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Sun, 7 Mar 2004 17:38:24 -0500 |
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Since I had been experiencing a stall, I decided to try a different
approach. From some research I've done, it seems that there is the
view that the body can get used to any diet (low-carb or not) and
that a reversal meal(s) may help unstall a person who is trying to
lose excess bodyfat. Also those who have slower metabolisms or who
have yo-yoed may stall out quicker when going low-carb. These are
just theories I've researched -- I'm not saying they are gospel.
Anyway, Atkins had mentioned the use of reversal diets in his later
books, but I ignored this suggestion because I thought that once a
body is fat adapted and utilizing fat for fuel, there should be no
reason to "carb up". I may have been premature in my earlier
assessment. Perhaps a distinction needs to be made between
maintenance diets and those where one is trying to lose weight. It
seemed to me that after religiously counting my carbs -- I tried
ketosis level, as well as around 50 grams per day -- my stall
continued. I then tried something new suggested by several pro-carb
authors -- I ate animal protein with unrestricted fat and non-starchy
veggies for 2 days. Then on the 3rd day, I ate the same until the
evening meal which was a carb-up. The carb-up was comprised of
mostly starch, with less than 20 grams of extra lean protein and no
added fats. To my surprise, I suffered no water retention bloating
or hunger as I would have expected following the meal or the next
morning. I then continued with my usual very low carb, high fat,
moderate protein regime for 2 more days and repeated the carb up for
the second time last night. To my shock, I have lost 5 pounds and
this is during my premenstrual time when I would normally have lots
of water retention. I plan to continue this cycling so long as it
continues to work. However, I must emphasize that I do not believe
any carbs are necessary in the diet -- but I could no longer deny
that the usual regimes were simply not breaking my stall. In the past, I
tried NHE without success but used moderate amounts of fat during the carb-
up. Rob Faigin claims small amounts can be used, but another auther Jan
McBride MD claims the carb-ups need to be very low in fat. Perhaps that is
what made the difference here. I am going to start alternating carb-ups to
every third and then every fourth day a la Faigin -- mostly because I like
the idea of extending the high fat very low carb days and also because I
think it may help prevent my body from becoming used to the carbs ups as
quickly and hence stalling again. Here are
my typical menus:
AM: 1 teaspoon coconut oil
2 oz Spanish pork chorizo sausage fried up with 1-2 eggs
tea (oolong or green)
Lunch: 1 teaspoon coconut oil
moderate portion of animal protein
steamed non-starch veggies with lots of creamy dressing or
butter (strict paleos would use lard or olive oil)
and/or salad veggies with lots of creamy dressing
tea (oolong or green)
Supper: Same as lunch unless carb-up day in which case I would have:
approx. 1.5 cups steamed fingerling potatoes (strict paleos could use Yams)
with potato skin intact
20 grams or less of very lean animal flesh ie canned water-
packed tuna or chicken breast
fat-free salsa to add taste
approx. 1/2-3/4 cup blueberries for dessert
tea (oolong or green)
I should add that I've purposely omitted nuts and I've added the
teaspoon of coconut oil before exercise and with all meals except the
carb-up which from my research should be low to zero fat. I did not
experience cravings following the carb-ups -- so I have kept near
zero fat. I would consider adding a tad of fat to them if I
experienced hunger.
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