What Kind of Protein/Fat/Carb Diet Are You On?

[Upgrayedd]

Let me start by saying that this may sound extreme to some, but we have all been challenged by our illnesses to think outside the box.

I aspire to an entirely animal based diet - what some call a 'zero-carb' or meatatarian diet. There are groups of folks that swear by it, the most famous of which was Owsely 'the Bear' Stanley, former soundman for the Grateful Dead.

It is, in general, high fat, moderate protein and minimal carbohydrate. It can be ketogenic, depending upon protein levels. It has not been a cure all, but it has brought me to the best I've felt in years. Blood sugar and insulin do not spike, triglycerides go down, and weight is much easier to manage. There's no bloating. No major cravings, and I no longer feel like I'm starving all of the time.

It is simple - eat meat, drink water. I do eat beef, lamb, eggs, some dairy, some fish. I do have a weak spot for chocolate, but stick to 80% or better with very low sugar.

 

[Tigerlily]

Mine is not on the list. Nearest is autoimmune paleo by Terry Wahl's, but is the second option, not the keto one she is on so l can have grains two times a week which l am doing so as not to upset my thyroid too much. It is really helping with blood sugar.

 

[Cort]

Let me start by saying that this may sound extreme to some, but we have all been challenged by our illnesses to think outside the box.

I aspire to an entirely animal based diet - what some call a 'zero-carb' or meatatarian diet. There are groups of folks that swear by it, the most famous of which was Owsely 'the Bear' Stanley, former soundman for the Grateful Dead.

It is, in general, high fat, moderate protein and minimal carbohydrate. It can be ketogenic, depending upon protein levels. It has not been a cure all, but it has brought me to the best I've felt in years. Blood sugar and insulin do not spike, triglycerides go down, and weight is much easier to manage. There's no bloating. No major cravings, and I no longer feel like I'm starving all of the time.

It is simple - eat meat, drink water. I do eat beef, lamb, eggs, some dairy, some fish. I do have a weak spot for chocolate, but stick to 80% or better with very low sugar.

Isn't that something. My dad used to go on similar diets to lose weight.

Cutting down the carbs is apparently very important for you.

How long have you been on this? Can it be maintained?

 

[Cort]

Mine is not on the list. Nearest is autoimmune paleo by Terry Wahl's, but is the second option, not the keto one she is on so l can have grains two times a week which l am doing so as not to upset my thyroid too much. It is really helping with blood sugar.

Are you sticking to certain grains?

I've noticed that I really don't do well with short-grain rice, millet and wheat. Sometimes oatmeal gets to me and sometimes it doesn't. I think for me it's mostly the glycemic load that is the issue and with wheat digestion problems.

 

[Tigerlily]

Are you sticking to certain grains?

I've noticed that I really don't do well with short-grain rice, millet and wheat. Sometimes oatmeal gets to me and sometimes it doesn't. I think for me it's mostly the glycemic load that is the issue and with wheat digestion problems.

I had brown rice but think it was not good. Will have to try again for confirmation. I was eating a bread which l made and thought it was just seeds but realised it had gluten free oats in so back to the drawing board. I would go full grain free if my thyroid would be okay, even for a week's trial. It's not so hard once you get into it.

 

[Tigerlily]

Nearly forgot to mention the importance of non grain fed meat.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Isn't that something. My dad used to go on similar diets to lose weight.

Cutting down the carbs is apparently very important for you.

How long have you been on this? Can it be maintained?

I've been doing this for close to a year. As far as whether or not it can be maintained, there are lots of folks claiming to have maintained it for many years, decades in fact, quite happy and healthy. There's of course FaceBook pages, websites and blogs dedicated to it. I would encourage anyone interested to check out www.zerocarbzen.com . The woman who runs it has an interesting back story and the site has a lot of resources, references and stories of success. She is very open and welcoming to new ideas and discussions, much like you, Cort.

As for me, the choice was really just the typical act of a desperate man - one with CFS/ME. I've tried, as so many of us have, every diet, supplement, treatment and regimen that I've come across, that I could afford. I was already considering insulin resistance and the toxicity of sugar as components of my dysfunction. Understand that I've never been significantly overweight, and I was fairly athletic before my illness. But it always bothered me that my fasting blood sugar was over 100. Not hugely, but 108, 109, 110. It didn't seen right.

Then I read a story of a family that was raising their family on a primarily all beef diet and it blew me away. I was skeptical, but I did some research, and read as much as I could find about the idea, which included studies of cultures, like native Americans in the far north climates who lived entirely on animal products because they rarely had access to plants. They lived quiet healthily without grains, vegetables or fruits. They didn't get scurvy or rickets or any of the diseases we expect of such restrictive diets.

In any event, I've been eating primarily from the animal kingdom, with few exceptions for about a year. I have not cured my CFS/ME, but I'm definitely more stable, more balanced. I don't crave food all the time. That was a huge change. I guess time will tell how this affect me.

 

[Remy]

But it always bothered me that my fasting blood sugar was over 100. Not hugely, but 108, 109, 110. It didn't seen right.

Me too! And if I chart my BG levels, they take FOREVER to come down post-prandial no matter what I eat. It's very weird and insulin is a nasty thing in excess all the time.

I've been eating VLC again too and it does make me feel better even though I miss French fries a lot. When I was in remission, though, I could have a cheat day once a week and eat carbs and not have it affect my weight or mood. I hope to get back to that point someday again.

 

[Upgrayedd]

Me too! And if I chart my BG levels, they take FOREVER to come down post-prandial no matter what I eat. It's very weird and insulin is a nasty thing in excess all the time.

I've been eating VLC again too and it does make me feel better even though I miss French fries a lot. When I was in remission, though, I could have a cheat day once a week and eat carbs and not have it affect my weight or mood. I hope to get back to that point someday again.

Yeah, I haven't had a French fry in about a year. I really think it was one of the toughest things to give up. I switched to sweep potato fries for awhile, but in the end, it's just more carbohydrates then the body needs, fried in some crappy old vegetable oil. Occasionally, I'm tempted by one, but what makes it easier is to simply stop looking at things like French fries as food.

 

[bobby]

hey @Upgrayedd Interesting stuff!I was just wondering about gut health. I've been reading a lot lately about how we 'need' 'some' carbs, and how meat (especially red meat) takes a long time for the bowel to process.

To me personally what matters is that you feel good, that's a sign that it's doing you good. But I was just wondering if you could give us some insight re:gut health while on your diet...

 

[Upgrayedd]

hey @Upgrayedd Interesting stuff!I was just wondering about gut health. I've been reading a lot lately about how we 'need' 'some' carbs, and how meat (especially red meat) takes a long time for the bowel to process.

To me personally what matters is that you feel good, that's a sign that it's doing you good. But I was just wondering if you could give us some insight re:gut health while on your diet...

It's hard to have this discussion without provoking some other foodie communities, but since you asked...

Most of what you hear about how long red meat takes to digest, and similar stories about having pounds of rotting meat in your colon, is propaganda promoted by a certain group who doesn't want you to eat meat for their own reasons. If you do some googling, you will find that fat and protein are actually very easy for your body to digest and do not leave any residue behind. What is difficult to digest are plants, primarily because much of their nutrients are locked up in their cellulose, which humans do not have the ability to breakdown. Cows, and similar ruminants, are built to unlock the nutrients in plants; carnivores lack the multiple fermentation chambers to do so.

The human digestive tract is of course omnivorous, which makes us highly adaptable and allow us to survive in many different environments. However, regardless of the propaganda which is hard to miss, the human digestive tract is primarily carnivorous and being carnivores is what created our big brains and other uniquely human adaptations.

Think about this for a moment: there are 'essential amino acids' and there are 'essential fatty acids'. Essential means that our bodies cannot create them and they are necessary for health and survival. You must eat certain proteins and fats to be healthy. However, there are no essential carbohydrates. Zero. None. There is nothing that your body needs to survive, and even thrive, that necessitates eating carbohydrates.

As for gut health, there is no doubt that changes occur to your gut microbes depending upon your diet. Not eating plants has ended my lifelong issues with gas. I used to get gas after a big meal and maybe even diarrhea and think "damn fatty steak" or "chicken skin" or whatever the protein/fat source was. What I discovered is that it wasn't the fat or protein that was causing me problems, it was the vegetables, the beans, the fiber, the grains, the pasta, etc. I stopped eating them and I stopped having problems.

To close, I am not advocating that anyone give up anything or change the way they eat. I'm not saying all plants are bad for you and all meat is good for you. Nothing of the sort. What I am saying is that it is never as simple as we've been led to believe. We have been lied to our entire lives out of ignorance and out of arrogance. Our government and our health professionals do not know with 100% certainty what the best diet is for us. It is definitely worth exploring and researching and even testing on our own.

 

[bobby]

thanks @Upgrayedd ! You make a very good case. IMO what sums up your argument is this:

The human digestive tract is of course omnivorous, which makes us highly adaptable and allow us to survive in many different environments.

There is no one diet that fits everyone. I also like your point about the essential carbs (or lack thereof).

as to our health professionals, not knowing 100% what the best diet is... I would say they don't have a damn clue about anything that has to do with nutrition. They are stuck in the sixties/seventies. They use a theorem based on research from the thirties/forties or even further back.

I think in the future we will be able to find the perfect diet based on our genetic profile. Everyone's unique.

 

[Strike me lucky]

I normally follow a low carb diet but the last 12 months because I've been feeling crap ive been finding it hard to cook. So not sticking to diet properly and getting hungry at night and get carb munchies. I know its because im not eating enough and have put on weight, fat and lost muscle.

Doing old school bodybuilding nutrition using amino acids and dessicated liver tablets, 3 of each between meals and they are dam big tablets and a meal in themselves. My plan is to keep a constant supply of protein in my system and help overall health which liver was well known for.

Yesterday i started this. I only had 2 meals, one was a meat and vegetable stew and the other fillet steak with melted cheese yum. Took the amino and liver tabs 3 times throughout the day which gave me an extra 30 grams of protein. I can honestly say i didnt feel hungry at all. Normally 2 meals and I would feel hungry at night. The constant supply of protein and amino acids is keeping blood levels steady and available for energy if required and curbing my appetite.

Liver tablets although high in protein are full of many other nutruents and a an enzyme called cytochrome P450 which helps the liver to detoxify things.

Only start of day 2 on this regime so we will see if it keeps going???

 

[ankaa]

I try not to eat more than 25 carbs a day, 55-65 gms of protein and 80-120 gms of fat (shocking I know, but so enjoyable).

Wow! 25 carbs per day is daunting! good for you.. Has eating this way had any of the following impacts (if they're an issue for you)
1 - reduced/eliminated pain
2 - reduced/eliminated brain fog
3 - increased energy and/or stamina

I have been trying different kinds of kefir and kombucha products, and the lowest carb one that I've found is called Better Booch... 10 carbs for the whole bottle (or 5 carbs per serving)... The kefir is challenging. The trader joe's kefir - which has an excellent variety of probiotic strains, including l plantarum, l rhamnosus and b longum (among others..) is the best I've found.. Ea container has 4 servings, and ea serving is 11 carbs, so difficult if you're shooting for 25 total carbs per day.

thanks for the diet details.