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| What happened when twin doctors put zero carb and high carb to the test? |
This afternoon, Jimmy Moore popped up in my Facebook feed.
Since he follows his own Nutritional Ketosis program rather than the Atkins Diet, and mostly posts podcasts, I rarely read his blog any more. But I do read his Facebook posts when I'm there.
In this particular Facebook post, Jimmy was quite upset. Apparently, a couple of twin doctors in Europe (Alexander and Chris Van Tolleken) decided to do a 30-day experiment to discover for themselves which was worse for a dieter: eating sugar or fat.
I could tell by Jimmy's Facebook
comments that the low-carb diet the article's author had decided
to follow didn't turn out very well.
He took offense at the doctor's personal experience of being "thick headed" during those 30 days, and argued that the doctor wasn't following a Nutritional Ketosis diet, so he might not have really been in ketosis.
Plus, 30 days is not long enough to become keto-adapted.
He took offense at the doctor's personal experience of being "thick headed" during those 30 days, and argued that the doctor wasn't following a Nutritional Ketosis diet, so he might not have really been in ketosis.
Plus, 30 days is not long enough to become keto-adapted.
In Jimmy's opinion, anything other than
the Nutritional Ketosis parameters he created and follows, which includes lower
protein and checking your blood ketone levels with a monitor and ketone testing strips, is the only legitimate
way to test a low-carb diet.
But since I don't believe that, I decided to check out the article for myself.
And, I'm very glad that I did because the doctor WAS following a low-carb diet.
It just wasn't Jimmy's diet.
But since I don't believe that, I decided to check out the article for myself.
And, I'm very glad that I did because the doctor WAS following a low-carb diet.
It just wasn't Jimmy's diet.
In fact, it was extremely close to what
Dr. Atkins used in 1972 with his own patients.
The only thing the diet lacked was two 1-cup portions of loosely packed lettuce leaves, with a little oil-and-vinegar salad dressing. That would have added about 5 grams of carbohydrate to the doctor's zero-carb meals, which wouldn't have been enough carbohydrate to affect the outcome.
What Alexander did was what Dr. Atkins used to put his stubborn, extremely insulin resistant patients on: a diet of meat, eggs, and cheese.
Today, we call this type of low-carb diet: zero carb.
The only thing the diet lacked was two 1-cup portions of loosely packed lettuce leaves, with a little oil-and-vinegar salad dressing. That would have added about 5 grams of carbohydrate to the doctor's zero-carb meals, which wouldn't have been enough carbohydrate to affect the outcome.
What Alexander did was what Dr. Atkins used to put his stubborn, extremely insulin resistant patients on: a diet of meat, eggs, and cheese.
Today, we call this type of low-carb diet: zero carb.
A Little Background
Alexander Van Tolleken became concerned
about his weight when it reached 17-1/2 stone, which is about 245
pounds.
His brother Chris was 12-1/2 stone, about 175 pounds. That's normal weight for their height of 6-feet, so Alexander was about 70 pounds overweight.
However, he lost quite a bit of that excess weight before this little experiment, so we don't really know exactly how overweight he was before he started zero carb.
His brother Chris was 12-1/2 stone, about 175 pounds. That's normal weight for their height of 6-feet, so Alexander was about 70 pounds overweight.
However, he lost quite a bit of that excess weight before this little experiment, so we don't really know exactly how overweight he was before he started zero carb.
If he had already lost a great deal of
that weight using traditional diet and exercise methods, odds are
quite high that he wasn't very metabolic resistant. He was just
eating too much and not moving enough.
The 30-Day Experiment: No Carb Versus Low Fat
Alexander and his brother decided to
test two of the most popular dieting methods today: a low-carb diet
versus a low-fat diet.
Alexander decided to go on a no-carb diet, and his brother Chris took the low-fat route. Neither brother limited their calorie intake. Nor did they change their exercise routine. They ate as much as they wanted. They just avoided carbohydrates or fat.
Alexander decided to go on a no-carb diet, and his brother Chris took the low-fat route. Neither brother limited their calorie intake. Nor did they change their exercise routine. They ate as much as they wanted. They just avoided carbohydrates or fat.
Neither brother enjoyed their diet.
In fact, they were miserable.
Chris was hungry all of the time, and Alexander found his no-carb diet extremely boring and unpleasant.
Although Alexander was never hungry, he was slow, suffered from brain fog, and tired all of the time. In fact, his bike riding ability suffered greatly during this period.
Chris didn't enjoy his meals either, as pasta without olive oil was extremely pathetic.
In fact, they were miserable.
Chris was hungry all of the time, and Alexander found his no-carb diet extremely boring and unpleasant.
Although Alexander was never hungry, he was slow, suffered from brain fog, and tired all of the time. In fact, his bike riding ability suffered greatly during this period.
Chris didn't enjoy his meals either, as pasta without olive oil was extremely pathetic.
Everyone Does Not Have Insulin Resistance
Unfortunately, Alexander didn't
understand the reasons behind the insulin hypothesis.
He fell into the same trap that many low-carb dieters fall into today - believing that everyone has insulin resistance - therefore, a low-carb diet should work the same for everyone.
But that is definitely not true.
Low carb diets do not work very well for those who are sensitive to insulin. The more insulin sensitive you are, the more problems you have with brain fog and energy when you ditch the carbs.
You'll also experience these types of symptoms if you don't make enough enzymes to burn fatty acids efficiently.
He fell into the same trap that many low-carb dieters fall into today - believing that everyone has insulin resistance - therefore, a low-carb diet should work the same for everyone.
But that is definitely not true.
Low carb diets do not work very well for those who are sensitive to insulin. The more insulin sensitive you are, the more problems you have with brain fog and energy when you ditch the carbs.
You'll also experience these types of symptoms if you don't make enough enzymes to burn fatty acids efficiently.
Now, it's true that initially, a
low-carb diet can make you fuzzy headed. But if you are insulin
resistant, that usually clears up once your basal insulin levels
return to normal and you become keto-adapted.
However, not everyone loses the brain fog, gains an upsurge in energy, or becomes easily keto-adapted. It all depends on how insulin-resistant or insulin-sensitive you are, and if you have other forms of metabolic damage.
However, not everyone loses the brain fog, gains an upsurge in energy, or becomes easily keto-adapted. It all depends on how insulin-resistant or insulin-sensitive you are, and if you have other forms of metabolic damage.
Outcome of the Experiment
The outcome of the experiment was
what Jimmy Moore has been saying for a very long time.
"You have to be able to keep it up for the rest of your life," Alexander advises.
Which he couldn't do.
After his first meal of carbs and feeling the rush of energy and alertness those carbs produced for him, he realized just how bad he'd been feeling all month and walked away from a low-carb diet -- forever.
"You have to be able to keep it up for the rest of your life," Alexander advises.
Which he couldn't do.
After his first meal of carbs and feeling the rush of energy and alertness those carbs produced for him, he realized just how bad he'd been feeling all month and walked away from a low-carb diet -- forever.
At this point in the article, the piece takes a
severe left turn by jumping to conclusions about what Alexander
believes causes cravings (sugar and fat eaten together), even though
his experiment didn't back up those conclusions.
"Any diet that eliminates fat and sugar will be unpalatable, be hard to sustain and probably be bad for your health as well."
That was the author's opinion, of course.
"Any diet that eliminates fat and sugar will be unpalatable, be hard to sustain and probably be bad for your health as well."
That was the author's opinion, of course.
However, he's right about one thing.
When it comes to dieting and sticking to a diet, TASTE really matters. Boring food will send you running for the carbs quicker than anything. And that's what the food manufacturers have figured out: how to make food taste so good, you'll keep coming back for more.
When it comes to dieting and sticking to a diet, TASTE really matters. Boring food will send you running for the carbs quicker than anything. And that's what the food manufacturers have figured out: how to make food taste so good, you'll keep coming back for more.
While it is true that processed foods
react inside your brain differently than natural foods do, the issue
of food cravings is far more complex than a simple combination of
sugar and fat as this article suggests.
In my own experience, the bottom line
is PLEASURE. Plain and simple.
If a diet gives you pleasure, and helps you avoid the pain and consequences of excess body fat, you'll stick with it. If that diet makes you uncomfortable, bored, tired, anxious, and feeling deprived, you won't stay with it for very long.
That is why it is absolutely essential to find a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life because if you don't find it pleasurable, you won't hang around long enough to reach your weight-loss goals.
If a diet gives you pleasure, and helps you avoid the pain and consequences of excess body fat, you'll stick with it. If that diet makes you uncomfortable, bored, tired, anxious, and feeling deprived, you won't stay with it for very long.
That is why it is absolutely essential to find a diet you can stick with for the rest of your life because if you don't find it pleasurable, you won't hang around long enough to reach your weight-loss goals.
Reference:
Main Online, "One twin gave up
sugar, the other gave up fat. Their experiment could change YOUR
life," by Alexander Van Tulleken, January 27, 2014.
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