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| Calories count more than most LCHF dieters believe. |
In 2012, I spent several weeks watching the Nutritional Ketosis movement, and came to a serious AHA moment at the end of that September.
I had attempted a ketogenic diet several years prior to that time – the type
they put kids with seizures on – but I didn’t have much luck with it.
I quickly gained about 10 to 15 pounds within the first week or 10 days, so I wasn't interested in doing Nutritional Ketosis myself. But I was curious to find out if it was working well for others.
I quickly gained about 10 to 15 pounds within the first week or 10 days, so I wasn't interested in doing Nutritional Ketosis myself. But I was curious to find out if it was working well for others.
A low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet isn’t new.
Barry Groves has been recommending this type of weight-loss program for years!
But what the low-carb community zeroed in on was only the high fat. High fat seems to be where most people place their value, and hence their focus and priority, because that’s what they want to eat.
It doesn't matter that Dr. Atkins boldly claimed his diet was not designed to be a high-fat diet.
Fat is what is restricted on a standard low-calorie diet, and since fat doesn't raise blood glucose levels, high fat is what made low carbing attractive to many dieters.
However, calories matter more than most LCHF dieters want to believe, especially if you have come to the point of equilibrium where your calories coming in now match your energy spent -- even though you still haven't reached goal weight.
Barry Groves has been recommending this type of weight-loss program for years!
But what the low-carb community zeroed in on was only the high fat. High fat seems to be where most people place their value, and hence their focus and priority, because that’s what they want to eat.
It doesn't matter that Dr. Atkins boldly claimed his diet was not designed to be a high-fat diet.
Fat is what is restricted on a standard low-calorie diet, and since fat doesn't raise blood glucose levels, high fat is what made low carbing attractive to many dieters.
However, calories matter more than most LCHF dieters want to believe, especially if you have come to the point of equilibrium where your calories coming in now match your energy spent -- even though you still haven't reached goal weight.
That Dreaded Weight-Loss Plateau Called Equilibrium
For the most part, the low-carb community has ignored everything required to make a low-carb, high-fat diet work.
That's just being honest.
The result of the high-fat mind-set is a weight-loss stall that appears when the amount of fat calories you're eating comes into balance with the amount of fat calories the body needs to sustain your current weight.
In other words – you're eating at maintenance.
The body won’t access its remaining fat stores if it doesn’t need to. Dr. Eades tried to get low carbers to understand this point many years ago, but most low carbers didn’t listen.
Today, Dr. Phinney, the author of the Nutritional Ketosis plan is trying to do the same thing, but I have no idea if he'll be successful, or not. I'm honestly not seeing any of these changes within the low-carb community.
LCHF dieters simply continue to design their weight-loss plans with a minimal amount of protein and 75- to 80-percent fat coming in by way of diet. After which, they sit back and wonder why their super high-fat plan only works short-term, if at all.
Some people have been able to overcome this problem by
reducing their overall calories and upping their activity, producing a caloric deficit, but this caloric reduction hasn’t worked for
everyone because most people are looking at the fat percentage instead of total calorie intake.
If you are short, older, or have serious medical conditions that result in nutrient malabsorption, the amount of calories needed to shed pounds and maintain a healthy weight is often too low for sustainability.
On a typical low-carb diet, I found I needed to drop my calories to 900 - 950 calories per day to lose 2 pounds a week. At 1,200 calories per day, I would gain or maintain.
Calorie Deficit Needed to Lose Weight on High Fat Diets Might Need to be Larger
If you are short, older, or have serious medical conditions that result in nutrient malabsorption, the amount of calories needed to shed pounds and maintain a healthy weight is often too low for sustainability.
On a typical low-carb diet, I found I needed to drop my calories to 900 - 950 calories per day to lose 2 pounds a week. At 1,200 calories per day, I would gain or maintain.
WHY?
Because the most important component of a low-carb high-fat diet is being ignored.
Because the most important component of a low-carb high-fat diet is being ignored.
And I’m as guilty as everyone else.
Although I’d figured out from re-reading all of Dr. Atkins and Dr. Eades weight-loss books that neither of them have ever recommended a HIGH fat diet – and calories count a whole lot more than most low-carb folks are willing to accept – I was still missing the most critical component of what makes this type of diet work.
Although I’d figured out from re-reading all of Dr. Atkins and Dr. Eades weight-loss books that neither of them have ever recommended a HIGH fat diet – and calories count a whole lot more than most low-carb folks are willing to accept – I was still missing the most critical component of what makes this type of diet work.
Enter Jimmy Moore and His Version of Nutritional Ketosis
Within the current low-carb climate, it’s easy to see that
Jimmy Moore’s n=1 Nutritional Ketosis experiment is what brought the idea of
Nutritional Ketosis to the attention of the entire low-carb community.
Jimmy has an extremely large following, so what he:
Although Jimmy might not intend for his personal experiments to be life-altering for so many, he has the power and influence to turn the entire direction of the low carb community around.
What Jimmy does, many of his followers do, so it isn't hard to get a trend going.
Jimmy has an extremely large following, so what he:
- says
- recommends
- doesn't recommend
- DOES himself
- or doesn't do himself
Although Jimmy might not intend for his personal experiments to be life-altering for so many, he has the power and influence to turn the entire direction of the low carb community around.
What Jimmy does, many of his followers do, so it isn't hard to get a trend going.
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| Jimmy Moore loves his cheeseburgers with butter on the side |
Yes, there are groups who have resisted the movement.
There are a small group of folks who want to continue eating their large portions of protein foods or low-carb products because they don’t see a reason to fix something that isn’t broken.
And that’s fine.
I don't see a reason to switch either. If high protein is working, there’s really no GOOD reason to switch to something else because the whole point behind the original Atkins Nutritional Approach was to find your particular degree of carbohydrate intolerance and stay within those limits.
However, as time goes
on, what I’m seeing is that for the most part, our metabolic problems are
getting worse, and not better.
A Low-Carb Diet Doesn’t Work the Same as it Did Before
In 1972, when Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution first surfaced,
there were no low-carb products.
Restricting carbohydrates was a relatively new idea and worked nicely since the body had never had to rely upon that alternative metabolic pathway before.
Low carb worked because our food was still pure and relatively uncontaminated with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The liver didn't have to work as hard as it does today to detox from all of the crap.
You could actually switch from processed foods to a whole-foods or organic foods diet and easily detox from what the Powers that Be were doing to our wheat and other processed foods. I have friends who actually dropped 20 pounds doing that.
Restricting carbohydrates was a relatively new idea and worked nicely since the body had never had to rely upon that alternative metabolic pathway before.
Low carb worked because our food was still pure and relatively uncontaminated with genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). The liver didn't have to work as hard as it does today to detox from all of the crap.
You could actually switch from processed foods to a whole-foods or organic foods diet and easily detox from what the Powers that Be were doing to our wheat and other processed foods. I have friends who actually dropped 20 pounds doing that.
But, this isn’t true today.
For a great many people, what worked in 1972 no longer works because our food and beverages aren’t the same anymore.
Animals are fed genetically-modified feed (including most grass-fed animals during the winter when pasture is scarce). Those pastured fed are washed and processed with genetically-modified corn-derived citric acid or lactic acid by law.
Eggs are washed in a genetically-modified cornstarch solution.
For a great many people, what worked in 1972 no longer works because our food and beverages aren’t the same anymore.
Animals are fed genetically-modified feed (including most grass-fed animals during the winter when pasture is scarce). Those pastured fed are washed and processed with genetically-modified corn-derived citric acid or lactic acid by law.
Eggs are washed in a genetically-modified cornstarch solution.
Meat, poultry and fish are further contaminated with GMOs at
the grocery store by their packaging. Fresh fruits and vegetables are picked
green (including organic produce), and then waxed with petrochemicals and genetically-modified
corn-derived ingredients. Others are gassed with Ethylene, including organic bananas.
In fact, every product that lists alcohol in it's ingredients, including simple Vanilla extract, contains GMOs.
Organically grown, or even the term organic, doesn’t mean that what you’re about to eat is 100-percent organic, and therefore safe. Unless you grow your own, you can't even buy 100-percent organic food anymore.
In fact, every product that lists alcohol in it's ingredients, including simple Vanilla extract, contains GMOs.
Organically grown, or even the term organic, doesn’t mean that what you’re about to eat is 100-percent organic, and therefore safe. Unless you grow your own, you can't even buy 100-percent organic food anymore.
It’s Not Just About the Carbs Anymore
Nutritional Ketosis was originally designed by Dr. Phinney and Jeff
Volek.
It was originally used by those within the low-carb community who found themselves stuck on a lengthy weight-loss stall. Others turned to Nutrtional Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting when their own standard low-carb diet stopped working for them.
It’s no longer a simple matter of moving to whole-foods, such as Paleo, or using a carb-restricted solution like Atkins.
For many individuals, something is interfering with the body’s ability to go into ketosis when restricting carbohydrates. And it’s that something that Jimmy Moore and his followers tried to address by testing their blood ketone levels and other Nutritional Ketosis experiments.
It was originally used by those within the low-carb community who found themselves stuck on a lengthy weight-loss stall. Others turned to Nutrtional Ketosis and Intermittent Fasting when their own standard low-carb diet stopped working for them.
It’s no longer a simple matter of moving to whole-foods, such as Paleo, or using a carb-restricted solution like Atkins.
For many individuals, something is interfering with the body’s ability to go into ketosis when restricting carbohydrates. And it’s that something that Jimmy Moore and his followers tried to address by testing their blood ketone levels and other Nutritional Ketosis experiments.
If your insulin response is still in good condition, you won’t
have the same problems as those whose insulin response isn’t behaving normally anymore.
Many low
carbers are discovering that their insulin resistance and other metabolic issues
are not correcting itself by simply restricting carbohydrates. Insulin levels drop, but the body still isn't reacting to food properly.
In fact, many who have started using ketone meters that
measure the amount of ketones in the blood, rather than the urine, are finding
they are not in Ketosis at all.
What is Nutritional Ketosis?
In Phinney’s and Volek’s book, The Art and Science of Low
Carbohydrate Living, Nutritional Ketosis is defined as:
Having a certain level of ketones in the bloodstream.
The term was also used by them in the Atkins book, A New Atkins for a New You, that they helped to author.
That Atkins book was not well received within the low-carb community because of its stance on dietary fat and higher carbohydrate allowance for Induction. Low carbers were skeptical because they saw it as contradictory to what they wanted to believe.
The book tried to reach out to as many individuals as possible by correcting a lot of myths and low-carb misconceptions about fat and other issues, but for the most part, low-carbers want to continue to believe in Low-Carb Magic.
They are not interested in clearing up the myths.
Having a certain level of ketones in the bloodstream.
The term was also used by them in the Atkins book, A New Atkins for a New You, that they helped to author.
That Atkins book was not well received within the low-carb community because of its stance on dietary fat and higher carbohydrate allowance for Induction. Low carbers were skeptical because they saw it as contradictory to what they wanted to believe.
The book tried to reach out to as many individuals as possible by correcting a lot of myths and low-carb misconceptions about fat and other issues, but for the most part, low-carbers want to continue to believe in Low-Carb Magic.
They are not interested in clearing up the myths.
Instead, they focus on the amount of ketones being
thrown off into the urine because that’s what Dr. Atkins recommended in 1972, even though the amount of ketones in your urine is a percentage by concentration and does not measure if you are in ketosis at all!
What people are discovering is that there is absolutely no correlation between urine ketones and ketosis.
What people are discovering is that there is absolutely no correlation between urine ketones and ketosis.
So what is Nutritional Ketosis?
Dr. Atkins used to refer to the condition as dietary ketosis or benign dietary ketosis to separate it from the very dangerous situation known as Ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is why many medical professionals are afraid of ketosis. When Ketoacidosis occurs, your insulin level has dropped to zero. This condition is specific to Type 1 Diabetes. Since you can't make your own insulin, there is no way for the body to correct an abnormally high level of ketones in the blood.
Ketones are acidic, and the body becomes overly acidic.
Dr. Atkins used to refer to the condition as dietary ketosis or benign dietary ketosis to separate it from the very dangerous situation known as Ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis is why many medical professionals are afraid of ketosis. When Ketoacidosis occurs, your insulin level has dropped to zero. This condition is specific to Type 1 Diabetes. Since you can't make your own insulin, there is no way for the body to correct an abnormally high level of ketones in the blood.
Ketones are acidic, and the body becomes overly acidic.
Too high of a blood ketone
level can be fatal.
I had a nephew die several years ago from Ketoacidosis, so I know first hand that it’s not something you want to play around with if you have Type 1 Diabetes.
It’s dangerous!
I had a nephew die several years ago from Ketoacidosis, so I know first hand that it’s not something you want to play around with if you have Type 1 Diabetes.
It’s dangerous!
But Nutritional Ketosis isn’t the same thing.
In a normal metabolism, where the insulin response to glucose is still intact, the body will secrete insulin to take care of a ketone level that becomes too high. In the presence of insulin, the body stops making new ketones until it has used the ketones already present in the blood.
Once your ketone level has fallen to a safe margin, insulin goes back down and your low-carb diet continues. This is why Nutritional Ketosis isn’t dangerous. Insulin is a healthy, backup response that keeps the diet totally safe.
In a normal metabolism, where the insulin response to glucose is still intact, the body will secrete insulin to take care of a ketone level that becomes too high. In the presence of insulin, the body stops making new ketones until it has used the ketones already present in the blood.
Once your ketone level has fallen to a safe margin, insulin goes back down and your low-carb diet continues. This is why Nutritional Ketosis isn’t dangerous. Insulin is a healthy, backup response that keeps the diet totally safe.
But that backup
response is also one reason why going too low in carbohydrates can be just as
detrimental to your weight loss efforts as going too high.
It all comes down to finding the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fats that work best for you, which can be a bit tricky.
It all comes down to finding the right balance of protein, carbohydrates, and dietary fats that work best for you, which can be a bit tricky.
I now realize this is why my past ketogenic diet efforts didn’t work very well. I didn’t understand how important it was to find the right balance for you. I kept searching for a one-plan-fits-all solution.
I ate high fat, and extremely low carbohydrate (sometimes, even zero carb), but I also ate a ton of protein.
When I did zero carb, I ate as much as 8 ounces of protein at each meal, and more if I needed a snack, since I wasn’t eating anything else.
I ate high fat, and extremely low carbohydrate (sometimes, even zero carb), but I also ate a ton of protein.
When I did zero carb, I ate as much as 8 ounces of protein at each meal, and more if I needed a snack, since I wasn’t eating anything else.
This translated into a minimum intake of about 144 grams of protein to as high as 200!
Between amino acid oxidation and high cortisol, which kept the liver dumping glycogen stores into the bloodstream, the body had no choice but to store all of the fat I was eating for later.
But, for me, later never came!
Update: I tried Jimmy Moore's version of the Nutritional Ketosis Diet and restricted my protein intake to 60 grams per day. I also greatly upped my dietary fats.
I recorded my experience and results at my After Low Carb blog. If you're interested in what happened with that, you can check it out by clicking on the above link and leaving me a comment over there.
I don't want newcomers to this blog to get confused and think "that" was Nutritional Ketosis, so I'm not going to write about it here.
Since that personal n=1, I have learned that what Jimmy recommends is not the same thing that the Nutritional Ketosis' author, Dr. Phinney, recommends.
True Nutritional Ketosis IS talked about on this blog. It pretty much follows in Dr. Atkins footsteps, but isn't quite as restrictive.
High-fat as most low carbers define it is for maintenance, and not when you're trying to shed body fat. Dr. Phinney uses the term "high fat," but a part of your high-fat requirements must come from your body fat!
For the specific details of WHAT a Nutritional Ketosis Diet really is, see our article on The Truth of LCHF Weight Loss. In that article, I go into great detail explaining what Nutritional Ketosis really is.
I did try this - and yes, also 5 foot and lift weights. Very similar results - I'm a little younger so not menopausal yet but keto wreaked HAVOCK with my hormones. I went from clockwork to being a total mess hormonally. I also gained a similar level of weight, also abdominal. I was trying to get under 50g a day of carbs, and around 75g protein. It was a disaster - although gastrointestinally I had no issues (in contrast, shifting high carb or overeating at all is a big no-no for me). I also found it almost impossible to maintain as even a modest helping of vegetables seemed to hike up my carbs. So I went back to moderate carb, high protein, but in all honesty I've yet to lose the weight after a year or recover the hormonal stability/collapse in energy.
ReplyDeleteWow. Thank you so much for sharing that. I'm running into more and more people having similar experiences with low carb. The whole "everyone is insulin resistant" just isn't true. It took my body quite awhile to recover. I found that easing into a somewhat lower carb intake (I eat 60 to 120 a day) and using a slight calorie deficit has worked for me, but the weight loss is super slow that way.
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