "Snack often - and drink a TON of water. Your weight loss should NOT be water loss. You should drink ample water to keep your system well hydrated."
This girl knows what she's talking about! People have said how hungry they got doing low-carb. I look at them like they're crazy when they tell me this and I respond by saying, "So eat and never allow yourself to be hungry!" We have become so conditioned to think we have to portion control on low-carb because that's what we've always been taught. That is a common mistake people make who are doing low-carb. Don't worry about how much you are eating, just keep the carbohydrate total to less than 20 grams per day during the first two weeks. It's not rocket science.
As for water, you should drink, drink, and drink some more. I devote an entire chapter to this subject in my upcoming book because it is such a vital part of what made me successful in my weight loss and weight maintenance. Staying well-hydrated is just as important as eating less than 20 grams of carbs per day during Induction.
If you are considering starting Induction or are in the midst of this extremely important phase in livin' la vida low-carb, take heart! We've all been there at one point or another and most of us survived it without a hitch. Commit yourself to do whatever you have to do to get through those first two weeks no matter what and you will be well on your way to eventual low-carb weight loss success!
05/18/2005 UPDATE: I got the following response from Lisa Shea today after she read my blog entry about her article.
Interesting! Actually I've been writing this exact message for almost 2 years now. Read through the other content on my site and I go into induction in GREAT detail. It's not just about breaking the sugar addiction. It's about breaking ALL addictions and watching for allergies. Many people for example are really allergic to wheat products - but they never even know until they cut them out for a while. Then when they add them back in after 2 weeks, it is super obvious that they bloat when they eat them. So a lot of it is about learning about food allergies you developed over time and never realized it.
Lisa Shea, Low Carb Host http://lowcarb.bellaonline.com
THANK YOU Lisa for championing this lifestyle that is so near and dear to our hearts. We will stand with you in promoting it as a great way to end addiction to food once and for all. YOU GO GIRL!
