Why, my people, should you read this? Because there’s gospel in here, and I want an “amen”. Lately I’ve been feeling sort of uninspired when it comes to writing about fitness and nutrition. I mean, what is so important about yapping on about all this stuff?
Then I got Shari’s post.
See, I have always had a hard time with the current emphasis on “healthy” because half the time I just think it’s the PC way for people (mostly women) to say they wanna be thin and have a body they are proud of but they feel ashamed to admit that’s the motivation. Like saying “I wanna have a great body” implies you might do something crazy and disordered to get it, and now we’ve collectively decided that’s a sin too. So instead, “I just want to be healthy” becomes the acceptable mantra.
But how many people do you know who really are willing to take a risk to be healthy, and sacrifice what has “worked” for them in the past in the skinny department in order to live a real, good life? I don’t know that many. Do you?
That’s why I think Shari’s story is important, and speaks volumes about the kind of person she is, the kind of athlete she is, and in a later installment, the kind of mother she is. And it reminds me why I do care about this stuff. I’ve been very proud to post it on FF.
Okay, enough out of me. On to Shari…
Shari’s New Adventure: The Nutritionist
“Yes, yes. You have body image issues. Got it. But what did your nutritionist say?” I’ve heard that question a lot right after I bared my soul here on FF. We discussed a lot of things in her office which I plan to cover in a series of posts for FF. Let’s talk about the food conversation first, shall we?
When I made my appointment to see this expert, she asked me to keep a food diary so that she could see what my diet is like. At this time, I was struggling with my food—eating “really well” for a day or two and then chowing down on, say, potato chips. So, I made a conscious effort to follow my regular no-carbs lifestyle. But I also had Cheeseboard Pizza one night.
Once in her office, we chatted for a few minutes about my workout schedule and how I work out pretty much every day, except Sunday. Then we discussed my frustration around working out so hard and still having extra around my middle. And I mentioned that I had just turned 40 and was wondering if that attributed to “my lack of progress.” Then, she asked to see my food diary. She studied my entries for a few minutes and then looked me in the eye and told me my diet was “shit.” Actually, I think what she said was “Your gym diet is bullshit.” (On a side note, the nutritionist is, like me, a Jersey girl. So, I was neither offended or taken aback when she used that expletive in her assessment of my diet. Instead, she was speaking my language which immediately got my attention).
Her: “Let me guess. Someone at your gym said that you could lose a lot of weight and gain a lot of muscle if you cut out carbs and up your protein, right?”
Me: “Uh, yeah, that’s pretty much how it went.”
Her: “And you had great results in the beginning.”
Me: “I did.”
Her: “But now you’re hungry all the time. And you’ve had lots of injuries, right?”
Me: A sheepish“Yes.”
Her: Audible sigh.
She told me I was hungry because I’m not eating enough. Then she went on the explain how people at gyms are misinformed and a little clueless about diet (unless they have a background in nutrition) and that it is a common misconception that eating more protein will build muscle. Because even though protein is the building block of protein molecules, it’s not like you eat a steak and the protein goes right to your muscles to make them bigger (no more so than eating cupcakes goes straight to your hips). It’s actually a complicated process that requires glucose to work. And guess where glucose comes from? Wait for it. Grains.
She then went on to explain how BAD and potentially dangerous a low-carb diet is. She explained that a 5′4” 125 lb. woman (smaller than me) in a coma needs 6 servings of grains to maintain her bodily functions. Six. If the nutritionist counts my tofu as a bean (instead of a protein) and therefore a complex carbohydrate, I get maybe 3 servings a day, which would be alarming enough if I was Sunny von Bulow. But, if you’re actually reading instead of skimming for the post’s overall message, like I usually do, then you know I’m not exactly sedentary. By depriving my body of this essential form of fuel, I don’t allow my muscles and tendons to repair themselves (hello peroneal tendonitis; how’s it going injured deltoid?). In fact, I end up consuming my own muscles for fuel.
But what about all the carbs in the fruit and veggies I consume? Sorry, Charlie. Fruit primarily has fructose in it. Non-starchy vegetables have a tiny amount of glucose but not enough to sustain a body day in and day out. And I wasn’t eating starchy veggies.
To add insult to, um, injury, continuous deprivation, like say, two years, can put your body into what she called starvation mode. Not only does your metabolism slow down but your body can begin to do all kids of survival things, like store extra fat. In fact, starvation mode can also permanently alter your DNA meaning that even if you start giving your body the nutrients it needs again, you may not be able to shut off those survival mechanisms. Picture continuous storage of extra fat for the rest of your life.
Fuck.
She recommended I follow the USDA’s food pyramid. She also told me that I could and should cut back on my protein a bit. That’s all she would say. She didn’t want to prescribe anything specific because she deduced I have a tendency towards extreme eating. She warned me that I was going to feel puffy when I started to eat carbs. I jumped on this, telling her that’s exactly how carbs made me feel, trying to work the angle that maybe they weren’t so great to eat after all. But she explained that carbs are supposed to make you feel puffy because that means you’re hydrated. Bodybuilders love to give up carbs because glucose holds water. Basically, no glucose means your body is dehydrated and therefore looks cut. She said it would be particularly hard for me to go back to carbs because I had “been to the promised land.” When I asked whether I should focus on whole grains vs. refined grains, she wouldn’t even go there with me. She just told me to eat. Actually, she told me to go home and have some toast.
Which I did. And it was delicious.
It took me awhile to figure out what to eat and how to undo my low-carb habits. But now I am eating grains (whole and refined) at every meal and usually for snack too. I have stopped the rigid protein-at-every-meal-and snack and just eat what I feel like eating. I’ve probably gained a little weight but I haven’t been on a scale. But I feel pretty good. My tendonitis is almost completely gone. My skin looks amazing (hello hydration). My mood is better. I’ve got breasts again. The junk in my trunk moved back in. And I have rediscovered the absolute JOY in eating.
I won’t lie to you. I still obsess about my belly. And worry I’ve caused my body some irreparable damage. And there’s no guarantee I wouldn’t make a deal with the devil to look like Gabrielle Reece. But I won’t be damaging my body anymore. Or doing any of the other things the nutritionist warned me about, which I will cover in further posts. Now if you will excuse me, there is a big bowl of rice and bean in the kitchen with my name on it.
There is so much contradictory information out there about this kind of stuff, it’s really hard to know what to do. I still tend to think it’s best to eat food in as close to it’s natural state as possible. So, I would think it’s better to eat a potato for your carbs, as opposed to bread (which is really refined). The problem though, is that I like bread so much!
The comment about bodybuilders in the gym really hit home as well. Although many of them LOOK healthy, very few of the actually are healthy. In the bodybuilder/fitnes world,there is often too much emphasis on appearance, as opposed to real health.
- Dave
David at Animal-Kingdom-Workouts.com
January 27th, 2009
I think going to a nutritionist (to see how healthy your diet really is) is a great idea.
I’m following a plan that is very healthy, and I know that, along with losing a lot of my excess weight, I FEEL so much better. Yes, I want to look good too, but I started this diet primarily for health reasons.
I had developed plantar fasciitis and I found out I was pregnant again. With the SPD (pelvic and hip pain) and high blood pressure I had developed with the previous two pregnancies, I knew I had to do something. And I did.
I lost 46 pounds between my 12th week of pregnancy and delivering my baby and another 19 pounds (65 total) within the next 2 1/2 weeks. My blood pressure did not go up this time, and I had a healthy baby boy.
I am now just over halfway to my goal weight, and I really intend to reach it sometime this year, but I won’t do any crazy stuff to get there.
moonduster (Becky)
January 27th, 2009
I’m curious how a person’s diet can affect their DNA–unless the food is mutagenic (which is unlikely). Could there be a feedback loop signal involved? Could you provide some further info on this, maybe in a later post?
-Aw yeah, dropping the biochemistry knowledge,
Marie
Marie
January 27th, 2009
Fascinating. I’m reading Chris Carmichael’s Food for Fitness right now and he too is recommending 60-70% of your calories from carbs depending on how you are training.
I haven’t been eating ultra low carb but I’ve been skimpy with them. I may try to add more and see if my workouts improve.
Thanks for posting this. All the contradictory information out there is so frustrating to weed through. And I find it hard to tune in to my body and figure out what it really wants/needs.
Can’t wait to hear more of Shari’s story.
nolafwug
January 27th, 2009
Hmm, maybe Shari wants to tackle that, but I believe we are talking about gene expression here. For example, some research indicates that by subjecting your body to a serious caloric deficit, you may activate certain genes designed to aid survival by storing fat. This would be a good thing if you were in fact in a famine, but less helpful when the starvation had to do with some size 4 jeans. (You saaaay jean, I say geeene…) Seems like lots of researchers are looking at this now, how diet from in utero all the way to adulthood interacts with our genes, and in turn how variations in individual behavior are also influenced by that, and how different people get diferent results from behavior based on genetics, blah di blah, can you tell I used to work for a research school? Dork alert!
kelly
January 27th, 2009
A differentiation needs to be made between going low-carb and going grainless.
I’m attempting to be as grainless as possible, but I’ve actually increased my consumption of beans and potatoes since doing so. (Having a burger on a bed of diced potatoes is every bit as satisfying as putting it on a bun.)
I agree with what David said a few posts up: Consuming foods in as close to a natural state as possible is what I consider to be optimal.
dragonmamma/
January 27th, 2009
Awesome post. Nova did a great episode on epigenetics recently (how your environment and behaviors can turn on and off genes).
I love the food pyramid. I also like the idea of eating how you would tell your children to eat - BALANCED. I try to make sure by body gets fruit, vegis, protein, and carbs everyday and try not to worry about whether it gets too much fat and sugar. I love that I have a life where I am both content with my body and can eat what I want. I wouldn’t trade that to lose ten pounds.
Your curves are smokin’ hot and you get to eat what you want and you are still probably a size two! It’s a good life.
Thanks for sharing this!
Tracy
January 27th, 2009
And if you get Cheeseboard pizza, it’s all worth it. Cheeseboard pizza is nature’s most perfect food.
BonzoGal
January 27th, 2009
I’m kind of in love with your nutritionist. I met with one at my gym who, honest to god, didn’t know how to get protein on a veg diet.
I do my best to avoid nutrition talk in the gym because bad information is rampant. The trainers are, unfortunately, often the sources of the bad info.
I’m really enjoying these posts and just wanted to thank you for putting yourself out there like this.
attrice
January 27th, 2009
I have been wanting to see a nutrionist for a while. It’s a great idea to get another set of eyes (and perspective, especially from someone knowledgeable) on your diet. Good for you!
JudiesJuice
January 27th, 2009
OK, how much do I love the fact the FF readers know biochemistry, drop words like mutagenic and watch Nova? My people!
Truth be told, I am not a scientist (nor was I a researcher) but as far as I understood our conversation that day, it was as Kelly describes: activating certain genes that aid the body in starvation situations. The nutritionist also told me something so fucked up it made me a little squeamish and grateful I did this after I bore my child. According to her, there have been cases where women with eating disorders have passed on these activated genes to their children who then struggle with obesity (even when there wasn’t any cases of obesity in their families).
dragonmamma, my nutritionist made it clear that it was grains that the body needs a minimum of 6 servings of daily. However, she does count legumes as a grain, which is how my tofu consumption got counted towards my pitiful daily grain intake.
Shari Washburn
January 27th, 2009
Hey, in my picture, doesn’t it look like I’m thinking, “You want me to eat what?”
Shari Washburn
January 27th, 2009
shari, i love the post, and after incessant and hardcore questioning of all of my athlete friends about what i should be eating, one of them snapped and told me i should just see a nutritionist, so after your rave reviews, i’m going to see your jersey girl soon. i really can’t wait–i’m just so confused.
i’m glad you’re taking care of your body, and i hope to take this opportunity to take better care of mine.
samin
January 28th, 2009
Let’s dissect this a bit, shall we? You would go no-carbs for a series of days and then carb-binge, you were putting your body into starvation mode because you didn’t eat enough, and you were over-exercising on top of it. These things have nothing to do with a low-carb diet and everything to do with eating improperly from the get go. I am a bodybuilder who has been low carb (less than 50 net carbs a day), for over 2 years now. I am also a kick boxer. Low carb diets are completely healthy if you let your body adjust to not eating the garbage and then not look back. By cycling in and out of carb laden diets, you are not giving your genes any time to re program themselves. And, you need to eat enough fat so that your body has fuel to burn, you were running on empty! And then you tortured your body even further by over exercising. Your nutritionist was following standard practices, not necessarily correct ones. Alas, this probably won’t even make it to the feedback page.
Wendy
January 28th, 2009
My ob/gyn told me, after she was back to her normal self after giving birth to twins two months earlier: “Eat foods close to the ground.” I was wondering how cherries fit into that, but otherwise, sound advice. She’s 50 with twins in k’garten and two older kids and looks great so I usually take her advice.
Nice column, as always.
Sunshine
January 28th, 2009
Michael Pollan says that if your great-grandmother couldn’t recognize it, don’t eat it. There go my Trader Joe’s meatless corn dogs!
Sunshine
January 28th, 2009
Wendy, the food diary I showed my nutritionist was at the end of my two years of being low-carb and not actually representative of how I was eating. In fact, for a solid 22 months, I ate nothing but veggies, fish, beans/tofu, egg whites, and fruit, and nuts/vegetable oils and supplemented with fish oils. Plenty of time for my body to “adjust” to starvation. She was fully aware of this when she dispensed her advice. She agreed with you that I overtrained and under-fueled (both calories and type of food). I selected her because she works with collegiate athletes, who train pretty much every day.
It’s possible that she would recommend a different path for a body builder than she would for me - a runner and circuit junkie. In her professional opinion, under conditions of short term, high intensity exercise (like a timed circuit consisting of weighted squats, burpees, pull-ups and deadlifts), carbohydrates are used almost exclusively as the fuel source.
Has anyone read the recent research on how low-carb diets negatively affect cognitive functioning?
Shari Washburn
January 28th, 2009
Shari,
I have read that study. To quote Mark Sisson,
“The length of the study was only three weeks… that three weeks is about the average acclimation period to any low-carb diet. And at less than 20 grams a day, this was a true low-carb/ketogenic diet. During that three week period, when you cut carbs so dramatically from previously levels, your memory and cognition will likely get fuzzy, your mood will swing and your energy levels will drop. This is normal and to be expected when cells that have been programmed for decades to burn primarily glucose are now being deprived of this main fuel. It’s especially true of the brain. But as we discuss here so often, life is about gene expression and the signals your send those genes. When you deprive a sugar-burning human of his/her carbs and replace those calories with fat and protein, your genes get the signal to start up-regulating fat metabolism and ketone production. After three weeks, the acclimation (we call it “keto-adaptation”) is usually complete and brain cells start to thrive on a mix of ketones and the small amount of glucose produced in the liver via gluconeogenesis in the complete absence of carbohydrates. In fact, much of the brain prefers ketones to glucose when you are in ketosis. It’s a beautiful thing. Energy overall increases, mood stabilizes, you think more clearly, that regular three-hour hunger for carbs disappears, you burn of fat stores, you can skip meals with no noticeable effects, etc. Had the researchers followed their subjects for a few more weeks they would surely have seen all this. In fact, Lt. Frederick Schwatka wrote about it in the New York Herald in 1880 when describing an expedition with the Inuit: “When first thrown wholly upon a diet of reindeer meat, it seems inadequate to properly nourish the system, and there is an apparent weakness and inability to perform severe exertive fatiguing journeys. But this soon passes away in the course of two or three weeks.” He thrived for two years on that diet. So did Stefansson in 1929.
Other issues I have with the study are the small sample size (less than 20 subjects), the fact that subjects “self-selected” their diets and the fact that little was made about the four-pound average weight loss among both groups, especially since the low-carb group could eat all they wanted of non-carb foods. To me that’s huge…but the researchers had an agenda: “the results suggest that weight-loss diet regimens differentially impact cognitive behavior.””
Wendy
January 29th, 2009
Shari,
I’m not with you on this one. I think the Food Pyramid sucks, and of course a nutritionist educated within the mainstream medical system is going to advise it.
I do think that there’s no one diet for everyone, and that each person can and should experiment and find what works for him/her and what doesn’t - the level of carbohydrate consumption, the types of foods, etc. Prescribing six servings of grain a day? What about the many people with gluten sensitivities and problems processing other grains. How does this work for them? I heard you yourself say many times how much better you felt without them, and at one point you mentioned you thought you were “allergic” to them.
I worry that you’re jumping on this bandwagon just as zealously as the last. A friend of ours once told us to “beware gurus”. Perhaps you place these people (your former trainers who gave you dietary advice and now this nutritionist) in the position of guru, giving them a position of authority over you rather than following your own gut instincts. I hope I haven’t burned bridges here, but I read this last night and woke up thinking about it. Had to say what I think.
peace,
J
Joanna
January 29th, 2009
Damn. I was hoping I could use the results to explain away my memory loss. Since my kid is too old for me to blame it on being a new mother, I’ll just have to accept the fact that I am gettin’ old.
Shari Washburn
January 29th, 2009
Shari said:
“The nutritionist also told me something so fucked up it made me a little squeamish and grateful I did this after I bore my child. According to her, there have been cases where women with eating disorders have passed on these activated genes to their children who then struggle with obesity (even when there wasn’t any cases of obesity in their families).” I know my sister and I are both victims of disordered eating, and my mom is the worst of all, but neither of them have a tendency to put on weight, just me.
I think Cheeseboard Pizza rocks. I think NJ was an awful place to grow up. And I think personal trainers, body builders, or anyone at the gym would be the last people I would listen to about nutritional advice. I think low/no carb is an unnatural, awful idea. I try to eat my food in the natural forms it comes in, but I don’t always have time, and don’t want to sacrifice my social life completely.
I think one can be healthy and eat pizza, just not all the time. Moderation, all!
Hi, other biochemists! I also love people of science!
julie
January 29th, 2009
First of all, I looooved growing up in NJ. Loved it. And miss it (but only parts of it).
Secondly, Joanna, your concerns are well-founded. I have elevated people in the past to “guru” positions. And I think I have paid for my unquestioning allegiance.
I don’t have gluten intolerance and I am aware of what I have said about being allergic to wheat in the past. But, to speak completely truthfully and honestly, in the past, wheat has made me feel puffy (read: fat). And I am learning that fat is not a feeling. So, really how wheat made me feel was puffy, which in turn, exacerbated my lousy self-image. What I loved about being off carbs was that I lost a ton of weight (because I was not eating very many calories). And I loved how impressed people were with my discipline. There. Truths out. It was all ego-driven, not health-driven which.is.whacked.
I am eating a variety of carbs and am still conscious of eating wheat - trying to listen to my body. And like I told Wendy, this is what the nutritionist told ME - who know what she’d tell you, or Samin or anyone else who saw her. But 2 sprained ankles, peroneal tendonitis and deltoid injuries pointed to something not working. But mostly, I just want to fucking eat and stop being so rigid. It’s really exhausting “following a plan.” It becomes all you think about and it took the joy out of food. I still eat better than most people I know. But shit, if I want pancakes or french toast (or both) when I go out with the Barn Swallows, shouldn’t I have them without self-impunity?
As for the Food Pyramid, I am immediately suspicious of anything connected to the USDA because I know where their interests lie. So, I am just eating what I feel like eating, without following anything because, like I said, I’m done following plans. I am listening to my body, not my head. This morning, my body wanted an egg sandwich. I looove egg sandwiches. So I had organic egg whites, with a slice of low-fat swiss on wheatless, sprouted bread. Delish!
I am in the middle of another post that has to do with why I left the gym but I can tell you it has more to do with what it ultimately brought out in me than it does any advice I was given.
I appreciate your comments and knew that people would disagree with me. That’s fine. In fact, it’s important. I am glad to have a forum where we can agree to disagree without anyone feeling threatened.
Shari Washburn
January 29th, 2009
The Mayo Clinic and Berkeley Health and Wellness Guide (renowned research centers not someone without medical degree who is trying to sell you a product *read Mark Sisson*) both advocate for the food pyramid.
Everything I have read from these sources says that we don’t know the long term effects of a low carb diet on kidneys and bone density and that the reason it works is a combination of caloric reduction and water loss. I am fearful of quick fixes, deprivation diets, and lots of information that doesn’t come from unbiased sources. I am particularly fearful because there is so much pressure out there to do these things. I also believe that women are defensive of diets that work for them and I am no different in this regard. Although my “diet” means I get to eat what I want (including the delicious chocolate chip cookie I ate 5 minutes ago).
Shari is trying to be healthy (not just skinny) and she went to talk to an expert about it. She is brave to put herself out there especially when you read some of the reactions here.
And she looks beautiful!
Tracy
January 29th, 2009
My mother was fat as a kid and dieted herself into ’60’s size 6. While pregnant with me in ‘65, she was told to lose weight. She ate one piece of dry toast in the morning, a half-cup of cottage cheese for lunch and shrimp cocktail for dinner. I was born at 5lbs. Shortly thereafter, she developed MS, and her diet became even more extreme in her attempt to stay slim. Near the end of her life, after her hamstrings had been surgically cut so she could remain upright enough to breathe, she STILL didn’t eat bread or croutons or crackers or pasta. These posts make me very sad. No one wants to weigh 200 lbs. But why should mothers in their 40’s subject themselves to this kind of self-imposed torture? I certainly have food issues (ya think?), but I have gotten more joy out of being strong (and a shout-out to Kelly and Shari for helping me get there) than I ever got out of being a size 4. At what point can women say ‘fuck it - I have a job and a child and friends and passions and I can lift for 20 minutes and run 13.1 miles and still make dinner (cue ‘Charlie’ music) and play with my son and be smart at work so explain to me again why I can’t eat a sandwich?’
Anne
January 29th, 2009
Amen Anne. God, I miss you!
Shari Washburn
January 29th, 2009
Great post Shari. I’m glad your enjoying your carbs these days. And by the way, I had no idea you left the gym. I am so clueless!
Loredie
January 30th, 2009
So many comments…what a hot button issue…no mystery at what drives the sales of women’s magazines! All I can say, is thank you for sharing your story and providing a forum for some intelligent discussion. I try to eat “mindfully” (whatever that means). Time for another post about media and self esteem.
Erin G.
January 30th, 2009
Shari,
It’s painful to read this page!
“Has anyone read the recent research on how low-carb diets negatively affect cognitive functioning?”
Low-carb positively affects cognitive function.
In fact, low-carb is one of the best things you can do for you mind and it’s a great way to prevent Alzheimer’s.
Your brain uses glucose as a fuel, and when you overload your brain with glucose via grain intake your neurons become insulin resistant, resulting in poor glucose metabolism, “brain fog”, and eventually Alzheimer’s.
Low-carb is the best (only?) way to reverse insulin resistance. Your brain will switch to ketones+glucose as fuels (if only temporarily) and your memory and focus will be sharp as a tack.
Humans went 2.5 million years without grains. Don’t listen to idiot “nutritionists” who think they’re healthy.
For research check out some of the work by Dr Larry McCleary.
Jeff
February 1st, 2009
Don’t trust anyone with your health. (Nothing against anyone!) Read the research yourself. A good place to point you to the research is “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes. After that, you should start reading the research papers yourself.
My take is that, in order to be healthy and maintain (or get to) a good weight, you need to eat more fat and protein than you’re currently eating. For research that backs this up, read http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/weight-loss/dietary-protein-increases-lean-mass/ .
Scott Moore
February 1st, 2009
Beans/tofu, egg whites and vegetable oils were your problem. Beans, tofu or any soy and vegetable oils you should avoid like the plague. If you’re going to throw out any part of an egg let it be the white, the yolk has most of the good stuff and eat more animal fats. Also, take some vitamin D.
If you just want to get off the low carb diet you don’t need to spend money on a nutritionist to give you an excuse.
nonegiven
February 1st, 2009
Hey Shari, sounds like you were (and still are, grading by the eggwhite/low-fat cheese sandwich) too scared of eating fat…I’d blame too low of fat intake (and too low overall calories) as to why your low-carb experiment led to problems. Also, you say you don’t have a wheat allergy, but that when you eat it, you get puffy. Sounds like an allergic reaction to me…
No bad will meant here, just my 2c.
Sarah
February 1st, 2009
If your brain needed 6 servings of grain to keep alive during a coma, then how did we get where we are today? Our ancestors ate no grain. None. Very few carbs - just what they pulled from the berries and fruits and nuts they ate. They did just fine on a 90% meat diet. Evolution is slow — it doesn’t really know we had an agriculture revolution. Nutritionists must provide the party line (food pyramid) to retain their certification. The reason your low carb diet did not work was because you were attempting to consume a low carb and low fat diet. If you are cutting the carbs you need to increase the fat. That’s why low carb diets “fail” and “make you hungry”. Try upping the fat .. don’t be afraid of it. Our paleo ancestors certainly weren’t eating boneless skinless chicken breasts.
Matt
February 2nd, 2009
Wow. These keytones that come from a low carb diet sound great. What else causes ketosis? Starvation you say? No way! Prolonged vomiting. Wow! Tell me more.
“Ketones are normally released into the urine. If ketone levels are very high or if the person is dehydrated, ketones may begin to build up in the blood. High blood levels of ketones may cause fruity-smelling breath, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, and fast, deep breathing. In severe cases, it may lead to coma and death. In a pregnant woman, even a moderate amount of ketones in her blood may harm the fetus.”
I can’t find a single article from a Doctor advocating a low carb diet who was’t trying to sell a book, supplement, or diet plan. Mostly the advice comes from fitness people who have no formal training in medicine or nutrition. Thanks but I’ll stick with the major medical research centers on this one.
Oh yeah and by the way, our ancestors also lived half as long as we do now.
Now back away from my cupcake you low carb pushers.
Tracy
February 2nd, 2009
I just have to ring in here and agree with all those who said the fat intake is too low.
I’m approaching about 50 pounds of net weight loss over the last year and half, and it’s squarely because of relatively high fat intake (natural fats: animal, olive, coconut — never processed frankenfats). I’d also ditch the soy, tofu, legumes.
Anyway, good luck. BTW, you might want to look into the Paleo diet, Loren Cordain.
http://www.thepaleodiet.com
You just can’t get more nutrition. Do this experiment: take those six servings of grain and compare the total nutrition to the equivalent calories in a hunk of meat, fish, or poultry.
Here’s a typical day’s comparison in how eating naturally provides 100-300% the nutrition that a standard, grain-based diet would.
http://www.freetheanimal.com/root/2009/02/bratty-kids.html
I’d bet anything your nutritionist has not the slightest clue of this. By having you forego MORE meat/fish, natural fat, vegetables, fruit and nuts in favor of bread, pasta, and other grains is to have you get 1/3 the nutrition you could be getting.
Richard Nikoley
February 2nd, 2009
Tracy -
A healthy diet that is lower in carbs will not induce ketosis.
Without even debating if ketosis is healthy in the long term, most people need only 50-100g of carbs per day to stay out of ketosis.
If fruit, vegetables, and lean meat are the cornerstone of your diet you’ll have no trouble getting that amount of carbs.
Chris
February 3rd, 2009
Without lecturing everyone about the environmental and social costs of a meat-based diet, I will make what I hope is my final comment. I am a vegetarian (well, I was. I eat fish now). I increased my fish consumption to up my protein but have never been comfortable with the increase in large part due to PCBs and heavy metals in our fish supply (I am married to a human health scientist so please don’t argue this point with me. And yes, I know all about and even eat small fresh water fish). The Paleo diet isn’t an option even if I wanted to eat like a caveman, which I don’t - I tried something pretty close and it made me feel lousy over the long-term. And I eat plenty of good fats. Nuts, avocados, healthy oils and full fat cheeses.
I think many of you missed the point of this piece. I really didn’t write this to discuss the merits of one diet over another. The point was that I was on a DIET (call it a “way of life” or a “food plan” or “lifestyle” - it’s still a diet). I was eating a certain way so I could be skinny. It wasn’t healthy for me, physically or mentally, so I stopped. That was what Kelly wanted me to write about - someone taking steps to get whole.
I wasn’t trying to attack anyone’s diet. But I am so interested and ultimately enlightened by the depth and vigor of your defenses. Thank you for this unexpected payoff.
For what it is worth, I am so grateful to live in a country where I can eat whatever I want. This entire exercise, however, has made me acutely aware of how this discussion would be viewed under the lens of a struggling or third world country. Now that is truly food for thought, people.
Shari
February 3rd, 2009
I just wanted to chime in here since reading the comments about the “paleo diet” and suggestions that Shari should eat like her ancestors. I think Shari should eat like Shari :-)!
I’ve known Shari for a very long time. I can honestly say that Shari was healthiest when her diet was well rounded, not including meat, as I have always known her as a vegetarian. I also know that Shari’s personality is Type A and her BLOOD TYPE happens to match!
IF one subscribes to the Eat Right For Your Type research conducted by Dr. Peter D’Adamo (a naturopathic physician), then you would believe that Shari is feeding her body exactly what it needs for optimum health, weight and performance based on the evolutionary changes in our body make up. Now, I realize that this “diet” is controversial, however I thought it appropriate here as an argument FOR Shari’s “diet” since the argument AGAINST her “diet” is that she should eat paleo based on ancestry.
If you’re blood type O (”for old,” as in humanity’s oldest blood line) your digestive tract retains the memory of ancient times, says D’Adamo, so you’re metabolism will benefit from lean meats, poultry, and fish. You’re advised to restrict grains, breads, legumes, and beans and to enjoy vigorous exercise.
Type A (”for agrarian”) flourishes on vegetarian diets, “the inheritance of their more settled and less warlike farmer ancestors,” says D’Adamo. The type A diet contains soy proteins, grains, and organic vegetables and encourages gentle exercise.
The nomadic blood type B has a tolerant digestive system and can enjoy low-fat dairy, meat, and produce but, among other things, should avoid wheat, corn, and lentils, D’Adamo says. If you’re type B, it’s recommended you exercise moderately.
The “modern” blood type AB has a sensitive digestive tract and should avoid chicken, beef, and pork but enjoy seafood, tofu, dairy, and most produce. The fitness regimen for ABs is calming exercises.
Ultimately, Shari needs to consider her individual needs and tastes and not bind herself to any one “diet” other than what works for her. And as she eloquently stated above, she wasn’t attacking anyone else’s diet; she was telling us what wasn’t working for her.
brownaround
February 3rd, 2009
Holy crap, Shari. I normally lurk around these parts but felt compelled to tell you tonight how inspiring and healthy and beautiful I find this journey that you’re on. Your words resonate with me 150% and then some. (This said from having gone around lots of disordered and dissatisfied and low carb no carb low cal no cal low fat no fat and then some blocks…and finally, as I approach 40, feeling like I’m starting to understand this elusive concept of “healthy balance.”)
lulu
February 4th, 2009
Thanks Lulu. I’ll tell you, I turned 40 last spring and recently decided that I really don’t want to spend the next 40 years of my life casting about, feeling unsatisfied and being down on myself. Balance is my word for 2009 and that’s the direction in which I am headed.
Shari
February 5th, 2009
You had this awesome post on loving yourself and ditching the restriction and it got followed up with all these weird diet comments. But I love your blog and I love that you wrote about this. Thank you for sharing this experience with all of us!
It is so different–I am vegan and can maintain that my whole life, no problem. So I get that. But restricting carbs, fat, this and that–you can only go so far before it’s a major stressor. No more!
Anna
February 9th, 2009
I like it. I’m off to write more posts and put your ideas to the test. After all, we always have something new to learn and being humble, I came here to learn. Bookmarked.
Complete Vegetarian Proteins
April 10th, 2009