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March 17, 2006
Potential danger in low-carb extremism
As someone who once lost quite a bit of weight with a low-carb diet, I read with interest a BBC News article suggesting that a low-carb diet may cause trouble. According to the article, doctors concluded the Atkins diet was a key factor in one woman's, "ketoacidosis - a serious condition that occurs when dangerous levels of acidic substances called ketones build up in the blood."
They mentioned she'd been eating a very strict diet. "For a month before she fell ill, the woman had lived on meat, cheese and salads, said the doctors."
There's a definite temptation if you're overweight to try dieting. As you get older it's harder to lose by exercise alone. If you're used to overeating, adjusting how you feel about eating is probably even harder. And there are a few of us (not me) who just burn more efficiently or have a slow metabolism.
For those who can exercise heavily, what seems to be working for me is a high-carb, high-activity regimen. If I could adjust how I feel about fullness, and keep away from dark chocolate, I could surely drop a bit more weight and run faster. It's probably something to do gradually, however.
In fact how you eat is no doubt always something you should change only gradually, unless you have some sort of particular problem that must be addressed immediately.
Posted by Mark at March 17, 2006 08:04 PM
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Comments
Maybe you could put something in the chocolate that makes you throw up. That would be an unpleasant association that might turn you against chocolate, or else just cause you to be conflicted about whether or not to eat chocolate.
Posted by: Teena at March 17, 2006 10:34 PM
Sounds great ;-)
Chocolate's not as big a problem as overeating. Sometimes when I get home from work, I'm famished. Then I eat too much before noticing I'm full.
When comparing "full" for different people, it's clear we have different associations. Sometimes Tim eats two bites and feels full. Others of us see full as the feeling right before discomfort, shortly behind vomiting. Anything less than full is "still hungry." The nerves that let the brain know about "fullness" are also quite slow to send the signal. Some of us can probably fill to overflowing before noticing the signal.
Interpreting fullness is one thing I need to work on. To race well, I still need to lose at least 5-7% of my body weight, though 10-15% (without loss of strength) would be even better.
Posted by: Mark at March 18, 2006 09:23 AM
Don't cut the chocolate out completely, or heaven forbid taint it, just turn it into a small reward. I usually have one square of the good dark stuff on weekdays when I get back to work at my desk after lunch. Since I never drink (alcohol) at lunch anymore (an unfortunate side-effect of moving back to the States), it's my relaxant before attacking the rest of the workday.
One square is 10 grams so about 60 calories (almost as much as pure oil), but it's so full of other good things (flavenoids, anti-oxidants, and who-knows-what-science-will-find, like wine) that I have absolutely zero guilt eating it. Plus, a "tablette" lasts me two weeks (a bit less if work is stressful :-).
No, the key is really to eat somewhat less at meals, gradually paring down to your healthy weight. Make less food, or put less on the table. To work against the delayed satiation signals, eat something bulky before the meal or as an appetizer, such as an apple or celery (yuck). This gets you fuller faster before all the other calories.
Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist.
Posted by: Andy at March 19, 2006 06:31 AM