Ketogenic Diet - Powerful Dietary Strategy for Certain Conditions

[LQB]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks dugdeep for the clarification.
I still wonder though about what kind of physical activity our paleolithic ancestrors evolved to in their everyday life, since I do not think they would workout in the same way we would do today.

Here's one guy's impression:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

:)

I've been curious about him since having heard his podcast on the paleo summit, thanks for bringing that up dugdeep.
For whomever is interested, here's his website: _http://movnat.com/

His video makes the point very well. Reminds me of many times as a kid bounding around out in the wild.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Here's one guy's impression:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

:)

That's was great!

 

[Gawan]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks for sharing.

I don't think running, walking or hiking qualifies as "resistance exercise". "Resistance" implies something has to be resisting your movements in some way in order to build muscle (and therefore increase the number of mitochondria). I think exercise with weights, elastic bands, your own body weight (push-ups or pull-ups, for example) or swimming qualifies.

From this article:

Resistance training is any exercise that causes the muscles to contract against an external resistance with the expectation of increases in strength, tone, mass, and/or endurance. The external resistance can be dumbbells, rubber exercise tubing, your own body weight, bricks, bottles of water, or any other object that causes the muscles to contract.

Lifting books ;).

Here's one guy's impression:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

:)

The first movements reminded me a bit of Parcour, which is also about balancing, jumping, climbing over walls etc.

 

[seek10]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Thanks dugdeep for the clarification.
I still wonder though about what kind of physical activity our paleolithic ancestrors evolved to in their everyday life, since I do not think they would workout in the same way we would do today.

Here's one guy's impression:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI

:)

wondering what does stretching excercises mean ?. different Yoga postures seems to have lot of stretches. I have read some hatha yoga books that talks about exercising different parts of body with thier stretches. Probably Hatha Yoga exercises were derived from the natural hunters. After all human body, gene working came from evolutionary repetition(machine) .

 

[mcb]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

The thing that keeps running through my mind is the clue about resistance exercise being the key to activate the normal mtDNA and get it to propagate through the system. That, while working with protein restriction and staying in mild ketosis, AND cold showers, might be the keys to major healing...

Are you able to maintain oxygen levels while doing resistance exercise? That is really the problem that has kept me from exercising much -- my oxygen level goes down, my breathing rate goes up, and I don't feel so good.

I don't have any problem with keeping oxygen up because I get a lot of practice from singing. When I do any kind of exercise, I concentrate a lot on breathing deeply. For me, it's just part of exercising.

That sounds more like how it is "supposed" to work. Singing did help me at one time, by the way, and as I work to de-clutter my life and spend more time OFFline, I may be able to take it up again. I believe the difference had to do with improving breathing habits that had been shaped by anxiety and trauma. EE also helps with that.

I will continue to experiment with certain "alternative" ideas relating to oxygen deficient metabolism, ideas which do indeed appear to be helping at the moment. If I discover anything that seems particularly interesting, I will mention it. A lot of things can look promising at the start, but I will need to observe for an extended period of time and have a number of lab tests done that my earlier doctors would not do.

 

[mkrnhr]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

FWIW, there are some considerations regarding the optimization of resistance exercises in this blog _http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-you-should-lift-and-lower-heavy-things/#axzz234RHpJXH

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Report on my participation in our experiment here:

I was having some inflammation in my jaw again, under back molar, along with that awful plantar fasciitis. I did three days of at least 40% reduction in protein and then, I started fasting at around 3 p.m. yesterday.

Ark and I also did some weight lifting yesterday for about 5 minutes total with rests between amounting to about 15/20 minutes of "workout time".

I woke up this morning with the inflammation in both areas just completely gone. I was able to get out of bed and walk without pain.

I'm going to fast until 3 tomorrow afternoon just to kick ketosis into high gear, and then go back to eating reduced amounts and see how it goes. Apparently, according to everything we've been reading about mitochodrial dysfunction and how to fix it, being in true ketosis is a big key to the whole healing process; that and lifting weights/or some other resistance exercise that kicks the normal dna back onto the playing field. Or so the theory goes. We'll see.

I did take a healthy dose of magnesium just in case. I'll drink some salt water in the morning for a flush, too. If I'm in ketosis by then, I'll go ahead and eat a bit of bacon and a small sausage patty. Otherwise, I'll wait until I have acetone breath.

 

[SeekinTruth]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I was having some inflammation in my jaw again, under back molar, along with that awful plantar fasciitis. I did three days of at least 40% reduction in protein and then, I started fasting at around 3 p.m. yesterday.

That's great to hear. It's quite astonishing that the healing would kick in that fast. Thanks for the report.

 

[Psalehesost]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I've begun fasting after a mainly-fat breakfast (except a little bit of fat - a big spoonful or so - at lunch) every other day, eating like usual (more protein, and having three fat-and-protein meals) the other days.

After one day of this semi-fast, during which I suffer no hunger whatsoever, I really need the food the next day (or I will get hungry and tired). There is zero effort in switching between the two.

The first semi-fast day, I had what used to be the case in skipping a meal, setting in soon after lunchtime: While it didn't make me tired, it made me feel a bit strange and unfocused. This has passed.

Now I'll see about increasing exercise.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Reporting in: I'm almost at the 48 hour mark of total fasting and I'm still NOT in ketosis.


ADDED: I just checked with a ketostix and it says I'm producing a small amount of ketones... not there yet.

Here's a bit from a page about using the stix.

http://www.lowcarbluxury.com/ketostix.html

When the body is in the fat burning state — where it has no carbohydrate to burn and is breaking down body fat for fuel, the body is in a state of ketosis-lipolysis (ketosis for short.) This is the only metabolic pathway for fat breakdown (lipolysis.) Therefore, there is no lipolysis without ketosis, no ketosis without lipolysis. The two terms are biologically linked and, therefore, it is appropriate that they be linguistically linked.

So being in ketosis simply means that you're burning your fat stores and using them as the source of fuel they were meant to be.

While they are in no way necessary to the diet, most of us feel more secure with a way to test to know if we are in ketosis at any given time and at what level. The test strips provide a quick and private way to determine that. Simply dip the reagent end of the strip into a urine specimen (collected in a clean cup) and remove immediately. Or alternatively, (the method most of us prefer) — wet reagent area of the strip by passing through the urine stream. Tap edge of strip to remove excess liquid and check color within 10-15 seconds against the color chart provided on all test strip brands' bottles.

A beige or cream color indicates NO KETOSIS detected. Any shade of pink/purple indicates some level of ketones in the urine. Some people get very hung up on the fact that their friend's/husband's/daughter's etc strip shows a darker color all the time, etc. We are all different. Some of us lose better (and feel better) at lighter or darker levels. You'll soon learn what feels right for you.


Looking for Purple - Ketostix
A Quick primer on the Ketone Test Strips...

Questions about ketones, ketosis, KetoStix, and its implications and misconceptions have always been one of the most common querries at Low Carb Luxury. We'll try and clear up some of those mysteries here.

So... what are they?

You'll hear them referred to as KetoStix (the original brand name), Urine Test Strips, Reagent Strips, Ketone Testing Strips, and Lipolysis Test Strips.

Depending on the plan you follow and whether you are new to this way of life, or an old timer from the 70's, you'll be referring to them as one name or another if your plan calls for being in Ketosis.

Please note, we're not here to debate the merits of Ketogenic vs non-Ketogenic diets here, so don't send me mail of disagreement. For me personally, being in Ketosis is my ideal state and keeps my body's systems at their best. The Ketosis we're talking about here is what Dr. Atkins refers to as "Benign Dietary Ketosis" (or BDK), and should never be confused with Acidosis — a dangerous state for diabetics and those in advanced starvation where acetone builds in the blood and tissues. People will sometimes tell you that producing ketones is dangerous for the body. This is simply misinformation. They're confusing ketosis (the state from a Ketogenic diet) with ketoacidosis (or acidosis) which occurs in uncontrolled diabetes and/or starvation.

Ketones?
Ketones are incompletely burned carbon fragments. The very fact that they are less efficient as fuel is what makes them give you that 'metabolic advantage.' Some of the calories burned are not used to their full capacity... hence the person can eat more calories when in ketosis than when not, and still lose the same amount of weight.

Ketoacids are short (four carbons long.) It's important because in that way they are able to penetrate cells to feed them when there is no glucose present. The fat stores accumulate fat as very long fatty acids. They're ordinarily difficult to break down because they're so long.

When the body must use its fat stores for energy (our goal to lose weight), these fat cells begin to release the long fatty acids into the blood.

To be used as fuel, particularly by the brain, the fatty acids go to the liver where they are literally cut into two carbon fragments (ketoacids.)

They are then utilized (burned) by many tissues, including the brain. The brain operates just as well on a diet of ketoacids as it does on glucose. What's left (the incompletely burned fragments) are called ketones, and they are what spill into the urine to be swept from the body.

So in a nutshell...

When the body is in the fat burning state — where it has no carbohydrate to burn and is breaking down body fat for fuel, the body is in a state of ketosis-lipolysis (ketosis for short.) This is the only metabolic pathway for fat breakdown (lipolysis.) Therefore, there is no lipolysis without ketosis, no ketosis without lipolysis. The two terms are biologically linked and, therefore, it is appropriate that they be linguistically linked.

So being in ketosis simply means that you're burning your fat stores and using them as the source of fuel they were meant to be.

This is where the test strips come in...

Ketone Test Strips While they are in no way necessary to the diet, most of us feel more secure with a way to test to know if we are in ketosis at any given time and at what level. The test strips provide a quick and private way to determine that. Simply dip the reagent end of the strip into a urine specimen (collected in a clean cup) and remove immediately. Or alternatively, (the method most of us prefer)
— wet reagent area of the strip by passing through the urine stream. Tap edge of strip to remove excess liquid and check color within 10-15 seconds against the color chart provided on all test strip brands' bottles.

A beige or cream color indicates NO KETOSIS detected. Any shade of pink/purple indicates some level of ketones in the urine. Some people get very hung up on the fact that their friend's/husband's/daughter's etc strip shows a darker color all the time, etc. We are all different. Some of us lose better (and feel better) at lighter or darker levels. You'll soon learn what feels right for you.


What if your sticks don't "turn"?

A negative result does not always mean you're not in ketosis. If you're keeping your carbs below a certain level (different for different people, but the 20 to 40 carbs per day range is a safe bet), you're probably in ketosis. Some people use their ketones more efficiently, and indeed make fewer of them, hence their lack of "spill" into the urine.

Keep in mind, though, that it's possible to keep your actual carb count low (say at around 30 grams), and still side-step ketosis. The culprits? Most often it's from eating foods that contain even a small amount of "High Fructose Corn Syrup" (HFCS), which can cause a strong insulin spike and halt fat burning. HFCS is far more destructive to your health and your weight loss than regular sugar.

You might also be a person who reacts to aspartame intake with an insulin release. The Atkins Center reports up to 25% of people have such a reaction to aspartame (NutraSweet.)

An appreciable amount of trans fats in the diet can also halt weight loss and fat breakdown. Why? Because trans fats are artificial fats that the body fails to recognize as "real", and attempts simply to store them, taking an "I'll deal with it some other time" approach.

 

[kenlee]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I'm still losing weight on the Paleo diet but its still slow, slower then expected. However there has been steady progress but its still slow and the weight loss has been gradual and over a VERY long period of time. The only time when I've lost weight at a faster rate (which is what I'm striving for) is when I didn't eat for a day or so and then went back to eating fatty meats with a small amount of carbs. The weight would start to come off (or maybe it was mostly water weight, not really sure) but I would notice my overall bloating going down and I felt a lot better and 'thinner.'

But I gotta be careful here since if I eat too much (which is still not a lot) after a day or so of not eating, then the weight would come back on (fast!) or at least the weight loss would slow down (by a lot!) and then I'd pretty much be back to square one again. So this fasting for a certain period of time makes a lot of sense to me and that's what I'm going to focus my efforts on right now. I'll be fasting for a slightly longer period of time and then, when I get hungry, to just eat a little bit of fatty meats (preferably in the morning and with a minimum of carbs) until my hunger just goes away, or maybe, let myself still be a little hungry after eating and see what happens.

Top priority for me, at this particular moment, is eating right and getting my weight down (in a healthy way) and getting my muscle tone back by light 'resistance' exercises as well as doing some light punching bag work at the gym.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

At 48 hours, after my weight-lifting episode that was SOOOO HARD, kids suggested that I should have a bowl of very fatty bone broth which had just been made. It had lots of the marrow fat. So, I had some and it has been an hour and a half, and I've moved up the next level on the ketostix!

I noticed the young'ns went into ketosis so fast and easy and they are buzzing around loaded with energy. But I'm just dragging my sorry self around looking for a place to take a nap!!!

But I'm not going to let this recalcitrant system off the hook! It will do what I tell it or else!

 

[truth seeker]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Yeps, that bone broth and fat make all the difference! When I feel low on energy, I do the same and find it re-energizing.

 

[Laura]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

Yeps, that bone broth and fat make all the difference! When I feel low on energy, I do the same and find it re-energizing.

I know, good lord, it's like having a complete meal! Fills you right up!

 

[Miss.K]

Re: Ketogenic Diet - Path To Transformation?

I'm still losing weight on the Paleo diet but its still slow, slower then expected. However there has been steady progress but its still slow and the weight loss has been gradual and over a VERY long period of time. The only time when I've lost weight at a faster rate (which is what I'm striving for) is when I didn't eat for a day or so and then went back to eating fatty meats with a small amount of carbs. The weight would start to come off (or maybe it was mostly water weight, not really sure) but I would notice my overall bloating going down and I felt a lot better and 'thinner.'

But I gotta be careful here since if I eat too much (which is still not a lot) after a day or so of not eating, then the weight would come back on (fast!) or at least the weight loss would slow down (by a lot!) and then I'd pretty much be back to square one again. So this fasting for a certain period of time makes a lot of sense to me and that's what I'm going to focus my efforts on right now. I'll be fasting for a slightly longer period of time and then, when I get hungry, to just eat a little bit of fatty meats (preferably in the morning and with a minimum of carbs) until my hunger just goes away, or maybe, let myself still be a little hungry after eating and see what happens.

Top priority for me, at this particular moment, is eating right and getting my weight down (in a healthy way) and getting my muscle tone back by light 'resistance' exercises as well as doing some light punching bag work at the gym.

I am not up to date on this thread (or most else I can think of for that matter) so I'm sorry if I missed something that makes what I say pointless, -but for me the weightloss happens fast when only eating fatty meat, and slows down when adding some carbs (and stops or the gaining of weight starts if adding more carbs) For me it goes very fast, -not long ago when experimenting with fruits and veggies (while visiting someone who owns a scale) I went 2 kilos up in 2 days and lost them again in 2 or 3 days when going back to roast pork.
I saw in the "how much weight did you lose on the diet" thread that Astreides was the champion, and as it seems from his "The List" that he don't add any veggies, I wondered if it is so that the people who wants to lose weight could benefit from no carbs, and the people who want to gain weight could benifit from adding more?