Why Ultra-Low-Carb Diets Don’t Work…
In recent years, ultra low carb diets have hained a lot of popularity. But, are they really all they are cracked up to be?
First of all, let’s see some of the philosophy behind these diets:
Carbs make your body secrete a lot of insulin. Insulin is a hormone that carries nutrients from the blood to the different parts of the body. Some insulin is good (we would die without it – diabetics need to take insulin shots for example). But too much insulin is not good because it tends to make us gain more fat (no need to analyse the biological process – just trust me, this happens).
Fat on the other hand tends to be absorbed much slower. This means that if you add fat to a food, the food will be absorbed more slowly and not that much insulin will be secreted.
So, eating more fat and less carbs helps keep your insulin levels steady throughout the day (eating 6 small meals instead of 3 big ones does the same thing). This means that you will not have so many “crashes” (like those afternoon urges for food). By the way, when you exercise (and especially when you weight train) your body becomes that much more efficient at dealing with insulin and tries to “push” the nutrients to your muscles – and not your fat reserves.
Now, in practical terms, does the “high-fat, low-carb” type of nutrition work? It depends on what we mean by “high” and “low”. If you ask me, the name of the game is moderation. Do that and you should be fine. As I mentioned earlier, a typical diet, may look like this:
Carbohydrates: 60%
Protein: 10%
Fat: 30%
And I recommend something like:
Carbohydrates: 45%
Protein: 35%
Fat: 20%
So, should we take it to the extreme and do something like:
Carbohydrates: 10%
Protein: 35%
Fat: 55%
In my opinion, no. Although some people can respond well to this type of nutrition, most people won’t. The main reason is that very low carb diets will tend to cannibalise your muscle tissue – because carb molecules and water molecules are stored in the muscle (again, no need to get technical – just show some blind faith here).
You lose the carbs, you lose the water – and you lose the muscle. And then you can’t lose fat because your metabolism drops. Stick to the ratios I recommend (don’t obsess over them – just try to approximate them) and you should be fine (more than fine actually).
Finally, let me say that an ultra low-carb diet is BRUTAL and no “normal person” will be able to stick with it and see results from. Unless they are a masochist of course. In order to succeed, you need to enjoy your program so you stick with it. This is crucial…
George Black
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/why-ultralowcarb-diets-dont-work-50512.html
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:51 am
Type 2's…does your doc make insulin sound like "a last resort"?
I’m a Type 1, insulin dependent for 24 years and pumping for 5. I constantly see postings from Type 2′s saying their BG’s are regularly in the 300′s and 400′s despite taking oral meds and watching their carbs. My question is, why aren’t your doctors recommending insulin? Are they making it sound like supplementing with insulin is "failure" or "a last resort", as I’ve heard some GP docs say? Don’t they realize that insulin can give many Type 2′s more freedom and much better blood glucose? (especially with pumps being increasingly used with Type 2′s) Using needles is an adjustment, but it’s sad to see people struggling with ultra-low-carb diets and still not being in control when there is a solution out there that would work well for many of them. I just don’t get it…what is their reluctance?
I mean, it’s great for those whose bodies respond to diet/exercise or oral meds, because they can take advantage of their natural insulin regulation response, but when it doesn’t work, why fear something that could be so much help?
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:53 am
yes she did, I didn’t help much because I was afraid to stick myself with a needle. I do it now and my only regret is waiting so long to start the insulin.
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March 2nd, 2010 at 5:55 am
Yes, and I know I’ve had a doctor who used those exact words. I was on insulin when I was pregnant and he talked me into switching back to two oral meds after I was done nursing. I really regret it because the meds made me gain weight. I eventually switched doctors and made it clear in my first appointment that I had no problem taking insulin! I now am on one oral and long-acting insulin, and have had no problems keeping my HbA1C under 5.5 for the past 5 years. I wish I’d put my foot down sooner!
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March 2nd, 2010 at 5:57 am
You know, I could really hug your for just understanding! The answer is that there is so much shame involved in being type 2 diabetic, that going on insulin does seem like failure. I had a doctor tell me only fat people get type 2, thin people get a "different" kind of diabetes. Worse he was more overweight than me and he didn’t have diabetes. This after they realized my thyroid is enlarged too. My father wants me to acknowledge that this is my fault. It isn’t possible that it was hereditary–my grandma, his mother had type 2 diabetes too. He is heavy and has been so most of my life, but never got diabetes. I was only really heavy after my son was born (and my thyroid became enlarged then too.) I think both drs and patients see insulin as failure. My friend is really fighting it. She refuses to go insulin! All I can say is thank you for understanding and not judging. Also for getting that and ultra-low-carb diet isn’t a cure!
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March 2nd, 2010 at 5:59 am
I was wondering the same thing. I’m a type one diabetic and have been for eleven years now. My mother was just recently diagnosed with type two diabetes which wasnt so bad since I knew everything to help her. Her sugars began spiking incredibly high and it made me mad to know the doctor didnt want her to go on insulin but instead do more exercise and diet. I came with her one of the times and told the doctor a little insulin would help her if nothing else was working. I was all fired up since this was my mother, and he finally decided to let her do small doses of insulin. Some doctors are just retards sometimes.
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experience, type one diabetic