Carb Junkie

30 Day paleo challenge day 19

2010-11-28T14:00:00.002Z

firstly this is the longest I have ever gone without eating dairy or grains etc. I would say that now it has become a good natural habit to eat in this fashion.

So far I have not been watching my portion sizes in any major way. I think that myself like many people just need to "reset" my metabolism before worrying about calorific intake. Although this is not massively important, I am talking about long term "fine tuning"

An interesting finding is that I am now very good at feeling the effects of certain foods when I eat them. Its almost as if my internal monitor is much better at reporting any main issues - if that makes sense. Like I had too much fat last night which made me tired this morning and not feek optimal.

This is the beauty of doing the 30 day challenge because you can find out exactly what hits your buttons and what does not.

I had a cracking salad when I went out yesterday but I asked for no dressing as I'm not sure what is gluten free and what is not. However the idiots put some kind of dressing on which I had to send back. The moral is always check before you eat.

Plants are alive!

2010-11-20T19:14:00.003Z

I love learning new things. Just love it. The biggest thing I have learnt on this challenge is the issues with anti-nutrients from some plants.

When you think about it of course it makes COMPLETE sense that there may be things in plants that dont agree with us. Most of us tend to associate plants with things that you have to plant to get a bloom in spring or something that we eat. True we have a vague recollection that they have something to do with the Sun and energy, but mostly we just like they way they look in the garden.

I think it is very easy to think that if anything is natural then it must be inherently good for us but this is far from the case as you will see.

Consider first, the humble apple. Although we eat the fruit and seemingly destroy the plant, there is a happy (ish) trade off for the Apples mum. In terms of defence, apples are quite high up and do have a skin which would protect it from some insect predators. Once the apple is eaten it will then be passed on through the body and left in a nice pile of fertile dung- so like in good business, there is a fair trade here.

However, lets look at seeds. These beauties are the offspring of a plant and like any living thing, plants want to reproduce. It aint gona be very helpful if they were just munched on by every bugger that sees them- soooo what do they do? They contain something called phytates which if my understanding is correct, is responsible for binding together of nutrients such as Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium which are critical for the seeds to sprout and flourish.

So what do you think occurs when we throw these things on top of our chicken salad? Well the phytates that bind these nutrients do exactly the same in our bodies and "hold on" to the same nutrients making it near impossible for us to utilise them. What are we generally deficient in the UK in?

The end result is that with chronic consumption of phytates we are unable to absorb a lot of nutrients regardless of how man supplements we take.

So some of those plants that seem harmless are actually complete bastards!

30 day paleo challenge....day 7

2010-11-17T08:45:00.002Z

Firmer?

Hmmmm there are some visual signs that my belly is getting firmer, unless it is purely the power of positive thought*

*and strategic bathroom lighting perhaps :-)

Being honest, this is the longest I have EVER been without gluten, dairy legumes or grains. Although my diet has been pretty good before it has never been clean enough to test this theory. I believe that because it is only for 30 days it is a tangible time frame. I consider that if you attempt to implement these changes "forever" than you are doomed to failure.

Like a crack addict I was overcome by temptation yesterday and had a double espresso (it really bugs me when people call it eXpresso) in the afternoon. Felt good though and didn't feel guilty after having it. I know coffee isn't exactly forbidden but I have still been a good boy and not had them.

I just bought the Now Foods powdered magnesium. I understand from various sources that magnesium supplementation before bed can really improve your sleep. I expect this today and will let you know how it goes and if it works.

I did my first full strength training programme yesterday for a while. Strength training is undoubtedly the most neglected part of my training- well its actually all neglected- but probably the most important for me.

Off into Manchester today so this will be another test of my outdoor hunting skills. One piece of advice I have found quite useful is that when you go into restaurants is to say to them that if you give me gluten it will kill me. Firstly, just for the look on their faces and secondly, this makes them really be careful about what they do with your food!

30 day paleo challenge....day 6

2010-11-15T19:06:00.002Z

Delicious grass fed steak, sausages broccoli and courgettes for Lunch!

Back to work today after having a week off so it was the first challenge for me in terms if preparing food before I went. For lunch I had the food on the right (and breakfast incidentally).

Still feeling good although was very tired this afternoon. Last night I did not sleep well at all and was up a few times and I could feel it today. The last week I have been getting up naturally when I felt like it and I really felt the benefits.

I spoke to a friend of mine today who has just done Charles Poliquin's Biosignature course. If you don't know about this, it's a fascinating health analysis based on hormones and magic (Ok not magic :-)). According to Charlie he can tell based upon where you store your body fat is an indication of your hormonal profile. It is a combination of diet, exercise, a targeted supplementation program, and lifestyle modifications.
What is interesting is that this is almost identical to the words of Robb Wolf in the Paleo Solution (and is why I am doing this Paleo Challenge). I am interested to know if my results correlate with his so we will see!

Oh and what ever you do, never eat fish oil that has gone past its expiry date! I was eating mine thinking the vile taste was normal but then I realised that it had expired 5 months ago... BeJesus! I only realised it was so bad when I bought some fresh stuff and it tasted OK.

30 day paleo challenge....day 4 and 5

2010-11-14T10:48:00.003Z

Today is now day 5 of the paleo challenge. Last night I made a delicious paleo curry with pumpkin and grass fed minced beef which you can see on the right there.

I would say that one of the biggest differences I can see so far is the sleep thing. As I said before I am certainly getting better sleep and seem to be going deeper and deeper into slumberland. This morning I also seemed to wake up a little earlier and still be refreshed.

I attribute this mostly to the lack of caffeine I am now having. I have moved onto Chinese Tea which is a great substitute and healthy too!

Generally feeling excellent and "clean". Energy levels are constant and I was "itching" to go an exercise yesterday- a novel feeling indeed.

Exercise wise which I have not mentioned as yet has been a gradual beginning. I have been doing exercise off and on recently but the problem has been having enough energy to 1) be arsed and 2) progress and develop my fitness. So this week I have done three consecutive days of exercise so today I have been resting.

Day 1 was simply 4x hard runs for 1 minute with 2 minutes rest. Day 2 was a 1 hour hike with a heavy backpack and day 4 was skipping sprints 4x 1minute with 2 minute rest.

Thought for the day.....
Next time you are in a public place have a look around at how many people you see who are "well". By well I mean vibrant, slim and healthy looking. You will see (certainly in the UK) that there are few people who even come close to this. Indeed, it seems that especially the older folks are alive but not living, if you know what I mean

30 day paleo challenge....day 3

2010-11-13T10:56:00.002Z

Last night was the first night in ages that I slept all the way through. I am normally a very light sleeper and the merest noise will awaken me. However, I slept very well last night and woke up feeling more refreshed than normal which is probably due to the effect cortisol has on me.

Normally, cortisol is high in the morning- so you want to get up and do things (like hunt, eat and survive the commute to work), and low at night so you wind down and want to sleep. However, if you have a reverse cortisol profile the opposite tends to be the case. You wake up in the morning feeling like crap (low cortisol) and at night when you want to sleep you get a"second wind" sensation (high cortisol).

I think that if my cortisol is sorting itself out, my sleep will start to get even better but lets see shall we.....

On another note I tried Salmon for the first time today for my lunch. I have had an irrational fear of fish for some time now and I just couldn't bring myself to eat it. The rather unique smell pre-cooking was what probably did it. It helps that it is filleted as it is always easier to eat something that you dont recognise as being a living creature.

Whilst in BHS (homeware shop) I got my first big craving for coffee as I walked past the cafe. The smell of coffee was overwhelming and at one point I was tempted to distract my wife with the bedding section and then make a run for it and get a cheeky espresso. However, to maintain my dignity I managed to restrain myself and leave the shop and go home and have a nice green tea (bah!)

Breakfast= Scrambled eggs and walnuts
Lunch = Salmon
Dinner = Gluten Free Sausages with broccoli and cabbage

30 day paleo challenge....day 2

2010-11-13T10:41:00.002Z

Today was the first big struggle in terms of wanting coffee......... ahhh the sweet smell and taste of espresso! Certainly I have that horrible tension headache that you get from caffeine withdrawl - just between the eyebrows.

One thing I forgot to mention was that I am taking 20g of fish oil per day (as per recommended in the Robb Wolf guide). This is not a long term prescription but rather it is something to help you "heal" the inflammation until your body. However, I think I would rather drink my own urine that have to taste it so I wonder if there is something I could put in it to make it taste better?

Food wise, Breakfast left over beef curry, Lunch, Trout with salad and olive oil and Dinner was Roast chicken, parsnips, sweet potato and olive oil.

30 day paleo challenge....day 1

2010-11-11T10:41:00.002Z

I have just finished reading the superb Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and I thought I would give the 30 day paleo challenge a go.

Although I am aware of the potential benefits of doing this, I have never actually done it fully for 30 days so now is the time.

One of the most interesting points I took from the book is the issue with gluten. Apparently, "cutting down" on your gluten intake is not good enough becausee It can take up to 14 days to eliminate the effects from your system- and I certainly have been eating more frequently than this.

So....... day 1) Breakfast eggs , Lunch Mackerel with lettuce and tomatoes and dinner- curry, grass fed beef and coconut milk with cabbage and broccoli.
Feeling a bit iffy due to having no coffee (without milk or cream it just ain't the same!)

Are starches as bad as we think?

2010-02-17T12:50:00.003Z

Earlier this week I spent some time with my delightful family. My Nan, who is 92 (bless her) has just come out of the hospital so I thought I would pop down and see her and give her my best wishes.

My gran has the most voracious appetite of any old lady I have ever soon. It is fairly common place to see an old dear nibbling on a piece of lettuce and being satisfied for several days. However, my Nan is the exact opposite. I recall that on once occasion we went out for a meal together as a family and for dessert we ordered the sharing platter dessert (notice the deliberate emphasis on sharing there). Once the dolce had arrived, no sooner had it been placed on the table whereupon my Nan lunged into it like a crack addict going towards their next hit. She gobbled up at least three quarters of the tasty morsel herself- The greedy BITCH!

I digress. My Nan, is as thin as a rake and has been for as long as I have known her. I do recall reading somewhere that Insulin control has been linked to longevity (a future post methinks). When I questioned her about what she ate when she was younger, there was no fruit and hardly any sugar. She did eat a lot of potatoes and some bread but never had a problem with her weight. Oh and she ate copious amounts of fat and butter. Incidentally, this was also the staple diet of my mother (bread and dripping anyone?).

Some research recently has suggested that the carbs we eat from starches may not necessarily impact people as badly as was previously thought. Certainly once a person is insulin resistant, then starches do cause a serious problem if you can no longer tolerate carbs. However, the damage may not be from starches themselves but the combination of excess sugar in the diet that gives the insulin system a damn good battering for several years and buggers up the system.

Potentially, this could mean that once you have "healed" your metabolic conditioning, you may be able to introduce starchier food without the same detrimental effects.

Coffee hell!

2010-02-10T12:57:00.003Z

Hi there. Sorry I have been gone for a while, I am gonna shape up for 2010 and make sure I hit this ol'blog regularly!

Recently, I have been feeling very lethargic throughout the day at least compared to normal. Now, my diet is pretty, pretty, pretty (Larry David anyone?) good so it has been a mystery to me whats been happening. However, after reading something about Adrenal Fatigue, I decided that maybe I am an unknown sufferer.

One of the causes attributed to adrenal fatigue is excess coffee. Now, I am British and there is no people on earth who get more excited about hot beverages then us (just mention the word "tea" around any woman of a certain age in this country and see what I mean), however, I FUCKING LOVE coffee man! Not just the effect of the caffeine but the whole darn experience, the heat of the cup, the smell of it.....................Sorry back to my point. Coffee in excess can lead to adrenal fatigue, which can cause tiredness, lack of sex drive, craving of certain foods etc. And I drink 15 cups+ per day, so I am a prime candidate for this.

So today is day 5 of my caffeine free "diet". The first three days were absolute hell I have to say, with recurring severe headaches the most prominent symptom. Interestingly, I also had flu like symptoms on the second night whilst I was in bed. I checked for symptoms of caffeine withdrawl and this is a common symptom.

Anyway last night, the headaches subsided for the first time and I have to say I do feel much better and "full of beans" as my mother would say (I was often literally full of beans when I was younger-but ill save that for another day).

I will keep you posted on the long term effects of this however, I do intend to go back to drinking coffee, but purely because I want to not because I NEED to know what I mean?

Andy xx

Christmas struggles!

2009-12-20T16:26:00.002Z

Yesterday was the first big Christmas meal of the season for us. The wife and I went to see my brother down the road in Manchester and a few of the relatives were there.

I am pleased to say I was very strong during the meal and had to withhold from the potatoes and the dessert (which was apple pie and did look very tempting!).

I have to say that I did feel guilty, turning away from the food. I think it was because when other people had made so much effort cooking it that it looks like a personal affront to their skills. I always find that I have to explain myself and go into extreme detail about my the consequences of eating carbohydrates (I believe I used the term diabetic coma). Not strictly true but I do feel like shit after eating this sort of thing. As usual there are always cries of "one potato wont hurt", which is indeed true but I don't see why I should feel like crap all day (and days after incidentally) just to appease my guilt!

By Christmas day itself, I will have to try my best to avoid Christmas pudding. This is my absolute FAVE thing for Christmas dinner. However, if you had to invent something that truly knocks me for six, this is it! My Kryptonite if you will. I have also noted with interest recently that the cream that is with it causes my face to go bright red, in fact I look like I have cleansed my face with poison Ivy!

Please don't be under the impression that I will not enjoy Christmas because of my abstinence! On the contrary, I will enjoy the feelings of being normal, by concentrating on meat, veg and fat (and maybe 1 chocolate :-)).

Merry Christmas!

Andy

Calorie Counting Nonsense-one step forward 2 back

2009-11-15T08:53:00.002Z

The latest "research" has apparently indicated that the current calorie recommendations for people are wrong!

Great news! That's what us low carbers have been saying for a long time. So, is this finally the time that those "in control" cure the obesity crisis forever and point to sugar as the real culprit? Alas no.

According to this article, the current recommendations of calorie intake are wrong and people can eat 400 calories more per day. Great. And what foods do they indicate would fill the 400 void? A cheeseburger, ice cream, an average sized cupcake.

So having realised that years of recommended calorie intake isn't working, the advice is to eat more? Brilliant! No information about choices, or macro nutrients but eat more cakes and cheeseburgers!

No wonder people are so confused!

Bad bad breakfast!

2009-11-01T19:41:00.003Z

Hey all you low carbers!

Despite the main-stream media still being fat phobic, I was delighted to see a program the other day on channel4 about how unhealthy and full of sugar the average breakfast is. I believe it is a step in the right direction for how detrimental to long term health these sorts of foods are.

On the program it was clear to see how the marketing of breakfast cereals has cleverly placed them as "leaders" in health . It appears that the consumer was catching on to the fact that cereals might be a little unhalthyl. The companies therefore changed tactics and rebranded themselves as "fortified with vitamins" or "whole grain full".

By the way, Kelloggs is worth a staggering £12 BILLION POUNDS! This makes them a very dangerous enemy in the quest for the health of the nation. When you think about it, they are doing more damage than someone like Macdonalds because the kids eat this stuff daily, whereas it will be unlikely that the same can be said of a Big Mac (at least in children anyway).

What is it about whole grains? Where did we get the idea that we need them to stay alive? Much love and low carbyness to all!

Best wishes,

Junkie

6 week cure for the middle aged middle

2009-10-04T10:49:00.004+01:00

I just got hold of the latest book by Protein Power authors, Dr.s Michael and Mary Eades. Its called the 6 week cure for the middle aged middle.

The book details why in middle age people tend to have bellies despite being slim overall. It details why our eating and drinking habits are playing havoc with our hormones and causing fat to be deposited where it ain't supposed to be!

I also discovered how saturated fat can actively trim your middle, why the "eat less exercise more" prescription fails-and what to do about it and how to fight the fat stored inside your liver that leads to hard-to-lose middle body flab.

In my own experience, I have always had a belly despite being slim overall. I have lean arms and legs, but my belly looks like it has been inflated at times! One of the major culprits is caffeine. Excessive caffeine consumption can increase cortisol which you may be aware can increase fat gain.

Although I am only 29 I am going to give this a go for 6 weeks. Weeks 1&2 is about giving you liver a rest throughout the day by drinking protein shakes only and then having one meal at night.

I am currently on day 2 of this program with NO COFFEE! Now I happily admit I am a coffee junkie (as well as a carb junkie) so this is bloody hard! I have a pounding headache and I feel like I am on withdrawal mode. Last night I am sure I dreamt about cappuccinos!

I will give you some feedback on my results. I wont be doing measurements, I will simply be giving feedback on how I feel and whether my belly reduces!

Wish me luck!

Andy

Food Pyramid

2009-09-12T09:50:00.001+01:00

Brilliant link here to Michael Eades and the food pyramid.

Spinning around!

2009-08-14T09:33:00.002+01:00

Hello all. Just a report here on what happened to me when I went to a spinning class the other day at the gym, and how I felt during and after.

I had not eaten throughout the day as I was on my "warrior" fast and the spinning class started at 6pm. I have not done a spinning class for about 10 years so I was a little nervous before as I was unsure of what my performance would be like, especially as this was a bit of an experiment in relation to the food.

However, although I found the class tough, it was not as difficult as I thought it was going to be. In fact at the end of the class I felt as though I could have continued and done it again! Interesting findings I thought.

OK, I could have pushed myself harder, but I was following the instructor perfectly- as was everyone else, but everyone else was looking SHATTERED! I was keeping an eye on the effort levels of other people and they were probably working as hard as I was, some of these guys are regular to this class apparently.

This made me think that perhaps I was at a physical advantage due to my fasting during the day. Everyone else who was supping on their energy drinks were trying to prepare for the activity ahead, whereas in fact possibly the best preparation is to eat nothing.

My fasted state means that my body is in fat burning mode already. So when the exercise kicks in it is already in its optimum state to maintain this energy release consistently. In other words my body is burning fat as a fuel which is a more efficient energy to burn.

The other poor guys in there would be only using carbohydrate in the muscles, so it IS NO WONDER it would be more difficult for them to exercise and that is why I think the spinning would feel so difficult.

Listen, I am not a particularly hard core exerciser, I do some every now and again and I enjoy it, but I also like to drink and eat lots of food! However, I did feel very fit in this class and I felt as though I could continue almost indefinitely (maybe not, but hey I was feeling great!).

Based on my own findings, I wonder if we are inherently fit individuals. I wonder if exercise is actually easier then it FEELS to us. You know how when you do an exercise session it is very difficult at the start but then gets easier? Well I think we are meant to start into the easy part. And we would do this by exercising in a fasted state.

What do you think?

No change

2009-07-31T07:20:00.003+01:00

You know how when you go to the gym everyone in there always seems to stay the same shape regardless of how long they have been going there?

This is something that everyone just accepts and never questions. I know that every gym has some people who are extremely fit and have great bodies but the majority look pretty unconditioned I think.

If effort and time spent in the gym were proportional to fat lost/muscle gained then everyone would progress. It is true however that some people are genuinely happy with their current physical state and go to the gym only to stay healthy, but I believe the majority are there to change.

I believe the problems come not only from the activity being done in the gym but also what the people take inside them before and after a workout.

I have seen obese people eating an energy bar before a workout, doing some cardio for 20 minutes and then drinking gatorade afterwards. This is where people are going seriously wrong. They believe they are taxing themselves to such an extent that they need this energy release to assist them through the exercise.

Bollocks!

As ever, it is a hormone cascade that results in our bodies changing shape for good or for bad.

Bearing this in mind, I am going to see if it possible to burn fat and build lean muscle by spending no more that 30 minutes in the gym 3 times per week. I believe this is plenty of time as I will be doing big muscle groups only (no triceps dips!)

Where possible I will be working out fasted, or at least not eaten for a few hours. I will document all the activity on here and let you know the results.

Best wishes,

Junkie

Greetings

2009-07-19T17:08:00.003+01:00

Hi Sorry I have not been on for such a long time! My computer has been out of action and I have just got a brand spanking new one!

I have been working at my new job now for a few weeks and I am generally eating nothing during the day as I am working very hard mentally but I am doing nothing too physical. I must say I feel great and alert and like a tiger I feel great! Although Tony the tiger is probably having a hyperglycemic episode!

Some of my diet choices have not been great. This week alone some of my late night meals have included maccy ds, pizza and curry! Although last night I did have some broccoli! But generally I still feel great and full of beans.

I was watching a program the other day called the worlds best diet. There were lots of different diets from around the world and some (minor) celebrities tried them out for a while. There was Mediterranean, British and a low carb diet. Unsurprisingly, the low carb diet was the winner in terms of weight loss.

The funniest thing was though at the end of the experiment, they spoke to a dietitian to ask her opinion. Her summary was that the low carb diet is an unhealthy way of eating and is not possible to sustain long term. The best bit was that she was a BIG FAT MAMMA!! Why the bloody hell would we listen to her!

Anyway just a quick rant today.

Speak soon,

Junkie

Euphoria for adults

2009-07-08T09:16:00.004+01:00

Hey loyal followers! I hope your all good.

Just a quick update about my fasted state for the past couple of days. The last time I ate was Monday night when I had a fabulous curry made for me by my lovely wife!

OK, so yesterday I was working until 9pm and I was gonna have a feast after work after fasting all day but I was delayed at work! I didn't get home until very late and by the time I got back I did not feel any hunger so didn't bother eating.

Well today I can honestly tell you that when I awoke this morning the world looked good!! I felt really alive and well and I am raring to go for the day.

Now by no means would I ever recommend doing this but my God does it feel great!

Those of you who go jogging, you know how it is difficult for the 1st 5 or 10 minutes and then it gets easier and you can continue for a surprising amount of time? Well this is because the body adapts to burning fat during the exercise and it is a more efficient abundant supply. After a while, people can experience the "runners high", an uplifting euphoric feeling, which I understand can be very addictive.
I believe that as my body has acclimatised to fat burning, that those intense feelings of happiness and energy are linked to the creation of energy in my body from the burning of fat.

I could be COMPLETELY wrong but just a thought!

Best wishes to all x

Interview success

2009-07-05T19:05:00.003+01:00

Sorry about the delay in posting. I have been so busy in my new job I haven't found the time to put "pen to paper".

I wanted to talk about my experience with my successful interview and how I felt depending on what I ate. Of course job interviews are always nerve wracking experiences, especially if you are in a position where the job is one you REALLY want for whatever reason.

I went on around 6 interviews before I was successful and the last 3 I did in a fasted state- this wasn't a deliberate experiment by the way :-) Surprisingly, this wasn't too difficult to do because I was a little nervous anyway so didn't really feel like eating.

I found that the final 3 interviews went brilliantly. Obviously one was more successful as I got the job but I felt the other 2 were also really good.

The reason I think they were so good was because I felt "ready" for any of the questions that came to me. Of course I still had to prepare properly, and there is no substitute for that but mentally I was properly tuned in and really felt good and confident during the process.

Also, you know that kind of "negative internal monitor" we all have when we are in stressful situations? You know, like say you suddenly had to stand up and sing in front of 1000 people, you would be really aware of how your voice sounds, how you move and aware that your words are coming out all wrong? Well that "monitor" was off and I felt my words were flowing and basically I was brilliant!

So I suppose the moral of this tale is that fasting might help you REALLY focus when you are in a stressful situation and help you. Although if I had to sing in front of 1000 people, I still think I would be poo :-)

Just a thought......

2009-06-26T23:04:00.002+01:00

Sorry I have been a bit slack writing any posts this week. I have just started a new job and have not been around very much but here I am!

Firstly, I have been water fasting all day every day and feeling great. Very productive and focused. Hopefully my new bosses will be impressed by my productivity :-) I also managed to do some exercise classes every day and my recovery is much better then I ever remember it.

One of the people I told about the Warrior Diet reckoned that my muscles will waste away and I will store what I eat as fat if I don't eat enough and regularly during the day. Now, I have heard his before and I used to believe it, or at least the science apparently made sense, I never questioned it.

But when you think about it...... "they" are saying is that if we eat too much; too many calories we get fat. OK, in that case I'll eat less during the day but no! If I eat too little in the day or skip meals, my body will burn my precious muscle tissue and store all my food as fat.

If this was the case, then surely when we ate too much our muscles would grow and we would end up like Arnold Schwarzenegger wouldn't we?

If you think about it, when we were living in paleo times, we would have gone without food for a while, and if our bodies then catabolised our muscles it would become more and more difficult to catch our food and we would have died out!

I'm not a scientist, but I reckon our muscles will be fine without food for a bit.

By the way the class I did was called Body Attack and it was brilliant but I was knackered!!!

What a difference a breakfast makes......

2009-06-21T20:10:00.002+01:00

Jesus! This morning I picked up a Maccy Ds breakfast for my wife and as I was very hungry I grabbed a couple of bagels and a coffee.

Now since I have been doing the Warrior Way I have felt brilliant in the daytime when I don't eat too much and stuffing my little face at night.

After the breakfast today, I didn't feel too sluggish physically but I had a bout of anxiety around lunchtime. I had a racing heart and I was very restless, quite dramatic. I went to work around 2 and I was struggling mentally and I did feel strangely nervous. Very, very strange.

It was like my body was afraid of what I was eating!

Running with Fasting

2009-06-21T11:22:00.002+01:00

A big hello to everyone!

I'm not a massive fan of running longer distances, as I find it a little tedious but occasionally I like to get out and go for a longer jaunt. So yesterday, I donned the old trainers, vest and schoolboy socks :-)

For the first time in my life I did it after a 20ish hour fast. Now, my legs felt a bit sore/tired before I started due to a tough circuit train 2 days previously. So after about 4 minutes into it I am thinking too bloody hard, I wanna go home! But after this point I felt great and thought, hey I could continue here with no problem.

Anyway I just ended up running for about 40 minutes. I only stopped and went home because my hip muscles were getting sore as I am not used to the constant impact.

What is interesting is that normally my legs give up after about 10-15 minutes and feel drained. I believe that this is because after fasting, my body is forced to use fat as a fuel and there is lots of it!

So I personally think every now and again you should train in a fasted state as your body will adapt to it. At first it does feel weird and your legs can feel a bit wobbly and you may have to do less than you are used to but I believe it is worth it.

Everybody Say Yeah!

2009-06-17T21:38:00.003+01:00

If you haven't seen GMTV this week, then you're missing a treat. They are presenting"the bikini diet" with the host being Mr Motivator and a personal trainer called Deanne on a cruise ship with lots of overweight women.

Now, Mr Motivator has been around for a long time and he basically does very low impact aerobics whilst shouting "everyone say yeah" intermittently every few minutes. Deanne Berry is a PT who has trained some celebrities in the UK.

OK, so the big gimmick with this diet is that they have categorised the women's into 3 groups, depending on their body shapes, pear, apple and toffy?!? Then there is supposed to be different guidelines on nutrition and exercise to effect each shape.

Now I have several issues that made my blood pressure rise.

1) Deanne is a VERY good looking woman in great shape. Although the show never actually says "this diet will make your body like Deannes", this is what is implied and why she is on the show. But, she is either naturally small OR she does not eat, or she trains bloody well hard like an athlete. Whichever it is I am pretty sure it is not doing the bikini diet.

2) The apple shape is described as being excess storage around the tummy, with increased chance of diabetes in later life. Fair enough me thinks. So obviously they will be eliminating sugar wherever it may appear right? WRONG. Apparently, as well as 3 meals a day and 2 pieces of fruit thy can have a KIT KAT as a snack. Genius.

3) Although it says you cannot spot reduce in one part of the instructions, it then goes on to give specific exercises depending on the body part. You would think the same exercises would be given to all candidates no?

4) Lots of "healthy" whole grains! arghhhhhh

I feel really sorry for the women on this show. This diet is pretty much identical to all of the ones they would have done before. They are middle aged and really enthusiastic, but you just know they will maybe lose a couple of pounds but nothing major will change. Everybody say Bullshit. :-)

While we are on the subject of GMTV (I'm not out to get them honest) they were also talking about heart disease. The good doctor, Hilary Jones is in Iceland where they have much lower heart disease incidence compared to the UK.

Why is this the case according to the doctor? They eat more heart health fruit and veg and less saturated fat. That's it is it? How about the fact that the natives of Iceland like to eat pickled rams testicles, purified shark and singed sheeps heads.

How about the fact that they eat much less processed crap and sugar than we do?

Studies on Insulin

2009-06-15T06:37:00.002+01:00

I was down in Derby last week visiting relatives, and I went out for a meal with my lovely Nan. She is a very sprightly 92 and very independent apart from breaking her hip recently and she is very slim.

But my God can that woman can EAT! She had a massive starter and a steak pie for a main course. The rest of s skipped the starter and had salads for our main courses and we were full. She also managed to polish off 90% of a "sharing" dessert that we had ordered "erm that's for all of us I think Nan" :-).

She has always been really slim, even now as she approaches the mid 90s. And when you think about it, do you ever see an overweight 80+ yr old? Probably not.

According to research done on Centenarians, they all come from different backgrounds, races, sexes, smokers or non, exercise history, class. But the one thing they all had in common was very high Insulin sensitivity.

So it is theoretically possible that Insulin is the master hormone responsible for helping us to live longer and better.

Hmmmm and the best way to control insulin sensitivity is to control the bad carbs you ingest and fast!

In the meantime Nan can eat all she wants- but next time she can have her own bloody dessert :-)

Low Carb vs Epilepsy

2009-06-11T08:30:00.002+01:00

As well as shifting body fat and improving your mood it seems that high fat diets are now being used to successfully treat epilepsy in children.

Yesterday I was watching ITV and they were interviewing a four year old boy who, 2 years previously, was having around 70 fits a day. He was not responding to any conventional drugs so he was put on a strictly high fat low carb diet for 2 years.

After 2 days his fits stopped and he is now completely clear of epilepsy and living a normal life. Whats more, he is now back on a normal diet and eating like a normal child.

Apparently, this form of treatment was regularly used to treat epilepsy right up until the 1920's. After that drugs were introduced and these were used instead.

No one is sure exactly how it works, but it has something to do with the brain using ketones instead of glucose!

Amazing huh?

Bits and Bobs

2009-06-10T09:19:00.002+01:00

Conquering fear

I had Sushi for the first time ever in my life this week. It was fab! I have always had a weird fear of fish for most of my life. I am certain that during my youth I was force fed some kind of weird fish and have lingering memories. Also, I used to think fish naturally had a crispy batter AKA cod n chips :-) Nevertheless, I went to a sushi restaurant and had a mix of veg and fish dishes and it was deeeeelicios.

However I still have a problem with prawns, they look at me funny, its those eyes.

Blogging for truth

The media is considered Gospel Truth by so many people it is scary. Generally until something is written in a newspaper it is not believed.

For example within my family I have been banging on for a long time about food and the truth behind low fat diets etc. I would give balanced reasoning on the science behind fat gain and the years of research, and the books on the matter and the physical evidence of people losing weight on low carb diets. However, in the paper it will say, "breakfast cereals are good for you". No evidence but a statement. But this is good enough for most people to believe WITHOUT QUESTION.

So I think blogging is absolutely brilliant because it is possible to debate the truth. Whatever your point of view on something it is possible to make your mind up based on the opinions of as many people as you like.

So basically, all us bloggers are bloody brilliant!

Family Diet Success

2009-06-06T08:11:00.003+01:00

Original Carb Junkie

I have mentioned before that I have insulin resistance and stubborn fat. In fact I am certain that it runs in my family as my Dad has been diagnosed with glucose intolerance, and my older brother has been overweight for a number of years (mainly in the belly). His belly is in fact abnormally large for the rest of his body.

He is 10 years older than me and weighs in excess of 20 stone (132kg) and I have been saying for ages that he needs to change his diet. Analysing what he was eating I found he was just like me and craved sugar, carbs, bread, biscuits etc another carb junkie!!

It was clear to me that he would experience great success followin an Atkins style diet. I had been explaining this and lending him books for the last 6 months but he had not taken the plunge until now!!

I am delighted to say that in almost 2 weeks he has lost almost 2stone (12kg) following this plan! Bloody brilliant! He also said he feels more energetic throughout the day and wakes up in the morning instantly without feeling groggy. I have to say I am delighted because I was becoming concerned about his long term health as he hits his fab 40s.

This series of events show that people need to be ready to change before they can . As desperate as I was to get him started on the Atkins, he needed to want to do it himself and make the first steps. All I did was show the facts, lend books and of course give support to his wife and now he is on the road to recovery.

Well done him!!!

Dark side (effects) of eating....

2009-05-31T09:40:00.003+01:00

Well I am still feeling the effects of the "dark side" of food so I thought I would list some of the side effects.

1) Anxiety- I felt a sort of nervousness throughout the day yesterday. I noticed I was biting my nails a lot and just felt weird. I also needed to sleep in the afternoon, something I used to do a long time ago but not since changing my diet.

2) Low exercise tolerance- I did some body weight circuits yesterday and boy were they HARD. It took a lot to get going and I ached and creaked. Once I got going I felt OK but it felt like my muscles were unable to process energy. Oh yes, and afterwards during my recovery, I hit rock bottom and my body ached and ached oh my GOD!

3) Mental agility of a cabbage- I didn't exactly feel like the brain of Britain. Nuff said.

4) Hideous cravings- It has been very difficult to fast yesterday (I normally fast daily until the evening). My body just needed nourishment and I expect that the Insulin levels are still very high in my body and are not allowing the energy to be released.

One of the things I have loved about the Warrior diet lifestyle has been the amazing feeling I have throughout the day. The weight loss factor has now almost become a side issue. Having eaten like I did the other day I really appreciate my health and well being.

I also feel sympathy with people changing there diets after a lifetime of eating like I did for ONE EVENING! I am struggling and all I can think about is a lovely McDonald's breakfast....

Dammit.

I wont be doing this again in a hurry.

Junk Food Experiment

2009-05-29T08:55:00.003+01:00

OK. I have been feeling pretty good recently and have not had much hunger during the daytime. Sometimes when your feeling good, it becomes normal and you don't appreciate it as much as you should. Kind of like how you don't appreciate your health until you get sick.

So I wanted to see what effect eating a load of junk food-specifically high carb and sugar foods would have on me today. Whether my warrior diet would protect me against the effect of these foods or not. I therefore ate some Naan bread, normal bread and several chocolate biscuits.

Within about 45mins of eating I was HUNGRY again! Honestly if I wasn't interrupted by sleep I could have continued all night I reckon.

Today I feel like I am mentally challenged. I went to the supermarket this morning and had trouble working the tills! I am also very hungry and I can feel my body craving for nutrients. Normally I don't even think about food until lunch time.

OK so this is not really a major surprise "man eats crap and feels it", isn't going to make the front page. However from a personal point of view its great for me to remind myself of why I eat and live the way I do. Its also a great reminder for me to feel how low fat dieters must feel all day long. Its like having a hungry monster inside you ready to hunt down the cookies!

Cheerios as a health food!

2009-05-26T16:04:00.002+01:00

This article was floating around last week about Cheerios and the language they use to promote their cereals.

Apparently, the way they make claims on their cereal boxes makes them more akin to a drug rather than a breakfast cereal. Unfortunately, they have no problem with the claims, just the wording. It appears that the idea of cereals being nothing but "healthy" is taken without question.

I wonder if the FDA have actually considered whether the claims made are true at all?

Taste Buds

2009-05-22T16:36:00.002+01:00

Hello all!

Just a quick one today to say that my taste buds appear to be changing I used to hate the taste of various vegetables (I thought they had no taste). For instance, Broccoli used to make me sick! However I now love the taste of the little blighters!!

I am also starting to crave different foods day to day. The idea of sugar now no longer appeals to me. I am craving fat and other carbs depending on what I have done physically.

Has anyone found anything similar?

Andy

Backwards Logic?

2009-05-18T16:12:00.003+01:00

Long before I ever discovered Intermittent Fasting, one thing I never could understand was the idea that if you miss a meal, your metabolism slows down and your body breaks down precious muscle tissue and holds onto fat.

Now, I am not talking about long term starvation here. No, I refer only to missing ONE meal or so.

So lets get this straight. You eat too many calories you get fatter. Then if you miss meals, your body holds onto stored fat and breaks down muscle tissue.

My background is in health and fitness and I even did a degree in exercise science. During all of the courses I have done, this principle of metabolic breakdown was a truth unquestioned by anyone.

If its true that our bodies start to breakdown muscle when food is scarce, would we not have HUGE muscles when we stuffed ourselves? How cool woud that be?

And when you think about it, in an evolutionary sense, it doesnt make much sense does it? When we were living in caves food was scarce, and we would not necessarily eat evey day. We would need our muscles to hunt or search for food right?

So if our bodies started to break down our precious muscle tissue after short periods without food, then each day it would become PHYSICALLY more difficut to search for food. Im pretty sure the Human race would have died out long ago.

This is why I think Intermittent fasting can be so successful for people. Its not for everyone thats for sure, but I think people should not feel guilty about missing a meal if it happens.

We need to give the human survival mechanism more credit!

Snap Crackle and Pop

2009-05-14T21:41:00.002+01:00

An article in the Brit newspapers today reported that a study by scientists in Texas have shown that breakfast cereal with milk is superior to sports drinks as a post recovery work out meal.

Apparently, the cereal caused a greater insulin response than the sports drinks which- quoting the paper- "is a good thing".

I have no doubt that it is better that Gatorade or Lucozade, but my concern here is that report is assuming that well known high carb sports drinks are "the gold standard" in exercise recovery.

I believe that the best thing post workout is all natural protein sources and some carbohydrate in the form of fruit or starch. HOWEVER...... This would all depend on the INTENSITY of my workout.

Often the aim of the workouts is to burn fat and people will be doing long steady cardio and their muscles will only deplete minimally. They then believe that they need to "replenish the engine".

It worries me when I read these sorts of things because it is a "page from the book", but not the whole story.

Feminization of men!!!

2009-05-13T20:26:00.002+01:00

Here is a link to some new research about the feminisation of males due to chemicals. Showing that Ori Hofmekler is maybe onto something regarding estrogen in the diet!

Biggest losers

2009-05-12T13:25:00.006+01:00

I was watching the "biggest loser" on TV yesterday and it got me thinking about how we treat obese people in general.

First though a quick bit of science.....

Like most people I used to think that weight gain was solely due to excess food (calorie) intake and therefore the obese were simply too greedy and "deserved" to be that big (to my shame). Unfortunately, the majority of the public, the obese included, are still under the delusion that eating less is just a matter of willpower and that "big people" are just weak willed.

However, I am now certain of the fact that if people are obese then there is a serious metabolic disorder going on, meaning that the body cannot access the stored body fat, and therefore essential energy, meaning the only source of fuel they have is their food intake. The bigger someone is then the higher the metabolic need of the body is and therefore the higher their calorific need.

In other words, the obese body has extreme difficulty making its own fuel from its own stores and, despite the outward appearance of corpulence, is in fact starving inside.

To put it simply :-
people are not fat because they eat more, but in fact they eat more because they are fat.

Interesting stuff eh?

OK. Back to my opening gambit about "The biggest loser". My biggest gripe about this show is that it makes it appear that the only way a person can lose weight if obese is to be put through weeks of hell, deprivation and prison camp treatment. It doesn't treat these guys with any respect and in fact they are treated as weak willed and emotionally crippled fatties. They are still people for gods sake! Not only that but when discussing with them why they got fat in the first place, the "instructors" blame the contestants for giving up on themselves, saying they "were not strong enough" and they should be ashamed for "letting themselves go".

I think there have been so many success stories of people losing fat, but in a dignified, relaxed and natural way, but because they go against the grain of normal nutritional thinking, they are not known.

I think that the weight lost by the contestants in the show could be replicated by addressing the nutritional disorders they have, without the boot camp fitness, and then measuring the results.

Hmmmm. A show called " the biggest winner" perhaps?

Number crunching

2009-05-10T09:56:00.002+01:00

Here is a great link to a post by Tom Naughton about how we are easily scared by numbers when it comes to scientific information.

On the diet front I had a brilliant cottage pie last night (created by my talented self!) and a mass of great veg.

Normally after eating such a meal I get drowsy and miserable but last night although I was STUFFED, I didnt experience the "mental fogginess" I normally get afterwards.

Signs I feel that my Insulin resistance is getting better. Great! Ill be quaffing on jelly beans before you know it :-)

Anti-Estrogenic/warrior Diet update

2009-05-07T23:04:00.003+01:00

Well its been 2 weeks since I started the diet and I must say I am feeling great. I feel like a warrior already!

Week 2 is all about eating fat based diet and getting your body burning fat as a fuel instead of carbs.

I have completely gotten used to the under eating phase during the day and now I hardly feel any desire for food in the daytime. At first, its all you think about especially as you go past lunchtime but it soon becomes a normal part of the day! I I think the habit of eating 3+ times per day makes you feel "time" hunger as opposed to real hunger. Its really refreshing to be free of food and not to feel the need to refuel every 3 hours.

A great side effect of this eating is that I can REALLY taste my food now when I eat it. My taste buds seem much more responsive and food just tastes fab!

Week 3 is the introduction of previously forbidden foods like meat, bread and pasta. Tonight I have eaten some chilli and will record how it makes me feel in the morning.

Not sure if I feel any more manly on this diet. After all I am already a vibrant twenty something peak specimen of a man grrrrrrrrr!!!!!

"kelloggs Frosties, they're grrrrrrrrravely bad for your kids!"

2009-05-04T11:29:00.002+01:00

A great piece worth a read in the guardian today about nutrition for children.

Basically the consumer group WHICH pointed out that Morrison's Choco Crackles, Kellogg's Coco Pops, Moons and Stars, Frosties and Ricicles are 37% pure sugar - indeed they contain about as much per 30g serving as a Cadbury's chocolate Flake.

Not a major surprise to us, but its also points a damning finger at the same companies for marketing this crap and then having the audacity to tell us how to help stop the growing rise of childhood obesity (without blaming themselves obviously).

This article has made me think about what the rules are regarding promoting foods as healthy and nutritious. Using cereals as an example, they promote themselves as a "nutritious" start to the day just because they contain vitamins and minerals. What about all the sugar in them?

If for breakfast I presented you with a piece of rock you would not consider it a great breakfast. Yet I could tell you it contains, magnesium, calcium, iron and other essential vitamins and minerals and whats more its low in fat!

However, despite these facts (which are true) obviously eating rock for breakfast is not going to be good for the body. So why is it OK for cereals to be promoted as healthy despite how crap they are for the body?

"Angels & Demons"

2009-05-01T21:36:00.002+01:00

I wanted to comment on some bollocks I read in the Daily Mail today.

Basically, some study determined that the brain has two parts when it comes to willpower, 1) An "angel" side and 2) a "demon" side.

Apparently, people who are fat and have trouble dieting have more of the demn side, and thinner people with stronger willpower have a stronger influence of the angel side.

Simple eh? Well thats sorted then. In other words if you are overweight you are more weak willed then you skinny friends.

Finally, the study came to the conclusion that possibly if people are reminded how bad food is before they eat it they may be less likely to indulge........

What TOTAL CRAP!

Willpower only has a small part to play inlong term dieting. Of course willpower is required to make the decision to eat better and make better food choices but willpower can only last a certain amount of time.

In typical low calorie, low fat (and therefore high carb) diets people experience constant hunger and spend all day thinking about food. Hunger is a drive that is essential for human survival and has helped keep mankind alive for thousands of years. Therefore willpower is facing a constant battle against hunger, and will eventually cave in!

A low carb, higher fat diet is great because it satisfies the bodies hunger cravings which means a person is not thinking about food all day long so willpower is not involved

Of course willpower is still important in the long term, for instance when you go out to a restaurant you need to make good choices, but this willpower is only needed short term and any cravings pass.

In conclusion, articles like this place the blame entirely on a persons mental strength, if you are fat you are simply weak willed, a loser. They fail to take into account the metabolic processes that stimulate our most basic drives. Its not fair to label people this way.

Until the media explain eating behaviours based on hard science facts and not BS people will always be fighting a losing battle with their wills!

Im Back!

2009-04-29T20:33:00.002+01:00

Well hello there everyone. Sorry for my time away but I have been feeling pants. Much better now so hopefully Im on the mend.

The AE Diet has been going great! I have been undereating during the day and I have to say after the first day it became easy. I now dont feel much hunger or desire to eat during the day.

I think I have reset my bodies "meal clock" during the day. So now I eat when I feel hungry-fruit and veg and things- and then eat at night.

Oh and what a fabulous feast I get to eat at night!! My hearts content of great veg, eggs, nuts!!! I love the fact that I can eat until satisfied in this diet.

I think I will continue this way of eating for the near future and keep you up to date!

Anti-Estrogenic Diet.

2009-04-25T11:42:00.002+01:00

Firstly I need to report that I have been struck down by a virus of some kind which has made me very tired and sleeping for 4 hours in the afternoon. This has been around for the past week or so but has come on strong in the past couple of days before I started the diet.

I therefore am going to continue on the AE diet but withold from updating the symtoms until this has passes.

I notice that I have been slightly more "regular" 24 hours after starting the diet. Apparently this can be quite a common reaction as your body begins to detox itself!

Speak soon,

Andy

Anti-Estrogenic Diet. day 1

2009-04-23T23:14:00.001+01:00

OK, so here is the first day of the diet.

The first part of the diet is the liver detox. You eliminate entirely from your diet all estrogen stimulating food and eat anti-estrogenic food.

You under eat during the day to help detox the liver and then eat the biggest meal at night.

I will be eating from "low down in the food chain" as Ori says and eating organic where possible.

So for breakfast I had a green tea and an orange
For Lunch I had a green salad with spinach and lettuce and tomatoes, and some organic feta.
For dinner I had:
a large bowl of broccoli, garlic and carrots, chick peas and onion and 5 eggs, and some more feta.

It is now 10:30pm and I feel full, satisfied and nice and light.

I will let you know how I feel in the morning.

Anti-Estrogenic Diet.

2009-04-23T22:45:00.003+01:00

I have finished reading Ori Hofmeklers books The Anti-Estrogenic Diet and I really enjoyed it. Not least because it is refreshing to read something that is completely new and ground-breaking.

I have never before heard of the potential problems that estrogen could be causing the body. However, Ori lists the chemicals and additives that are in foods and it makes scary reading!

He says that our bodies are being overloaded with estrogen producing chemicals and are making us fat and sick and is causing the feminisation of mankind! Also we only eat female meat (overfed), so there is no balance of male and female hormones entering our sytem

After an initial week long detox you then progress onto a more fat based diet, again for a week. This trains your body to utilise fat for fuel.

Then in the third week you start to introduce foods back into your diet (meat, bread pasta) noting how you feel. However, the primary foods are still the anti-estrogen foods and are the staple of the diet.

I like this book a lot as it is very similar to a 90% paleo diet, albeit with a more specific approach to the foods. Although it sounds complicated, it is easy once you past week 3.

I am looking forward to trying this and to share my findings!

Happy eating!

New Book- Ori Hofmekler

2009-04-22T22:36:00.002+01:00

Well I just got throught the mail the latest book by Ori Hofmekler- The Anti-estrogenic diet. If you dont know about this its very close to a Paleo style diet but with the basis on foods that reduce estrogen in the body.

I will review more when I have accumilated all the information.

However there are 3 phases to the diet:

Week 1: Liver detox
Week 2: Increased Fat
Week 3: Re-introduction

I am starting phase 1 tomorrow and I will fill you all in! Wish me luck!

Question everything....

2009-04-20T18:31:00.007+01:00

I was watching TV this morning and there was an article about healthy breakfasts for people who were trying to lose weight. Now the actual food they were recommending were actually very paleo-although they didnt know it- mostly egg based breakfasts and not much bread and no sugar!

The thing that got my attention was when the presenter declared "research shows that people who eat breakfast are less likely to snack throughout the day."

Im sorry? What research is this? Now I am not against people having breakfast or not, I think its a personal preference. However I do have to question the "research" behind a statement like this. What type of research? By whom? Who were the subjects? How were the results measured? What were the snacks being eaten?

The use of the term adds scientific weight behind the claims and many people readily believe what is being said without question!

However, what if she had said "research done by Kelloggs states that breakfast is the most important meal of the day"..... is the evidence then quite as compelling?

Always question the science behind anything- and above all use your common sense and do what feels right to you!

When to Break the Fast?

2009-04-18T17:59:00.003+01:00

For those of you who think breakfast is the most important meal of the day, think again. Check out this video from Ori Hofmekler (author of

Eating breakfast should be a personal choice and whether or not you actualy feel hungry. We have learnt the "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" and now do not question it, much like other nutritional dogma.

Since knocking breakfast on the head my energy levels and concentration have gon through the roof. Interestingly, this improvement occurs even if I choose ideal food choices for breakfast (eggs and veg for example).

Have a great day!

Fats the problem?

2009-04-15T17:58:00.004+01:00

The graphs below show how the levels of obesity have grown in the USA over the last few years.

Obesity has grown 25% since 1980.
Although calorie intake did rise its growth stopped around 1990.
Total fat intake % has dropped consistently.
HOWEVER, DAILY CARBOHYDRATE INTAKE CONSISTENTLY INCREASED.

It goes without saying that the same levels of obesity have been seen in the UK over the same time period.

The general public did not know any better and reduced their fat consumption and therefore increased their carb intake.

If you think that being overweight or obese can be blamed on fat or calorie intake, I think this shows you need to think again. Excessive carbohydrate consumption is to blame.

dietary wisdom

2009-04-14T17:05:00.002+01:00

I just finished a great book by Gary Taubes called the Diet Delusion. A brilliant read.
He states the following conclusions based on 70 YEARS of scientific research....... eye opening I think

1) Dietary fat, saturated or not, is not a cause of obesity, heart disease, or any other chronic disease of civilisation

2) The problem is the carbohydrates in the diet, their effect on insulin, and thus the hormonal regulation of homeostasis. The more easily digestible and refined the carbs, the greater the effect on our well-being, health and weight.

3) Sugars- sucrose (table sugar) and high-fructose corn syrup specifically- are particularly harmful. The simultaneously elevate insulin levels and overload the liver with carbohydrates.

4) Through their direct effect o insulin and blood sugar, refined carbohydrates, starches and sugars are the dietary cause of coronary heart disease and diabetes.

5) Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behaviour.

6) Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter, any more than it causes a child to grow taller. Expending more energy than we consume does not lead to long-term weight loss- it leads to hunger!

7) Fattening and obesity are caused by an imbalance - a disequilibrium - in the hormonal regulation of adipose tissue and ft metabolism. Fat synthesis and storage exceed the mobilisation of fat from the adipose tissue and its subsequent oxidation. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this balance.

8) Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated - either chronically or after a meal - we accumulate fat in the fat tissue. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from the fat stores and use it for fuel.

9) By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. The fewer carbohydrates we consume the leaner we will be.10) By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

10) By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.

Pale-(oh) so simple

2009-04-14T09:52:00.004+01:00

Welcome to my debut blog and first ever post!

I discovered paleo style low carb eating last year and its truly changed my life....

Rather than bore anyone with science, I thought I would link to this amazing paleo made simple video which explains it all in 5 minutes!