Living Low Carb (64 page)

The American Diabetes Association’s high-starch diet is so behind the curve that it’s ludicrous. Jovanovim sums up the conventional high-carb advice for diabetics in one word: “Malpractice!”

Can Stress Stall Weight Loss?

You bet. Not only can stress stall weight loss, it can
reverse
it. Stress—which can come from lack of sleep, extremely low-calorie dieting, and, of course, from life itself—causes the release of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These stress hormones send messages to the body to break down muscle for fuel, resulting in a lower metabolic rate. They send compelling messages to the brain to eat (e.g., the well-known “stress eating” phenomenon). Cortisol also tells the body to store fat around the middle. Because cortisol basically breaks down biochemicals in the body, chronic elevated levels of cortisol can trigger a protective reaction from the body in the form of insulin secretion (since insulin builds up structures in the body, including, of course, the fat cells). This makes chronically high levels of cortisol one possible cause of insulin resistance.

Another way stress can screw up weight loss is by its effect on serotonin. Stress
eats up
serotonin. Less serotonin is produced because stress interferes with the good, deep, restful sleep needed by the body to replenish its serotonin stock.
⁴
The demand for serotonin becomes greater, while the production of it is lower. Serotonin depletion is never,
ever
conducive to weight loss, as it works against you in very powerful ways.

What Is Leptin?

Leptin is a hormone involved in appetite control. Early research at Rockefeller University showed that obese mice were very low in leptin, leading to a lot of excitement about the possibility that giving leptin to obese people would somehow result in weight loss. No such luck. It turned out that obese people have plenty of leptin. What seems to be happening is that they have what might be called leptin resistance—their cells don’t respond to it, in a scenario not unlike that of insulin resistance.

Leptin is produced by fat cells—when the fat cells are full, they release leptin, which sends a signal to the brain to stop eating—but this mechanism doesn’t seem to work in obese people.
Less
leptin means
more
appetite; as body fat is lost, leptin levels drop,
⁵
which in turn sends a message to the brain telling you to eat more. This mechanism may be one of the many that make regaining weight after a diet so easy; it’s as if this feedback mechanism is hard at work to preserve you at a set weight. Drugs to treat this “leptin resistance” are in development and, if they prove promising, may one day help to fight obesity.

This Is My First Week on a Low-Carb Diet. Why Do I Feel Lightheaded?

Loss of minerals could be the culprit. Remember that when you lower your insulin levels, you lose salt and water (but, in the process, you lose potassium as well). This, plus the tons of water I hope you’re drinking, could conceivably result in enough electrolyte loss to lower blood pressure to the point where you might feel lightheaded or even faint. Replace some of the lost salt with either salty foods or some table salt. Try ¼ teaspoon of potassium chloride (Morton Lite Salt) and ¼ teaspoon of table salt to start, and see if that helps. Don’t forget to take potassium supplements.

How Do I Know if I’m Insulin-Resistant?

The best way is with a fasting insulin test. This test tells you what your baseline level of insulin is when no food is around to spike it. If you’re not insulin-resistant, you shouldn’t have a lot in your bloodstream when you haven’t eaten. Lab ranges will vary; you should not be above seventeen, and the optimal level is below ten. A blood-sugar test won’t tell you if you’re insulin-resistant. You could have blood sugar in the normal range, but it could be taking an enormous amount of insulin to keep it there.

Without a fasting insulin test, the best “low-tech” way is to look at your body’s “insulin meter”—your waistline. If you’re storing a bunch of fat around your middle, chances are you’re somewhat insulin-resistant. And though the argument about which comes first—obesity or insulin resistance—continues to rage, the fact is that they are so often found together that for all intents and purposes, if you’re extremely overweight, you can assume you are also insulinresistant. (There are exceptions; some heavy people are insulin-sensitive, and some thin people—who usually exercise a ton and never overeat—are insulinresistant. These are not the typical cases.)

Does a High-Protein Diet Cause Bone Loss or Osteoporosis?

No. If anything, a diet high in protein does the opposite, particularly in the presence of adequate calcium intake and plenty of alkalinizing vegetables. There are a tremendous number of studies now showing that protein is essential for healthy bones and that, indeed, low protein intake can be an obstacle to bone-building. (For a more in-depth discussion of calcium, high protein, and bone loss, see
chapter 6
.) It’s also worth remembering that the total amount of protein consumed on the typical low-carbohydrate diet of 2,000 calories (or less) is in no way excessive, even if it is a higher percentage of your diet than it had been before you revised your eating habits.

Can a Low-Carb Diet Cause Gallbladder Problems?

No, but if you have been overweight and have been on a very low-fat diet for a long time, a high-fat diet can make your gallbladder problems—like gallstones—apparent. Here’s why. The gallbladder basically responds to fat in the diet with contractions that release the bile necessary to digest fat properly. When you’ve been on a very low-fat diet, there’s not much for the gallbladder to do, so it gets lazy; deposits sometimes accumulate and form stones, kind of like sediment forming in stagnant waters. When you suddenly go on a high-fat diet, the gallbladder now has work to do—it contracts in response to the fat, and it
may
pass these stones. The high-fat (low-carb) diet didn’t
cause
the stones; they were already there and developed most likely in response to your very low-fat diet! But switching to a high-fat diet could trigger an attack. The solution: a moderate-fat version of the low-carb diet will trigger gallbladder contractions that are strong enough to release bile, but not vigorous enough to dislodge any stones.

What Can I Do about Constipation?

The two main causes of constipation on low-carb diets are not drinking enough water and not eating enough fiber, both of which you should be doing even if you’re not constipated. Drink more water (see “How Much Water Should I Be Drinking?” on page 325), and make sure the vegetables and fruits you consume are high in fiber—spinach, broccoli, and raspberries are all good choices. Consider a fiber supplement (even sugar-free Metamucil, though I prefer PaleoFiber or Cellulose Fiber, both available on my Web site,
http://www.jonnybowden.com
). Exercise almost always helps. And drinking hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice first thing in the morning can help get things going as well.

A terrific “cure” for constipation is magnesium. Get the magnesium citrate form, start with 400 milligrams a day for a few days, and then, if needed, increase to 800. That almost always does it.

Cravings

Why Do I Get Cravings?

Cravings have many causes. Some are caused by nutrient deficiencies (see
chapter 9
for information on supplements). In this case, what you crave is a clue to what’s missing; for example, craving fatty foods could indicate that you’re not getting enough essential fatty acids. Try adding omega-3 fats like fish oil; women can also try flaxseed oil. Many cravings are caused by bloodsugar imbalances. The common craving for carbohydrates in the evening can be caused by not having eaten enough protein and/or fat earlier in the day. Frequent small meals that contain protein and fat will help control the blood-sugar roller-coaster that is often responsible for cravings. If a carb craving is absolutely irresistible, as a transition technique you should satisfy it with fruit (though you can blunt the insulin effect by adding some peanut butter or turkey).

A lot of cravings are caused by low serotonin states. Eating highcarbohydrate foods in this scenario is a kind of self-medication. The problem is that it creates a vicious cycle that results in weight gain and more cravings. Some supplements can help boost serotonin naturally (see
chapter 9
), and there are a number of lifestyle ways to boost it as well, such as having a pet, being out in the sun, and making love! You also need to understand that some cravings are simply conditioned responses to stress and are more emotionally driven than anything else. That’s why “comfort foods” are so named—we have been conditioned to eat them when things aren’t going well so we need a little TLC. The more you work on developing alternative behavioral responses to these situations—like taking warm baths or going for a walk—the better off you’ll be.

What Can I Do to Combat Sugar Cravings?

There are two supplements that are phenomenal for sugar cravings. One is glutamine—I recommend that you take a spoonful or two of the powder in water (available in health-food stores or through Internet sources). A spoonful of glutamine mixed with the sweetener xylitol and dissolved in a few tablespoons of half-and-half or heavy cream will knock the socks off even the worst sugar craving.

I don’t care how much the experts say it’s harmless, I know how sugar makes me feel: crazy. I start craving it like an addict, and once I start eating it I can’t stop.

—Jean N.

You might also investigate a new product called Crave Arrest, a blend of ingredients such as tyrosine (a precursor to dopamine), 5-HTP (a precursor to serotonin), and B6, which is necessary for the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. (Crave Arrest is made by Designs for Health and can be purchased through a link on my Web site,
http://www.jonnybowden.com
.)

Here are the top five techniques for busting cravings.

1.  Control blood sugar by eating protein and fat every few hours, at every meal and snack.

2.  Avoid
any
junk carbohydrates made of white stuff (rice, bread, pasta), as well as those that contain highly concentrated sweeteners, even if their carbohydrate content is permissible on your program.

3.  Never let yourself become famished. Carry protein-based snacks like nuts, cheese, and hard-boiled eggs with you at all times.

4.  Get enough sleep. Lack of sleep increases appetite and stimulates stress eating.

5.  Learn to recognize the emotional triggers for cravings, such as fear, tension, shame, anger, anxiety, depression, loneliness, resentment, or any unmet needs. Don’t pretend they’re not there—recognize them, accept them, embrace them, and own them. Then explore behavioral ways of dealing with them besides eating.

Supplements

Do I Need to Take Supplements?

The technology exists to give you health-protective and therapeutic amounts of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other compounds, many of which simply are not available from our food supply or, if they are, not in the amounts needed to make a difference to your health and wellbeing. You don’t
need
to take vitamins, but then you don’t need electricity either. The question is, why would you do without either of them if you didn’t have to? (See
chapter 9
for complete recommendations on supplements.)

Doesn’t Taking Vitamins Just Result in Expensive Urine?

If it does, then why bother to drink water? You just urinate it out at the end, right? Do you see how ridiculous this concept is? The expensive-urine comment, which is perpetuated by doctors who don’t really understand nutrition and vitamins, implies that just because something eventually winds up in the urine, it didn’t accomplish anything in the body. Why does a drug addict take drugs or an athlete take steroids? Drugs, both recreational and prescription, are detected in the urine, right? Does the fact that they’re detectable in the urine mean that they didn’t
work
? If that were the case, there’s an awful lot of people wasting an awful lot of money on drugs and medications! It’s funny how the same doctors who cry “expensive urine” in response to vitamin therapy never make the same remark about their prescription drugs that are just as detectable in the urine as vitamins are!

I definitely noticed a difference in my skin when I began to supplement with fatty acids like fish oil. My hair and scalp weren’t as dry and even my fingernails got stronger.

—Bernice D.

The fact that drugs—or vitamin residues—are detectable in the urine means absolutely nothing except that those substances went through the body and did their job. They didn’t pass through and accomplish nothing, or else steroids wouldn’t be banned by athletic organizations! The body takes what it needs, uses it, and excretes the rest. In addition, there’s no way to know exactly how much of a given vitamin a specific individual actually needs. It’s a lot better to take too much (with a few exceptions that might be toxic in very large amounts over an extended period of time, such as very high-dose vitamin A or selenium) and let the tissues decide how much they need and how much is excess. As nutritionist Robert Crayhon says in answer to this question, “Hey, I
want
expensive urine! In fact, I want the most expensive urine money can buy!”

What About Ephedra?