Low Carb High Fat

[Speicher]

Purity and additives are important, but oats are oats are oats... they're a plant, grown in a field.... Completely carbohydrate, no matter how organic or ethically grown. Sorry.

I am a little concerned that basically you are saying "this is what I like to eat now give me a diet that says those are all healthy"...? Steak is low carb. Salad is not. A combination of those two foods in one meal could fit into a LCHF eating plan.... or a High Carb Low Fat one!!!

And... god, I really hate to be bursting bubbles here, but... peanuts are not a nut. Which means you have to look at them in a totally different light from true nuts. The question will be, can peanuts fit into your overall plan, in certain quantities? Depends on the plan.

I am hoping that at one meal per day, I could have oats, or brown rice. So if I had porridge for breakfast, I would avoid carbs for the rest of the day. It will involve big changes, but I am seriously considering doing that for three months, or even six months if it is successful, and then continuing a "maintenance" plan.

 

[velovoice]

Has your doctor said you need to make some changes? (Ignoring for now any advice he may have given about HOW to it, what are the headlines? Lose Weight. Lower your cholesteral / blood pressure. Etc.)

I haven't looked upthread to see if you've said anything about your age, being overweight or having health problems. If your body weight is now within the normal range and always has been, it's extremely unlikely that you are already insulin resistant so that may be something you're not even at risk for, in which case, drastic changes probably aren't necessary. If that's the case, then why not? Make a few changes, see how you get on. But be sure to understand that what you are proposing is not a LCHF or keto-adapted diet. So your experience will not match your friend's.

 

[velovoice]

I'd still recommending reading Volek & Phinney, for anyone interested in learning what LCHF and keto-adaption really is and the science behind how it works.

 

[Speicher]

@velovoice am 57 years old and about three stone overweight. I intend to reach my sixties in much better shape.

I had one of those "well woman" tests about two years ago, with excellent results for kidney function, liver function etc. It is the weight that is the problem, and the conclusion that too many carbs make me feel drowsy and lethargic.

As you suggest, I could make a few changes, and see what happens.

 

[ColinJ]

@velovoice
As you suggest, I could make a few changes, and see what happens.

Get the bike out of the shed and explore your local lanes ...?

 

[velovoice]

@velovoice am 57 years old and about three stone overweight. I intend to reach my sixties in much better shape.

I had one of those "well woman" tests about two years ago, with excellent results for kidney function, liver function etc. It is the weight that is the problem, and the conclusion that too many carbs make me feel drowsy and lethargic.

As you suggest, I could make a few changes, and see what happens.

Great news on all that - cutting back on carbs may indeed make a difference. However, I'd just mention it's not a sliding scale, where feeling better increases incrementally at the rate or degree you're cutting back carbs. Your body's fueling system will be one or the other: carb burning (because that's the fuel you're giving it -- even if your body's not happy with that) or fat burning. The challenge is finding the point where the switch can be flipped from one to the other. It truly is either/or. Where that switch is, varies with each person. The danger is, you could reduce your carbs a little lower and a little lower, gradually, but still not flip that switch.... which leaves your body with even less fuel than it's getting now, without burning any fat or losing weight. As Volek & Phinney explain in their book, the real problem with all this is your brain. While the body runs on either carbs OR fat, the brain runs on either carbs OR ketones, which is by-product of fat-burning. So if you're not eating enough carbs to continue fueling both your body AND your brain with CARBS but you haven't switched over to fat-burning, then your brain has NO fuel at all. This is serious stuff. Can be life threatening.

Something to bear in mind. Not trying to scare you off! Just keep in mind that reducing carbs without reducing them enough to keto-adapt (which you may by now have realised is the term referring to what your brain is using for fuel, not simply a description of what you are or are not eating)..... may be counter productive.

 

[velovoice]

Get the bike out of the shed and explore your local lanes ...?

Presumably she's already doing that?
There's an increasing body of science indicating that it's not exercise that results in weight loss, but changes to diet. Exercise can of course help you lose weight as many of us know! But usually -- even if you're not aware of it -- your diet has somehow changed as well, driving that weight loss, with exercise supporting it in terms of muscle gain / fitness / stronger healthier heart etc.

 

[ColinJ]

IIRC, there was a bike, but it was spending a lot of time unridden ...

I agree that exercise should not be the primary way of losing weight. I was thinking more of the lethargic feelings. I felt a bit like that the other evening but forced myself to go out on a 21 mile loop over a 1,000 ft climb and came home 80 minutes later reenergised and feeling really alive!

 

[Speicher]

There is a bike in the garage.

Some time last century @ColinJ and I nearly met behind the bike sheds.

I joined this forum, because of my interest in cycle races such as the Giro and Veulta, and Fabian Cancellara.

 

[Speicher]

Something to bear in mind. Not trying to scare you off! Just keep in mind that reducing carbs without reducing them enough to keto-adapt (which you may by now have realised is the term referring to what your brain is using for fuel, not simply a description of what you are or are not eating)..... may be counter productive.

Yes, I will bear that in mind. Perhaps my first step is to stick to complex carbs and eat more vegetables.

 

[Flying Dodo]

Great news on all that - cutting back on carbs may indeed make a difference. However, I'd just mention it's not a sliding scale, where feeling better increases incrementally at the rate or degree you're cutting back carbs. Your body's fueling system will be one or the other: carb burning (because that's the fuel you're giving it -- even if your body's not happy with that) or fat burning. The challenge is finding the point where the switch can be flipped from one to the other. It truly is either/or. Where that switch is, varies with each person.

Just as a follow on point, as covered in the Volek & Phinney book, at the point your body switches to burning fat due to few or no carbs in your food, there's a period of time where you feel a bit "meh" generally. This is where the body is still trying to get used to the adaptation. It can last up to 6-8 weeks in some people, and the effects are different for different people. In my case, I felt OK generally in doing normal day to day things, but found for about the first 4 weeks I'd lost about the top 25% of my hill climbing ability - slopes I used to go up easily became a bit of an effort. However, that soon cleared and my strength came back and now I can ride up hills like a mountain goat - made easier of course by being around 15 kg lighter!

If you do have a relapse and overdose on carbs at any point, the good news is that the body is able to switch back to fat burning much quicker, and the mild lethargy goes in less than a week. I've found I can get away with around 100g of carbs and still stay keto-adapted, although I don't go up to that limit on a daily basis, as I'm sure I couldn't handle 100g every day. However, as stated above, different people will have different limits.

 

[Flying Dodo]

@Flying Dodo - Does that book include "Food Plans"?

Flicking through our copy, in fact it does have 16 pages with a number of recipes as well as example menus for a week of low carb, high fat eating.

 

[windyrider]

If you want more information on a LCHF diet google the banting diet, over 100 years old and now revised by a Professor Tim Noakes from South Africa.

The recent conference they held their had a host of speakers from around the world presenting their professional take on the values of the LCHF and its impact on health, wealth and exercise, my impression as a layman was "WOW" that's some well based well researched information and has got me thinking a lot more on just what I eat.

Bullet Coffee just rocks !!!!

 

[The Jogger]

Tim Noakes is excellent, lots on YouTube from him.

 

[CyclePower]

The formula I follow is low carb (no sugar, no white flower products but wholegrain bread, brown rice) + high protein (chicken, scrambled egg with low egg yolk content) + high fibre (fruits and salad).
Avoiding sugar helps me to maintain a great performance through the day, no slowing down.