Tag Archive for Ketosis

Action Plan to End Food Cravings, Forever.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhether you have a weight issue or not, cravings can be a bear.  Cravings are incredibly powerful; and weight loss with cravings is almost impossible.

What to do?  Here’s several ideas, but first, what creates cravings?  Low calorie diets, low fat diets, and low nutrient diets, fatigue, stress, and habits.  Sound daunting?  If I eliminated my cravings, you can too.

Here’s a Big List of How-To’s:

Get rid of your fear of fat, now.  Fat satiates; and not because it fills you up, which it actually does, but Fat triggers satiety hormones – really!  Fat makes our Brain say, “aaahhh”.

L-Glutamine, an amino acid that helps build Dopamine ( an anti-anxiety neurotransmitter ). L- Glutamine also helps balance blood sugar.  Anxiety and low blood sugar ALWAYS causes cravings. ( I use Biotics, and I LOVE this product. I also take it on heavy leg days, and I suggest it to all my leaky gut clients.  L-GLutamine is used by muscle cells and endothelial cells to rebuild themselves.  It’s a different dosing/timing than when using for neurotransmitter building.)

Stop eating sugar and grains, which trigger hunger hormones and addiction centers in your brain. Sugar is more addictive then cocaine in lab studies.  No one in your house needs this stuff. A little here and a little there?  It just keeps you addicted.   SUGARS AND GRAINS ARE 99% OF ALL CRAVINGS, RIGHT?  No one’s craving broccoli.  Stop buying the stuff.  Seriously.

Hot drinks mid morning and mid afternoon:  Bullet Proof Coffee and Bullet Proof Tea:  organic tea/coffee with (Kerry Gold)  grass-fed BUTTER and (Biotics) MCT oil or coconut oil.   This is delicious, and the fat knocks out appetite and cravings while at the same time stimulating your brain.  (Ditch the Mad Scientist concoctions they sell at Starbucks, they’re loaded with sugar, artificial sugar, and chemicals.)

5 HTP, an amino acid that helps build Serotonin.  We need level moods to not have cravings. Again, I use Biotics brand.****Serotonin builds Melatonin, Melatonin helps us sleep well.  Fatigue is a HUGE inducer of cravings.  I know a couple other great supplements for sleep, email me.

L-Tyrosine, I LOVE this and have used it every day for 18 months.  It’s an amino acid that helps build your catacolamines.  That means it helps with energy ( among other things ), and we often drift to snacking/cravings when tired, right?  ( I use Biotics)

( ****   One of my favorite ENERGY/DON’T SNACK tricks:  mid afternoon tea with a little MCT oil, and 2 tyrosines.  It’s magic. ********)

Digestive enzymes and HCl.  (again, I use Biotics products).  You might have the best diet in the world, but if you’re not breaking down your food so that nutrients can be absorbed, you’re Nutrient Deficient.    Nutrient Deficient people are loaded with cravings.

Probiotics, probiotic foods, probiotic drinks. Cultured and fermented vegetables, keifer, kombucha, and real yogurt. There’s millions more bacteria in cultured food than in any probiotic supplement. If you’re trying to improve health, use the pills along with the foods/drinks, at least initially.    If your gut bacteria is out of whack, you’ll have cravings for sugar, because that’s what Bad Bugs eat.  Candida is a prime example of this. 

Exercise APPROPRIATELY.  If your workout leaves you STARVING, which leads to cravings, you worked out too hard. Dial it back.

Clean your liver.  Our liver plays a vital role in getting nutrients into our cells and “trash” out of our body. But did you know our livers are the BIGGEST source of calorie burning in our WHOLE BODY?  Our heart and brain are next, and then comes our muscles.   A slow, clogged, overworked, exhausted liver craves nutrients. Drink alcohol, take a lot of meds, eat sugar and chemical/processed foods, eat late at night, I guarantee it’s over burdened.  I use a Biotics liver detox twice a year, and 2 tinctures by Herb Pharm every couple of months:  Milk Thistle and Liver Health.

Go on a Ketogenic Diet:  High Fat, Moderate Protein, and a TON of greens and cruciferous vegetables.  This literally knocks out cravings of any kind, honestly.  Check this out for meal ideas and guidelines.  

Stop eating Processed Foods.  They’re created in a LABORATORY and specifically designed to trigger desires in your brain for more and more and more.  Really.  McDonald’s milkshakes and Doritios are NOT delicious food creations, they’re chemical cocktails created by PhD’s to get you hooked.

Eat bigger meals, and ONLY eat 3 times a day.  Multiple ” Mini-Meals” are DUMB. They’re guaranteed to make you (1) hungry (2) have cravings and (3) mentally habituated to eating all day.  Besides, “mini-meals” are a joke; studies show American’s are pretty incapable of actually having a mini-meal; in reality, the multiple mini-meals turn into “too much food all day long.”

( Moms, we  have to apply the “Stop Eating Sugar/Grains/Processed Foods” guidelines to our kids; they’re sugar/carb/chemical addicts.  The snacking, the cravings, the “can’t stop eating”….. we have to HELP THEM develop great eating habits. )

Work on your habits and thought patterns.  It’s all so mental, isn’t it.  This is just about my favorite area when it comes to health. Our subconscious rules over the conscious, always.  If your subconscious is constantly sabotaging your health efforts, get in touch with me.  It’s not Rocket Science, but you’ll need a plan.

My wrap up?  Eat Real Whole Foods, consume plenty of fat, eliminate addictive grains and sugars, use Smart Supplementation, and train your brain to work for you, not against you. Cravings are a sign that your body, your mind, and your hormones, are “off”; they’re not a sign you’re weak.  You don’t have to be a slave to bad habits.  Let me know if you’re ready for help with a food plan, habit change, or supplements. ( The amino acids need to be dosed and taken on a specific time table.)

Fitness Conference, Habits, Keto Diet Update, and Why I’m Staying On It.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI just spent a 3 day weekend at the DCAC Fitness Convention; 13 classes in 3 days.  I split the time between actual movement classes and lectures; total FUN:)

What’d I learn?  A lot.  What am I passing on?  This: the day to day choices we make, all day long, really, really, matter.  Our food, how much we sleep, how we handle our stress, and that we move and laugh and smile, matters.  Our choices to either do these things or not, become our habits, and our habits makes us who we are.

More:  Habits Are Everything, and we all have to take the Action Steps to develop the habits make us healthier.  No one else can do it for us, and we can’t do it for anyone else. We can’t change our spouse, our child, our parent, or our friends.  We can only change ourselves, and then hope to inspire the people we love and care about. (The DCAC Fitness Conference isn’t just about exercise, there’s some great Positive Psychology lectures – I love that stuff!)

Keto Update:  I thought I’d stop the Keto Diet at the end of the month ( July ), and I did.  But I miss it!  I’m back on as of today!  I might do a little Keto Cycling here and there, but not for at least a few weeks. ( More on Keto Cycling later.)  It was honestly easier than I thought it would be except for 2 things:

I’ve been deficient in Salt and Fat, even though in the past few years I’ve really upped my in-take of both.  Ketosis makes the kidney’s flush out more water than normal, and with the water goes your sodium and electrolytes.  This is revealed in pretty painful and persistent leg cramps, which I’m prone to anyway.   My blood pressure also dropped a little too low, but with the conscientious salt increase, I can tackle that.

I needed 2 teaspoons of salt a DAY to counter-balance the cramps and hypo-tension, which meant adjusting my tolerance for a salty taste.  It’s impossible to “retain water” when you’re in even mild/medium ketosis, even with 2 teaspoons of salt a day.  No wonder Salt was so important throughout history!  P.S. I never did get above the “medium” levels of ketones.  Maybe next time?

I was also surprised at HOW MUCH FAT it took to get into ketosis – a LOT.  You can’t tell just by looking at my “What I Eat” page, but I had to LOAD on the butter/coconut oil/olive oil/cream cheese/MCT oil, and cream.  It’s not easy, or initially natural, to eat that much fat, and it took some thought and effort.

My weight stayed completely stable, even on the 2 days I did make an attempt at counting fat grams, and took in almost 3,000 calories – IN FAT ALONE, not counting my protein or veggie carbs.  Did you catch that?  My weight stayed stable despite all those fat calories.

We’ve been fed such a load of bull for all these years!

On that note, here’s a great article on Dr. Michael Mosley, in the Daily Mail.  He’s the author of the FAST DIET, and for years promoted a low fat, high carb way of eating, which he himself followed.  He gained weight anyway and developed diabetes.  Now he’s re-examined the science and has come to a very different conclusion about saturated fat and carbohydrates role in our health and our weight.  Please read!  The more you know, the easier it is to make good choices for yourself.  The easier it is to make good choices, the less your (lizard) brain fights you.  Your lizard brain is the deep, subconscious part, that HATES stress.  It’s hard to win a fight with your lizard brain, and far better to work on thoughts and habits that become STRONGER than the lizard.  Does that make sense?

When you’re done with that article, read Dr. Mercola’s latest article on the vindication of Saturated Fat.  Honestly, Good Fats are So Good For Us, here’s a few reasons why, and at the end of the list is the reason I’m going back on the Ketogenic Diet.

Fats make up every single cell membrane in our body, and saturated fat and cholesterol are a large part of those membranes.

Saturated Fats make up all our Sex hormones and Fight/Flight hormones.

Fat and cholesterol make up 60-70% of the dry matter of our brain.

Saturated Fats increase the size of our LDL cholesterol ( we want big, fluffy LDL!)

Saturated Fats raise HDL.

Saturated Fats are structurally sound and aren’t prone to damage by heat, light or air, which means they’re great to cook with.

Fats allow Fat-Soluble-Vitamins, A, D, E, and K,  and many minerals, to be absorbed into our cells.

Fats are critical to our immune system.

Here’s one of my Favorite Reasons:  Fats Trigger Satiety – especially in the absence of Carbs.  This is the best thing about the Ketogenic Diet to me:  No Hunger.  No Bloat.  No Cravings.  It’s awesome!

Besides that, the Ketogenic Diet fits perfectly into my Real Whole Food, Paleo-ish template.  Does my whole family eat this way?  NO!  But that hasn’t been hard to work around – at all.  I’ve been serving meats and tons of vegetables forever; for the kids or company, I add: bowls of watermelon, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, low-carb/almond flour/coconut flour breads/cookies, ( you get the idea),  and everyone’s happy.

Day 2 of Keto Diet, and a post on Ketosis and The Brain

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAOkay, 2 days under my belt, ZERO ketones on my Ketonix meter ( expected that, I’m hoping that they show up by Friday.)  My weight dropped below 130 for the first time since last summer (129.4) – this is not a drop in body fat!  This is just a little water weight leaving.  Remember:  glucose ( carbs ) are stored with water – always; and that “storage” is ALWAYS in the form of fat/triglycerides, not glucose.  (woops – actually, there’s a little glycogen storage in the liver, 1.5 to 2 teaspoons).   My normal weight really seems to be 130 – 132, usually pretty steady.  We’ll see.

Check out my What I Eat page to see yesterdays meals, they were pretty simple.  The double dinner was because I actually forgot to bring the lunch I packed ( the sardines), ended up buying lunch at the Natural Market ( my quick go-to;  do you have a list of go-to’s?  You should!), and then ended up eating it because I didn’t have that much sausage and I knew I’d be hungry.  I don’t like being hungry!

Here’s a newsletter I sent out yesterday on Ketosis and the Brain. I had so much response to it that I’m putting it here:  

In case anyone is wondering why I’m doing a ketogenic diet for the next few weeks, it’s because the more I learn, the more I become convinced that it’s a pretty healthy state to be in.  There’s some evidence and chatter about the benefits of cycling in and out of ketosis for a type of “detoxing” effect.  More on that in another post.

If you know anyone with Alzheimer’s, Dementia, Parkinsons, epilepsy, Bi-polar, or just “fuzzy thinking”, you’ll find useful information in this Post.

Morning!
As promised, here’s my second email on Ketosis, this one will focus on Ketosis and the Brain.

Remember: I’m just learning; I’m absolutely not claiming to be an expert! I just want to pass on what I learn so that you can take the ball and run with it.

Neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, of Grain Brain fame, will be one of my references for this email. If you haven’t read his book yet, or listened to any of his podcasts – you should ASAP. I’ll have several links at the end of the email.

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and Dementia affect about 6 millions Americans (2013); numbers are expected to TRIPLE by 2050. There is NO MEDICATION to stop Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), or Dementia. None. Zero. There’s some meds that may slow it down a little, but nothing that halts it. There’s no medications that stop or halt any degenerative brain diseases.

No matter what Main Stream Medical says, AD, and several other degenerative brain diseases, are LIFE STYLE diseases, just like heart disease, diabetes and cancer ( for the most part). What we eat, how we think, how much we sleep, moving and exercising, learning, relaxing – they all contribute to our risk for these diseases. We do have control over our health, we just need to take it.

Here’s a few Brain facts:

The dry weight of our brain is 60 to 70% fat and cholesterol. It matters that we eat GOOD fats, because our body uses the fats we eat to build our brain. If we eat hydrogenated oils, or damaged fats ( think: vegetable oils), our body uses those BAD fats to build our brain. Fats compose the membrane of literally every single cell in our body.

It matters that we eat enough cholesterol from quality sources – our brains need a lot of cholesterol to function correctly.

From Grain Brain, ” We’ve actually determined that the ability to grow new synapses in the brain depends on the availability of cholesterol, which latches cell membranes together so that signals can easily jump across the synapse. It’s also a crucial component in the myelin coating around the neuron, allowing quick transmission of information. …Cholesterol acts as a facilitator for the brain to communicate and function properly.” (STATIN USERS – TAKE NOTE.) ” Moreover, cholesterol in the brain serves as a powerful antioxidant. It protects the brain against the damaging effects of free radicals.”

Remember also that Cholesterol is a VITAL component of Vitamin D, and all our sex hormones – all of which are crucial to brain health.

” As we age, natural cholesterol levels generally increase in the body. This is good because as we age our production of free radicals increases. Cholesterol offers a level of protection against these free radicals. ”

Cholesterol also encourages the growth of new brain cells.

Have you heard that the new term for AD is Diabetes Type 3? That’s because study after study definitively correlates high blood sugar with poor brain health and AD. Consistent high blood sugar ( which is pretty normal for anyone eating grains and sugar every day) “glycates” or kind of fries, plaque and other proteins in the brains too (yes – plaque isn’t just fat, there’s calcium and proteins in there also). When proteins are glycated, their ability to communicate and function is ruined. Not only that, glycated proteins have an ability to glycate other near bye proteins, and really, really cause a lot of damage.

Recent studies have revealed another way in which high blood sugar destroys the brain: just like muscle cells become “insulin resistant” (hello diabetes), and say “NO” to insulin/glucose/amino acids etc; the brain cells can become insulin resistant.
This is interesting, because in the the brain, insulin does many more jobs than just assisting nutrients into cells.

In the brain, Insulin is apparently crucial for our Neurotransmitter levels (dopamine, serotonin, GABA – the things that make our moods and temperaments).
If blood sugar is chronically high, which means Insulin is chronically high, the brain cells start to say “NO” to insulin, and the brain is starved of it’s nutrients and neurotransmitters.
Scary!

Here again, the Ketogenic Diet keeps Insulin down to Normal Levels; normal is Good!

Keto Diets are showing positive effects ( and ZERO side effects) for Bi-Polar disorder. Researchers are unsure why, but it looks like it could be for one of the same reasons ketones can suppress cancer: it changes the pH around brain “microdomaines” for the better. ( No, I don’t know what a microdomain is ) Bi-Polar depends on local acidification, ketones neutralize that acid.

One study showed that keto induced a coordinated up-regulation of genes encoding energy metabolism and mitochondrial enzymes, increasing the number of mitochondria in the hippocampus, a brain area associated with learning and memory.

Here’s another benefit of the brain using ketones for energy ( as opposed to glucose). When brain cells ( or any cell) burn glucose, there’s “oxidation” , or the potential for damage to the cell and the surrounding area. We’ve all heard of “Free Radicals”, right? Ketones don’t cause that. When ketones are burned for energy in cells, there is no “oxidative damage”, as a matter of fact, they have “anti-oxidant” properties.

Ketones somehow inhibit seizure activity, which is why it’s being used so successfully in epileptics; this is especially good for epileptics for which drugs have no effect, or drugs have horrible side effects.

Again, ketones have NO SIDE EFFECTS.

You can’t say that about even the most mild of drugs, such as aspirin or tylenol.

More links between Ketones and Brain Health:

From Dr. Perlmutter, “In a 2005 study, Parkinson’s patients had a notable improvement in symptoms that rivaled medications and even brain surgery after being on a ketogenic diet for just 28 days. Specifically, consuming ketogenic fats ( MCT oil), has been shown to impart significant improvement in cognitive function in Alzheimer’s patients……A ketogenic diet has been shown to REDUCE AMYLOID PLAQUE in the brain, and it increases glutathione, the body’s natural brain-protective antioxidant. What’s more, ketones stimulate the growth of mitochondria and increase metabolic efficiency.”

Ketone bodies are incredibly “neuro-protective, and they decrease free radical production in the brain, and actually stimulate brain-related antioxidants.

Ketones also block the “apoptotic pathway”, that would otherwise lead to self-destruction of brain cells.

Ketones eliminate excess glutamate. This is significant! Glutamate is an “excito-toxin”, which means it literally excites brain neurons to death. Where’s glutamate? In pretty much all processed food chemicals out there. If you’re eating from a box, a bag, or a crappy restaurant, there’s a good chance you’re eating them.

Glutamate excito-toxicity is linked to strokes, AD, MS, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and more.

Ketones are a PREFERRED FUEL (think food) FOR THE BRAIN – OVER GLUCOSE!!

How do we get ketones? The liver produces them in response to a VERY high fat, moderate protein, VERY low carb diet. As a matter of fact, even starchy fruits and vegetables have to be eliminated or greatly reduced, with a focus on Greens and Cruciferous Veggies ( there’s plenty so it’s not hard!).

I’ve just started a Hard Core Ketogenic Diet, that I’ll stay on for either 2 weeks or til the end of the month. I’m not doing this for weight loss, I’m doing it because I’m becoming convinced that several of my clients would benefit from this, as it’s amazing for Insulin Resistance which many people have. But I’m also becoming more and more convinced of it’s health benefits for me —- and you too! Ketone bodies have amazing properties, and taking advantage of them sounds like a smart thing to do. That said, I’m going to keep learning, keep studying, keep tweaking. I’m my own biggest science experiment.

I’ll be posting my meals, ketosis readings, body fat and weight before and after on my blog. Not really expecting to lose weight, but interested to see what it does to my body fat, and memory! Look at my posts, and check out my what I’m eating page.

http://www.rocksolidnutritionandwellness.com/

To learn more about brain health and the Ketogenic Diet, and the general benefits of a High Fat, Low Carb diet, here’s some resources:
Article by Dr. Mercola featuring Dr. Attia, who’s a leader in the Ketosis Field:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/02/ketogenic-diet-health-benefits.aspx

Podcast with Dr. Perlmutter of Grain Brain book:
http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/the-llvlc-show-episode-725-dr-david-perlmutter-blames-carbs-for-mental-decline-in-grain-brain/19826

Amazon link to Grain Brain
http://www.amazon.com/Grain-Brain-Surprising-Sugar-Your-Killers/dp/031623480X

Article on Ketones and Brain Health Benefits/Research
http://www.neurorexia.com/2013/03/24/brain-livin-on-ketones-a-molecular-neuroscience-look-at-the-ketogenic-diet/

Another article on Ketones and Brain Health
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/10/01/the-fat-fueled-brain-unnatural-or-advantageous/

Article on High Blood Sugar and Poor Brain Health
http://tulane.edu/news/releases/pr_10282013.cfm

Who Can Start A Ketogenic Diet? Will It Raise Cholesterol? How I’ve Adapted. A Recipe.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’ve had two good questions this week.  One, from a new client, “Can I start the Ketogenic Diet ASAP, because I need to lose a lot of weight.”, and Two, from a reader, ” I have high cholesterol, so this diet can’t be good for me, right?”

Let me answer both of these questions.

“Can I start the Ketogenic Diet ASAP, because I need to lose a lot of weight.”  No, I don’t want anyone I’m working with to jump into a Ketogenic Diet without (1) knowing exactly what it means, and (2) getting a really good handle on organizing/planning/shopping/cooking/and packing; and (3) eliminating snacking.

It’s hard enough to just eat well without giving in to cravings and triggers and habits.  Eating a Ketogenic Diet is really particular, and it requires Practice at Discipline.  It also needs to be implemented after we’ve wrapped our heads around the health benefits and the how-to’s, because honestly, weight loss is never enough reason to stick to any food or diet plan forever.  That’s why almost 100% of everyone who loses weight gains it back.  Any motivation to stick to a diet plan just to lose weight is a very temporary feeling.

I want my clients to experience success and actual brain-change, for example:

The longer I immerse myself in the science of what happens to my body in response to certain foods, the easier it is to eat only foods that are good for me.  I look at cheetos, frozen waffles, and processed foods as Cancer Fertilizer, and they scare me.  Gluten scares me!

I don’t snack anymore, neither does Mark.  We know that we need those hours between meals for the right HORMONES to happen so that our bodies can actually burn fat instead of glucose.  That fact is a fore-thought, not an after thought; because of that, the snack voice rarely calls to us anymore.

I’ve become so good at remembering how I feel after a binge, that I NEVER binge anymore.  It’s NORMAL for me now to do what it takes to feel good, clear headed, positive, energetic, and lean.   It took a while for me to reach this point, but I’m there.  You can be too!

My goal for my clients:  (1) to become great planners and organizers;  to take control of their life/eating/habits without stress  (2) for “long-term-consequence-thinking” to become their norm.  

Seat-of-pants-spontaneous-eating…..doesn’t work for anyone.  Unfortunately, spontaneous eating is more normal than not.

Bad habits, old habits, compulsions,… they’re STRONG.  You’ll need New Brain Patterns to overcome them.  Remember the Brain Rule:  our brain wants to do what’s COMFORTABLE, not what’s best for us.  An “uncomfortable” brain can shout very loudly, right?  “Eat it! Drink it! It’ll feel so good, and you can always Diet tomorrow/Monday/the 1st.”

I set my clients up for Success by taking it one step at a time.  We focus on saturating the mind with information that rewires the bad habits.  It’s a one step at a time approach, because really, that’s all the brain will allow. Brains don’t like change.  Almost 100% of everyone who “diets” gains the weight back.  Half of all those people gain back more than they lost.  Just changing your food for a week or a month or even a few months isn’t a long term health and weight loss solution.

That said, weaning off the trigger foods ( they’re always grains and carbs), identifying trigger people/places/things, making a written plan, and practicing cooking and packing, are crucial.  So is learning about habit change/habit breaking/ building new habits.

Next Question:  Will a Ketogenic Diet Raise Cholesterol?

NO!  Bad cholesterol rises in response to excess carbs, particularly sugars and grains.  When the blood sugar gets above “normal”, which is 100mg/dl, much of the excess is remade into fat ( triglycerides).  The liver has to make Small, Dense, LDL ( the BAD cholesterol) to transport that new fat to it’s new home:  the fat cells in your abdominal area.  

Not all cholesterol is bad, much of it is good! Cholesterol is such a NECESSARY element in our body that God made Every Single One Of Our Cells capable of manufacturing it.  The liver produces boatloads;  and it produces even more if we’re sick, injured, or stressed, because cholesterol is a necessary component of the hormones and immune system that deals with those issues.

Want some references to ease your mind?  Read these posts:

One,  Two, Three.  If you’re accepting information from your doctor that’s based on 1980 science, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

I’m wrapping up with a Recipe:  Chicken, Butter, and Vegetablesdinner

In a pan, I melted 6 tablespoons of Kerrygold butter and a 1/4 of water.  I added meat from 2 big chicken breasts, 2 endives slices in half, a whole onion, a bunch of cauliflower, 2 yellow zucchini, a bunch of chives, and Salt and Pepper.  Before I served it ( forgot to photo this), I added a bunch of feta cheese, and a tablespoon of butter to each bowl.  Delicious!

 

 

Ketogenic Diets and Weight Loss; Keto Recipe

I’ve had a few email questions this week about a comment I made in this post about Ketogenic Diets, it was about weight loss.  Here’s the quote that raised the questions: If you’ve got a lot of Insulin Resistance, you’ll need to go Ketogenic,” .   

The questions can be summarized like this:  What’s a ketogenic diet?  Will it help me lose weight?

Here goes.   When we burn glucose ( sugar/carbs/pasta/bread/vegetables/fruit/etc), for fuel, that means that glucose goes into the cells “furnace” or mitochondria, and gets “burned” for energy. ( Geeks, I know I just skipped a bunch of steps..)  If you’ve been reading my blog or you’re into the whole sciencey world of metabolism, you know there’s several “negatives” about Sugar Burning.  Here’s a few ( no one has time for all of them.)

1) We need very little glucose to live/perform/grow, very little.  Our Normal blood sugar ( NOT JUST FASTING, BUT NORMAL), should be between 80 and 100.  ( Read this to know what I mean.)  The average daily intake of sugar in 2010 was 63 teaspoons a day; this doesn’t include the grains that become sugar in the body via digestion.  Obviously, we eat WAY more sugar/glucose than the body needs.

2) High blood sugar is Incredibly Damaging to our body.   Here’s a short list of what can happen:  brain tissue shrinks, blood becomes thick and sticky, the vasculature of our eyes, kidneys, feet, and hands narrows, our immune system is suppressed, proteins and fats become Glycated/Fried/Damaged, AND ALL FAT BURNING STOPS UNTIL LEVELS ARE NORMAL.

3) High Blood Sugar is met with corresponding High Insulin.  Insulin also wrecks havoc when there’s too much of it:  systemic inflammation, inhibition of cellular uptake of vitamins, minerals, and proteins; arterial wall damage, blood pressure increases, and HDL decreases.

You might have heard that our brain needs glucose to function.  And if you read Runner’s World, or listen to advice from 1980, you’ve heard that athlete’s need to carb load before a big workout.  Worse, you might think that AFTER a good workout, you actually DESERVE a carb load, or in the very least, you’ve created such a calorie deficit that you can take your carb load and crush it with your starving muscle cells.

If. Only.   It’s thinking like this that get’s a lot of us in trouble!

Here’s where a need for a ketogenic diet comes in.

Years of high blood sugar cause our muscle and liver cells to become damaged and sensitive ( in a bad, “get away from me” fashion) to Insulin.  (fyi,  Insulin attaches to Glucose/Sugar and tries to get it out of your blood and into your cells.)  This is called Insulin Resistance.   It’s the cells response to what’s basically an assault; they’re protecting themselves.  Insulin Resistance is a blanket term for a whole host of health issues that result when (1) our cells can’t absorb their needed nutrients, and (2) we have sustained, high, circulating levels of glucose and insulin.

Interestingly, the cells on the backs of our eyes, our kidney cells, and the cells of our extremities CAN’T say no.  That’s why in diabetics, they become so damaged.

Anyway, a Ketogenic Diet is a very high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet.  This has several positive effects, here’s a few:  (a) because blood sugar levels are low, there won’t be any further damage to cells from Glycation ( high blood sugar kind of “fries” a cell, like a grilled cheese sandwich – literally.) (b) because insulin is in low amounts, the Fat Burning Hormone GLUCAGON can be released from the pancreas ( Insulin and Glucagon are pretty much an “either/or” situation) and fat can be used for energy instead of just glucose  (c)  cells that have been assaulted by both the glucose and the insulin will start to reverse their
“get away from me” stance, and (1) nutrients will be allowed into the cells once again, and (2) blood levels of glucose and insulin will normalize.

What about your brain, will it starve if there’s not enough glucose?  Is ketosis dangerous? Or the whole exercise conundrum – who wants to bonk while we’re out on a run or lifting weights?

No, no, and won’t happen.  A ketogenic diet produces a substance called Ketones, and our cells LOOOVEEE ketones.  As a matter of fact, the heart and the brain work 25% MORE efficiently on ketones than on glucose, and ketones have NO bad side effects.  Our muscle cells THRIVE on ketones, and ketones have an ANTI-Inflammatory effect.  (They also have “anti-seizure” properties, which is why it’s a great diet for epileptics.) The anti-inflammatory effects helps counter the normal inflammation that occurs with exercise.

Go back to this sentence: “because insulin is in low amounts, the Fat Burning Hormone GLUCAGON can be released from the pancreas ( Insulin and Glucagon are pretty much an “either/or” situation) and fat can be used for energy instead of just glucose”.  

If we have Insulin Resistance, that means that the insulin levels in our blood is probably always high, despite what our blood sugar readings are.  That’s why blood sugar ISN’T always a good indication of your Insulin levels.  If you’re overweight and have belly fat and yet you don’t eat much and you exercise, that’s a good indication that you have Insulin Resistance.  Your body literally RESISTS burning body fat.  It’s actually more normal than not in todays world to have Insulin Resistance by middle age; for many today, even younger than middle age.   If you’re Insulin Resistant, you burn mostly Sugar.  A Ketogenic Diet can make you a Fat Burner.  ( Yep, you have to eat fat to burn fat. )

If this is the case, you need to reverse the Insulin Resistance by stopping the assault on your cells.  This happens when you lower your carbs, which causes less Insulin to be made and released by the pancreas.  You also need to WAY UP YOUR FAT intake, to heal cells ( all cell membranes are made of cholesterol and fatty acids), regulate your hormones, and stop the addictive voices in your brain.

Good fats, from butter, coconut oil, healthy meats, nuts/seeds, whole fat dairy, and good oils like MCT oil or olive oil, are incredibly nourishing, honestly, they’re loaded with nutrients that our body uses to heal, build, and repair.  Fats don’t make us fat; Sugar and Grains make us fat.  Wait, fats along with a ton of sugar and grains DO make us fat.  You can’t mix them, that’s a recipe for disaster.  Same with “bad” fats, like hydrogenated oils and too much inflammatory Omega 6s – disaster.

Wow, there’s more, but that’s enough info for today.  Let me leave you with a recipe that’s “ketogenic”, and DELICIOUS:brussels bacon  Brussels, Bacon, and Onions, cooked in plenty of Butter, sprinkled with Parm.

1) I melted 6 tablespoons of Kerrygold in the baking dish for 5 minutes, til liquid, and then added 1/4c of water

2) I chopped a giant bagful of brussels, then completely stirred/tossed them in the butter/water

3) I chopped 3 smallish red onions and mixed them in there too

4) added lots of Salt and Pepper, roasted at 400 for 30 minutes

5) on stove top, I cooked 6 slices of bacon that I cut with scissors first, til almost crisp

6) added them to the brussels, and continued baking for 5 more minutes, took out, topped with fresh grated parmesan.     Delicious!

Weight Loss Is About Your Metabolism; Metabolism Is About Your Hormones.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAInteresting week I’m having; it’s been heavy on female clients who are exercising hard and not losing weight, or barely eating and not losing weight, or both, and not losing weight.  This is always surprising to the people this happens too, because exercise and diet are supposed to create the calorie deficit that causes calories to be burned and weight loss to happen.  Exercise is supposed to make us calorie burning machines, right?  Barely eating should melt off our fat, right?  This works when we’re young, so what happens after 30, or 40, that brings the old calories in – calories out efforts to a screeching halt?

That’s easy.  Years of yo-yo diets, full of refined carbs and chemicals ( hello diet coke, lean cuisines, bagels, cereal, beer, and crackers), eventually cause metabolic damage, usually in the form of Insulin Resistance, and organs that become damaged/worn out ( the liver, the pancreas, etc); and our hormonal system shifts from one that’s full of Growth Hormone, sex hormones, and fat burning hormones like Glucagon, to a hormonal system full of Insulin and Cortisol.

Remember this famous line:  our body isn’t a math equation, it’s a chemistry set.  We need to manipulate our chemistry if we want to lose weight.

Quickly, because I have a big yoga workshop in a few hours, I’m going to cover the diet and exercise we need to do if we want the hormones that help us lose weight.

1) We need to lift, or resistance train; and we need to do cardio intervals that make us breathless.  This isn’t “new” information, at all.  Science has shown for years that to burn body fat during and after exercise, our muscle cells needed to be stressed out and broken down.  Then, during our rest periods, those cells rebuild and become a little bit bigger.  Bigger muscle cells use more calories – 24/7 – than small muscle cells.

Go for a “burn”,  which means a build up of lactic acid; recent science shows that lactic acid induces release of both HGH (human growth hormone) and Testosterone ( ladies – we DO want testosterone! ).  This primarily happens when we sleep.  Add “sleep” to your weight loss routine. 

Let me repeat:  To induce a hormonal atmosphere that increases the calories you burn in a day, you need to tear down your muscles cells during your workout, then rest so they can 1. rebuild bigger, and 2. stimulate the necessary hormones that create muscle growth as opposed to FAT DEPOSITION.

Aerobic exercise is Great-Awesome-Wonderful. There’s a million benefits to it.  It. Will. Not. Take. Off. Weight.  Too much cardio actually eats your muscle cells, which LOWERS your 24-7 calorie burn.  Cardio DOESN’T build muscle tissue, and cardio can make you STARVING.  Be careful with it.

2) Your Diet:  Once we get past a certain age, and have had years or decades of either crappy processed carbs, or “healthy whole grain” carbs, we’ve caused damage to our cells called Insulin Resistance.  You know you have this if you barely eat and either can’t lose weight or you’ve gained weight. This means you’re not burning the body fat you see in your belly, thighs, or butt.  That’s because the muscle cells, and the liver cells are saying “No” to the insulin, which is trying to reduce the glucose (sugar) in your blood stream. This causes the pancreas to keep pumping out more insulin.  When insulin is in the blood stream, FAT IS NEVER USED FOR ENERGY, only glucose is used for energy.   Insulin also causes major amounts of damage to our arteries.

Remember, there’s only a few things we do with all that extra glucose: (a) stuff it in some muscle cells – which doesn’t work if they’re insulin resistant  (b) stuff in a storage site in our liver – which doesn’t work if those cells are insulin resistant, or (c) turn the excess glucose into TRIGLYCERIDES, which is fat, and stuff it in the fat cells, which are NEVER insulin resistant.

When you’re Insulin Resistant, YOU CAN NOT BURN THE FAT YOU HAVE STORED IN YOUR BODY.   You only burn glucose/sugar.  Think that if you barely eat, the body would HAVE to burn fat?  Not if you’re Insulin Resistant!  In that case, your body will happily, and easily, turn muscle tissue into glucose, and use that.  Again, if insulin is in the blood stream, fat won’t be used for energy.  This, and reduced thyroid function, is what happens from years of calorie reduction.  Not a successful plan for weight loss.

What’s the answer to manipulating your diet to lose weight?  Cut the carbs, WAY UP THE FATS, moderate protein, a TON of vegetables, a little bit of fruit, a little bit of nuts and seeds, and a little bit of whole fat dairy if you tolerate that.

If you’ve got a lot of Insulin Resistance, you’ll need to go Ketogenic, and probably add a liver cleanse.  Don’t be scared!  The ketogenic diet is incredibly healthly,  and honestly not hard to live with.

Why a liver cleanse too?  Our liver SHOULD be our biggest calorie burning organ; it should burn more calories than our muscles!  It’s supposed to do hundreds of jobs a day.  If it’s clogged with toxins or damaged by insulin resistance, that calorie burning avenue is hampered, badly.  It’s also a road to really poor health when our liver can’t do the jobs it’s supposed to do.

So there you have it.  If you want to lose weight, but can’t, you need to lift, you need to cut the carbs, you need to focus on Real Whole Foods, and you might need a liver cleanse.  If you’re really Insulin Resistant, you’ll need to do a Ketogenic Diet.  It’s mid-June.  Think where you could be at Christmas time if you start now.  Honestly.  Think about that.  Email me if you want help with the  Ketogenic Diet, it’s a slam dunk for reversing Insulin Resistance, losing weight, and getting healthy.  

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Spring Detox – It’s Happening!

DDTI’ve posted on Detox before,  but I’m posting today because Mark and I are starting a Partner Detox in 6 days, while we’re on a cruise!!  A few people have expressed shock and dismay at this, ( “but…. the cruise food??…”); not a problem, (1) I love my Detoxes, (2) we always eat good food, so the thought of binging on cruise food doesn’t stimulate us ( that’s what happens, right, the thought of all that food is very stimulating?) , and I’m excited because Mark hasn’t done one before, and if you’re 50 and you haven’t detoxed, YOU NEED TOO!

Why do I believe in Detoxes, or Cleanses?  Because, we live in a pretty toxic world:  our water is full of chemicals and drugs, our make up and personal care products are full of chemicals that the FDA acknowledges cause cancer and disease but give the “okay” on, the food we eat is full of pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, and growth hormone,  even the air we breath is contaminated ( chem-trails anyone?).

There’s mercury in our fillings and vaccines, aluminum in our deodorant and cookware, there’s even toxic by-products left on dry-cleaned clothes that we put on our body.  Trust me, I could go on and on and on.  Have you ever heard of a book called, Slow Death By Rubber Ducky?  It’s pretty eye-opening.  The facts are, you really can’t escape toxins in 2014; and judging by the amount of sick, overweight people, and sick, not over weight people,  the built-in detox systems of the liver/kidney/skin/lung/colon are seriously congested.  That’s a problem.

Here’s our plan:  I’ve bought 2 detox kits from Biotics ( I’ve used these before and love them; let me know if you want one.  They’re very focused on liver/gallbladder/gut health).  We’ll skip the breakfast and lunch buffets, which we usually do when we’re on a cruise, and stick to (HIM) his raw milk (yep, he brings it on cruises and airplanes, honest);  and (ME) grass-fed, organic, zero antibiotic/growth hormone whey (Mercola) with a good greens powder (Mercola), plus some flax seed/chia seed that I’m bringing.  That’ll help me poop – because traveling usually messes that up and you MUST poop when you Detox! (If you’re healthy and normal, you poop every single day of your life, at least once.)  For the days we’re out at lunch time, on an island or something, I’ll bring my own Jay Robb bars. ( I quit all bars and powders at home last year, but for traveling, they’re perfect.)  Dinner will be fish, chicken and a ton of vegetables ( pretty normal for us ), but not red meat.  (While I LOVE red meat, it’s harder to digest, and I’m trying to eat things that AREN’T hard to digest for the 10 days of the Detox.)  Two things I need to give up for the Detox:  Coffee and cheese 🙁   But I’m working on my mind set, so it’s more like:   No Coffee and Cheese 🙂

I also always travel with my Apple Cider Vinegar, Lemons, favorite teas, and all my supplements.  Gotta be prepared!

The cruise itinerary is exciting!  It’s called  “The Low Carb Cruise”, and here’s the link if you want to see the speakers and the topics.  The focus this year is on Ketosis, which means the effect you get when Fat is your primary fuel and your body burns a lot of “ketones” instead of sugar.  The science behind why this is healthy for neurological conditions, cardiac conditions, the brain, and weight loss, is at this point, pretty hefty.   Our daughter Amanda, who has epilepsy, isn’t 100% ketogenic, but she’s close.  That said, eating a lot of healthy fats, tons of vegetables, some good protein, and no sugar or grains,  is good for everyone.

PS:  Ketosis doesn’t equal Keto-acidosis, which happens primarily to Type 1 diabetics whose pancreas has stopped working.  Long explanation, but worth hearing if you’re interested.

Mark has promised to do his Second Man Post while we’re on the cruise, so look for that next week, and we’ve also committed to either posting or facebooking every day about our Detox, our meals, and what we learn at the lectures.  If you’re not friends with me on Facebook, friend me at Debbie Brockett Abbott, and we’ll be able to keep in touch that way.

Here’s to eating Real Whole Food, and always prioritizing your health!