Carnivore & Ketogenic Life

[Kerwyn]

Especially when one is addicted to "comfort food".

Genetics has practically nothing to do with it. Unless of course you're referring to the fact that you eat just like all your ancestors.

Hardly. For instance, both my grandmothers would save the bacon grease/cracklins and either cook with it or and/or spread it on toast. We can disagree on the genetics/HBP thing.

Comfort foods. I lost 150 lbs. in seven months without doing any exercise whatsoever. I simply cut out sugar, wheat, corn, flour, fruit juices, dates, grapes, dairy, nuts, pretty much anything with higher concentrations of sugar. It only took about two days before my body converted to a ketogenic (fat burning) process, and this is due to the fact that there was no more sugar left to burn. The fat came off in slabs, and so fast I had stretch marks for months afterwards.

If you mean in the sense that I'm not comfortable when hungry, then sure. To me that would be like eating a bag of Cheetos, not a piece of cheese.

Even now, I can do 30 crunches and see results almost immediately because there's no fat concealing anything.

The best part is that I don't need to graze anymore which is about the worst thing one can possibly do because it doesn't allow the stomach to empty itself properly. It's about the best way to mess up one's gut flora because there's always going to be undigested food sloshing around and mixing with whatever you're grazing on.

It's just like anything else, you have to find what works I guess. I don't want 0% body fat. I've had the same waist size for 25 years & I'm OK with that.

 

[Kerwyn]

The biggest problem is that no one wants to be around someone who is on a health kick. It gets annoying really fast when someone suddenly stops eating junk food, or whatever everyone else is eating and starts to lose drastic amounts of weight. When you start talking about how easy it was, it makes people downright resentful and angry.

Yep

I'm not into tortillas or flatbreads so I just eat cauliflower right out of the garden. I prefer it steamed with some of my secret sauce drizzled over it.

You ever try slicing it like a steak and grilling it? Pretty good.

It's not salt. it's sodium. You can eat all the salt you want, and it won't make any difference to you BP. Cut out the sodium. What I found out soon after I stopped eating the junk was that I no longer needed to salt much of anything anymore. Everything just tastes so much better all by itself. I put some seasonings on stuff occasionally, but that's about it.

I hardly ever put salt on my food. I'll dig into the sodium crave thing.

It you're eating a lot of salted foods, you should be drinking a lot of water as well. If you can down a lot of salt and not be thirsty for the next few hours, there's something seriously wrong, and you're doing a lot of damage to your body.

I have a pint glass at work for water; I go through 2 pints/hour so I think I'm good there.

I haven't eaten anything processed or even anything from a regular restaurant in years. I do remember how it felt to feel sick, sluggish, lethargic, listless, bloated, miserable after eating processed junk though, and I don't miss it in the slightest.

Two weeks off of wheat, corn, and flour was nothing short of an epiphany. That's about how long it took before the fog in my head began to clear. I'll never go back to eating that garbage again.

Yea ditching the refined grains does wonders for inflammation. Did you read Grain Brain by chance? I was supposed to borrow it & Covid hit so I never got the chance.

 

[shnarkle]

Hardly. For instance, both my grandmothers would save the bacon grease/cracklins and either cook with it or and/or spread it on toast. We can disagree on the genetics/HBP thing.

You literally just made my point for me. My grandparents also did likewise and died in their 50's. They all drank like fish as well. My mother stopped drinking and eating grease when she was in her mid 40's. She just turned 95. The body is incredibly resilient when given half a chance at recovery.

If you mean in the sense that I'm not comfortable when hungry, then sure. To me that would be like eating a bag of Cheetos, not a piece of cheese.

There's way too much sugar in cheese. It's most notable in the form of whey which is often added as well. You're eating high caloric foods, but there's no reason to eat high caloric foods if you're not out hunting all day long. The body is addicted to high caloric foods because they allow the body to rest instead of spend all day searching for food.

It's just like anything else, you have to find what works I guess. I don't want 0% body fat. I've had the same waist size for 25 years & I'm OK with that.

Cutting out sugars, complex carbohydrates, greasy transfats etc. works about as well as anything. It took less than two days for my body to start burning fat like a volcano, and I would have cottage cheese and pineapple right before going to bed. Hmm. Good and it jump starts the body's metabolism. I was literally burning fat while I slept. I had to stop doing it when I got down to 150 lbs. though. Can you imagine having to stop eating just so you don't keep losing weight???

I still mix up a salad mixing bowl full of spinach, collards, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and a chicken breast and eat the whole thing in one sitting. An hour later I can go out and run wind sprints or go for a swim. Try doing that with whatever you're eating.

I'm no longer addicted to food anymore so I can eat like a pig or fast for days. It makes no difference. The reason you're having so much distress with an empty stomach is because you've become leptin resistant. You're pre-diabetic if not diabetic already. You've probably got advanced heart disease as well. IBS, restless leg syndrome, cancer and a whole host of other nasty ailments are what awaits those who choose to eat addictive 'comfort foods' for the rest of their lives. How many prescription meds are you currently taking?

 

[balshan]

You literally just made my point for me. My grandparents also did likewise and died in their 50's. They all drank like fish as well. My mother stopped drinking and eating grease when she was in her mid 40's. She just turned 95. The body is incredibly resilient when given half a chance at recovery.

There's way too much sugar in cheese. It's most notable in the form of whey which is often added as well. You're eating high caloric foods, but there's no reason to eat high caloric foods if you're not out hunting all day long. The body is addicted to high caloric foods because they allow the body to rest instead of spend all day searching for food.

Cutting out sugars, complex carbohydrates, greasy transfats etc. works about as well as anything. It took less than two days for my body to start burning fat like a volcano, and I would have cottage cheese and pineapple right before going to bed. Hmm. Good and it jump starts the body's metabolism. I was literally burning fat while I slept. I had to stop doing it when I got down to 150 lbs. though. Can you imagine having to stop eating just so you don't keep losing weight???

I still mix up a salad mixing bowl full of spinach, collards, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and a chicken breast and eat the whole thing in one sitting. An hour later I can go out and run wind sprints or go for a swim. Try doing that with whatever you're eating.

I'm no longer addicted to food anymore so I can eat like a pig or fast for days. It makes no difference. The reason you're having so much distress with an empty stomach is because you've become leptin resistant. You're pre-diabetic if not diabetic already. You've probably got advanced heart disease as well. IBS, restless leg syndrome, cancer and a whole host of other nasty ailments are what awaits those who choose to eat addictive 'comfort foods' for the rest of their lives. How many prescription meds are you currently taking?

My grandmother used to skim the cream off the top of milk to use in scones. She saved the wrap paper came in to grease the cake tins etc. She loved chop tails which is all fat, I hated the taste of fat. Then the drippings from meat cooking was kept for roasting vegetables etc. I will admit she worked really physically hard all her life and she died at the age of 67/68 from a car crash.

It is great to remember she stayed with us because both our parents were incapable of being parents. But they had 9 kids. But it was nanna who kept us clean, taught us manners, fed us and never got put her feet up because there was always work to do.

 

[shnarkle]

Yep

You ever try slicing it like a steak and grilling it? Pretty good.

No, but recently I had some humungous old carrots and wasn't sure what to do with them so I steamed them for a while until they were about the consistency of hot dogs, and smothered them in mayo, mustard, saurkraut, and pickle relish. They tasted just like hot dogs. They had the same consistency of a hot dog.

I hardly ever put salt on my food. I'll dig into the sodium crave thing.

I have a pint glass at work for water; I go through 2 pints/hour so I think I'm good there.

Yea ditching the refined grains does wonders for inflammation. Did you read Grain Brain by chance? I was supposed to borrow it & Covid hit so I never got the chance.

I'm finding that all grains seem addictive. I haven't eaten any of my own home grown amaranth or quinoa yet though.

 

[Kerwyn]

You literally just made my point for me. My grandparents also did likewise and died in their 50's. They all drank like fish as well. My mother stopped drinking and eating grease when she was in her mid 40's. She just turned 95. The body is incredibly resilient when given half a chance at recovery.

Miscommunication I think. I'm saying I don't eat like my grandparents used to. We had a family friend who ate like that, rolled his own cigs & drank like a fish also, all the way up to the end. He made it to 95 but I have no idea how.

There's way too much sugar in cheese. It's most notable in the form of whey which is often added as well. You're eating high caloric foods, but there's no reason to eat high caloric foods if you're not out hunting all day long. The body is addicted to high caloric foods because they allow the body to rest instead of spend all day searching for food.

I blessed with a career where I'm not chained to a desk 40+ hours/ week and still involves a good amount of physical activity, plus I'm not a couch potato in off hours. I think that's a big part of the obesity problem in this country. Everything is packed with sugar, people eat too much then binge a whole season of a show on TV. I just looked it up, average size in the US for a 20 year old male in the US 5'9" tall, 198 lb with a 40.2 inch waist size. I just hit 50, would fall on the larger side of the NBA small forward spectrum, and I'm still below the average waist size so I think I'm OK.

I still mix up a salad mixing bowl full of spinach, collards, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and a chicken breast and eat the whole thing in one sitting. An hour later I can go out and run wind sprints or go for a swim. Try doing that with whatever you're eating.

Typical Saturday morning for me is wake up, eat a small breakfast, stretch for 15 min and put anywhere from 20-40 miles on my bicycle. Challenge accepted.

The reason you're having so much distress with an empty stomach is because you've become leptin resistant.

I never claimed distress from an empty stomach. Are you confusing me with someone else? I'll check out the leptin thing though.

You're pre-diabetic if not diabetic already. You've probably got advanced heart disease as well.

Yearly physicals. Last year cholesterol dropped 28 points, triglycerides as well as all other markers well within normal. I was a high-performing athlete into my mid-20's until a severe injury de-railed things. I'm well aware of proper diet & exercise practices, and try to do the best I can but not get hung up on it. I don't think anybody gets to heaven and says "man I wish I ate more kale"

IBS, restless leg syndrome, cancer and a whole host of other nasty ailments are what awaits those who choose to eat addictive 'comfort foods' for the rest of their lives.

Absolutely, if one doesn't take care of themselves and eats improperly all the time things go bad. Then again, if I'm on vacation and there's Key Lime Pie on the menu I'll just put an extra 5 miles on the bike when I get home & not worry about it.

How many prescription meds are you currently taking?

1 for BP. That's it.

 

[shnarkle]

Miscommunication I think. I'm saying I don't eat like my grandparents used to.

You'd be surprised how much people do eat like their grandparents. 50 years ago the average American consumed 2.5 lbs. of sugar. Today it's well over 125 lbs. If you eat out, eat processed foods, you're probably consuming way more than your grandparents.

We had a family friend who ate like that, rolled his own cigs & drank like a fish also, all the way up to the end. He made it to 95 but I have no idea how.

Probably because hand rolled tobacco is far more healthier than the prepackaged smokes. Who knows how long he would have lived if he hadn't taken up smoking and drinking?

I blessed with a career where I'm not chained to a desk 40+ hours/ week and still involves a good amount of physical activity, plus I'm not a couch potato in off hours. I think that's a big part of the obesity problem in this country.

It's definitely a factor, but the prime factor is diet. I lost 150 lbs doing pretty close to nothing in the way of exercise.

Everything is packed with sugar, people eat too much then binge a whole season of a show on TV. I just looked it up, average size in the US for a 20 year old male in the US 5'9" tall, 198 lb with a 40.2 inch waist size. I just hit 50, would fall on the larger side of the NBA small forward spectrum, and I'm still below the average waist size so I think I'm OK.

It's better to look at what your waist should be than look at the average among obese males in the US.

Typical Saturday morning for me is wake up, eat a small breakfast, stretch for 15 min and put anywhere from 20-40 miles on my bicycle. Challenge accepted.

If you really want to lose weight, do the bicycle ride before eating anything. That way you're burning fat rather than what you just ate. However, after 50 it does matter when you eat protein when working out. You don't want to lose any more muscle mass than necessary.

I never claimed distress from an empty stomach. Are you confusing me with someone else? I'll check out the leptin thing though.

You were talking about having trouble fasting. You should have no problem fasting for days at a time. Nausea, dizziness, etc. from fasting are serious signs of health issues.

Yearly physicals. Last year cholesterol dropped 28 points, triglycerides as well as all other markers well within normal.

It's good to get regular physicals, but western medicine is pretty close to clueless when dealing with cholesterol, triglycerides, hormone levels etc. I've got a friend who is around 75 now, and looks like he's not a day over 40. He spent years studying diet, aging, etc. and western medicine hasn't scratched the surface.

I was a high-performing athlete into my mid-20's until a severe injury de-railed things. I'm well aware of proper diet & exercise practices, and try to do the best I can but not get hung up on it. I don't think anybody gets to heaven and says "man I wish I ate more kale"

The goal of a good diet and exercise isn't to get to heaven. Those who don't get hung up on their lifestyle usually get to heaven sooner rather than later.

Absolutely, if one doesn't take care of themselves and eats improperly all the time things go bad. Then again, if I'm on vacation and there's Key Lime Pie on the menu I'll just put an extra 5 miles on the bike when I get home & not worry about it.

I cut out sugar completely so I feel no compulsion to eat it, nor to justify it with more exercise afterwards.

1 for BP. That's it.

20 years ago I was on eight pills twice a day for BP, heart rate, blood thinners, etc. etc. etc. Now I'm on a grand total of none.

If you're peddling 20 to 30 miles even a few times a week, you shouldn't have a problem with blood pressure. I dare you to take a peek at the side effects of that BP med you're taking. You're blood pressure may be stable because of those meds, but they might destroy your kidneys or liver in the process.

Western medicine treats the symptoms, not the underlying problem. Deal with the underlying problem, and the symptoms will disappear practically overnight.

 

[Kerwyn]

You'd be surprised how much people do eat like their grandparents. 50 years ago the average American consumed 2.5 lbs. of sugar. Today it's well over 125 lbs. If you eat out, eat processed foods, you're probably consuming way more than your grandparents.

I'm not surprised at all. I think people eat worse than their grandparents, with the wider availability of processed food and the wonderful high fructose corn syrup that's in everything. Some of these labels list 3 or 4 different types of sugars as the ingredients, and as you probably know sugar feeds cancer. It's gross.

Probably because hand rolled tobacco is far more healthier than the prepackaged smokes. Who knows how long he would have lived if he hadn't taken up smoking and drinking?

I've heard that about tobacco. Who knows, indeed.

It's better to look at what your waist should be than look at the average among obese males in the US.

1" smaller than "suggested serving size"

The goal of a good diet and exercise isn't to get to heaven. Those who don't get hung up on their lifestyle usually get to heaven sooner rather than later.

Of course not. Agreed.

I started looking at eastern medicine pre-covid. I'll have to take another look I think. You gave me a lot to look up; good convo.

 

[shnarkle]

I'm not surprised at all. I think people eat worse than their grandparents, with the wider availability of processed food and the wonderful high fructose corn syrup that's in everything.

You make a good point about being active. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, a lot of people worked on farms. Staying active can go a long way towards combating the effects of sugar in the diet.

Some of these labels list 3 or 4 different types of sugars as the ingredients, and as you probably know sugar feeds cancer. It's gross.

When those labels begin with wheat, corn or some sort of flour, it's basically just sugar with more sugar. There are plenty of processed products with big "Sugar Free" banners plastered across them, but there's plenty of sugar under a different name, and everyone can taste it. Sadly, people would rather believe a lie.

I started looking at eastern medicine pre-covid. I'll have to take another look I think. You gave me a lot to look up; good convo.

I can't be around second hand smoke without it causing my heart to fibrillate. About five or so years ago I started taking this herbal med. from China. It's about half a dozen herbs blended together and it knocks the heart back into a sinus rhythm about as fast as a defibrillator without the nasty $6,500.00 bill I stocked up before the sanctions went into effect. I've basically got a lifetime supply.

I've also been growing a fair amount of herbs used by the local Seminole Indians for various ailments. Some of the stuff is really tasty. I've got tons of ginger, half a dozen sassafras trees for making root beer, turmeric, coriander, burdock, etc. etc.

 

[Bonnie]

Well I was curious about any feedback with these dietary lifestyles, thanks.

Well, my husband went on a low carb diet 3 years ago, when his A1C went to 6.8. It is supposed to be 6.5 or under. I helped him figure out how many grams of carbs he needed to lose weight comfortably. He lost 20 lbs, but then lost another 15 lbs. due to CLL, though that is under control and he is doing much better and his blood work is normal. He no longer has high blood pressure.

I also started eating more low carb meals along with him, as I gain and lose weight only between waist and thighs. I lost a few pounds, and lost 6 pounds before we went on our osdt cruise 3 months before the pandemic hit. But I missed my Cheerios in the morning. So last Sunday I went on WW's, instead. And went back to eating a small bowl of Cheerios with 1% milk for breakfast. I let myself have more good carbs with whole grains. My energy level went way up after the second day. So, I must have needed more carbs than what I was getting.

So I think I will stick with WW when I want to lose a few pounds prior to a cruise--we are due to go on a Bermuda one in mid-May. But on days we indulge in steak--yum!--I will do low carb, high protein.

 

[balshan]

Well, my husband went on a low carb diet 3 years ago, when his A1C went to 6.8. It is supposed to be 6.5 or under. I helped him figure out how many grams of carbs he needed to lose weight comfortably. He lost 20 lbs, but then lost another 15 lbs. due to CLL, though that is under control and he is doing much better and his blood work is Nirmal. He no longer has high blood pressure.

I also started eating more low carb meals along with him, as I gain and lose weight only between waist and thighs. I lost a few pounds, and lost 6 pounds before we went on our osdt cruise 3 months before the pandemic hit. But I kissed my Cheerios in tbe morning. So last Sunday I went on WW's, instead. And went back to eating a small bowl of Cheerios with 1% milk for breakfast. I let myself have more good carbs with whole grains. My energy level went way up after the second day. Do, I must have needed more carbs than what I was getting.

So I think I will stick with WW when I want to lose a few pounds prior to a cruise--we are due to go on a Bermuda one in mid-May. But on days we indulge in steak--yum!--I will do low carb, high protein.

I think you need to find what works for you IMO.

 

[Bonnie]

I think you need to find what works for you IMO.

I am trying. I get very little sugar or grains in my diet. I use Splenda instead of sugar. When I do have bread, it is whole grain. We eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, frizen ir fresh.

The problem is, my husband is no longer having problems keeping his weight down, but I am a little! I tell ya, life's not fair....

 

[balshan]

I am trying. I get very little sugar or grains in my diet. I use Splenda instead of sugar. When I do have bread, it is whole grain. We eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, frizen ir fresh.

The problem is, my husband is no longer having problems keeping his weight down, but I am a little! I tell ya, life's not fair....

Let us be honest he has had a hard road lately. But you are good I have failed in my endeavours because I had always controlled it with exercise and now cannot do what I did and covid lock downs did not help. Of course the next few days will be full on with a grand child staying.

 

[Bonnie]

Let us be honest he has had a hard road lately. But you are good I have failed in my endeavours because I had always controlled it with exercise and now cannot do what I did and covid lock downs did not help. Of course the next few days will be full on with a grand child staying.

You are too hard on yourself. But hubby's road has been pretty good lately since his blood work is all normal now. But he has been doing a lot of yard work lately, which I cannot help with, except for some weeding.

 

[BJ Bear]

That's a good point often highlighted with these efforts. Seed oils cause inflammation, olive oil is a middling choice as an alternative. Saturated fats and butter are better options. As you indicate satiety plays a role in fasting and to a degree or more how long a person can fast without feeling hungry. Different lengths of fasts trigger different physiological responses in the body. Somewhere on or after 14 hr mark autophagy begins. Sometime after some longer fasts stem cells are believed to be activated. As I recall that window was between 28-32 hrs. A couple of my favs are doctors Shawn Baker MD (Revero) and Anthony Chaffee MD.
Thanks for posting and any additional thoughts or comments.
p.s.
Some people will perform mimick fasting where they consume low calorie esp. low carb foods to stave off hunger during a fast cycle. An example of this could be cabbage soup.?

Nic

Thanks for the info.

Giving up corn and corn oil? That's a steep price.

I don't know if it will work for anyone else, but I use an avocado and fried egg with cabbage to lower blood sugar by about forty points over four hours.

 

[BJ Bear]

Two weeks off of wheat, corn, and flour was nothing short of an epiphany. That's about how long it took before the fog in my head began to clear. I'll never go back to eating that garbage again.

In a similar way, two weeks off of wheat and I quit craving it. Now I can eat it once in a while without wanting a whole lot more.

 

[BJ Bear]

In Hong Kong for example, they eat more red meat and pork on a daily basis than any large population throughout the world, yet boast more centarians per capita.
Thanks for your reply and any further thoughts or comments!

Nic

A cardiologist once told me that the heart attack in a hamburger is in the bread, meaning it was the mix of carbs and the meat that is the problem. That was great news to a meat lover.