"Life Without Bread"

Gertrudes said:
Lately I've been having a period of feeling very sleepy after lunch/breakfast. On the on hand I think that I need to try to figure out what is going on, on the other hand it reminds me of the old tradition of having a nap after eating so common amongst certain cultures. Although who's to say that the popular nap doesn't follow a heavily loaded carbohydrate meal?...

Is anyone else experiencing this?


I am actually experiencing the opposite. I've been experimenting with increase of fat intake and find myself rather energized and hyper. For an example, a day ago I've ate around 7pm (pork chops with thick layer of ghee on it), went to bed at 10:30p, and could not fall asleep till 3, because I got so energized (despite taking 6mg of melatonin). And in general, it seems like my energy levels are through the roof, no more body discomfort of any kind, mood is stable good and it seems I require much less sleep now.

I tried to work out, I ran out of juice pretty quickly in 20 minutes, took a break for 5 minutes and then I got a second wave of energy that lasted well through workout, where I had enough strength to finish all of the exercises with no problem, and I probably could have done more. I'd say second phase of energy kicking in would be much higher energy level if I would have done it on carbs.

I've been on and off on the low carb diet for 3 months because of liver & joints discomfort. Now it's all gone. I am back to the diet for 2 weeks, and transition from carbs has been pretty easy this time, at least cravings for carbs disappeared on day 2.

This diet is ridiculously wonderful ! I feel myself 10 years younger already :)

Thank you All for the most valuable input & information on this diet !
 
Now she gets to leptin. There aren't a lot of sources that discuss this topic very well or at all. Note that leptin was only discovered in 1994!!

Leptin The Lord and Master of Your Hormonal Kingdom


Back in 1994, a discovery was made that shook medical science down to its core. Scientists discovered a major hormone they didn't previously know existed. Moreover, it wasn't just a major hormone; it was the major hormone that ultimately influences all other hormones and controls virtually all the functions of the hypothalamus, in the brain. They found it in the last place they would have expected to: in our fat cells.

The name of the hormone is leptin.

Until the discovery of leptin, scientists believed that body fat was just an unwanted, ugly mass of excess, cumbersome energy storage. This view of fat has been changed forever. Body fat is now understood to be a complex, sophisticated endocrine organ.

A primary purpose of leptin is to coordinate the metabolic, endocrine, and behavioral responses to starvation, which, of course, is as fundamental to basic survival—our number one priority—as it gets.

As such, it powerfully impacts our emotions, cravings, and behavior. Everything is secondary to survival. It turns out, in fact, that leptin isn't the only hormone secreted by adipocytes (fat cells) and that dozens of other hormones are produced there as well. Many of them are proinflammatory in nature. In fact, leptin itself is an inflammatory cytokine and has a major role to play in the body's inflammatory processes as well. It additionally mediates the production of other inflammatory compounds in your adipose tissue throughout your body. It's also one reason why overweight and obese people are so much more prone to inflammatory issues.

Who Knew the New Kid on the Block Ran the Whole Neighborhood?

If you haven't heard of leptin, even if your doctor hasn't heard of it, don't be surprised. Drug companies have yet to create any drug that can positively influence leptin function. Diet is the only thing that can effectively do this. (So much for fat pharmaceutical profits there.)

Therefore, little about this important hormone is taught in medical schools or discussed in the media, despite its extreme importance. In all likelihood, you have either never heard about it or have only heard very little.

Leptin is a good hormone to get to know, though its function in the body is extremely complex. Understanding leptin is tantamount to understanding how to regulate the rest of your endocrine system, conquer your emotions, dramatically improve your health, and even prolong your life. In many ways, it's the single most important hormone in the body.
No other hormonal imbalance in the body, in fact, can ultimately be restored to healthy balance without leptin functioning normally. Keeping leptin levels healthfully moderated can prevent most diseases of aging and greatly extend the normal, healthy life span. Chronically excessive levels of leptin have been associated with most known degenerative diseases and inflammation as well as obesity and a short life span. The more you can increase your brain and receptor sensitivity to this critical hormone, by far the healthier you will be.

Leptin essentially controls mammalian metabolism. Most people think that is the job of the thyroid, but leptin actually controls the thyroid, which regulates the rate of metabolism. Leptin oversees all energy stores. Leptin decides whether to make us hungry and store more fat or to burn fat. Leptin orchestrates our inflammatory response and can even control sympathetic versus parasympathetic arousal in the nervous system. If any part of your endocrine system is awry, including the adrenals or sex hormones, you will never have a prayer of truly resolving those issues until you have brought your leptin levels under control.

This is a key thing to understand: The endocrine system is an exceedingly complex system of interrelationships that ultimately is regulated via an intricate hierarchical system of management.

At the top of the management pillar is leptin. Immediately below it is its subservient sidekick, insulin, which serves as somewhat of an antagonist to leptin. Beneath that are your adrenal hormones, adrenaline and Cortisol. Then come the pituitary hormones, which regulate the thyroid and growth hormones (and others), then your thyroid hormones, then your sex hormones, and on down. It's a chain of command.

There is not a single endocrinologist in the world, no matter how brilliant or talented, who could possibly replicate the intricate and delicate balance that is orchestrated by the interrelationships of your own innate endocrine symphony, nor is there a single "bioidentical hormone" that can be prescribed that can truly replace what the body does naturally.

Anything you do to micromanage a single hormone in the body affects them all-and often in unpredictable and unanticipated ways. This is not to say that bioidentical hormone replacement is never necessary or useful, but care must be taken not to reach blindly for this option instinctively without first seeking to comprehend the underlying mechanisms and foundational interrelationships involved. Sometimes a depressed hormone level is better treated as a clue to an underlying disorder than as a deficiency state requiring supplementation.

Too often doctors (even natural doctors) assume that the body is somehow stupid and doesn't know how to function in its own best interest. Medical science is too often overly literal in its interpretations. Got high cholesterol? That must mean we need to artificially lower it with a drug (rather than look at why it might be elevated to begin with and address that). Got low testosterone? That must mean that your body is too stupid to make what it needs and we should supply it with more (rather than looking at the mechanisms that functionally regulate this hormone and determining the underlying problem).

Hormones are measured in nanograms and picograms—billionths and trillionths of a gram! Hormones are not supplements (despite what "Dr." Suzanne Somers says). They are extremely powerful substances that are used in minute amounts in the body in extremely intricate and complex ways to manage your entire physiology. If you want to improve the functioning of your adrenals, thyroid, or sex hormones, talk to leptin. Restoring healthy leptin functioning is the first major step toward ultimately restoring healthy endocrine balance, at any age, assuming your endocrine organs are intact and have not been destroyed, attacked by autoimmune processes, or removed.

Just what dysregulates leptin and upsets your entire endocrine applecart?

The most potent triggers of hormonal dysregulation are the blood sugar surges that result from chronic carbohydrate consumption.

It turns out that leptin and insulin are birds of a feather. The same things that tend to disrupt insulin also powerfully impact leptin.

The worst offenders by far are dietary carbohydrates that are composed of either starch or sugar and the blood sugar surges they produce; this includes bread, cereal, potatoes and other starchy vegetables, pasta, rice, and alcohol (yes, unfortunately, even wine and beer).

"Natural" sugars, like honey, lohan syrup, agave (even more concentrated in damaging fructose than high fructose corn syrup), and maple syrup, as well as the refined versions, can all be similarly problematic. High fructose corn syrup, manufactured using a plethora of nasty synthetic chemicals combined with GMO-engineered corn, is deadly. Medications of all kinds also contribute to leptin and insulin signaling problems. Caffeine and other stimulants similarly cause blood sugar levels to surge. The consumption of these substances, in turn, causes leptin levels to surge, which overwhelms cellular receptors in a way that (not unlike insulin resistance), over time, causes them to stop hearing leptin's messages.

The next casualties in line are the adrenals and what is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which becomes dysregulated and may even additionally suppress thyroid function, effectively turning down the idle in an effort to preserve your overheated engine. The adrenals, constantly bombarded with the unnatural task of chronically regulating blood sugar extremes, become overburdened and may additionally tune down the thyroid to prevent total burnout during states of chronic stress.

That's where things start to unravel. The combination of leptin dysregulation, glycation, excess insulin, adrenal exhaustion, and glucose oxidation is a superhighway to chronic fatigue, degeneration, and disease. Toss in some trans fat to pound the last nail in the coffin.

The only thing that can possibly restore healthy leptin functioning is a diet that is very low in sugar and starch (which includes eliminating grains, breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes as well as sweets) and is sufficient in healthy natural fats.

It's very simple and very cut-and-dried. Your ice age primal body and mind are ruled by leptin.

Adequate, not excessive, dietary fat—in the absence of dietary carbohydrates—is the optimal key to unlocking its power and potential for controlling your health, your well-being, and your life span.

Remember: To our primal physiology, sufficient dietary fat means survival.

How Do I Know if I Am Leptin Resistant?

Any, but not necessarily all, of the following symptoms (borrowed from The Rosedale Diet, by Ron Rosedale and Carol Coleman) can indicate that you are leptin resistant:

• having high fasting triglycerides, over 100 mg/dL—particularly when equal to or exceeding cholesterol levels
• having a tendency to snack after meals
• having problems falling or staying asleep
• no change in how your body looks, no matter how much you exercise (Rosedale and Coleman 2004).
• being overweight
• fatigue after meals
• the presence of "love handles"
• high blood pressure
• constantly craving "comfort foods'
• feeling consistently anxious or stressed out
• feeling hungry all the time or at odd hours of the night
• having osteoporosis
• being unable to lose weight or keep weight off
• regularly craving sugar or stimulants (like caffeine)

Any of this sound familiar?
 
agni said:
I've been on and off on the low carb diet for 3 months because of liver & joints discomfort. Now it's all gone. I am back to the diet for 2 weeks, and transition from carbs has been pretty easy this time, at least cravings for carbs disappeared on day 2.

This diet is ridiculously wonderful ! I feel myself 10 years younger already :)

Thank you All for the most valuable input & information on this diet !

Be very careful about going "on and off" a low carb diet. If you read all the excerpts I've been posting, you will see that it can be very damaging to your body.
 
Laura said:
agni said:
I've been on and off on the low carb diet for 3 months because of liver & joints discomfort. Now it's all gone. I am back to the diet for 2 weeks, and transition from carbs has been pretty easy this time, at least cravings for carbs disappeared on day 2.

This diet is ridiculously wonderful ! I feel myself 10 years younger already :)

Thank you All for the most valuable input & information on this diet !

Be very careful about going "on and off" a low carb diet. If you read all the excerpts I've been posting, you will see that it can be very damaging to your body.

Thank you for the reminder Laura. I am permanently done with "on and off", will definetely stay on the course now.
 
the presence of "love handles"

This brings up something I've thought about ALL my years. ALL my life there has been this done lopped thing with my belly. Were my belly done lopped over my belt. I've always kinda wondered if this was because diapers were wrapped too tight around my waist. This was 25 years before HFCS came out and all food was cooked from scratch.

EXCEPT, jars of baby food in the late 1950's ! And if I'm correct, some baby formula ? Hmmm...
 
RedFox said:
Thor said:
Could it be that humans, being omnivorous, have the capability to function very well on several diets under different conditions?

So, what are these other 'conditions' you are considering?? Perhaps it is that the programs regarding these other diets (and associated emotions) are causing you to try and justify holding on to them - in order to avoid the emotions beneath them? Diet can be a really big crutch for emotional displacement/buffering (see the Vegetarian thread).

I can see that the way I formulated the post above was not clear. I owe an elaboration and explanation.

One condition I am thinking of is what to do if you are in a place where access to organic meat and fat are not an option. This is of particular relevance for me as I will be moving to Latin America for a year soon and I've been running in circles in my mind to figure out what to do diet wise.

Should I switch to meat and fat from industrial agriculture or should I remain as organic as possible which would include more vegetables and therefore carbs??? Or is there some other way to go?

Alternatively, I could eat as much meat and fat as possible and just try to minimize the carbs, which will be a challenge as rice and beans are staple foods in the poor areas. It will be very difficult to remain in ketosis as I will often not be preparing my own food.

I think that the emotional attachment to "not being too weird" is definitely also at play. I don't want my diet to be the main interface between me and meeting new people and I can already foresee the dialogue :zzz: There is definitely also a program going on somewhere. I can feel an internal resistance - like something just won't let go. It's is not rational or presenting arguments as to why it just doesn't want to let go. Why? Because it seems as if the sacrifice is greater than the gain (from the perspective of the programed part of the identity).

The evidence presented in this thread is slowly grinding the opposition inside but it rears its head from time to time and doubts arise. In such situations I am thankful for the forum to help keep me on track.
 
It's possible that I got some kind of bug, or maybe it's something else, but since yesterday's evening have strong muscle pains, especially in the right side. It comes and goes, and in the morning it improved a bit (but then had diarrhea), but now the pain, general dizziness and headache have returned (body temperature at 38.2) . I have a sore place in the location of right kidney, and at the beginning thought that maybe hurt this place somehow, but can't remember anything like this. Maybe I am passing a stone, who knows (and do remember pains like this in the past). Maybe that's why the uric acid was so high. But then, I don't experience the agonizing pain as described on various sites about kidney stones (hehe, and hopefully won't). It is very unpleasant and painful, but not agonizing. So could be a bug or infection.

The thing is, that just before it happened I ate a meal with pork and sweet potatoes. It was at 19:00 and my first meal for that day because was out of meat and didn't have the chance to buy it earlier. The amount of sweet potatoes was something like 40g carbohydrates. Couple of days before I decided to increase the carbs a bit to experiment and see if it will improve my muscle fatigue. And it did help, but maybe it was too much for the body after most of the day without fuel. Don't know. Also, don't know if these are kidney stones or anything, but sweet potatoes are definitely out!
 
Stranger
It is relieving to not feel hunger anymore but indeed I can confirm what he writes, that underweight people lose their hunger and begin to be disgusted by meat. This is especially hard for me because I don't eat any dairy products, processed food (sausages for example) or more than 20 gram carbs which would vary the diet. Besidese sugar/carb cravings I notice cravings for dairy, even butter never satisfyies me and let me crave more. Either it is a fat deficiency (not likely, given the high fat content of the diet) or an addiction to milk proteins. I believe it's the latter, but, oh my god, what relief would it be to add dairy products. I think I could go on eating 1000 or 2000 calories more with dairy in my diet.

Howdy Stranger,

I have experienced the same. Disgusted with meat and can't eat. It has been 10weeks on 50g/day or less, and I am just now starting to lose my cravings. But I still have my days. I used to eat a lot in my athletic days. A pint of Ben & Jerries New York Super Fudge Chunk was not a problem. Large pizza? Sure, and "I'll take that last slice of your pizza too, if you're not going to finish." I hope the next few weeks will be all I need to lose my cravings.
 
broken.english said:
A friend of mine has the same problem with cramps. Magnesium alone does not help, but a combination of calcium and magnesium does. Try this!

I have had leg cramps during sleep for much of my life, and magnesium alone or magnesium+calcium didn't appear to make any difference. The cramps worsened when I went on a low carb diet, but no worse than earlier when I took a diuretic for a couple of years. Drinking broth seems to help, but recently I have also been taking potassium glycinate and I have only had major cramps the one night I forgot to take it. It's not proof, but it might be a clue. I used to eat bananas for potassium, but they're out now and I don't think they helped anyway.
 
Keit said:
Also, don't know if these are kidney stones or anything, but sweet potatoes are definitely out!

Try drinking more water, and water with salt/electrolytes in - also try useing transdermal magnesium and takeing fish oil. But mostly more water.

Thor said:
One condition I am thinking of is what to do if you are in a place where access to organic meat and fat are not an option. This is of particular relevance for me as I will be moving to Latin America for a year soon and I've been running in circles in my mind to figure out what to do diet wise.

Should I switch to meat and fat from industrial agriculture or should I remain as organic as possible which would include more vegetables and therefore carbs??? Or is there some other way to go?

I have considered this (lack of access to organic meats) and concluded that as long as you have adapted this should not be a problem (in the short term) living of low quality (supermarket) meat - IF you take precautions (and always try to get the best you can).
As low quality meat is high in omega6 and low in omega3, you'd have to supplement omega 3 in large quantities.
You'd also have to consider the effects of antibiotics on the gut flora (and supplement accordingly) and other chemicals/toxins, and make sure to get extra vitamin C etc

In the end, it comes down to what your goal is, and how seriously you want to focus on it.

Thor said:
Alternatively, I could eat as much meat and fat as possible and just try to minimize the carbs, which will be a challenge as rice and beans are staple foods in the poor areas. It will be very difficult to remain in ketosis as I will often not be preparing my own food.

What is to stop you preparing all your meals in advance and taking them with you whenever you know you will not be able to prepare a meal later in the day? I cook enough food for the entire day (or several days) the night before and then divide it into lunch boxes and take them with me.
I am only without food or in situations where I go hungry if I am lazy and/or expect others to take care of my own need. My needs are my own responsibility! I keep (emergency) tins of fish/bottles of water in my car boot too so that I am never away from food/water.

In the end, it comes down to what your goal is, and how seriously you want to focus on it.

Thor said:
I think that the emotional attachment to "not being too weird" is definitely also at play. I don't want my diet to be the main interface between me and meeting new people and I can already foresee the dialogue :zzz: There is definitely also a program going on somewhere. I can feel an internal resistance - like something just won't let go. It's is not rational or presenting arguments as to why it just doesn't want to let go. Why? Because it seems as if the sacrifice is greater than the gain (from the perspective of the programed part of the identity).

The evidence presented in this thread is slowly grinding the opposition inside but it rears its head from time to time and doubts arise. In such situations I am thankful for the forum to help keep me on track.

In the end you have to decide what you want in your life. Good health with some suffering during the transition, plus always 'going against what others consider normal' (internal considering), or not. Think of it like the Work, you have to pay in advance with your illusions, and you need to rely upon what is inside (which builds in strength through knowledge and understanding) and not be influences by others/the outside.

Besides, if you practice external considering, you won't be making others feel uncomfortable at your diet choices. And if you are practising external consider you won't be busy worrying about other 'thinking your weird'. If your goal is good health, keep that in mind.
I think it would be worth reading more of the recommended diet material and working out what you want - what is your goal?

Megan said:
broken.english said:
A friend of mine has the same problem with cramps. Magnesium alone does not help, but a combination of calcium and magnesium does. Try this!

I have had leg cramps during sleep for much of my life, and magnesium alone or magnesium+calcium didn't appear to make any difference. The cramps worsened when I went on a low carb diet, but no worse than earlier when I took a diuretic for a couple of years. Drinking broth seems to help, but recently I have also been taking potassium glycinate and I have only had major cramps the one night I forgot to take it. It's not proof, but it might be a clue. I used to eat bananas for potassium, but they're out now and I don't think they helped anyway.

Fish oil (omega 3) seems to also help stop cramps (in combination with everything else), as well as remembering to drink water before bed.
 
Laura said:
Now we get to the topic of what carbs do in the body:

Carbohydrate Metabolism 101

Annual refined sugar consumption in the United States:
1750: 4 pounds per person, per year
1850: 20 pounds per person, per year
1994: 120 pounds per person, per year
1996: 160 pounds per person, per year

I just fell off my chair and had to get back on.

The biggest surprise was the difference in consumption between 1994 and 1996. That's an increase of 33% in just TWO YEARS. And 1996 was 15 years ago!

:jawdrop:

It makes me think of mainstream doctors who say to eat more fruits and veggies. That's actually pretty good advice for most people, and that's saying a lot given what we now know about the effects of the carbs in fruits and veggies!

:shock:

This planet really is just one big gall-dang cattle ranch!
 
I just finished reading this whole thread, and I received "Life without Bread" in the mail a week ago and I am halfway through it. I am very excited to start on this low carb diet. I remember back when I was doing the USD, which was really low carb, I felt amazing and I had lost some weight. I re introduced potatoes into my diet, and I had been eating rice, quite a bit in fact. I believe that potatoes also give me inflamation, but I had been too lazy to change my eating. I have been dairy and gluten free. But I am really excited about this, and I have always loved meat and the fat parts on it. I often felt guilty eating it because of the programming that fat is so bad for us.
This is day 4 for me on the low carb diet, and I feel really good today. Tuesday and wednesday I felt like I had been hit by a truck, extremely lethargic. I am amazed at how satisfied I feel when just eating meat and fat. I am sooo not hungry between meals, and for me that is amazing. I will keep up with this thread and post my progress also.

Thanks for the great info!!

Angela
 
Laura THANK YOU for these excerpts from "Primal Body, Primal Mind." What a find. They really pull together all your research on diet--especially gluten and dairy free diets, the importance of saturated fat, and make clear the positive effects of a low carb diet. Although I had increased the good fats, eliminated grain and dairy, sugars, bad fats, and was limiting my carb intake, I was still carrying excess weight and felt stagnated in my energy level. In the last three weeks I have cut my carb intake to between 20-60 most days and one or two days of about 80. Weight is falling off again and I continue to feel healthier in all ways.

This book and your excerpts, really provide the data needed to convince rational thinking people who are looking for ways to change to a healthier lifestyle, and for those really in the know (again thanks to you and the SOTT team) to avoid, as Anart just said "being fattened for the kill...". It really becomes clear the ONLY PATH TO GOOD HEALTH IS THROUGH DIET. That so much of this research has been out there for years, disconnected and unpromoted, is IMO revelatory of how much and how long and how seriously the control system PTB has been (insert F word) with our health!

Your comments inserted in the excerpts you provided are (I can't resist) the "icing on the cake" for guidance on diet change.

Thanks again.
shellycheval
 
Gertrudes said:
Lately I've been having a period of feeling very sleepy after lunch/breakfast. On the on hand I think that I need to try to figure out what is going on, on the other hand it reminds me of the old tradition of having a nap after eating so common amongst certain cultures. Although who's to say that the popular nap doesn't follow a heavily loaded carbohydrate meal?...

Is anyone else experiencing this?

The simple answer to that question is yes! :)

The quotes that Laura has provided explain the fatigue during the transition (currently on day 26 (at 20g or just lower), with potentially two more weeks to go!). Increasing fat via ghee/butter is helping the process (fat is the only thing that I've not really measured to see if I'm at the recommended level).
 
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