Low carb (carbohydrate), high protein diets are the latest dieting craze. However, before you jump on the band wagon, you may want to consider a few things:
1. Low carb (ketogenic) diets deplete the healthy glycogen (the storage form of glucose) stores in your muscles and liver. When you deplete glycogen stores, you also dehydrate, often causing the scale to drop significantly in the first week or two of the diet. This is usually interpreted as fat loss when it's actually mostly from dehydration and muscle loss. By the way, this is one of the reasons that low carb diets are so popular at the moment - there is a quick initial, but deceptive drop in scale weight.
Glycogenesis (formation of glycogen) occurs in the liver and muscles when adequate quantities of carbohydrates are consumed - very little of this happens on a low carb diet. Glycogenolysis (breakdown of glycogen) occurs when glycogen is broken down to form glucose for use as fuel.
2. Depletion of muscle glycogen causes you to fatigue easily, and makes exercise and movement uncomfortable. Research indicates that muscle fatigue increases in almost direct proportion to the rate of depletion of muscle glycogen. Bottom line is that you don't feel energetic and you exercise and move less (often without realizing it) which is not good for caloric expenditure and basal metabolic rate (metabolism).
3. Depletion of muscle glycogen leads to muscle atrophy (loss of muscle). This happens because muscle glycogen (broken down to glucose) is the fuel of choice for the muscle during movement. There is always a fuel mix, but without muscle glycogen, the muscle fibers that contract, even at rest to maintain muscle tone, contract less when glycogen is not immediately available in the muscle. Depletion of muscle glycogen also causes you to exercise and move less than normal which leads to muscle loss and the inability to maintain adequate muscle tone.
Also, in the absence of adequate carbohydrate for fuel, the body initially uses protein (muscle) and fat. the initial phase of muscle depletion is rapid, caused by the use of easily accessed muscle protein for direct metabolism or for conversion to glucose (gluconeogenesis) for fuel. Eating excess protein does not prevent this because there is a caloric deficit.
When insulin levels are chronically too low as they may be in very low carb diets, catabolism (breakdown) of muscle protein increases, and protein synthesis stops.
4. Loss of muscle causes a decrease in your basal metabolic rate (metabolism). Metabolism happens in the muscle. Less muscle and muscle tone means a slower metabolism which means fewer calories burned 24 hours-a-day.
5. Your muscles and skin lack tone and are saggy. Saggy muscles don't look good, cause saggy skin, and cause you to lose a healthy, vibrant look (even if you've also lost fat).
6. Some proponents of low carb diets recommend avoiding carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes, carrots, etc. because of they are high on the glycemic index - causing a sharp rise in insulin. Certain carbohydrates have always been, and will always be the bad guys: candy, cookies, baked goods with added sugar, sugared drinks, processed / refined white breads, pastas, and rice, and any foods with added sugar. These are not good for health or weight loss. However, carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grain breads and pastas, and brown rice are good for health and weight loss. Just like with proteins and fats, these carbohydrates should be eaten in moderation. Large volumes of any proteins, fats or carbohydrates are not conducive to weight loss and health.
The effect of high glycemic foods is often exaggerated. It's does matter, but to a smaller degree than is often portrayed. Also, the total glycemic effect of foods is influenced by the quantity of that food that you eat at a sitting. Smaller meals have a lower overall glycemic effect. Also, we usually eat several types of food at the same time, thereby reducing the average glycemic index of the meal, if higher glycemic foods are eaten. Also, glycemic index values can be misleading because they are based on a standard 50 grams of carbohydrate consumed. It wouldn't take much candy bar to get that, but it would take four cups of carrots. Do you usually eat four cups of carrots at a meal?
Regular exercisers and active people also are less effected by higher glycemic foods because much of the carbohydrate comsumed is immediately used to replenish glycogen stores in the liver and muscle.
By the way, if you're interested in lowering insulin levels, there is a great way to do that - exercise and activity.
7. Much of the weight loss on a low carb, high protein diet, especially in the first few weeks, is actually because of dehydration and muscle loss.
8. The percentage of people that re-gain the weight they've lost with most methods of weight loss is high, but it's even higher with low carb, high protein diets. This is primarily due to three factors:
A. You have lost muscle. With that comes a slower metabolism which means fewer calories are burned 24 hours-a-day. A loss of muscle during the process of losing weight is almost a guarantee for re-gaining the lost weight, and more.
B. You re-gain the healthy fluid lost because of glycogen depletion.
C. It's difficult to maintain that type of diet long-term.
D. You have not made a change to a long-term healthy lifestyle.
9. Eating too much fat is just not healthy. I know you've heard of people whose blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides have decreased while on a low carb, high protein diet. This often happens with weight loss, but it doesn't continue when you're on a diet high in fat. There are literally reams of research over decades that clearly indicates that an increase in consumption of animal products and/or saturated fat leads to increased incidence of heart disease, strokes, gall stones, kidney stones, arthritic symptoms, certain cancers, etc. For example, in comparing countries with varying levels of meat consumption, there is a direct relationship between the volume of meat consumption in a country and the incidence of digestive cancers (stomach, intestines, rectal, etc.).
Fat is certainly necessary, and desirable in your diet, but they should be mostly healthy fats and in moderation. Manufactured / synthetic "low fat" foods with lots of added sugar are not the answer. Neither are manufactured / synthetic "low carb" foods with artificial sweeteners or added fat. By the way, use of artificial sweeteners has never been shown to aid in weight loss and they may pose health problems. According to Dr. Keith-Thomas Ayoob of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, "In my experience, unless you're willing to throw out decades of research, you cannot ignore that diets chronically high in saturated fats are linked to heart disease," Dr. Ayoob is also a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association and says that low carb, high protein diets are an attempt at a quick fix and not a long-term lifestyle change.
10. As someone recently told me, "it must work - people are losing weight". People that are truly losing fat on low carb, high protein diets, are doing so because they are eating fewer calories - that's the bottom line. There is no magic - the same can be done on a healthy diet.
11. Low carb diets are lacking in fiber. Every plant-based food has some fiber. All animal products have no fiber. A lack of fiber increases your risk for cancers of the digestive track (because transit time is lengthened) and cardiovascular disease (because of fibers effect on fat and cholesterol). It also puts you at a higher risk for constipation and other bowel disorders.
12. Low carb diets lack sufficient quantities of the the many nutrients / phytonutrients / antioxidants found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains, necessary for health and aiding in prevention of cancer and heart disease. In fact, you need these nutrients even more so when you're consuming too much fat as is often the case on a low carb high protein diet.
13. Amercans already consume more than twice the amount of protein needed. Add to that a high protein diet and you have far too much protein consumption. By the way, most people don't realize that all fruits, all vegetables, all whole grains, and all legumes also contain protein. Animal products contain larger quantities of protein, but that may not be a good thing. Excess dietary protein puts you at a higher risk for many health problems: gout (painful joints from high purine foods which are usually high protein foods), kidney disease, kidney stones, osteoporosis (excess dietary protein causes leeching of calcium from the bones). By the way, countries with lower, healthier intakes of protein also have a decreased incidence of osteoporosis.
14. Low carb, high protein diets cause an unhealthy physiological state called ketosis, a type of metabolic acidosis. You may have heard the phrase, "fat burns in the flame of carbohydrate". Excess acetyl CoA cannot enter the Krebs Cycle (you remember the old Krebs Cycle) due to insufficient OAA. In other words, for fat to burn efficiently and without production of excess toxic ketones, sufficient carbohydrate must be available. Ketosis can lead to many health problems and can be very serious at it's extreme.
15. Bad breath. Often called "keto breath" or "acetone breath", it's caused by production of acetones in a state of ketosis.
So why the low carb, high protein craze? I believe there are several reasons.
A. Weight loss (mostly muscle and muscle fluid) is often rapid during the first few weeks. This causes people to think they're losing fat rapidly.
B. It gives you "permission" to eat the "bad foods": bacon, eggs, burgers, steak, cheese, etc., and lots of fat.
C. Many see it as the new "magic" they've been looking for, although it's been around, in various forms, since the 1960's.
love sarah
chocolate melted in my mouth . 6:01 AM
You should also know that this type of diet can be addicting. That's because there's a certain feeling that comes from going without food or having an enema — almost like the high other people get from nicotine or alcohol. This can become a dangerous addiction that leads to health problems, including serious eating disorders and even death.
In addition, many of the supplements used during detox diets are actually laxatives, which are designed to make people go to the bathroom more often. Laxative supplements are never a good idea because they can cause dehydration, mineral imbalances, and problems with the digestive system.
Finally, people who fast for several days may drop pounds, but most of it will be water and some of it may be muscle. Fasting for longer periods can also slow down a person's metabolism, making it harder to keep the weight off or to lose weight later.
We're not telling you that eating lots of veggies and fiber and drinking lots of water is a bad idea. But you do need to make sure you're getting all of the nutrients you need from other foods, including protein from lean meats, eggs, beans, or peas and calcium from low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt. You definitely shouldn't start a detox diet or stop eating from any major food group without talking to your doctor or a registered dietitian.
The human body is designed to purify itself. Your liver and kidneys will do the job they're supposed to do if you eat a healthy diet that includes fiber, fruits, veggies, and plenty of water. If you're feeling tired or run down, or if you're concerned that you're overweight, talk with a doctor who can help you determine the cause and recommend ways to address the problem.
love
sarah
chocolate melted in my mouth . 3:02 AM
What Is a Detox Diet?Although detox diet theories have not been proven scientifically, the people who support detox diets believe that toxins don't always leave our bodies properly during the elimination of waste. Instead, they say toxins hang around in our digestive, lymph, and gastrointestinal systems as well as in our skin and hair. According to proponents of detox diets, these toxins can cause all kinds of problems, like tiredness, headaches, and nausea.
So the basic idea behind detox diets is to temporarily give up certain kinds of foods that are thought to contain toxins. The idea is to purify and purge the body of all the "bad" stuff.
Although detox diets vary, most of them involve some version of a fast: that is, giving up food for a couple of days and then gradually reintroducing certain foods into the diet. Many of these diets also encourage you to undergo colonic irrigation, otherwise known as giving yourself enemas to "clean out" your colon. (An enema flushes out the rectum and colon using water.) Still others recommend that you take herbal supplements to help the "purification" process.
There are tons of detox diets out there. Typically they involve 1 or 2 days on a completely liquid diet and another 4 or 5 days adding brown rice, fruit, and steamed vegetables to the diet. After a week of eating only these foods, you gradually reintroduce other foods — except for red meat, wheat, sugar, eggs, and all prepackaged or junk foods — into your diet.
chocolate melted in my mouth . 3:00 AM
Lots of claims are made about what a detox diet can do, from preventing and curing disease to giving people more energy to making them more focused and clearheaded. Of course, eating a diet lower in fat and higher in fiber can help many people feel more healthy, but proponents of detox diets claim that this is because of the elimination of toxins. However, there's no scientific proof that these diets help rid the body of toxins faster or that the elimination of toxins will make you a healthier, more energetic person.
What Should You Watch Out For?If detox diets appeal to you, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. For starters, detox diets are intended for short-term purposes only. And these diets are usually recommended not as a way to lose weight, but to help "clean out the system."
Because normal teenagers need lots of nutritional goodies, like enough calories and protein to support rapid growth and development, diets that involve fasting and severe restriction of food are not a good idea. For teens who are involved in sports and physical activities that require ample food, fasting does not provide enough fuel to support these activities. For these reasons, detox diets can be especially risky for teenagers.
It is not recommended that people with diabetes, low blood sugar, or eating disorders go on detox diets.
chocolate melted in my mouth . 2:45 AM
Lots of claims are made about what a detox diet can do, from preventing and curing disease to giving people more energy to making them more focused and clearheaded. Of course, eating a diet lower in fat and higher in fiber can help many people feel more healthy, but proponents of detox diets claim that this is because of the elimination of toxins. However, there's no scientific proof that these diets help rid the body of toxins faster or that the elimination of toxins will make you a healthier, more energetic person.
What Should You Watch Out For?If detox diets appeal to you, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. For starters, detox diets are intended for short-term purposes only. And these diets are usually recommended not as a way to lose weight, but to help "clean out the system."
Because normal teenagers need lots of nutritional goodies, like enough calories and protein to support rapid growth and development, diets that involve fasting and severe restriction of food are not a good idea. For teens who are involved in sports and physical activities that require ample food, fasting does not provide enough fuel to support these activities. For these reasons, detox diets can be especially risky for teenagers.
It is not recommended that people with diabetes, low blood sugar, or eating disorders go on detox diets.
chocolate melted in my mouth . 2:45 AM
Hey! Heres some new information on dieting
Have you ever noticed that as soon as you go on a diet, all you want to do is eat? Even if you weren't particularly concerned about food prior to dieting, all of a sudden you become obsessed with it. You find yourself preoccupied with what you'll have for your next meal, whether you can have a snack, what others are eating, or even what you'll allow yourself to eat tomorrow. What's going on?
The mind and body will automatically switch into the survival mode where it turns your body into a slow burner in an attempt to cling on to every single calorie. Hence, the mind aims to a single goal – GET FOOD. you may find yourself clipping recipes, planning menus, cooking elaborate meals or dishes for others (neither of which you'll eat yourself), or even dreaming about food at night. The message is clear: Your body wants food, and your mind does, too.
After a few days of extremely restricting your food, you'll probably become more depressed and anxious. Although this may be due to changes in neurotransmitters like serotonin, it may also occur because you are depriving yourself of things that are very pleasurable that aren't replaced by anything else -- leaving a pleasure void. You may suddenly prefer to spend more time alone -- it takes too much energy to deal with others -- and your self-esteem may start to drop. Unfortunately, the more depressed, anxious, and isolated you become, the more you'll obsess about food.
chocolate melted in my mouth . 2:42 AM
Some people can hold out longer than others, but the result is eventually the same: a binge. You eat something you "shouldn't," which makes you feel as if you've blown it. So you let go and eat. During the binge you feel relief -- at last you can relax and do what you've wanted to do all along. But you may also feel as if you're in a trance and can't stop yourself. It's almost as if your body has developed a will of its own; it's going to feed itself whether you like it or not. As a result, you can end up eating more food in one sitting than you ever did when you weren't dieting.
by crystal
chocolate melted in my mouth . 2:40 AM
hello! today i found some information about an eating diorder
PICA-a widely misunderstood phenomenon-defined as a compulsive craving for eating, chewing or licking non-food items or foods containing no nutrition.
some interesting things i found include: chalk, plaster, paint chips, baking soda, starch, glue, rust, ice, coffee grounds, and cigarette ashes.the range is quite wide..
-linked to certain mineral deficiencies (i.e., iron or zinc).
it is associated with: developmental delays, mental deficiencies and/or a family history of the disorder and sometimes psychological disturbances(eg. living in an environment of little love and support)OH! it is also common in pregnant women!......but fortunately usually goes away with the birth of the child(:
complications like lead poisoning, malnutrition, abdominal problems, intestinal obstruction, hypokalemia(potassium deficiency), hyperkalemia(high amt of potassium in the blood), mercury poisoning, phosphorus intoxication, and dental injury can occuri also found COMPULSIVE EATING quite scary. basically, it is-an addiction to food
-people use food and eating as a way to hide from their emotions-to cope with stress
-compulsive eaters tend to be overweight and aware of it,
-have low self esteem,
-and have constant need for love and affection
-shayne(the food lover-3bowls of rice/meal! (x )
chocolate melted in my mouth . 6:21 AM
hey. brenda here. i'll be posting the stuff i found in 2 posts because i cant fit them into 1 post alone. the info i found is in this post & the one below.
BAD DIETING METHODSDiet pills
There are many diet pills for sale, some which are associated with comprehensive dietary programs. Many such pills, including many of those containing vitamins and minerals, are not effective for losing weight.
Some drugs enable short-term weight loss, usually with unpleasant and potentially dangerous side effects. The drugs include herbal products available at health food stores, as well as over-the-counter and prescribed medications provided by doctors and pharmacists.
Typically these drugs fall into two classes: diuretics to induce water-weight loss and stimulants (such as ephedrine, and more recentlysynephrine, due to the former's ban as a weight loss supplement by the FDA, although ephedrine is still available as an asthma medication) to increase heart rate and reduce appetite. Both classes of drugs can cause kidney and liver damage, and stimulants can cause sudden heart attacks, addiction, and both ephedrine and synephrine have been proven to causeischemic stroke.
chocolate melted in my mouth . 12:51 AM
Yo-yo dietingYo-yo dieting is defined by alternating periods of feast and famine that the dieter deliberately undertakes. It is a particularly ineffective method of sustaining weight loss.
The human body responds to starvation by decreasing metabolism. When food is again available, it is stored immediately as fat. This survival mechanism, while a useful response to genuine food scarcity, leaves the yo-yo dieter feeling lethargic and fatigued.
Side effectsDieting, especially extreme food-intake reduction and rapid weight loss, can have the following side effects:
·Prolonged hunger
·Depression
·Reduced sex drive
·Fatigue
·Irritability
·Fainting
·Sinus problems (especially post-nasal drip)
·Muscle loss
·Rashes
·Acidosis
·Bloodshot eyes
·Gallbladder disease
ENJOY; love brenda
chocolate melted in my mouth . 12:50 AM
testing
chocolate melted in my mouth . 2:50 AM
the chocolate addicts.
brenda.
sarah.
crystal.
shayne.
14 going on 15.
WE
LOVE
CHOCOLATE
BUT
WE
LOVE
BIO
MORE
