# Another low carb diet study



## solman (Jun 21, 2019)

I've been on a keto diet with <20g carbs per day since the start of 2019 in order to lower my triglyceride to HDL ratio. A recent blood test confirms it's been working. I suggest everyone to re-examine their most recent blood tests and double check their Tri/HDL ratios. Even if all the numbers are within range or just slightly above normal, High Ratio of Triglycerides to HDL-Cholesterol Predicts Extensive Coronary Disease. "Elevation in the ratio of TG to HDL-c was the single most powerful predictor of extensive coronary heart disease among all the lipid variables examined."

https://www.newsweek.com/low-carb-diet-reduce-risk-diseases-1444962

"The diets on average contained 2,950 calories, with 420 grams of carbohydrates in the high carb diet per day; 234 in medium; and 45 in the low. Compared to the high-carb diet, the low-carb diet contained 2.5 times more saturated fat.

"For the low-carbohydrate diet arm, that meant they were eating a lot of fat," Volek told _Newsweek_. "Nevertheless there were robust improvements in many of the markers of metabolic syndrome. This not only highlights the importance of restricting dietary carbohydrates, but also points to concerns about high-fat being harmful as having no merit."


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jun 21, 2019)

Yep...the "fat bad for you" myth has been debunked. Too bad Drs still tell people "eat less fat" when diagnosed with diabetes or high cholesterol


----------



## solman (Jun 21, 2019)

people may be accepting high fat as ok, but they're still intaking a lot of carbs and may not understand that high carbs is causing a lot of the health issues today.


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jun 21, 2019)

solman said:


> people may be accepting high fat as ok, but they're still intaking a lot of carbs and may not understand that high carbs is causing a lot of the health issues today.


Ha ha...they choose to hear what they want


----------



## clifish (Jun 21, 2019)

Yep,  My endocrinologist is a paleo diet phd and she says her diet is up to 40% fat,  we have it wrong in this country about fat.  She told me to not steam my veggies but cook them in real butter.  I also asked about how I usually I skip breakfast and her reply was that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" BS was made up General Mills to sell more cereal.


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jun 21, 2019)

People have been fasting for thousands of years. Skipping a meal, two or three is not bad habit. Especially if one eats carbs, a regular break from the insuline roller coaster allows the body to deal with low level inflammation - which is what triggers high cholesterol, not the dietary fats.


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jun 21, 2019)

Look at the Mayo clinic's dietary advice for diabetics: wholegrains and avoid drinks with added sugar. Wholegrains might be healthier than say white flour but they still have enormous amounts of carbs. How does that help a diabetic? 

The highly marketed fresh fruit smoothies are ok - despite the fact that they have as much sugar as Coke.


----------



## clifish (Jun 21, 2019)

I avoid all grains, drink vodka and diet cream, I really have cut back on the IPA's.  Have not had Pizza since January...kills me as living 45 minutes from Brooklyn and having some of the best pizza around me everywhere. 

My wake up call came in January when the Hospital for Special Surgery failed me for a rotator cuff pre-op due to my A1C being at 9.6 (s/b 6).  I made some changes and dropped 25lbs and A1C was down to 7.0 in 2 months.  I also take 1 - 24 hour period a week to do my intermittent fast.


----------



## Cabo (Jun 21, 2019)

I have been on the keto diet since Novmber and have lost 35 lbs and my blood pressure is back down to the "normal" level.  We smoke a bunch of meat every weekend and enjoy it all week.


----------



## JudithJohnson (Jul 22, 2019)

Wow, I can't imagine myself on a diet! I could even kill a mockingbird like this and grill it if I'm hungry But sometimes it is useful to read stories and recipes about diet. Hope I would not eat poor mockingbird while I'm at the job. Meat is amazing, folks!


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jul 22, 2019)

"Meat is amazing, folks!"
____
You do know this forum is about meat smoking, don't you?


----------



## 6GRILLZNTN (Jul 22, 2019)

I have a ton of respect for people that can stay on a Keto diet.  I tried it last year for a couple of months and thought I was going to die.  Going from a carb diet to a fat diet just didn't agree with my body.


----------



## krj (Jul 22, 2019)

5GRILLZNTN said:


> I have a ton of respect for people that can stay on a Keto diet.  I tried it last year for a couple of months and thought I was going to die.  Going from a carb diet to a fat diet just didn't agree with my body.



I've been Keto for 17 months tomorrow, and when people ask me what the key is I tell them willpower. Now that isn't necessarily just a necessity for Keto, but it helps a lot when you have to avoid one of the most easily obtainable food types out there.


----------



## 6GRILLZNTN (Jul 22, 2019)

krj said:


> I've been Keto for 17 months tomorrow, and when people ask me what the key is I tell them willpower. Now that isn't necessarily just a necessity for Keto, but it helps a lot when you have to avoid one of the most easily obtainable food types out there.



I salute you sir!  Willpower wasn't the problem.  I smoked cowboy killers for 30 years and kicked that habit.  Keto just knocked out too many foods that I like to eat.


----------



## solman (Jul 23, 2019)

5GRILLZNTN said:


> I have a ton of respect for people that can stay on a Keto diet.  I tried it last year for a couple of months and thought I was going to die.  Going from a carb diet to a fat diet just didn't agree with my body.





krj said:


> I've been Keto for 17 months tomorrow, and when people ask me what the key is I tell them willpower. Now that isn't necessarily just a necessity for Keto, but it helps a lot when you have to avoid one of the most easily obtainable food types out there.



i've been on it for almost 8 months now, and i feel my body is still adapting to it. i think it helps that i love savory foods, and eating smoked meats i don't have to worry about picking off the fat. one thing i love about the keto diet is that i no longer have sugar crashes. i just feel steadily hungrier throughout the day.

i had thought i could maintain a keto diet forever but i miss pizza, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread too much. my plan now is to try different lifestyle changes and measure my cholesterol level at each stage to see if i can maintain a healthy triglyceride to HDL ratio, which is my ultimate goal.

stage 1: keto, calorie deficit, no exercise
lost 25 pounds

stage 2: keto, maintain calories, exercise 4x/week
each stage is 16 weeks, and i'm currently nearing the end of stage 2. i'll get my blood tested again, then start stage 3

stage 3: original diet, maintain calories, exercise 4x/week
if at the end of stage 3 my cholesterol levels go back up, i can assume that increased carb intake is what caused the levels to increase since that would be the only change between stage 2 and 3.

anyway, this is probably more info than anyone is interested in reading, but figured i'd share in case anyone else is interested in pursuing keto for health reasons.


----------



## clifish (Jul 23, 2019)

solman said:


> i've been on it for almost 8 months now, and i feel my body is still adapting to it. i think it helps that i love savory foods, and eating smoked meats i don't have to worry about picking off the fat. one thing i love about the keto diet is that i no longer have sugar crashes. i just feel steadily hungrier throughout the day.
> 
> i had thought i could maintain a keto diet forever but i miss pizza, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread too much. my plan now is to try different lifestyle changes and measure my cholesterol level at each stage to see if i can maintain a healthy triglyceride to HDL ratio, which is my ultimate goal.
> 
> ...


If you don't mind me asking (and you don't have to answer) what have you lost thus far in stage 2?  your age? and starting weight?  I went from 229 to 207 on low carb diet and hit a wall.  I then did intermittent fasting of 1 day per week and got down to 202...sporadic exercising.  What did happen is my A1C (diabetic sugar level) went from a dangerous 9.8 to 7.0 in the first 3 months...getting tested in a couple weeks.


----------



## solman (Jul 23, 2019)

clifish said:


> If you don't mind me asking (and you don't have to answer) what have you lost thus far in stage 2?  your age? and starting weight?  I went from 229 to 207 on low carb diet and hit a wall.  I then did intermittent fasting of 1 day per week and got down to 202...sporadic exercising.  What did happen is my A1C (diabetic sugar level) went from a dangerous 9.8 to 7.0 in the first 3 months...getting tested in a couple weeks.



stage 2 is my maintenance stage. the only thing i changed was to increase my calorie intake to maintenance level (mostly by increasing protein, gluconeogenesis is demand driven and excess protein doesn't just magically turn into glucose) and started a 4x/week exercise routine (a variation of a 5x3x1 routine from exrx.net. age 47, starting weight 155ish, currently maintaining 130. i also do intermittent fasting, 18 hours fast, 6 hours eat most days, but usually end up doing 16/8 instead.

so going in stages will help me figure out which change has the most effect. stage 1 to 2, i lost weight. stage 2 to 3, i added exercising. stage 3 i'll stop counting carbs and add it back into my diet but maintain weight and exercise. 

i'm clueless about diabetes, but isn't going from 9.8 to 7.0 a good thing?


----------



## atomicsmoke (Jul 23, 2019)

solman said:


> i've been on it for almost 8 months now, and i feel my body is still adapting to it. i think it helps that i love savory foods, and eating smoked meats i don't have to worry about picking off the fat. one thing i love about the keto diet is that i no longer have sugar crashes. i just feel steadily hungrier throughout the day.
> 
> i had thought i could maintain a keto diet forever but i miss pizza, mashed potatoes, and garlic bread too much. my plan now is to try different lifestyle changes and measure my cholesterol level at each stage to see if i can maintain a healthy triglyceride to HDL ratio, which is my ultimate goal.
> 
> ...


Carbohydrates in diet lead to accumulation of advanced glycation end products - known infllammatory agents. Inflammation causes high cholesterol levels. For overweight people (likely suffering from metabolic syndrome and/or insulin resistance) the effect of AGEP is even more pronounced.

Serum cholesterol is not the problem, it's a body defence mechanism like fever. Is what causes high serum cholesterol: inflammation.


----------



## clifish (Jul 23, 2019)

yes very good, a non diabetic is in the 5-5.7 range.  I hope to be in low 6's on my next blood work.  I am a type 2 (non insulin), my real goal is to get off oral meds if possible and drop below 200.  I am 6' with a good size frame so going to like 180lbs is not realistic.


----------



## kawboy (Jul 24, 2019)

I've been low/no carb for a little over two years after being diagnosed type 2. Didn't realize I was going keto until a Dr. friend of mine told me that's what I was doing, I was just following my dr.s orders. Dropped from an A1C of 10.4 to one of 6 in about a year and a half. Best side affect was dropping 65 pounds, and losing the blood pressure meds. Was it rough giving up bread and pasta and rice and potatoes? YES! Am I glad I did? YES! Once I got rolling, there was no way I wanted to go back to feeling like crap all the time. Or suffer the side affects of diabetes, lost too many relatives. It is doable.


----------



## clifish (Jul 24, 2019)

kawboy said:


> I've been low/no carb for a little over two years after being diagnosed type 2. Didn't realize I was going keto until a Dr. friend of mine told me that's what I was doing, I was just following my dr.s orders. Dropped from an A1C of 10.4 to one of 6 in about a year and a half. Best side affect was dropping 65 pounds, and losing the blood pressure meds. Was it rough giving up bread and pasta and rice and potatoes? YES! Am I glad I did? YES! Once I got rolling, there was no way I wanted to go back to feeling like crap all the time. Or suffer the side affects of diabetes, lost too many relatives. It is doable.


Pizza and bagels are the items I that kill me the most.  Living 40 minutes outside New York City there are phenomenal Pizza and bagel joints in every shopping center.


----------



## kawboy (Jul 24, 2019)

clifish said:


> Pizza and bagels are the items I that kill me the most.  Living 40 minutes outside New York City there are phenomenal Pizza and bagel joints in every shopping center.


Haven't found a good bagel replacement yet, but I'll make a good cauliflower crust, or chicken crust, or mushroom cap pizza. Haven't tried the bacon crust yet, no idea why not though.


----------



## solman (Jul 24, 2019)

clifish said:


> Pizza and bagels are the items I that kill me the most.  Living 40 minutes outside New York City there are phenomenal Pizza and bagel joints in every shopping center.




have you tried low carb wrap pizzas? Tumaro's wrap has 3g net per wrap, and there's also Joseph's lavash bread that has 10g net per wrap. i usually use 2 tumaro wraps (6g) or one joseph lavash (10g) to make my pizzas, add a little alfredo sauce, mozarella and pepperoni, and it's the best low carb pizza. it's just enough to take the edge off my carb cravings.

https://grocery.walmart.com/ip/Joseph-s-It-s-A-Wrap-Lavash-Bread-4-ct-9-oz/10323273


----------



## krj (Jul 24, 2019)

kawboy said:


> Haven't found a good bagel replacement yet, but I'll make a good cauliflower crust, or chicken crust, or mushroom cap pizza. Haven't tried the bacon crust yet, no idea why not though.



I haven't tried them yet because I never was much of a bagel guy, but I know ThinSlimFoods has them. I finally got around to ordering from them, and everything I bought but the brownie I had has been great. I even went and ordered more of their bread.



solman said:


> have you tried low carb wrap pizzas? Tumaro's wrap has 3g net per wrap, and there's also Joseph's lavash bread that has 10g net per wrap. i usually use 2 tumaro wraps (6g) or one joseph lavash (10g) to make my pizzas, add a little alfredo sauce, mozarella and pepperoni, and it's the best low carb pizza. it's just enough to take the edge off my carb cravings.
> 
> https://grocery.walmart.com/ip/Joseph-s-It-s-A-Wrap-Lavash-Bread-4-ct-9-oz/10323273



I have to second the recommendation of Joseph's lavash. It's much cheaper to buy it from them directly, I'll buy a box of 10? packages and throw them in the freezer at work. Then I just take a package out to thaw and as I need it. I also only use a half a sheet for a wrap so this lowers my carb count by half and extends my supply even longer. I need to look into Tumaro, I have never seen it before.


I realized a while back that, while I do miss some of the carby items; I think what I miss more is the convenience and hassle-freeness of the carby foods. For example, the above wraps and low carb breads work great, and are a nice substitute. BUT they aren't as easily accessible as a plain ol loaf of wonder bread or a 99 cent package of hotdog/hamburger buns. Also, when I eat out I always research as much as I can beforehand, but I still at times feel like a big pain in the ass for being picky about my meal. No bun, mayo(real not MW) on the side, side salad, full fat ranch, steamed veggies. I always feel picky, and I was raised not to be that, and I'm far from being a picky eater naturally.

But at the end of the day it's working, and that is what matters. I doubt I will be low carb forever, but when I get to the point where I am comfortable with my weight I'll probably switch over to a more standard diet. I will however be more aware of my portion control, and will be monitoring my weight to make sure I don't balloon up again.


----------



## clifish (Jul 24, 2019)

I will have to look into those wraps...I have used carbquick from amazon to make crust and it is not bad.  

I am even worse in a restaurant as I am also highly allergic to shellfish (7 years now).  I need to get a hold of the chef to make sure they have separate facilities to cook my food.  I always start out with the wait staff as "I am your problem child for the meal"!


----------



## clifish (Jul 24, 2019)

solman said:


> have you tried low carb wrap pizzas? Tumaro's wrap has 3g net per wrap, and there's also Joseph's lavash bread that has 10g net per wrap. i usually use 2 tumaro wraps (6g) or one joseph lavash (10g) to make my pizzas, add a little alfredo sauce, mozarella and pepperoni, and it's the best low carb pizza. it's just enough to take the edge off my carb cravings.
> 
> https://grocery.walmart.com/ip/Joseph-s-It-s-A-Wrap-Lavash-Bread-4-ct-9-oz/10323273


what Tamaros has the 3 net carbs?  all the ones on their site say 8 net?


----------



## kawboy (Jul 24, 2019)

All this low carb talk makes us sound old☺! I agree with the eating out being a bit more difficult, but it sure saves us money not running through fast food all the time. Must places have been pretty good about subbing roasted veggies for mashed taters and such. Tacos are still a weakness, but still a better cheat than most things.


----------



## solman (Jul 24, 2019)

clifish said:


> what Tamaros has the 3 net carbs?  all the ones on their site say 8 net?



sorry i was off by 1g, it's actually 4g net per wrap: https://www.tumaros.com/product/8-multi-grain-low-carb-wraps-84945500003


----------



## clifish (Jul 24, 2019)

solman said:


> sorry i was off by 1g, it's actually 4g net per wrap: https://www.tumaros.com/product/8-multi-grain-low-carb-wraps-84945500003



interesting on the buy it page it shows 8 net...what ever still not bad.  How do you like them?

https://www.tumaros.com/tm-shop


----------



## solman (Jul 24, 2019)

clifish said:


> what Tamaros has the 3 net carbs?  all the ones on their site say 8 net?



sorry i was off by 1g, it's actually 4g net per wrap: https://www.tumaros.com/product/8-multi-grain-low-carb-wraps-84945500003


clifish said:


> interesting on the buy it page it shows 8 net...what ever still not bad.  How do you like them?
> 
> https://www.tumaros.com/tm-shop



yeah that's strange, it does show 8g net on the cart page. i really like them for flat bread pizza. they're kind of pricey though, i think around $5 locally but i think they're worth it.


----------



## clifish (Jul 24, 2019)

how do you crisp up the wrap to use it for pizza?


----------



## solman (Jul 24, 2019)

clifish said:


> how do you crisp up the wrap to use it for pizza?



i keep it simple, and just throw all the toppings on and then into a toaster oven for 5-10 minutes. it's not a traditional pizza, but basically pizza toppings on a wrap. once cooked, i usually fold it over or even roll it up to make it easier to eat.


----------



## jcam222 (Oct 21, 2019)

kawboy said:


> Haven't found a good bagel replacement yet, but I'll make a good cauliflower crust, or chicken crust, or mushroom cap pizza. Haven't tried the bacon crust yet, no idea why not though.


  Try fathead pizza dough. We use it for pizza, breadsticks and countless other things. Roll it out nice and thin and pre-bake it for pizza so that you get a crisper crust. This stuff is a game changer for keto dieters missing pizza. We love it.


----------



## Ariene (Nov 16, 2020)

A lot of my friends use the keto diet and they see results. For this reason, I also thought of trying and I hope to have beautiful results. The first step I took was to go to the doctor to do various tests and determine together which diet will be compatible with my body parameters because many make a big mistake by not doing this and then have major health problems. After that, I decided to take a keto diet and my friends recommended a program from https://ketodietapp.com that is extremely useful and helps the whole process is very convenient. I only started this week, so I hope to see the effects soon.


----------

