"Life Without Bread"

[Ollie]

The book has arrived - The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living.

Eleventh day at 20 carbs coming up (following protocol of New Atkins, New You); energy levels are up from the previous doldrums, head fog gone - yet to experience the 'rocket booster' level. :)

 

[manitoban]

Eleventh day at 20 carbs coming up (following protocol of New Atkins, New You); energy levels are up from the previous doldrums, head fog gone - yet to experience the 'rocket booster' level. :)

Glad to hear it, Trevrizent! :)

I'm on the 4th day now of feeling good, and energy is increasing every day. The last day of feeling unwell for me was actually the worst day of symptoms, and yet the very next day it was all systems go!!

Hang in there everyone who is still transitioning - it is sooo worth it to keep on going!

 

[Gawan]

I've also noticed recently that my skin is shedding quite a bit. Seems my entire body may be going through a regeneration/renewal.

FWIW I had this too about one week ago, where I wondered how that is related.

A minor update. Yesterday I needed to rest again in the afternoon and fall asleep and after I woke up I had a pretty strong nauseated feeling (I also ate some pistachios before the feeling occurred), it was gone away after some time. Nonetheless some hours later, I had to vomit again (some time after a poultry and butter meal). Sorry to go a bit into details, but not my hole stomach was emptied only one tiny bit was released, which could have been fat imo. Similar to the experience I had last week (and actually it was no rancid butter as I found out), where it seems that the too much fat had to get out of my body. As I was nauseated, I couldn't think of any fat and meat, which made the situation even worse, I don't know if this subjective feeling shows really the culprit why I felt sick, but it could be. So I ordered right away the digestive enzymes, which is finally possible cause I got some money. :D

Hi Gawan, not sure if this'd help, but have you maybe tried ghee or duck fat instead of butter?

I could test ghee and make some this weekend. Nonetheless the last days I had no problems anymore with butter. But sometimes I have similar problems as Data mentioned, that I don't like fluid fat too much anymore, where at the beginning of eating more meat I was addicted to it and drank it sometimes. The other idea about spooning fat, especially butter I ate with a spoon some years back.

 

[Tomek]

Could you clarify something, please ? I receive Life Without Bread and The Vegetarian Myth yesterday, but I didn't had (or took) the time to read them.

So, quick question about this fat diet : pork, lamb, bacon, ok. How about our once-loved quinoa and buckwheat ? Do we have to throw them aswell ?

 

[Jacques]

Could you clarify something, please ? I receive Life Without Bread and The Vegetarian Myth yesterday, but I didn't had (or took) the time to read them.

So, quick question about this fat diet : pork, lamb, bacon, ok. How about our once-loved quinoa and buckwheat ? Do we have to throw them aswell ?

Hi Polonel,

No you don't have to throw them but you have to count the numbers of carbs that you have when you are eating one of them.

 

[Tomek]

And then I don't have to throw away 75% of what's in my kitchen. Thanks !

 

[dugdeep]

Dang, I think I knocked myself out of ketosis yesterday :(. I was at work and ended up eating a meal that was about half vegetables (carrots and broccoli), half chicken and a good portion of ground sesame (tahini). Realistically, I should have eaten way less of the carrots, and probably none of the sesame (that was probably what put me over the edge). It's not like I couldn't have helped it, I just had a sort of "whatever" type attitude and ate it. I guess I kind of thought that since none of the food were "bad" it would all be OK, or at least that's how I justified it at the time.

Today I'm not registering any ketones on the ketostix and I'm experiencing cravings - not so much for carbs, but for food in general. There's also minor cravings for behaviors that aren't productive, like stupid distractions on the computer instead of getting work done, and brief impulses to look up sexy ladies online . These sorts of cravings have been low, or at least easier to dismiss, since transitioning to ketosis. It's like my brain got a big carb hit and is trying to transition back to the jumpy, distracted behaviour that I now recognize typifies carb metabolism.

It's back to very low carb today (only had half an onion, a clove of garlic and some spices in some chicken soup for lunch). After this experience, I realize how easy it is to break out of ketosis and how a moment of carelessness can cost me. It'll be interesting to see how quickly I can transition back.

 

[monksgirl]

I'm the same as you, Mrs Peel (according to D'Adamo), and before we started down the road of low carbs and more meat in the diet, I was basically a low fat vegetarian with bits of chicken and fish added. Now I have meat three times a day, lots and lots of good animal fats, and I've reduced my carbs drastically. I'm not down to 72 grams daily yet, but as someone mentioned recently, it's best to proceed slowly so the body can adjust. Anyway, I just feel so much better on this diet that it makes me wonder what exactly D'Adamo was on about! The more that I eat meat, the more I want to eat it, and I've been eating more real red meat in addition to bacon and pork mince - lamb is delicious!

Well, I'm still in the adjustment stage. I'd quit eating red meat for a long time, as meat makes me sluggish and tired. I can tolerate a little bit of bacon in the morning with my gluten-free pancake(s), but three times a day just makes me feel blah. I've been taking digestive enzymes with each meal, and ox bile when I do eat meat, plus lots of milk thistle in an attempt to kick start my liver.

How does one measure out grams of carbs as they go through the day anyhow? Carry around a little food scale?? :P

I have a pocket size book called "Carbohydrate Gram Counter" and has an alphabetical list of every food including name brands. Got it on e-Bay for a couple dollars. Have you ever taken hydrochloric acid? Longevity Insitutue had a article saying most people make too little as we age, and most people not making enough, will have heartburn. So I have been taking it, especially with meats; it is taken at the end of the meal. If you have poor absorption of any nutrients, it is supposed to help with that. I had some testing done called Alcat blood testing for dietary sensitivities, and have been on the diet eliminating the items I am sensitive to for a month, and it has made a remarkable difference in my IBS.

 

[aragorn]

Dang, I think I knocked myself out of ketosis yesterday :(. I was at work and ended up eating a meal that was about half vegetables (carrots and broccoli), half chicken and a good portion of ground sesame (tahini). Realistically, I should have eaten way less of the carrots, and probably none of the sesame (that was probably what put me over the edge). It's not like I couldn't have helped it, I just had a sort of "whatever" type attitude and ate it. I guess I kind of thought that since none of the food were "bad" it would all be OK, or at least that's how I justified it at the time.

Today I'm not registering any ketones on the ketostix and I'm experiencing cravings - not so much for carbs, but for food in general. There's also minor cravings for behaviors that aren't productive, like stupid distractions on the computer instead of getting work done, and brief impulses to look up sexy ladies online . These sorts of cravings have been low, or at least easier to dismiss, since transitioning to ketosis. It's like my brain got a big carb hit and is trying to transition back to the jumpy, distracted behaviour that I now recognize typifies carb metabolism.

It's back to very low carb today (only had half an onion, a clove of garlic and some spices in some chicken soup for lunch). After this experience, I realize how easy it is to break out of ketosis and how a moment of carelessness can cost me. It'll be interesting to see how quickly I can transition back.

Since you seem to be well informed on dietary and health issues, I think you know this, but just a reminder: according to all the (reliable) sources I've read, and Psyche's post a few days ago, measuring ketosis with ketostix isn't reliable. Especially once you're through the adaption period.

 

[Laura]

I'm the same as you, Mrs Peel (according to D'Adamo), and before we started down the road of low carbs and more meat in the diet, I was basically a low fat vegetarian with bits of chicken and fish added. Now I have meat three times a day, lots and lots of good animal fats, and I've reduced my carbs drastically. I'm not down to 72 grams daily yet, but as someone mentioned recently, it's best to proceed slowly so the body can adjust. Anyway, I just feel so much better on this diet that it makes me wonder what exactly D'Adamo was on about! The more that I eat meat, the more I want to eat it, and I've been eating more real red meat in addition to bacon and pork mince - lamb is delicious!

Well, I'm still in the adjustment stage. I'd quit eating red meat for a long time, as meat makes me sluggish and tired. I can tolerate a little bit of bacon in the morning with my gluten-free pancake(s), but three times a day just makes me feel blah. I've been taking digestive enzymes with each meal, and ox bile when I do eat meat, plus lots of milk thistle in an attempt to kick start my liver.

If you are eating pancakes for breakfast, just ditch the meat entirely because it is the combination that makes you sluggish, not the meat.

If you want to switch, eat bacon and eggs for breakfast and have some enzymes. Make sure you don't have any carbs. Try that for awhile WITHOUT the carbs to see how it makes you feel.

Whenever you eat meat and "feel sluggish" it is usually because you have actually eaten a bit of meat along with a LOT of carbs.

 

[Rabelais]

Tips & tricks for starting (or restarting) low-carb Pt II
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/230561-Tips-tricks-for-starting-or-restarting-low-carb-Pt-II

I noticed that Dr. Eades, in addition to his daily consumption, which SOTT notes, of Cafe Americano, wine and scotch, also supplements potassium.

I still feel that the sodium/potassium ratio may be of more importance than it is given by most alt health sources, if it is mentioned at all. This comes from a few years of daily contact with PhD cellular chemists and microbiologists who stressed the importance of addressing this imbalance. Since I am on a salt heavy diet and presenting a mild combination of symptoms of potassium deficiency, I am going to supplement K for a while and observe the results.

Eades' method of mixing 50/50 wine and sparkling water is oddly collinear with a Sufi sheik's admonition that if wine was to be consumed at all, it should always be diluted 50/50 with pure rain water. I think I came across this in one of Idries Shah's books. The Sufis had no comments on Jameson's scotch

In searching the forum for a bone broth recipe, I failed to find one. Do you have one, or do you follow Eades' recipe?

 

[Niall]

I made a delicious bone broth last week.

I collected bones they were about to throw away at my local organic butcher's.

Then I placed (what looked like) the neck/shoulder bones of a lamb into a large pot. It was quite a large cross section of carcass, though I'm not quite sure which part.

Anyway, even though there was meat and fat still on the bone, I added lots of goose fat and grease I had collected in a jar from recent cooking (careful not to add rancid fats!).

Then I poured in enough distilled water to cover the bones and placed it on a high heat.

As it came to the boil, I added in a whole minced fresh garlic, one chopped carrot, lots of black pepper to spice it up and lots of pink salt to strengthen the broth.

I let it come to the boil again, then turned the heat right down and let it simmer for 3.5 to 4 hours.

Now comes the messy part. The big bone had broken apart when I took it out of the broth. You'll be surprised how much meat, fat and marrow easily comes off the bones. Collect ALL of that stuff and add it back into your broth.

After letting it cool for a while, I put the mixture through a blender for about 30 seconds. This ground up all the animal parts and left a gorgeous creamy (in colour and texture!) broth that was so damn tasty my spoon couldn't keep up with my hunger. So I put it down and just drank the broth :)

Although watery when warm, you'll be amazed at how filling this is and once it's cooled down you can placed it in the fridge or freeze it. When you go to take it out of the fridge later on you'll notice that it congeals into a fairly solid mass - a good indication IMO that the broth is full of nutritious fats. I then reheated it in the microwave and it tasted just as good 4 days later.

 

[Rabelais]

Never take magnesium with meals as it will alkalize your stomach and you need the acid to digest the meat.

That is good to know. I hadn't even thought of it in that context. All of my Mg supplements state to take with meals or as advised by a physician, and that would be you, Dr, Psyche ;) This could likely be the source of my recent bouts of constipation.

 

[Thor]

I made a delicious bone broth last week.

...snip...
Although watery when warm, you'll be amazed at how filling this is and once it's cooled down you can placed it in the fridge or freeze it. When you go to take it out of the fridge later on you'll notice that it congeals into a fairly solid mass - a good indication IMO that the broth is full of nutritious fats. I then reheated it in the microwave and it tasted just as good 4 days later.

Sound delicious! I made a similar broth a couple of weeks ago and loved it. I think that part of the congealing is due to the fat, but I believe that the major part is due to the gelatine that comes from the bones.

To others who try this for the first time, don't be upset that it looks a little wobbly when coming out of the fridge - as soon as it enters the pot it melt into spoonfuls of delight :P

 

[Thor]

Another thing that is of great importance to me is how this diet affects inflammation and chronic pain. It is supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties, once the body has switched to metabolizing fat.

Do you have a chronic pain condition and if so, how has this been affected by the diet? I am very interested in hearing people's experiences with regard to inflammation/chronic pain and this diet. Particularly, if the chronic pain was not eliminated through the elimination diet. I write this as I am hoping to get a glimmer of hope with regard to my own back pain.

The diet is exceptionally good at getting rid of inflammation/pain. I suffer from chronic low level pain/fatigue (along with a few other things, but this is the main manifestation), and it has been slowly improving.
It is still quite a tricky thing to nail down all the courses, but this diet seems to provide a really good foundation.
Some things to consider (on this diet) if inflammation is still persisting. Are you get enough salt/potassium/water? Are the digestive enzymes causing problems (I stopped taking them and it helped balance my digestion/stop the diarrhoea)? Are you getting enough fat/not eating too much protein?

It may take some time for your intestines to heal, but this diet has been the only one where they actually feel fully healed and my hay fever type symptoms have been reducing daily. This last week its been virtually non-existent.

Other things to consider eggs, olives and garlic have caused problems (inflammation) for me in the past. Also some meats (such as beef) may also be causing inflammation. Ghee makes me nauseous (still not sure why that is, perhaps its because its not organic), ironically so does goose fat that is not liquid at room temperature (perhaps its how its processed?). Coconut oil seems to be either really good for or really inflammatory for some people.

So sticking to fatty pork/bacon/lamb and using lard or goose/duck fat may be worth a try if inflammation persists. Basically test everything. For me I went down to having just fatty pork chops for a week (with added salt/goose fat, cooked in water in a crock pot in the oven - it turns into a pork chop broth), pork belly meat is also very good (have just found a supplier of organic belly meat!). This helped give me a base line to test things from.
At the very least try working you way down slowly to about 20g of carbs a day max, as that helped the most for me.

Other factors in persistent inflammation (on this diet) beyond those above that I have found are stress, lack of proper sleep in total darkness, and not regularly practising EE. And (interestingly) too much negative dissociative behaviour (TV etc) will inflame me.

Redfox, thanks for you detailed answer. It looks like I've quite a bit more testing to do :) And it would be somewhat of a downer to let go of garlic and eggs as they constitute a large part of my diet. On a postive note, there is also hope that by doing the thorough testing I might be able to get to the bottom of this.

I've been on a 8-20 carb diet for three weeks and on two days I've felt highly energized but most of the time not. Then yesterday, I wasn't paying enough attention and ended at 28 carbs. I hope this doesn't put me back to square one...