Best low carb diets books according to redditors
We found 129 Reddit comments discussing the best low carb diets books. We ranked the 21 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
13. Carbophobia: The Scary Truth About America's Low-carb Craze
2 mentions
Used Book in Good Condition
The Primal Blueprint
Mark Sisson just released a new one... it's basically a really summarized version of The Primal Blueprint, plus 21 days' worth of hand-holding for somebody just starting out. It's pretty cheesy and doesn't have a lot of science in it, but it's the shortest book I've seen on the subject and it covers the big issues reasonably well. I actually bought it for my guy to read so he'll stop thinking I'm crazy (at least diet-wise).
Greetings. I would skip on the personal trainer from the outset for economics sake. Well, I guess asking for help here sort of makes someone who answers a personal trainer, so consider this a free session. I think the most important point is that you have to become EDUCATED. Maintaining health is a learned skill not taught in schools and not everyone is lucky enough to have friends/family who practice either. I would shift the majority of your focus to diet; the biggest contributor to excessive weight. If you eat clean and don't exercise, you will lose weight. If you eat crap and exercise, you may lose some, but it won't be as likely or as fast. This is an observation from my personal experience. With weight loss will come the physique you are seeking. The general theory you will find out in the world is that losing weight is 80% diet and 20% activity. I think you are more liable to get injured if you start throwing around you body weight when not being primed through healthy eating first. So, what do you eat?
I find the paleo or caveman type diet to be best, but it's easy to become intimidated and can be annoying by people who preach it. If you're not familiar, just google search or find a subreddit. It's really simple though; eat plants and animals, more of the first. That's it. You don't know what to eat or how to cook? Great, there are a ga-jillion blogs and websites that will help you for free. I like marksdailyapple.com and nerdfitness.com. Again, get EDUCATED. Cooking will become fun, chicks dig it, and you are lucky enough to live in Atlanta where there are many farmers markets.
Still, with eating (and life), its about building healthy habits from the choices you make on a daily basis. For instance, if you eat a shitty meal, forgive yourself and make sure to follow it by a healthy meal no matter what. Then try to see how many healthy meals you can eat in a row. Whilst doing this, weigh yourself everyday and log it; WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS IMPROVED. You'll notice the more consecutive healthy meals you eat, the more rapid the weight loss. You can do one better by writing down how you feel mentally and what changes you are noticing in your body. You can do another one better by setting a goal like 3lbs a week, which is totally feasible. Here are some initial tactics:
Limit snacking and processed foods--If I have to snack, my choice is some type of trail mix with nuts, dried fruits, and dark chocolate. Trader joes has packs that come individually portioned to keep you in check.
Eliminate soda, juice, sugary drinks--this is a tough one because almost all drinks are sweetened with sugar. Fine, drink a coke, but follow it with equal parts water. Limit alcohol intake and do the same.
Make breakfast your biggest meal. This morning I had a green smoothie, 3 eggs and 5 pieces of bacon. I haven't eaten lunch and don't feel the need too. A great nutritionist said "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper." Which brings us to...
Try not to eat after 8pm. If you must, make it a paleo meal. Eating a burger with fries and zonking out takes your body longer to process because there is no activity while you sleep. If you have a lapse, I would make sure to drink lots of water and probably skip breakfast the next morning.
While doing this (stay with me here), use little windows throughout the day to get exercise. From the outset, I recommend walking, seriously. Wake up earlier and go walk around your neighborhood for 15 minutes. But it's too cold...You're a man now, lace up and go do it. At lunch, do the same, walk after eating for 15 minutes. This will help productivity in work and school as well. At night, you know the answer already. Walk again for 15 minutes. That's 45 minutes of exercise which is easier than doing 45 minutes of consecutive at a gym when you have no clue what you are doing yet. If the walks are getting boring, ask a friend to join or go to a park. Throughout the rest of the day you will have another 15 minutes of accumulated movement which brings you to the magic number of 60 minutes of exercise per day. Too busy? Use the time walking to do things you would otherwise do when sedentary like checking email, making phone calls, listening to music, planning for tomorrow, etc. Just stop making excuses.
If you insist on going to the gym, you are close enough in edgewood to the Decatur YMCA. I highly recommend this gym, and no, they won't push Jesus on you. They just renovated it and they have a pool. Spending time submerged in water is one of the best ways to lose weight. They have fitness classes where you can do this. Your body burns more calories underwater to keep your core temperature up. This is why swimmers are some of the most cut at the Olympics and Michael Phelps can eat 15,000 calories/day when training. Their out of water fitness classes are great for beginners as well. I would shy away from lifting weights from the outset without further research and guidance. Watching people at the gym can be dangerous, since many have no clue, and have just watched others who have no clue before them.
One final thought is to actually stop thinking about this as "weight loss". It's more like "weight, work you ass off". Losing things like your keys, socks, or thoughts are easy. It happens all the time. You don't just lose weight though, you work it off. A personal trainer can't do this for you. Establish this mindset and you will see results. The first two weeks of changing your habits will be very challenging but you're strong, plow through it. If you have the time to read, I recommend this book starting out http://www.amazon.com/The-Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-effortless/dp/0982207786. Better yet, get the audiobook and listen to it while walking. It is the impetus to the first blog I mentioned and helped change my life. It's not all your fault since we have been mislead by shady food companies and fed bunk science about food for a long time so get over it. Thanks for your post as it helped me reiterate to myself things I should focus. Godspeed on your journey!
I say forget the meal replacements and eat real food. You need to make lifestyle changes and slowly adapt to an eating plan that is sustainable long term. I was around 200kg at my heaviest and I cant stress how important is that you learn how you lose the weight and what a healthy diet is for you personally. This will not happen with meal replacements unless you are planning to do this for the rest of your life. I suggest you use them to start off with and as you learn more about keto, eat real food!
Losing weight is as much about learning how to treat your body better and making long term changes to your previously unhealthy lifestyle as it is about losing the weight itself.
At the moment i do not eat any high carb foods at any point but for someone as large as yourself, and as I was, you may still remain in ketosis with a meal with moderate carbs. You will need to test this yourself as everyone is different. As you learn more about keto and about options available to you when eating out you will also be able to phase this out.
I say get reading! here is a book I recommend to anyone who wants to know more - Keto clarity - Jimmy Moore
I can't help with the artist contacting, but as a fellow Crohn's sufferer who's been on a PICC line, I wish her all the best. It can be very tough in the in the hospital, but every visit/little thing helps - you're definitely right on track with the positive attitude!
For when she gets out and is in a more stable position, check out this book -- basically, a doctor found that a majority of his Crohn's patients responded very well to a low carb diet. I follow that type of diet now and have been in my longest remission since being diagnosed.
I don't understand your confusion.
If you do the perimeter of the grocery store method, how do you eat pasta, grains, oats, legumes?
You seem to understand what you need to do, but don't want to do it? If you want specific step-by-step instructions, try getting Mark Sisson's new book, or Robb Wolf's guide:
http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-21-Day-Total-Transformation/dp/0982207778
http://robbwolf.com/30-day-total-transformation/
Yes! Unfortunately, it's not super simple. Low sex drive is pretty individualistic, but there are a lot of likely culprits:
Hormones are strange beasts - they are basically master signals for your body. Low 'lutenizing hormone' goes hand in hand with low T and lower sex drive. Few things to try:
to fix the underlying problems tho... 'Tribulus' is 'meh' in my experience.
EDIT: 5) Fructose, in particular, seems to be really bad for testosterone. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109171610.htm
EDIT: meh, links fo' teh haters:
Obesity and T:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0026049595903151
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/294/5549/2166.abstract
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002604959090297P
http://www.nature.com/oby/journal/v14/n2s/full/oby2006277a.html
Phyto/Xeno estrogens:
http://joe.endocrinology-journals.org/content/170/3/591.short
...messin' with your mood:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0892036201001970
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1469672/
For the sleep stuff, check out the book "Lights Out"
http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680
This disease is hilarious, I've been living with Crohn's my whole life too. It's good that you can laugh at it, and not let it take over your life. I laughed when you said "almost seven years I should have known not to trust that fart". Stay away from spicy food, caffeine, drink lots of water at least 2 liters a day, take some acidophilus capsules, and buy the book "Life Without Bread" , and follow it.
One thing that worked well for me - managing light levels in my room for the purposes of maximizing melatonin production. Get a blackout curtain or some other makeshift device for blocking all incoming light through windows, and cover up all LEDs, blinkies, etc. around the room. Basically, make it pitch black. If you want to do it really well, get a program on your computer that shifts your display's color profile to match that of the setting sun (adjusts over time), but still shut it off by about 8:00 or 9:00 if possible (maybe a last minute check before bed). Then, get a gentle awake alarm (not sure of the name, but it gradually increases a light until it's at the maximum brightness at the time you set).
This is a fantastic book on the subject. Unfortunately, it's also way over-dramatized and largely unscientific (read the Amazon reviews). Still, very important subject.
Humans have stress responses to altered light cycles like plants and all other life on earth. There's a great book on the subject called "Lights Out! Sleep Sugar and Survival"
https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680
/r/ketorecipes
www.cavemanketo.com
www.ruled.me
www.ibreatheimhungry.com
www.mariamindbodyhealth.com
Fast food: McDoubles hold the bun, Chipotle bowl (no rice/beans), Wendy's Baconator hold the bun, buffalo chicken wings (baked not breaded).
PS. I've found more good blogs to subscribe to rather than websites. Poke around the ones I listed above, as well as here, and you'll find links to build your library of recipes. I think there are also recipes in the back of Gary Taubes', David Williams', Dr. Perlmutter's books:
http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Brains-Killers-ebook/dp/B00BAXFCPO/
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes-ebook/dp/B000UZNSC2/
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health-ebook/dp/B00571F26Y/
For an entertaining intro to these concepts, you can check out Fat Head. It's streaming on Netflix if you are a subscriber.
Gary Taubes has done a lot of research on the subject. You can check out his books Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories.
I was originally introduced to these concepts by Mark Sisson through his book The Primal Blueprint. He also has a website full of great information; Mark's Daily Apple.
There is also a ton of information you can find online by googling primal diet, paleo diet or ketonic diet.
I will tell you that I was highly skeptical of all this myself given all I was told about nutrition throughout my life. But I now feel better than I ever have. All my health indicators are now in the excellent range. I have more energy than ever. I am rarely hungry. And I have a six pack now. Never in my life, even as an athlete have I had a six pack. And I only exercise about 30 minutes a week (I just follow the simplefit program.)
I now understand what Hippocrates meant by 'Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food."
And here is a list of ailments I no longer suffer from after switching to a high fat diet.
And don't take my word for it. Do the research yourself. And why not give it a try for 30 days yourself and see how you feel. I think you'll be surprised.
You can't expect to get answers more intelligent than "derp, sleep more!" unless you give some specifics.
Possible answers:
Def check out the book Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival.
If you want to know the science as well as anecdotal evidence supporting low carb and against the Standard American Diet, here's a list of books for you to read:
Jimmy Moore is a lot more anecdotal but it's a good place to start if you want a simple way to understand keto, in my opinion. The rest contain lots of studies and evidence to convince you.
Taubes is also bringing out a new book. I've not yet read it but I've certainly pre-ordered!
The Case Against Sugar
Keep your electrolytes up.
Bulletproof coffees (coffee+butter+coconut oil/mct oil) are great for running on.
Drink a glass of water immediately before running (to increase your blood volume. (Drink it too early and you will pee it out)
Enjoy. Running on Keto is one of life's great experiences.
And you have ~44,000 calories in fat, even if lean, so go nuts.
Thus is a great book/e-book if you are interested in keto endurance sports performance...
https://www.amazon.com/What-Fat-Sports-Performance-Low-Carb-ebook/dp/B017GRBF6C/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Je viens de terminer Keto Clarity.
Les prochains livres sur ma liste sont The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living ainsi que The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance.
Je suis partie sur un trip de nutrition depuis un certain temps...
Read Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint and Primal Endurance. Follow the peer-reviewed science he references, rather than a few n=1 anecdotes here. Even if the personal stories and advice here are correct for most, knowing the how and why of it is amazingly empowering. Everything you need to know is in these two books, or in the science-based knowledge to be gained in the references within them. Most of what we thought we should be doing 40 years or even 10 years ago has been thoroughly updated and upgraded, if not totally debunked with better understanding of exercise physiology, based in much improved science/data.
Yep, it's there. Keto Clarity Kindle Link
He did the math!
I also like to remind myself that punishing my body to work through 120kg/260lb of fat, even if I did, is asking a lot. This is one of the causes of cancers and other diseases, when we make the body work harder than it needs to.
Related: one of my favorite books from a cycling legend, recommending NOT hardcore cycling, jogging, or doing any other endurance sport for exercise - plus eating bacon and fats!
Eat Bacon, Don't Jog: Get Strong, Get Lean at Amazon
On Atkins/Paleo/Low-Carb, I'd check out www.atkinsfacts.org and what Dr. Greger says in his book, Carbophobia: The Scary Truth about America's Low-Carb Craze. It's a dangerous idea that gets repackaged every generation.
After reading The Primal Blueprint, I decided to give primal/paleo a shot for a month. Six years later, I'm still doing it. Although I have increased the amount of safe carbs I eat after reading The Perfect Health Diet, which is the most well-researched and well-cited diet book I've read.
If you want to learn... I suggest these books:
First rule of keto.. let them do some research on their own.
Personally I own no.1. But I think "Keto Clarity" should also be very good.
Redensity ll in the tear troughs for undereye dark circles. Botox & fillers as needed.
Sunscreen is going to be your greatest ally. UV both damages elastin and causes loss of collagen synthesis. Look to asian or few euro brands of chemical sunscreens as superior to the chem filters in US options - biore aqua spf50+++ , avene spf50+++. Use them liberally - dont forget backs of hands, neck, ears, decolletage along with face. Asian cleansers and emulsifiers - haba lado HA cleansing foam, haba lado super plumping gel cream. Moisturizer - Dr jart ceramidin, CeraVe PM, for body PM - eucerin complete repair. BHA with SA, periodic use of differin ( OTC ) , topical retinoid cream ( prescription ). Your skin care routine need not be expensive just consistent to your skin type ( the joys of aging is it may decide to change without notice hehe thus my own list above ). Lots of high end skincare is complete garbage or equivalent to much cheaper drug store brands.
Diet - beware advanced glycation end products accumulation. Glycation occurs when a sugar molecule ( glucose/fructose ) binds to a protein generating AGEP that is absorbed from the gut and is pro inflammatory. Produced both endogenously ( high blood sugars ) and exogenously ( via foods ) . We naturally produce AGEP at a rate of 3-4pc a year as we age however the food will increase the rate of glycation thus advancing aging. Avoid sugars.
Maintain bone density and more importantly keep T levels healthy through weight lifting. Mobility exercises to keep supple. Move your body.
Someone already mentioned sleep. Sleep is critical in the health of your body. Do recommend reading -
https://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680
I've been looking into getting into running, but having little experience, I don't want to push myself too hard or in the wrong direction. This new book by Mark Sisson (of Mark's Daily Apple and Primal Blueprint fame), seems to go into a non-carb based training regime for endurance running, without breaking your body. While he doesn't go keto, he is pretty low carb, compared to the general population, so I think these would be great principles to follow when I'm down to running weight.
Well im definitely going to check it out.
Most of these books have the same fundamentals, but i pick a few tidbits of info out of every one. Always increasing my keto knowledge database!
I just read these 2 and they are really, good, but cant do a cheat meal a week, personally.
Eat Meat And Stop Jogging: 'Common' Advice On How To Get Fit Is Keeping You Fat And Making You Sick
http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Meat-Stop-Jogging-Keeping-ebook/dp/B00JBNPV06/ref=asap_B00KSD0UFE?ie=UTF8
which is pretty much a "facts" and primer to the diet book.
Live It, NOT Diet!: Eat More Not Less. Lose Fat Not Weight
Mike Sheridan
http://www.amazon.com/Live-NOT-Diet-Less-Weight/dp/0993745555/ref=asap_B00KSD0UFE?ie=UTF8
Both awesome, IMHO.
I AM gonna buy this one and see what its about. looks good.
I just finished a book called Keto Clarity and it was really helpful. I learned about keto from Reddit, read all the sidebar information and have been on a keto diet for almost 2 years. It's awesome, hopefully it works for you too!
@fexxi: Unfortunately you are misinformed (it seems many who watched Dr. Oz's keto segment think the same and ended up here without doing their own research and only going by what they heard on tv or from what they had from others). There are countless stories of "normal weight" people who are on keto and feeling better than ever. with bloodwork to show it. I would highly recommend educating yourself on this way of eating by researching especially on books that have been authored by scientific dr's who have carried out studied and authored papers in peer reviewed journals on the health benefits of keto no matter what weight you are at. Here are afew books to read by phinney, volek, tim noakes, gary taubes, dr. eric westman and they all have youtube videos as well, there's many others as well:-
 
@westend52, @DrThornton, @ginnyfox, @Ryjosp and everyone else: thank you all for adding onto the benefits of this way of living, to help teach others who may be misinformed about the benefits of keto.
Check out the book Primal Endurance.
https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Endurance-chronic-carbohydrate-dependency/dp/1939563089
Not necessarily keto but covers how to do endurance sports with fat as primary fuel. Lots of good applicable stuff.
I suggest Mark Sisson’s Primal book https://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-21-Day-Total-Transformation/dp/0982207778
The way to start chipping away at confusion is to start doing what you've already begun to do--research. No doubt you've found that there are completely contradictory arguments. So the challenge becomes finding out if any one argument is best founded on solid evidence.
I think a great place to start is to read into the history of how we came to have the conventional views on diet and health. It turns out to not be a story of the best science rising to the top. Gary Taubes started the ball rolling in Good Calories, Bad Calories. Fair warning: it's a long read, and meticulously detailed, but covers a lot of ground. It's a history, not a mountain of statistical analysis. But you'll learn a lot about how science was done; the role of key personalities in shaping what came to be promoted views; and the influence of government as the icing on the cake, as it were.
A more recent and excellent book is Nina Tiecholz's The Big Fat Surprise. It's easier reading for the less nerdy types. Taubes' book was intended for both the professional community and the interested lay reader--a tough thing to do well, but it shows in his careful, sober writing style.
You can get a condensed form of GCBC by looking for videos of lectures Taubes has been giving since publication of the book. Those usually run about an hour, and are distilled down to what he feels are key points in the storyline.
Nice thing about books such as those is that they include extensive bibliographies, so you can go looking to the original literature if you want, although some things aren't easily accessible unless you are near a university library.
I haven't yet collected any papers focussed on protein intake. It seems from what I've read that it tends to be kind of self-limiting anyway due to palatability and/or the body's response with a feeling of satiation. My personal experience is that it was a lot easier to pack away a lot of food during the day when eating a typical starch rich American diet than it is eating to strict carb restriction.
Keto Clarity might be a good suggestion for him to read.
Great reply! And of course I looked up the links you gave, which seem highly relevant and are provoking some productive thinking. Especially the Personality Hacker article.
Re sleep: Based on reading I've done (and it's probably obvious to anyone anyway), real (deep and sufficient) sleep is probably of foundational importance for an INFP. Given that high sensitivity (vulnerability to even "small" stresses and frustrations) is the INFP default setting, getting the body's hormones reset to normal each night is probably one the single best things one could do.
EDIT: The most enlightening book on how the body works -- well presented and an enjoyable read -- is "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival," by T.S. Wiley and Bent Formby. Major, interesting, and useful insights you don't hear from mainstream media/establishment gatekeepers, and backed by tons of respectable research (the last third of the book is footnotes to legit studies).
I like the idea of compatible, like-minded INFPs banding together to achieve success. For whatever particular goal and in whatever particular way they might see fit. Presumably, everyone's got skin in the game and no one person would have to shoulder every aspect of the enterprise. Cool idea.
OKCupid includes type testing indices? That's awesome. There's also a web site called TypeTango that specializes in MBTI type matching. Free, I think.
Re Living Situation: I know what you mean.
Re Mentor: The more I thought about this, the better it sounded. And all it would take is a simple web site to coordinate people and location. Younger INFPs able to tap the life experience of older ones ... Could be set up to cater to any or all the types as well, of course. Maybe even a small living could be made from such a matching service, especially if it also included other helpful offerings in the same place: facilitation of pen pals, local events/meetings, maybe dating, a bulletin board for people searching for potentially compatible roommates, ...
Thanks for your thoughts!
"Keto Clarity"
I've heard good things about this book.
Sleeping in a pitch black room, avoiding artificial light and TV and (shook) computers at least two hours prior sleeping. Believe it or not, this software helps a lot with that. There are a bunch of supplements you can take, talk to your doctor. Just don't go with them until you tackle the rest of the stuff and avoid medications like clonazepam and anti allergic pills that will knock you out but leave you restless the next morning. Go with melatonin or magnesium (this one works for me). Avoid stimulants like tea, coffee, sodas and sugar before bed. Exercise or go for a walk. Be constant and soon your body will get it right.
I don't see how water could help. Too much of it and you'll wake up in the middle of the night.
Dr Bernstein: http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316167169/ref=pd_sim_14
http://www.amazon.com/Low-Starch-Diabetes-Solution-Optimal-Adult-Onset/dp/0071621504/ref=pd_sim_15
http://www.amazon.com/Living-Low-Carb-Controlled-Carbohydrate-Long-Term/dp/1402768257/ref=pd_sim_11
I'd say that book's looking fairly out-dated now, personally I'd recommend the Paleo Solution or the Primal Blueprint. I think Cordain was still recommending a relatively low-fat diet when he wrote that, and was more concerned about risks in consuming saturated fats.
The Primal Blueprint is worth a look. It isn't specifically keto, but more paleo/low-carb. An interesting read though.
Resting heart rate should be around the 60-80 beats per minute range (fitter people can have an even lower reading; as you're not fit, the low 60 is possibly unusual). A healthier blood pressure would be lower, at 120/80 or thereabouts. A high blood sugar level suggests you are a candidate for diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis and other chronic diseases, and reflects a diet high in refined carbohydrates.
Your recommended treatment includes some good dietary advice that should be ongoing, not just done for 10 days. The drug is a vasodilator, which causes blood vessels to dilate and allow more blood through; your doctor appears to be trying this to get your blood pressure down. If you are in danger of imminent heart problems, maybe this is called for, but I would not personally want to stay on this drug for too long (if at all), as it has been linked with causing Parkinson's disease (Ref 1) (Ref 2).
Your health will be improved by diet and lifestyle changes, and your youth will count in your favour, as it should help you recover more quickly once you stop abusing your body. The cinnarizine drug will only treat a symptom, and not fix the problem; indeed, in the short or long term it could well cause other problems and subsequent prescriptions for other drugs to counteract the bad effects of the first one.
Check here for some good diet guidelines. A book I'd recommend also is Life Without Bread by Doctors Lutz and Allan. As well as eliminating sugar, HFCS, and artificial sweeteners, you should also avoid other refined carbs such as white bread, pasta, white rice etc - these will also mess with your insulin and blood-sugar levels. Check food labels - sugars of various kinds lurk in seemingly almost all processed foods.
Start going for a gentle walk every day. Take it easy in the early days and weeks, for if your heart is weak, you don't want to overstress it. Some brief but helpful advice about sleeping can be found here.
The Magnesium and vitamin B6 your doctor prescribed are a great start, but I'd recommend a multivitamin (maybe even one at each meal, since the dosages are often very low). It's good to take a "vitamin B complex" pill or capsule containing equal amounts of the various B vitamins; Vitamin C (preferably with bioflavonoids/Vitamin P) is always good, and cod-liver oil is a great source of vitamins A and D, which should be taken together. Vitamin E with selenium are also beneficial, as is CoEnzyme Q10. Seaweeds/kelps are a rich in minerals and especially iodine, a vital nutrient lacking from most land-based foods; if you like Japanese food, it should be easy to come by. Avoid fried food, especially deep-fried food, and do not use polyunsaturated oils to cook with - saturated fats are the safest to cook with as they are more stable under heat. Despite what many in the medical industry will tell you, cholesterol and saturated fat are healthful; you too can benefit from the healthy (and yummy) effects of "the French Paradox" (the book linked here contains details of several blood tests which are more reliable indicators of inflammation & heart disease than the ones routinely ordered by doctors).
Someone below recommended taking fruit juice or water instead of sodas, but I'd fine-tune that to say take fruit juice that you've made yourself, unless you can get hold of unsweetened, non-reconstituted, unpasteurised/raw juice with the pulp still in it. Reconstituted juices usually lack pulp, enzymes and have fewer nutrients, but have plenty of sugar - you get more of the bad with less of the good.
And, needless to say, wean yourself off cigarettes as fast as you can!
That depends on your concept of healthy. I'll give you mine.
I use a Primal diet, because it is low-carb and gluten-free, but there's a positive focus on things I can eat instead.
Gluten has been linked to some odd symptoms. It's possible it has some tie to the mystery illness. Or she could try Whole30, which is a bit drastic, but I hear that many people have found it helpful to identify unknown food allergies. Essentially you eliminate several common allergens from your food for 30 days. After that, you add them back one at a time, and see what causes problems.
More details here:
The Primal Blueprint -- Looks like a typical diet book, with lots of unlikely sounding claims, but turned out to be well researched.
Cookbooks:
This is probably the best one for a beginner, and it does include nutrition data:
Primal Blueprint Quick and Easy Meals -- Simplest recipes of these three.
These do not contain nutrition details, but the recipes are nearly all relatively low carb:
The Primal Blueprint Cookbook -- Good recipes, but requires some cooking skill.
Paleo Comfort Foods -- Bigger book with more recipies. Has some really good low-carb alternatives to desserts or typical comfort foods.
All of those have great pictures and reasonable instructions. Some of the ingredients are a bit odd.
Kev, we all try different paths to get us to where we want to go. If this works for you that's great, but for me it wouldn't be sustainable long-term. HcG just seems a little scammy to me, however if you're committed to it, I would throw in some vitamin D too. Breaking 500 is a great first step (it is nice to see the numbers drop!). I do worry that you're not getting enough real food with this diet.
I started well above where you are now so I know where you're coming from in wanting to get it done with (I still don't like to tell others how bad I got). I've tried most of the diets and fads out there, but what finally turned me around was reading Tim Ferris' 4hr body, Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories, Rob Wolff's Paleo Solution, Loren Cordain's Paleo Diet and Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint. I've culled what works for me from these and have been eating pretty much Paleo/Keto since November. I've dropped over 50lbs since then at about 2000-2200 cals day. I know it's not biggest loser territory, but slow and steady wins the race. Most of all, it's something I can live with long term. So far my only exercise has been walking and some stationary bike.
What made the change easier for me was I found a lifestyle rather than a diet to follow. That's not to say I haven't had the occasional setbacks (god I miss pizza and beer), but I'm getting there and you will too. Best of luck on your quest...
tl/dr - Plan's not for me, don't be afraid to try something else. Knock em dead kid!
Read Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
Solid read on the history of the nutritional recommendations we're currently faced with.
I haven't tried it out yet (just finishing week 2 of keto and 19 lbs down!), but your post reminded me of this recipe from Keto Clarity. A little more involved than ingredient: honey, haha, but seems like a good way to get a bunch of fat in, too.
**
Almond Butter Keto Bombs by Dietitian Cassie (DietitianCassie.com)
Yield: 16 pieces Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 2 hours to freeze
Note from Cassie: My favorite bedtime snack is one that promotes stable blood sugars through a combination of healthy fat and a little bit of carbohydrate, and one that also provides a touch of sweetness without unnecessary sugar. These Almond Butter Keto Bombs are the result of my experimenting with my three favorite healthy fats!
Ingredients
1 cup almond butter
¾ cup organic, unrefined coconut oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 teaspoons stevia powder extract
Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and microwave for 45 seconds.
Whisk the ingredients together and pour the mixture into ice cube trays. Freeze for 2 hours.
Once they’re frozen, you can pop the fat bombs out of the ice cube trays and store them in an airtight container in the freezer, or keep them stored in the ice cube trays!
Westman MD, Eric; Moore, Jimmy (2014-08-06). Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet (p. 249). Victory Belt Publishing. Kindle Edition.
**
> The thing is, keto is not the only way to eat healthy. You can have a diet high in natural carbs and be very healthy.
I think there's a lot of reading on the subject at this point (much of it featured on the keto calculator page linked in the sidebar) that would refute that, respectfully. Gary Taubes wrote a whole book titled Good Calories, Bad Calories that tackles exactly this question. I think you would get a lot out of it.
That said, I can't laugh at people who eat badly. It just makes me feel frustrated and sad that Western nutrition has gone completely sideways.
Okay, I think I understand all your arguments at this point. I think there are some essential disagreements still, but I don't want to keep trying to unpack them here.
> You have the same problem in the medical field, actually, if not worse. And that better be considered science in some regard, or we're really in trouble.
On that note, I have a book recommendation for you: Good Calories, Bad Calories. You can safely ignore most of Taubes' claims about carbs being evil. It's worth reading just for his history of nutrition "science" in the US and how our society came to decide what is or is not healthy. I found it both fascinating and appalling.
Keto Clarity http://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb/dp/1628600071
Dr Arthur Agatson (a real cardiologist in Miami) wrote "The South Beach Diet" over a decade ago. His work is based on science. As many will attest, Dr Agatson's recommendations for meal planning work and the taste of the food is like a fine restaurant.
I've noticed the updated printings feature the words 'keto friendly'. Fair statement -- although not the '20 carbs or less per day' counsel du jour, Agatston's approach will lower blood sugar and weight via attention to glycemic index and complex carbohydrates.
Full Disclosure: I met Dr Agatson when he was writing the book in 2002 and know him to be an honest man and a dedicated physician. By way of further clarification, I now follow a restrictive 20 carbs or less routine due to the diabetes I foolishly ignored for over 30 years. Were I younger, I'm confident the South Beach Diet is more than adequate to maintain healthy weight and safe glucose readings.
Follow the doctor's advice.
If he wants to try a dietary approach, there are a bunch of different options, many different books. He will have to try different things to figure out what works best for him. If he's really determined, with some luck something will work for him.
Life Without Bread is a low-carb approach.
Breaking the Vicious Cycle works for some.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Hunter may be useful; haven't read it yet myself.
I think Cordain's Paleo diet book addresses autoimmune disease. I liked his approach.
Robb Wolf's Paleo book is only slightly different, and also addresses autoimmune disease.
No one diet works for everyone. Some people never find specific dietary guidelines that work. Many people can identify foods that are particularly problematic, and finding these may start with a particularly monotonous diet, followed by adding in individual food items to determine tolerance. I think Hunter's book goes that route, but I'm uncertain.
Things that work for some: extremes, such as vegan/extreme vegetarian, or total carnivore. Highly recommended: fermented foods. Avoid sugar.
Then maybe check out books and programs like this. The upshot of which seems to be get enough sleep every night, and be careful with artificial lighting.
all of these posts about exercise are incorrect, it is what you consume that defines your bodyfat percentage (unless you are starving yourself which is very bad for you). Read this, I can send it to you if you like http://www.amazon.com/The-Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-effortless/dp/0982207700
No, I have read most of the books out there on keto/LCHF. I picked up this little gem, not too long ago. It was a quick read and put all the science into concise, easy to understand language.
http://www.amazon.ca/Eat-Bacon-Dont-Jog-Bullshit/dp/0761180540
You might try quietly placing a copy of this next to him on the desk. I would avoid joke or prank, sudden noises, etc.
Amazon shows a few books with the title keto clarity. But I'm guessing it is this one
Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MEX9B4C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5tIUzbM9W12M9
Thanks for the reading material. I plan on doing more research before starting. I did look in /r/keto but I'll look at the other too. Thanks.
Your fat intake needs to be much greater. I strongly suggest using the Keto Calculator to get your numbers on point. Eating too much protein will keep you out of keto as well. Your carbs look fine. I'm personally at 140g fat - 30g carbs - 50g protein , however, I'm doing a pretty heavy fat loss protocol. When I'm done I will be increasing my fat / protein dramatically. But yeah bud, check out the Keto Calc, and if you have 13$ I STRONGLY suggest buying Keto Clarity - He's a thought / science leader on Keto. I listened to the audiobook in a day and got SO much valuable information. Keto is a delicate chemical and biological process so learning the "do's and do not's" from someone else is best. It's discouraging to go in and out of keto when you're mind and heart wants it..... But yeah, Keto Calc and Keto Clarity, good luck bud!
It might be worth getting the The Keto Reset Diet and Primal Endurance so you at least have the information to make a decision and set a game plan. I'm in a very similar situation as you are and I think Keto is worth doing.
Oh yeah big time. That little sleep you will be as insulin resistant as a type 2 diabetic.
Bad night's sleep can hamper body's insulin use
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/05/05/us-insulin-sleepless-idUSTRE6441S020100505
I'd recommend reading Lights Out by TS Wiley
http://amzn.com/0671038680
First, well done and welcome to the sub. You're making a great decision, and I wish you all the very best with it.
> 1) I want to be healthy, I'm worried I'll gain lots of weight through eating mainly carbs. Does anyone have links to cheap and easy recipes?
As others have stated, carbs are not the enemy. The key is avoiding excessive fat and processed carbs. Here is a great book about the low-carb high-protein craze. (Not an affiliate link)
> 2) I don't like meat substitutes, or tofu, can I base my diet purely on fruit etc.?
Absolutely! I eat fruit throughout the day and have a cooked meal in the evening. I don't use meat substitutes very often, and find that if I marinade and then bake the tofu the texture improves. Having said that, I only eat tofu maybe once or twice a month. The rest of the time it's fruit, veggies and pulses.
> 3) How cheap/expensive if your diet lifestyle? I'm not on a big wage, but I want to make sure my cosmetics aren't associated with animals either, any UK brands? Apart from Lush?
We're on a budget too, and find that it works out cheaper than buying meat. For example, a kilo of chickpeas might cost me €1.50. I can use them to make loads of falafels or lots of chickpea curries. Compare that with the cost of meat for the curry!
Cosmetics, my wife buys vegan brands, I'll have to ask her which ones. She also makes all the soap that we use, so we save money there too - 24 bars of that probably costs us less than €5.
Since you're just getting started, instead of jumping into one of the extremes of the human diet, perhaps a more measured approach that focuses on a sustainable eating strategy you can employ for the rest of your life might be a better way to begin. If you want examples along those lines I'd suggest The Primal Blueprint or The Wild Diet
For a somewhat whimsical (but still factual) take, there's Eat Bacon, Don't Jog https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Bacon-Dont-Jog-Bullshit/dp/0761180540
My background: 8 years ago, weighed 225lbs down to 180lbs in the first year. This was through going from no workouts to working out 5x week (mainly cardio) and radically changing my diet. Since then, I've lost more and maintained, never regressing.
I had great success using South Beach as a guide line. Cutting out carbs initially really helped me to get on track.
Personally, I think the biggest mental block (which South Beach talks about) is that it is not just a diet, but a lifestyle change. I highly suggest picking up that book and reading through it. It helped me because it laid out how and why my body did what it did. How it breaks down the different compounds into energy, how efficient each energy source is, and when you want to eat each one.
And as you said above,
>The bingeing itself obviously stems from boredom and often times comfort eating
I used to have binge eating episodes too. It's a terrible feeling and I'm not sure why people feel the urge to do that, but it is a common experience among many. I coped with this through picking up a hobby (guitar). Hobbies are essential to keeping your mind and body occupied to the point where you don't have to think about eating all the time. Playing music helps me stay centered. Think of things you like (or would like) to do, and pick them up! It will help you and you won't even realize it! I hope this helps, good luck!
And I wanna get to know you better, too!! I was really impressed by your video channel and solid, well-cited advice. It was a great pep talk. I so rarely let myself brag, so I hope you don't mind if I do it a little and tell you about my front squat PR of 300lbs in January...so do I still need more heavy leg work? :P
Bragging aside, I wish I had time to sqwat and deadlift twice a week like I did six months ago, but I'm trying to do well in classes for the first time ever, and that takes more time than anticipated. It's occurred that me that it would be relatively easy for me to start doing weighted pistols, but that, along with a few other exercises, remain on my to-do list.
I get my blood cholesterol tested at least once a year, and while I haven't had it done since my crazy egg experiment (only starting about six weeks ago), I haven't changed my macronutrient ratios much - protein and fat consumption are about the same. I'll take a look at my nutrition bible, AKA Gary Taubes "Good Calories, Bad Calories" tonight to see what kind of intellectually rigorous studies I can pull out about cholesterol. And just as a minor quibble, I get NO cardio. I do strength and anaerobic training, and refuse to do anything else as exercise unless forced to.
And I should have been more clear about my diet - I'm not recommending it to anyone, it's just an experiment with an n of 1. I do a lot of those. So it's been fun and interesting, but I'm craving chicken, rice, and black beans again. Time to hit BJs for some low-quality chicken in bulk.
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy by Mark Sisson.
dim the lights and read a book. Melatonin helps you sleep, and that is triggered by the dark. I believe there are supplements for this as well, just remember that the more you supplement, the less your body will produce.
Lights Out
http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-21-Day-Total-Transformation/dp/0982207778/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320463206&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1320463224&sr=1-1
http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/
You won't do it, but buy and read these, it will change your life.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702
http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-effortless-boundless/dp/0982207700/ref=pd_sim_b_7
We're a little biased on this one since we published it, but Eat Bacon, Don't Jog might offer just what you're looking for! It's offers a clear path to weight loss and fitness with a diet and exercise based on cutting carbs and maintaining fats combined with high intensity interval training. But you don't have to take it from us, check out the reviews: https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Bacon-Dont-Jog-Bullshit/dp/0761180540
Primal/Paleo
This would be a good time for me to say: Check the FAQ sir.
First, let me say, I cannot really provide a solution for you, but I can share what has worked for me. I have not been as overweight as you but I have at times in my life been significantly overweight (not in mass but in % body fat) and as I am becoming older, I had found it increasingly difficult to control. My point is, you need to try things to see what works for you. Keep a daily journal of how you feel (energy, attention, brain function, etc) so you can do some experiments on yourself.
What has worked for me is adopting (what appears to be the latest fad) the paleo/evolutionary fitness model for diet and exercise. I eat little or no processed foods (e.g. read Pollan, and other rules of thumb...if it doesn't spoil, don't eat it, never shop in the inside area of the supermarket, if it comes out of a box, don't eat it, etc.). I don't drink soda, juice, or anything with sugars (just unsweetened coffee or tea, water). I eat a lot of meat, eggs, fish (no worries on fat content...my favorite lunch is a sandwich from the local deli called the Three Little Pigs, without the bread, it is smoked ham, pork bbq, and bacon). I eat some dairy, primarily full fat and fermented, like Fage Total plain yogurt (with a little fresh fruit and shredded raw coconut). I eat all my favorite vegetables slathered in full fat butter (from the farm if I can get it). This may sound like a low-carb, Atkins type diet, but it isn't. That isn't to say going low carb won't help you lose fat quickly. Nevertheless, it isn't the main point. The main point is to eat as our ancestors did some 10,000 or more years ago, as evolution has not caught up with our recent use of grains in our diet and certainly not processed foods. Another thing I do is intermittently fast. At first somewhat forced, but now just because I am not hungry. I can typically eat dinner (say around 5pm) and not eat again until around lunch the next day.
As far as exercise, I avoid long aerobic activities unless in pursuit of yard work, handling the kids, or sport (like tennis). No treadmills, distance running, or biking. I do walk or ride a bike for transportation, but I am not getting winded. I do lift weights, usually once a week, using only large muscle groups and free weights, and very intensely. It takes about 20 minutes, but given its intensity it is brutal...but over quickly. I introduce a bit of randomness into the exercise frequency and variety of exercises (e.g. maybe twice in one week, maybe I will do a bunch of pull-ups one night or push ups). Sprints are intermingled with this, sometimes just as part of playing with the dog. Again, the point is to expose the body to stresses in an irregular but intense pattern, as perhaps were encountered by our ancestors.
The result is that I am probably a month away (after approximately 9 months total) from having washboard abs, I have great energy levels, stamina and focus. I no longer wake up with aching joints. I don't get low energy levels after eating (unless I really stuff myself). Keep in mind, I am in my 40s. I was 210 and very soft and pear shaped when I started, now I am 185 and back to a youthful V shape.
The only negatives I can speak to is a diminished ability to find quick and convenient food sources and missing bread, pasta and a pizza once and a while. I really don't miss sweets, but I don't think I was that hooked on them in the first place.
Finally, let me give the sources that drove me in this direction. Take a look and see if you are interested in trying it. As I said, I can't say that it will work for you, but it has worked for me.
Websites:
Art Devany http://www.arthurdevany.com/ Evolutionary Fitness
Keith Norris http://theorytopractice.wordpress.com/
Mark Sisson http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
Richard Nikoley http://freetheanimal.com/
Seth Roberts http://blog.sethroberts.net/ (more about self-experimentation and the value of fermented foods)
Weston A. Price Foundation http://www.westonaprice.org/
Books:
Gary Taubes, Good Calories, Bad Calories
Little, McGuff Body by Science
Weston A. Price, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration
Mark Sisson The Primal Blueprint
So let's be clear what ketosis is. (Keeping it simple) Ketosis is when your body has a lack of carbs in the body and it can no longer produce enough glucose from those carbs to be fuel for your body. As a result your body changes and switches to a secondary fuel source but turning fat into keotenes, and essentially burning those. (Simplified explanation). You have plenty of fat on your body to fuel your body for quite sometime. You will not starve. IN FACT, Fasting does the exact same thing! When you fast, your body burns through it's glucose and switches to burning fat to produce keotenes to fuel your body. You literally can food fast for weeks if you want and there are MANY medical benefits to it. NOTE: I said food fast, not water fast. Drink tons of water. Get electrolytes.
Any Doctor who says fasting slows fat burn is a doctor you should stay away from. It's literally moronic advice. You will have ups and downs as your metabolism changes and adjusts, but over all, fasting burns fat. Ketosis burns fat. Caloric deficient burns fat. Fasting is the ultimate caloric deficit. 2 days of fasting a week is nothing.
Join /r/fasting or /r/intermittentfasting to learn more.
Also, to learn about Keto I recommend the book Keto Answers: https://www.amazon.com/Keto-Answers-Simplifying-Everything-Confusing-ebook/dp/B07WH43FLB
This forum is good to ask specific questions, but you should understand any diet you are on BEFORE starting it.
Yes. We were told in the late 70s that fat and cholesterol was not only bad for us, but it was also deadly. The entire food industry changed from feeding us foods we'd eaten for generations to foods with low or no fats and high sugar contents. What fats we were eating were industrially processed from vegetables, and were high in unstable (easily rancidified) polyunsaturated fat molecules. We were also encouraged to exercise more, and we did.
The net result of all these changes is that we became fatter and sicker. It turns out that the advice we've been following since the 70s was quite wrong. You can find out all that and a lot more in books like Good Calories, Bad Calories.
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes-ebook/dp/B000UZNSC2
Excellent question. I highly recommend nearly all your training be done using the Maffetone heart rate formula: 180-age as your max heart rate. This will seem slow but is key to fitness.
https://philmaffetone.com/method/
I would get a copy of this:
https://www.amazon.ca/Primal-Endurance-chronic-carbohydrate-dependency/dp/1939563089
Weights: read this book
https://www.amazon.ca/Body-Science-Research-Program-Results/dp/0071597174
(Lift once a week)
Triathlon Taren podcast and
Primal Endurance podcast
So much great information there.
Hi Nartchie - Congrats on the sobriety ! Your post reminds me of the title of an old low carb book, "Life Without Bread".
http://www.amazon.com/Life-Without-Bread-Low-Carbohydrate-Diet/dp/0658001701/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1458390461&sr=8-5&keywords=no+bread+diet
First, get tested for celiac disease if you haven't. There are blood tests for it, and an intestinal biopsy is the best diagnostic. If you have it, then you have to avoid gluten.
You could also have non-celiac wheat or gluten sensitivity. There's no lab test for it, but it definitely exists. The diagnostic process for NCGS is basically just a matter of trying a gluten-free diet. If you get better on the gf diet, and then worse again when you go back to eating gluten, and you don't have celiac disease or a positive allergy test to wheat, then you very likely have NCGS.
It can get complicated because people with NCGS may also be reactive to some foods without gluten, so they don't feel OK on just a gf diet. But this may not apply to neurological issues.
I've also encountered that dismissive attitude about gluten sensitivity from vegan/plant-based people. It's very irritating - gluten actually did a lot to ruin my life. Dr. Greger probably didn't intend it this way, but the cover of his book Carbophobia shows a guy terrified of a piece of bread, and it could be interpreted as a mockery of celiac disease. People with CD often have to be careful even that they don't accidentally eat bread crumbs. Bread (with gluten) IS poison for them, and eating bread every day COULD kill them, in a variety of ways.
Living Low Carb is the resource you are looking for. https://www.amazon.com/Living-Low-Carb-Controlled-Carbohydrate-Long-Term/dp/1454903511 It does a good job of explaining the "why" of low carb as well as the how. It also debunks all of the common complaints and misconceptions.
Eat Bacon, Don't Jog has a really simple presentation, and talks about both what to eat and good daily movements suitable for paleo people.
There is some incredibly valuable information in this book. http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421056643&sr=8-2&keywords=Lights+Out+book
The Diet Dr.
http://www.dietdoctor.com/experiment-optimal-ketosis-for-weight-loss-and-improved-performance and page 130 of Keto Clarity.
http://www.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb-ebook/dp/B00MEX9B4C/ref=pd_sim_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1TBTSFY91CS34BJ902JC
I heard that sweet intensity is very subjective and just a few days can dramatically change how we perceive it. So that piece of cake you are eating could become unbearable if you lower the sweet intensity for few days. Source: from a book http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-ebook/dp/B000UZNSC2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1382538253&sr=8-3&keywords=why+we+get+fat
r/fasting r/intermittentfasting
https://smile.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Fasting-Intermittent-Alternate-Day-ebook/dp/B01MF8SC2X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503450150&sr=8-1&keywords=fung
https://smile.amazon.com/Obesity-Code-Unlocking-Secrets-Weight-ebook/dp/B01C6D0LCK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1503450150&sr=8-2&keywords=fung
https://smile.amazon.com/Keto-Clarity-Definitive-Benefits-Low-Carb/dp/1628600071/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
Keto is rebranded Atkins. After atkins had too many people debunking it, it was rebranded to Keto.
This book is written by Dr. Michael greger of nutritionfacts.org one of the most respected plant based nutritionists.
The book was also republished as Carbophobia after atkins was rebranded as keto.
http://www.amazon.com/Carbophobia-Scary-Truth-Americas-Low-Carb/dp/1590560868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450269865&sr=8-1&keywords=carbophobia
Hey girl, so there is a loooooooot of explanation for why this all is, but in a nutshell:
Our bodies need cholesterol to do a ton of shit in our bodies. It's a vital part of cellular membranes, helps with tissue healing, helps insulate neurons and shit, and also is the starting component of most sex hormones. We need so much, in fact, that our bodies MAKE cholesterol on our own. Over 70% of the cholesterol in our bodies is made by our bodies, with only 30% or less being absorbed by the food we eat. In fact, some studies have indicated that when we eat foods lower in cholesterol, our bodies start making more to make up for it.
So why do we think that cholesterol is bad for us? In essence, people started noticing that in heart disease and other issues of the circulatory system, these weird pussy plaques of cholesterol were building up in veins and arteries, leading to blockages. People thus assumed that this was the result of cholesterol depositing itself on the blood vessel walls, like fat down a drain.
This has been comprehensively proven to NOT be the case. What actually happens is that high blood pressure or other issues sometimes leads to small tears or damage in the blood vessel wall. Well, remember I said cholesterol is part of the tissue healing process? Thus, when blood vessels are damaged, cholesterol molecules are brought in to help heal the tear, like a bandaid. But if people are dealing with a lot of problems with inflammation in their body, the inflammation cycle starts running amok, preventing the tear from healing properly, which triggers more cholesterol to be brought in, which makes the inflammation worse, etc etc etc. The metaphor that is often used to describe this is that blaming cholesterol for heart disease is like blaming firemen for a building fire. Just because they are at the site of the disaster doesnt mean they are causing the disaster, and more and more research points to inflammation being the root cause of heart disease.
And what makes inflammation worse? High blood sugar, cause by too many easily-absorbed refined carbohydrates, which keto and paleo both strive to avoid.
A great book that summarizes all this research and how we came to have these incorrect health paradigms is Why We Get Fat, by Gary Taubes. It's an accessible read (basically a shorter version of the EXHAUSTIVELY researched Good Calories, Bad Calories) and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone interested in learning more about nutrition to improve their diet and health.
My credentials: I am a biology teacher, also with years of experience as a science writer for health/anatomy/physiology educational material, also I went paleo almost five years ago and lost 40 pounds and cured my depression.
Primal Endurance might be helpful for you, it is more distance running and cycling focused, but could be useful.
Worked for me.
I'm not going to downvote you (even though I disagree. ;P) - because I think you are right in exactly one aspect - weigh the risks before you start. Go out and read a few books, studies, what have you and decide for yourself what makes sense. There is a whole list of books on the sidebar over there, and you can watch Gary Taubs on Youtube, I hear.
My favorite go-to book for scientific reasons why Keto works - written in an easily understood style - is Jonny Bowden's Living Low Carb - he's not even really a proponent of keto per se, more of eating less processed foods, but his writing is great. http://www.amazon.com/Living-Low-Carb-Controlled-Carbohydrate-Long-Term/dp/1402768257/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346341940&sr=1-1&keywords=living+low+carb
Obviously, there are tons more sources, but you should read /something/ before you eat a ton of bacon. Because friends and family will be all over you to eat healthier - and you'll have to back up your choices. (probably, just based on personal experience)
I think so. I don't know a lot about all the science behind ketosis. But I know a lot about fasting though. Hypoglycemia is a common symptom of people transitioning into ketosis. As long as it isn't permanent, I wouldn't worry too much and I would just be a bit more cautious. The ketogenic diet is the most complex diet there is and not many have an extensive understanding of the biochemistry behind it (myself included). No other diet will change the actual energy that your cells use, so your body will undergo a lot of changes when it's trying to adapt. It is always best to read on these subjects. A book can tell you a lot more information than I can. I have not read any books on ketosis yet, but from what I have gathered, these are most commonly recommended: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Keto-Clarity-Jimmy-Moore/dp/1628600071/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1453036057&sr=8-3&keywords=keto and http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Art-Science-Carbohydrate-Living/dp/0983490708/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51OSaAmDQJL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=1H3CKK9KE453H1J53HRX
I'm from the UK which means those URLs are for the UK. If you're from North America be sure to go to Amazon.com
Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog.
There’s also an accompanying blog. It hasn’t been updated since August, but there’s still some good stuff on there.
He cowrote a book - Primal Endurance - in which they advocate for essentially a keto diet so I don't think it's completely new. It is however targeted towards endurance athletes where they cover many ultramarathoners, ironmen/women, etc. who are ketogenic.
Don't jog, Eat bacon
Read this last night. All the exercises you need toward the end.
I don't know much about sleep but I've heard this is a very good book...
http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Sleep-Sugar-Survival/dp/0671038680
I would expect that muscle repair is almost constant between workouts. Whether there's any benefits at night is a good question. Maybe it's answered in that book. I should read it.
Hahaha, you have a great point, and it almost makes me chuckle like a jolly old Santa Clause! Just think about it. There's the "indoor" lifestyle, where as you described is horribly arduous with seemingly minimal payoff, and everybody forgets that you could go outside RIGHT NOW and live there for the rest of your life without spending a single penny! It's the same outdoors that existed 4000 years ago, with the same plants and animals, all you'd have to do is sacrifice the little securities that we have all come accustomed to, like security of health, reliability of food, protection from predators, etc.
But when you look at it, everything around you is simply a tradeoff. We can have these little furnished homes where you can live long, healthy lives, free from danger, from disease, from hunger, and all you have to do is live a significantly less fulfilling life! Sounds insane right? Insane enough for practically every single human to mindlessly abide by.
I recommend a book to you that I'm currently reading. It's called The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. It's mostly a diet and exercise program, but it's also a complete lifestyle adaptation (which diet and exercise play a huge part in).
wrong about the cholesterol part. Inflammation is one of the reasons I started this diet (also trying out the gelatin craze to get more glycine in my diet).
edit: good calories bad calories is a great source for understanding the latest science around it. There's also some great youtube videos out there, but I don't have them handy.
Try Primal Endurance. It is focused on endurance athletes like marathon runners and such but there is a lot of good info for athletes in general. http://amzn.com/1939563089
Read Gary Taubes' [good calories bad calories] (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes-ebook/dp/B000UZNSC2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417554186&sr=8-1&keywords=good+calories+bad+calories)
TLDR: it's the insulin that makes us fat, not the fat, and it's the sugar that drives the insulin. Also, read especially about OB/OB mice, mice that were bred to be obese. They get obese because they are born that way, they get fat even if you feed them the same amount as other mice, and if you starve them they will not lose weight. An OB/OB mouse will starve to death and still be obese because their cells can't let go of stored fat. It's not always just bad choices, there are real physiological things that can go wrong that can't be fixed. Ever. Childhood obesity needs to be viewed like the disability that it is and treated with much more compassion, and reasonable expectations.
Buy this book and excitedly tell her about all the cool new things you're learning.
Seriously though, Eat Bacon, Don't Jog: Get Strong. Get Lean. No Bullshit. is the sh*t.
> public health initiatives
You mean like the US government championing low-fat, high-carb diets to combat heart disease? It made the problem worse and gave rise to the obesity epidemic.
Edit: In case people are interested in reading more, my source for this comment is Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Blueprint-Reprogram-Effortless-Boundless/dp/0982207700/ref=cm_cr-mr-title
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram Your Genes for Effortless Weight Loss, Vibrant Health, and Boundless Energy (Hardcover)
So you want real evidence? You want to know more right? You just can't comprehend that changing your diet would benefit your skin, right? Well, here is your "real" evidence. This is a booklist that gave me insight on why there is a current diabetes health crisis in the world and what highly processed carbs can do to one's body. You asked for it, you shall receive:
http://www.amazon.com/Wheat-Belly-Lose-Weight-Health-ebook/dp/B00571F26Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395103560&sr=8-1&keywords=wheat+belly
http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Brains-Killers-ebook/dp/B00BAXFCPO/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1395103560&sr=8-7&keywords=wheat+belly
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About-ebook/dp/B003WUYOQ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395103576&sr=8-1&keywords=why+we+get+fat
http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes-ebook/dp/B000UZNSC2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1395103576&sr=8-3&keywords=why+we+get+fat