Hi Allie,
I would recommend the work of Steve Phinney who is very well respected in researching low carb for athletes and has podcasts and a book on the subject.
Happy anniversary, I would have sent you a card, but strangely at present the commercial card manufacturers don’t make any card to celebrate maintaining weight loss long term. There’s a business opportunity for someone :-)))
Hello – I came across this rather amusing podcast about what happens to our fat cells which is particularly useful to those of us experiencing plateaus… apologies for the poor sound quality but it did make me smile!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xF3rmi4DJAw
Hope everyone is doing ok?
Kazzeexx
Hi Kazzee
Thanks for posting this. I enjoyed it too. It goes along with JGwen’s – and others – posts about the ‘woosh’ effect.
My favourite moment was the first time she threw balloons against the tree – it was so delightful I played it again.
Jennie xx
Hi Kazzee thank you for finding that and posting! It is great. I know you guys talk about the whoosh effect but seeing that way I can take it in better. That lady is really sweet too. I think Allie should make videos like this! No nonsense but funny. You are awesome Allie😉💞🦜
I came across a comment that an iron deficiency can cause weight loss stall so I went looking for more information. – Came across this research which confirmed the claim but with just a small group of participants and recommends repeating with a larger group.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24770833
I found this podcast which covers in more detail why iron deficiency causes blocks weight loss. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtczW43tiu4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0Wqfki3XCqZVLo2VZXobspra7HmtkmJrE1AFv8-OhlN1ayl1Dr6K7JDZw
Thanks for this. A really informative and short presentation. I have been a little concerned about my iron levels since I started logging everything I eat in MFP and noticed that I’m
Often consuming 50% less than I should.
I wouldn’t normally post a link to as general an article as this, but I think this could be the tip of an iceberg which is very relevant to those of us who are/were Insulin Resistant.
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Thinking what he is staying through, inflammation is one of the three issues we have to address to resolve pain management issues. – Especially inflammation in the brain.
What do we know a carb high diet creates, inflammation.
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I have a feeling that there is a batch of dots starting to join up to shine a light on the best way to a long and active life. – Keeping inflammation down and muscle strength up.
I think I am going to buy this book when its published.
I can’t read it without a subscription Jgwen.
Hi Niknak, I have done a cut and paste of the text from the article. – Obviously its an article to sell a book he has published, but we all now know that the CICO model promoted by western medical advisors is incorrect. So when he says pain management is incorrect because it fails to consider diet and inflammation, and feeling in control – I start to see the links.
—————————————————
“That pain you are feeling, that continuing dodgy back, oof those knees, the flare-up of that old injury, the it-all-hurts that sends so many millions of people hobbling in and out of GP surgeries and hospitals for lifetimes: it’s not what you think. It’s in your brain.
I’m going to pause for a moment to hide from assault. People in pain are like wounded animals, and nothing gets them more vicious than anyone saying, even hinting, that they are doing their suffering wrong. So let me quickly introduce you to Nick Potter, an osteopath of three decades. He’s the Mr Fixit who such big names as Elton John, Michael McIntyre and Samantha Cameron, as well as many elite athletes, call when they can’t get out of bed.
His new book, The Meaning of Pain, doesn’t just say that people are doing their pain wrong, but that the whole of western medicine is doing pain wrong. At present, 43 per cent of adults live with persistent pain, suggests a BMJ study. A lot of that is backs: back pain is the leading cause of disability with 30 million working days lost to it a year. It costs the UK economy about £12 billion annually, with £1.6 billion of that spent on treatment, much of it not very good.
“In the UK, pain costs the state more than cancer and diabetes combined, but no one is really talking about it or coming up with answers to treat it,” Potter writes.
The reason is this: we don’t understand chronic pain. Surgery and drugs are the mainstays of the medical establishment, but both have surprisingly poor outcomes. The landscape is ripe for a revolution and Potter would style himself as that revolutionary.
He’s tall with a shock of blond hair that has him sometimes mistaken for Julian Assange. It’s towards the end of our conversation, when he mentions Jordan Peterson, the Canadian academic and self-help guru, that I realise he is the Jordan Peterson of osteopaths, mixing polemic and academic studies to startling effect.
Outspoken, provocative and prone to using words such as “fat” and “lazy”, he would thrive as a talk radio host. I could write a whole other piece on his theories of why women feel pain more than men. Yes, pipe down about childbirth, ladies, it’s true. Yet his radical core message is based on the latest neurological research. We need to use it to tackle the “silent epidemic” of pain that is growing year on year. One study found that the incidence of chronic back pain more than doubled in the 14 years up to 2006.
“If you say your pain is in your mind, or your head, or it’s all psychological, people think you mean they are making it up. It isn’t, and they aren’t. I’m very careful: I say pain is in the brain.”
This is what he means. If you break your arm, your bones should heal within months. That is why chronic pain is defined as pain beyond three months, when we are in mysterious realms. Sufferers are stuck in what he calls the “fish pond of pain”, plucked out by one specialist after another and thrown back in again. The drugs don’t work. Well, they help for a bit, but we all know about opiate addiction — and after you’ve been weaned off them, you are more sensitised to pain than ever. It’s what he calls “the double bitch of opiates; it’s brutal”. As for the buzz about cannabis, “There’s no good evidence yet that cannabinoids help pain at all. It’s bollocks.
“I won’t treat somebody if they smoke dope because it’s a withdrawal drug. It means you opt out, you won’t take responsibility for what you need to move forward.”
Don’t get him started on surgery. Potter says it has a role in a tiny number of cases, but again the evidence is surprisingly weak. A landmark study of surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002, found that it was no better than placebo surgery for pain relief; a 2017 review in the journal Pain Medicine found the same for four different skeletal surgeries. “Spinal fusion operations do not work,” Potter concludes. He recommends Crooked, a gripping take-down of the back pain industry by the investigative reporter Cathryn Jakobson Ramin. It is important for me to point out that his profession, osteopathy, also has a rather limited evidence-base.
He was training to be a doctor, but an accident on the rugby field in which he broke his back led him to quit his degree and devote himself to pain. “How much training do you think your average doctor gets on pain? This is scary. I can tell you because I’ve just spoken to a newly qualified doctor, and it’s exactly the same thing as when I was training. It’s an hour. It’s usually on giving out opiates.
“I spend my life in team meetings pulling surgeons off patients — ‘Oi, you, back off!’ ” he shouts. He sounds unpopular with surgeons. “They are ballsy enough to tell me, ‘I know I’ll do one level [of spinal surgery]. She’ll be back in two years for the next level.’ In the private sector that’s an incentive. The last person to take a first look at your back problem is a surgeon.” He makes a sign of sharpening knives like a person about to carve the Christmas turkey.
Instead, his book draws on the latest neurological research, showing that once you have had pain, it can become burnt into your neural pathways. Your nerves can torture you by misfiring pain signals. It is what he calls a “software”, rather than hardware, problem. And you are more likely to suffer if you have three other conditions: psychological stress, inflammatory problems (often caused by obesity, poor diet and stress) and weak muscles. To truly get better you need to work on some or all of them — and when he says work, he means make a significant commitment, not the desultory bit of physio that most people do.
He is a convert to the theory extolled by the psychiatrist Edward Bullamore in his book The Inflamed Mind, that practitioners need to break a vicious circle of stress and inflammatory that causes pain of body and mind. Our sedentary, harassed lives are not the place to do it.
“The real problem is that most of us are lazy,” he writes. “I know that sounds harsh, but it’s true. Most of us know we do not look after ourselves. We wait for something to happen and react rather than being proactive. Anyone in the world of physical medicine will tell you that getting patients to do what you tell them is the most difficult thing to achieve.”
How does he, who prides himself on telling patients he never wants to see them again, do it? “As I’ve got older, I’ve got quite punchy with patients: ‘Do it or don’t come back.’ When you threaten to sack them, they 100 per cent engage. If they don’t, I haven’t got the time to spend with them and I can’t bear to see them torture themselves.”
Given that pain is such a great problem, why is there not a network of pain clinics? “There should be. That’s the point. When people start getting it, if they do, it will cause a huge social change in how we see pain. You are in as much pain as you say you are. I am not doubting you, I do not think you’re bonkers, but I need you to rethink how you see your pain. That’s why we need the specialist multidisciplinary centres. They are not expensive to run and they would offload the GPs.”
He would like to see rapid referrals to such a centre, giving access to a psychologist — a “really good physical medicine specialist” who would help people to recondition their body — and a doctor who is expert in inflammatory processes such as rheumatism. Compare that to the reality. “With back pain and the NHS, you could wait 18 months before you are seen. By which time you haven’t gone to work. You’re institutionalised into medication, you’re overweight, you’re deconditioned, depressed.”
Fat is a “huge” problem for two reasons: it strains the joints and increases inflammation. “I really do pride myself on being a very kind person,” he says. “I love helping people, particularly fat people actually, because I have been fat.”
He tells patients not to underestimate the importance of losing weight if they want to get better, “not because you’re heavy, but because of the effect fat has on the body”. It is estimated, he says, that there is a 17 per cent reduction in pain for every 4kg lost. That can be life-changing for people who are seriously overweight. Slimming, he says, is “an entirely natural form of pain relief”.
Mental stress is another problem. Numerous studies have found pain worse when people are asked to think distressing thoughts — he has seen a spike in the number of patients since the Brexit vote, all of them worried about their mortgages and jobs. “Do you know why? Because of lack of control and they make that very clear.”
What about Theresa May’s risk of illness? “Oh I think Theresa May is teetering on the brink at any stage. She’s a very high stroke risk, I mean look at her, God bless her.”
He is not the typical osteopath, I say. In fact, his character type seems to have more in common with those strong-headed surgeons he likes to cross swords with. “Maybe it’s because I’m a judge’s son. Truth was big in our house.” He quotes George Orwell, who said that liberty is “the right to tell people what they do not want to hear”. What would he say to the nation if he could?
“The NHS needs you. It’s a wonderful institution. You seriously undervalue it and if you continue the way it’s going to go, you are going to break it.” By doing what? “Not taking responsibility for your own outcome. Doing the small things that can help. I know it sounds very right-wing, and I couldn’t be less right-wing. I’m just a realist.”
The Meaning of Pain: What It Is, Why We Feel It, and How to Overcome It by Nick Potter is published by Short Books, £12.99
Many thanks JGwen. Very interesting article. I’ll request the book from my local library.
Thankyou JGwen
I agree that a lot of issues could be improved by changing diet and exercise, I’m not as convinced by the mind though, it may reduce but not cure?
I’m talking about physical pain not mental health issues.
I think most problems have a biological/chemical cause but for some conditions we don’t currently have the medical means of identifying them.
IBS was long thought to be caused by stress but a lot of research more recently is highlighting that reactions to certain foods, and microbiological diversity are largely connected to IBS. At the beginning of my IBS diagnosis, I had a doctor trying to find out what was causing me stress, I told him I was perfectly happy until I developed the IBS, in the end Low carb and probiotics have sorted out my IBS.
Chronic back pain, I knew exactly what was causing it, weak muscles and bad back posture which bent my spine the wrong way and trapped a nerve.
What cured it? A year of Yoga. No more chronic back pain.
One thing I am curious about is whether inflammation has affect on nerves, I have had weird random shooting/stabbing pains in different parts of my body my whole life (but never bad enough to worry about) and it will be interested to see if they reduce/go away with this diet. Thinking on it, I can’t remember noticing it recently.
Hi Nicnak,
I think the author of the article was trying very hard to make the point that he wasn’t trying to suggest that pain is a mental issue, rather he is suggesting that if a particular pain occurs repeatedly for a while that pathway becomes hard wired in the brain. I have read about professional sports people spending lots of time perfecting the same move over and over until it becomes subconscious and they don’t have to think about it. Also if you do specific mental activities over and over it becomes second nature.
To me it is logical that inflammation will increase pressure on all the tissues in an inflamed area, which will include nerves.
I have done a lot of work with horses who suffer from a problem called laminitis. Which is inflammation in the hooves as a result of a high sugar diet. What researchers have discovered is that a high sugar diet results in a high population of specific bacteria in the gut. A byproduct of the presence of those bacteria is that a chemical is released in the blood. . In the case of horses research shows that chemical causes tissues of the hoof to grow more rapidly than they would naturally. The research papers were published by a department of a university which specifically researches laminitis. So its entirely possible that the chemical causes rapid growth throughout the whole horses body, not just the hoof.
Really fascinating reading, JGwen – I might get the book too. You’re a wealth of information and I want to ask what is probably a stupid question! I’ve been more focused on the weight loss aspect of BSD as I’m not diabetic, don’t have PCOS, high blood pressure, cholesterol etc so I’m now realizing, I don’t know if I’m insulin resistant or not or what that really means. I think in my head I saw it as another term for diabetic. I’m sure there is something in the book about it but if you have a moment, I find your explanations very helpful! Thanks x
I get what you are trying to explain, there is something there I suppose.
That horse study is interesting, it made me think of when I was 13 and I had a random bone growth through my toenail on one of my toes that the doctors couldn’t explain, they just removed it. I happened to be following a very high sugar diet. Now horse physiology is very different to humans, so we can’t say it would react the same or differently, but it does make you think.
Our bodies are basically a machine that is designed to work a certain way, if we give it the wrong fuel, don’t service it, let it rust, it’s not going to work properly.
H1 Kaf1n! By far and away, 1 found Gary Taubes book, “Why We Get Fat…and What To Do About 1t” transformat1ve for
prov1d1ng an 1n depth explanat1on of 1nsul1n res1stance. 1’ve never looked at food exactly the same s1nce d1scover1ng
th1s book early on 1n my journey. 1 went through 1t all w1th far few stumbles than some struggle w1th, so 1 heart1ly
recommend 1t, and 1f 1 could, 1 would present 1t to folks new to th1s WOE. 1t’s been l1terally decades that we’ve
all been subject to the false prem1se of calor1es 1n/calor1es out. 1n real1ty, 1t’s the type of calor1es that matter!!!
Let Albert l1ft you up when you’ve had an “1ffy” day. Fur balls have the power to bless us 1n th1s way 🙂
Thanks Allie – I think you had mentioned this before so I requested it from my library and have been waiting for it to arrive. I’m really interested to read it. Little Albert is not feeling very well and he’s never actually been sick before so I’m quite worried since he will be 14 this year. So I’m doing the lifting up at the moment for my sweet boy and hoping it’s just a passing thing. Xx
I was watching a presentation by Dr. David Unwin last night and he and his wife who is a psychologist were talking about how they drive behaviour change in their patients that is so different from how doctors usually approach consultation. As they were working through the model they use, I thought that it would be really quite easy to apply to myself. They use the acronym GRIN. The G is for goals. They ask what life would look like with the excess weight gone or the diabetes reversed and get the person to imagine their preferred future. The R is for resources and resiliency. What resources do you have available to help you suceed and who do you have to support you? I is for increments. Can you pick a small increment that is doable in the short term that will help you move towards success? N is for noticing. Notice every time you have a sucess, however small. Focus more on what you are doing right, rather than ‘failures’ and this will be much more motivating and then you can keep building sucess on sucess.
Here is the link if anyone is interested in watching the whole thing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTDaWkwIpuo
I was enjoying the Tedtalks by Renee Jones on emotional eating, and wondered if others might like to have a listen too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bE5XLGNPF0
Thanks, Patricia – I’m finding the more knowledge and science I surround myself with, the more I want to stay on track, so will add this to my list!
I came across this YouTube video by Ted Naiman on Exercise where he talks about various muscle groups, and what exercises are good for building muscle, soaking up glycogen, etc. I admit I know nothing about exercise (ex-couch potato but working on it) so can’t tell how useful it will be for others, but I found it helpful so thought I’d post it.
Also, isn’t there something kind of nice about seeing someone with just the old flipchart and pen!
Thank you Jennie — this was interesting and informative! I am definitely adding in a movement to “failure” to my workout. He’s cool — has a great attitude toward BMI/ weight/fitness — spot on.
Here is the list of acronyms I found on the net and posted recently on the Weekly Thread
Acronyms
ACV: Apple cider vinegar
ADF: Alternate day fasting
BG: Blood glucose
BMI: Body mass index
BMR: Basal metabolic rate
BP: Blood pressure
BPC: Bullet proof coffee
CICO: Calories in calories out
EF: Extended fasting – a fast lasting longer than 48hrs
eTRE: Early time restricted eating
FBG: Fasting blood glucose
HbA1c: Hemoglobin A1c (represents average blood glucose over 3 months)
HFCS: High fructose corn syrup
HIIT: High intensity interval training
HTN: Hypertension
HWC: Heavy whipping cream (Pure cream is an Australian alternative)
IF: Intermittent fasting – a fast lasting between 24hrs and 48hrs
IR: Insulin resistance
Keto: Ketogenic diet (generally under 20g carbs/day)
LCHFMP: Low carb healthy fats (HF is also often referred to as high fat) moderate protein
MCT: Medium chain triglycerides
MFP: My Fitness Pal
NSV: Non scale victory
OMAD: One meal a day
PCOS: Polycystic ovary syndrome
SAD: Standard American diet
T2D: Type 2 diabetes
TOFI: Thin on the outside, fat on the inside
TRE: Time-restricted Eating – a fast lasting less than 24hrs
WOE: Way of eating
WOL: Way of life
A very interesting article on the PREDICT study.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/jun/23/eat-more-avocado-what-i-learned-from-the-study-that-will-change-how-we-eat?CMP=share_btn_tw
I’ve only been able to track blood glucose responses, not insulin or cholesterol/triglycerides but so far I’ve discovered that:
1. I need to go for my noon hour walk before eating lunch, because if I eat lunch first and then walk, it moderates the glucose peak, but I end up going into hypo territory. By walking first and then eating, I still moderate the peak, but don’t go hypo.
2. I need to eat my evening meal earlier and make it lower carb/protein, as if I eat it too close to going to bed and the wrong composition, my levels ping pong up and down all night long.
Will be awesome to have the app available in the next year or so!
Hi Articfox,
Very interesting, having read the article I clicked on the link to be a volunteer on the next round of the study but that is only available to people in the USA. Pity. –
I did see some articles in the past about a study being carried out (in Israel?) where they ran tests on peoples gut bacteria and then got people to log what they ate for 2 weeks while wearing one of the continuous blood glucose monitors to work out the link between their gut bacteria profile and the impact on their blood sugar levels. Some of the long term people will confirm that I was fixated in my early days about getting a blood glucose tester to play around and see how different foods effect me. I wish the patches you wear for 2 weeks at a time were a lot cheaper and I would then definitely do it.
————————
Yes that is a pity, JGwen. When I last looked a couple weeks ago they were still accepting people from the UK, but I see that they are already orienting the new group of participants in the UK, so they must have closed the intake. Great opportunity for anyone in on here in the US though that would like to be a part of the study.
Hi JGwen! I saw those TV programmes and found them FASCINATING!!! Proof positive right there! And then to my most current news! Had been summonsed to the GP for my annual Diabetic Plan to be outlined. Was told – not necessary. A 6 months blood test was ordered for August – right before I get my papers which must be signed off my a doctor – declaring Im fit to drive . . . (something we Aussies have to do when turning 75.) She said she was VERY happy with me . . . BP VERY GOOD without meds!!!! and BG levels more than acceptable (as per the last set of tests!) PLUS!!!! . . . my medical records now declared “Diet Controlled Diabetic!” THATS A PLUS!!! AND . . . she said Im NOT diabetic right now. So that dreadful scourge word is GONE!!! HOPEFULLY . . . . never to return!!! I went and bought lottery tickets! Yeah!!!!! and tytytytyty DR MM, friends and acquaintances, my family for their support . . . and the forum family for the part you have all played in my buoyed mood today – well more like elation really! Duckie really is Quack Quacking this afternoon!!! YEAH!
Well done Duckie, give yourself a pat on the back for that one, it was you who decided to make the changes to your life and then carried them through. Hopefully, your success will also inspire not only others on the forum, but also your medical team to recommend the same program to others.
JGwen . . . Thank you so much for your kind words. 🙂 I do hope I am giving courage and inspiration to others to accept what their bodies can deliver . . . 12-13 kgs discard all up in 12 months and remaining static now for three months is pretty spectacular. If 81kgs is the best achievable stable weight. . . than sobeit. Im in a good mental headspace, doing better than some and not as good as others in the “exercise and abilities” for 75 yo’s. BUT . . comparison doesnt do anyone any good . . . chasing someone else’s goals doesnt score points! . . . . . because all our histories are different. Having survived three major infections etc which forced the induced coma and trach’e for and of 43 days duration, and another two months rehab to follow – complete recovery took a while longer . . . quite a while . . . – (that was 7 years ago October) – was lifethreatening and debilitating beyond belief. Plantar fasciitis on going for the past 9 years . . . the softball size benign tumour around my remaining ovary two years ago . . . so no more estrogen driving the bus . . . Im GLAD to be here and not have ANY MEDS to get up in the morning. With kidney function ticked . . . BS’s ticked . . . iron levels . . . BIG ticked . . . managing my home alone . . . ticked . . . still able to do a round road trip of 1200 klms driving interspersed with coach and train sections – alone – in a week . . . admirable! SO, a few grams of extra weight or discard – a few carbs over 20 or less . . . fasts or not, just arent really THAT important!!! They are challenges and open for investigation IF you feel they are of benefit to you and your goal/s!!! But just quite simply giving my body the best possible chance to respond to the best diligence of support, research, companionship with others on the journey, nurturing, fuel – LISTENING TO – and fun times I can offer myself without excessive stressing, comparison or expectation is the greatest gift we can give ourselves. Accept what your body gives you as its best it can muster and simply enjoy whatever that is . . . because it isnt the same as anything ever which has been pffered, given, happened (to) or been asked of nor given before. It is a NEW ADVENTURE on life’s journey! Enjoy it! 🙂 Quack! Quack! this evening from a very placid Duckie’s Duckpond.
Oh Duckie, where you have got to is absolutely outstanding, and you are right to be very pleased with yourself. To be age 75, with such a complex medical history, and not be taking any medication at all is an absolute triumph!! And you are so right to remind us that it’s not about comparison with where others are up to, but rather about finding joy in what we can do right now – thank you.
Big hugs, Elky
Elky . . . my humble thanks for your generous words . . . after a good nights sleep (eventually!!!) – Im a little emotionally drained from the “roller-coaster ride” in so many domains right now . . . and comfortably staving off food by finishing a “window insulation” project – (17 hours since last meal and coffee and I feel calm, satisfied.) As I reflect, Im shedding small bouts of gentle tears of relief and gratitude after yesterday’s elation . . . For many reasons the doc’s visit had been weighing heavily on my mind. As I live semi rural . . . two kilometres from the tiny (often bypassed by though trains) station, with no bus service . . .fifteen minutes drive to nearest shops . . . and 40 minutes on the freeway to my sons home where I go for two days a week to help out with my grand-daughters, . . . if I was unable to get clearance to drive, my isolation would have been suffocating – even crippling in so many facets of my life. Grateful, thankful, relieved doesnt even begin to express my feelings today:) Must be careful not to compensate or celebrate such joy with excess food 🙂 Now THAT thought made me smile . . . reveals something else Ive learned about myself while on this wonderful journey. Could also explain why I overbought/stocked supplies this week as well!!! 🙂 Learning something every day! Quack! Quack!
I’m in Australia too, Duckie, so I understand the terrible public transport in semi rural areas and how isolated you would be if you weren’t able to drive. I am glad that this WOE means that your health is so good that you still have your licence without any dramas! Enjoy your celebration with all those supplies … just not *too* much 😉
Thank you for your understanding Elky 🙂 Im in NSW near Mittagong . . . may I ask where you hang out :)?
Ooooh Duckie you’re just up the road from me, I’m in Canberra. I grew up in Goulburn (many years ago!) so I’m a regional girl lol I remember a little while ago you posted about the birds you’d had in your garden that day and I thought you might be in the southern part of the country from the ones you listed. Now that it’s winter I have the King Parrots coming to my bird baths as well as the Eastern and Crimson Rosellas. And they all get disgusted on those mornings when the water is frozen if I’m not out there quickly enough with my kettles of boiling water – the joys of living in Canberra in winter lol
Oh what a coincidence! Im in Yerrinbool!!!!! SO CLOSE!!! and yet still quite far apart BUT . . . how do you feel about being just a little adventuresome . . . and one weekday (to lessen the traffic) – meeting half way . . . at the beautiful old Paragon Cafe in the main street of Goulburn one day for an 11 o’clock BSD brunch/lunch so we can meet, have a good old chinwag of sharing . . . and with a cutoff point of say 2.30-3pm, we could both still be home before dark? which currently happens around 5-5.15 here 🙂 Such would reduce the possibility of either of us having icy roads to contend with as well. 🙂
Duckie, I would love to have a little adventure and catch up one day but alas I work full time so it’ll have to wait until I have some leave planned. But it’s a grand thing to look forward to, I haven’t been to the Paragon in forever!
Hi Elky! Then we will earmark this adventure with a note on the fridge as a reminder . . . and have a “Paragon date” when that free time becomes available 🙂 Ill be looking forward to it with anticipation!!! 🙂 Quack! Quack!!
It’s definitely a plan, Duckie – I even headed my note “Future Adventures” 🙂
This is a link to a recording of Dr Bikman’s presentation at the Keto conference in Salt Lake. – I started with his presentation because I know others on the forum follow his work.
Its about how the mitochondria in cells respond to Insulin v Ketones.
I found it interesting but its really heavy going and is probably more detailed than most people want to get into. However, it does shed a lot of light for me on the impact that IR has on cells, and how being in Ketosis is more healthy for cells than high Insulin levels.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9PMrxlHNWs
This is a copy of a post by ilovecatsanddogs from another thread. Just helping her navigate the site.
https://hvmn.com/blog/keto-diet/do-calories-matter-on-a-keto-diet
According to this article, weight loss is really not just about “calories in minus calories out”, and the science behind why low carb is better for losing weight.
It’s a very long article, but well worth the read.
Interesting article thank you. What really surprised me was that the carb level was said to be <50g a day to be in Ketosis but I’d always thought it was a much lower figure. Must have another look at dietdoctor.
Hi V,
I think the level of carbs for ketosis is different for each person dependant on how insulin resistant they are. – According to Dr Stephen Phinney endurance sportsmen wanting to access their fat stores during exercise should stay under 100g of carbs a day.
That makes sense JGwen. I’m not a great one for home testing blood sugars because it’s such a random measure. If my fasting BS is less than 7, and preferably closer to 6, I know my HbA1c is within the normal range. So, how accurate do you think the breathalysers are for measuring ketones? I have resisted, in part, because I don’t want to become as ‘obsessive ‘ a ‘breather’ as I am a ‘weigher’!
I know you have recommended a certain breathalyser could you point me in the right direction please. I may just give it a try.
Hi Verano,
I have seen a podcast where someone at various times of day and after different meals compared the results of blood testing for ketones, the expensive type of breathalyser as well as the cheap breathalyser. The cheap breathalyser (the AT6000) was producing very similar results to the expensive breathalyser. – There is a difference in what you are measuring when testing the blood for ketones and the breath for the by product of using ketones for fuel, but the patterns in response to time of day and eating were similar. – So his conclusion was to use the AT6000. It costs around £10 or £11 from Amazon (and you need 3 x AAA batteries).
The trick with using one is when you press the button which started the count down take a deep breath. – Hold that breath and when you get to say 30, start counting the numbers under your breath so its the very last air in your lungs that you blow into the machine when it is ready to do the test.
I just wanted to post this article because it gives a really clear explanation of insulin resistance. How to conquered it is the next episode!
https://www.dietdoctor.com/health/insulin-resistance?utm_source=Diet+Doctor+newsletter&utm_campaign=2a4bae65b5-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_01_23_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_41db911777-2a4bae65b5-464541309
Thanks, Verano – I read this last night and it’s really interesting. Looks like there’s a part 2 coming out so will keep an eye out for that. I checked the chart and did my measurements and according to that, I’m not insulin resistant. I’m also curious to understand how it works when people lose weight, as obviously their waist to height ratio changes so does that mean they’re no longer insulin resistant?
I had to go to the doctor on Wednesday as coming off my antidepressants had caused real dizziness and nausea problems and long story short, the physicians assistant (which is who you get over here when they’re fobbing you off ) who had directed the tapering off, screwed up and I have to go back on and re-taper in a different way. Apparently despite the drug being out of your system, your brain chemistry changes take longer to catch up 😕. Anyway, I explained to this new doctor about my low carb lifestyle and my struggle to lose weight on it to see if he had any ideas. He told me I needed to cut out the fat, egg yolks and just eat more protein plus do 30-49 mins cardio three of four times a week. He didn’t seem to believe me that I don’t eat bread, rice or pasta and no sugar in my coffee or in anything else and was very skeptical when he asked about my last cheat day and I told him July 4th. I left feeling very discouraged, confused and quite frankly angry that he thought I was lying. I work very hard at this and I’ve not had the good results that most get(same weight since March) so I’m constantly trying to find answers. It’s very demoralizing but I’m not giving this WOE up because I do think it makes scientific sense, I just wish it worked for me and I don’t know why it isn’t. Sorry – long segue but I was wondering if anyone had been to see one of the doctors who list themselves on the Diet Doctor website as being low carb supporters? There’s also a couple of links to sites that list these (obviously smart) doctors. I was surprised to see that there’s only one in LA, seems like everyone is on Keto here. I plan on checking to see if they’re in my insurance network so I can go and see them and see if I can get some help but was curious about anyone else’s experience or anyone who joined Diet Doctors or Jason Fung’s program (I would love to do that but it’s just too expensive)?
Hi Kafin, just spotted your post, when I was on anti depressants years ago I put on quite a lot of weight which I’m only now working to discard 😃. Even when I weened myself off the meds the weight didn’t shift. At the time they help but really mess with you metabolism. This WOE is the only one that has worked for me, keep going it does work 😃
Thanks Jess, it’s nice to hear it will eventually work! I didn’t actually put on any weight from the antidepressants, when I first started, I had good loss in the first two weeks and then nothing since then (4 months ago!), I just stay the same. I guess since I don’t know what else to do, I’ll just keep going!
Think positive, you have had an initial loss and maintained 😃. If you hadn’t started this WOE the weight could have just continued to creep up … hopefully things will start to move downwards soon
Why FAILURE is your best friend…..
We’ve all been there; despite all our best intentions, our careful BSD-friendly shopping, our detailed goal setting and our very REAL desire to change…..we “blow” it — the crisps, the wine, the chocolate, the chips… and after the blow out we think to ourselves, “I am a failure”, the BSD “didn’t (doesn’t) work for me”….and we give up completely.
What’s WRONG with this picture (besides everything)?
So I am reading Matthew Syed’s book “Black Box Thinking, Marginal Gains and the Secrets of High Performance” — and it struck me so clearly that his ideas can be very useful for BSD’ers.
Black Box Thinking is the story of how growth and success depend on learning from our mistakes and the more mistakes we make, the faster we improve.
Creative breakthrough (and that is new thinking patterns) BEGIN with failure. Evolution begins with failure. We have to find out what works, keep testing and trying and retesting — evolution is a CUMULATIVE process.
There are two critical things here:
#1– DON’T GIVE UP
Failure is just information. It tells us what didn’t work. It tells us to do something DIFFERENT next time. It tells us to KEEP TESTING!
(I am thinking of the egg fast that some people found useful and others did not — a great “Eggsample”).
#2 — DON’T EDIT YOUR MISTAKES
This might be the big one. We have a tendency to want to erase memories of failure because they are understandably hard to accept.
But try not to do that, write them down! Have a HUGE notebook full of them and REMEMBER them because MEMORY is the driver of evolution and if we keep our failures fresh and keep trying, the research says we will improve!
And finally, don’t “self-handicap” — don’t excuse your behaviour — it wasn’t the crisps or the alcohol or the party that derailed us, it was OURSELVES, so own it and keep testing!
Just don’t quit!!