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If you've started a higher-fat,
lower-carbohydrate diet
then there are a few things you should know.
by Keith Klein
TaeBo Select Malibu Naturals Nutritionist
Boy, am I frustrated.
If I had a dime for every time a person asked me
about the new "high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet," I'd
be a millionaire.
It's
frustrating because it's like a used car salesman
that's willing to sell you a lemon by highlighting
the up-side of a car, but forgets about letting you
in on the down-side. In the case of the
low-carbohydrate diet, the down-side outweighs the
up-side by a huge margin.
A problem
that adds to the confusion is the simple fact that
cutting back on carbohydrates works, at least for a
quick drop in body fat and body water. The piece of
the puzzle missing for most dieters is the long-term
effects on the body due to such a drastic reduction
in carbohydrates.
In case you
haven't heard the latest scoop on the high-fat,
low-carbohydrate diet, let me fill you in on the
concept.
This diet was very popular during the 70s
and was popularized by Dr. Atkins. Like many diets
of the past, this one gained a lot of press. After a
couple of years of popularity Dr. Atkins' dieting
approach fell by the wayside for several
reasons.
Unfortunately,
the low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet is back, and
seems to be gaining in popularity once again.
Currently, Dr. Sears' book The Zone and another
called Protein Power have revitalized the Atkins'
diet.
The concept
is that a person should eat more protein, more fat
and very little carbohydrate as the day wears on.
Because the dieter is eating more fat, they tend to
feel full longer, and this helps the person exert
more control over hunger.
In the
past, people were allowed to eat as much red meat as
desired, but had to keep their carbohydrate intake
as low as possible. This combination of foods causes
a chemical reaction, thereby causing the person to
burn body fat at an accelerated rate.
It's called
a ketogenic diet. The low intake of carbohydrate,
coupled with a high-fat diet and exercise causes the
production of ketones. Ketones are the chemical
residue of broken-down fats in the blood.
To be more
specific, if insufficient carbohydrates exist, the
body begins to mobilize fat to a greater extent than
it can use.
The result, both at rest and after
exercise, is incomplete fat metabolism and the
accumulation of acid by-products called ketone
bodies. This situation can lead to a harmful
increase in the acidity of the body fluids, a
condition called acidosis or ketosis.
The
ketogenic diet was conceived in the 20s by doctors
in France and the United States. They discovered
that prolonged starvation promotes ketosis as the
body uses its fat reserves. So, they devised a way
to mimic the chemistry of starvation through diet.
The current
diet revolution is nothing new, it's just an
adaptation of these old concepts. The problem is,
most people get their information from uninformed
sources which fail to understand the scope of their
recommendations.
If
you've started a higher-fat, lower-carbohydrate diet
then there are a few things you should know:
1) By
reducing carbohydrates you will see a drop of
body weight and body fat. However, if you drop them
too low while exercising, you could alter your
body's T3 levels.
T3 is an active thyroid molecule that helps regulate
your metabolic rate. Diets low in carbohydrate tend
to cause a reduction of T3, which in turn can slow
down your metabolic rate. This is particularly true
for people who under-eat and over-exercise.
2)
A lot of the weight you drop while on a
low-carbohydrate diet is water weight. For every
gram of carbohydrate you ingest, about three to five
grams of water usually accompany it. By decreasing
your carbohydrate intake you naturally drop body
water.
Although this may sound like a good idea, when you
resume eating carbohydrates you may find that your
body rebounds and retains excess water. The water
retention will dissipate after several days, but it
wreaks havoc on the dieter's mental state.
3)
During the 70s, clinicians began noticing that
people that followed the Atkins' diet regained their
weight very rapidly once they ceased the diet. In
fact, they found the longer a person had been on the
low-carbohydrate diet, the more carbohydrate
sensitive they became.
Further, when this diet was combined with exercise
it caused people to become even more carbohydrate
sensitive. This could be the devastating pitfall,
because once the low-carbohydrate diet has ended,
and the person tries to resume eating carbohydrates,
his body tends to horde and store the carbohydrates
as opposed to using them for energy.
The person notices a fast accumulation of body water
that's followed by an abnormally fast body fat gain.
Although the water weight will eventually drop off,
the person notices that he gains body fat very
easily, but loses it more slowly in the future.
4)
Carbohydrates provide a "protein sparing"
effect. Under normal circumstances protein serves a
vital role in the maintenance, repair, and growth of
body tissues. When carbohydrate reserves are reduced
the body will convert protein into glucose for
energy.
This
process is called gluconeogenesis. The price that's
paid is a reduction in the body's protein stores. In
other words muscle! All, in turn, causes the
metabolic rate to slow down as well.
5)
There's another problem that eating too little
carbohydrate creates. Your muscle fullness depends
to a large extent on your carbohydrate intake. Low
carbohydrate levels tend to make muscles lose their
density and flatten out.
Carbohydrates
are a great source of fuel, so not eating enough can
lower your energy level and make your muscles feel
softer.
6) These
diets focus on the relationship between
carbohydrates and insulin (a hormone that shuttles
fuel into fat). However, their suggestion that
insulin exerts negative effects is not only
misleading, it's downright flawed.
Insulin
does play a role in fat storage, but it also causes
glucose to be shuttled into muscle cells as well.
Our diets should keep blood levels of insulin as
stable as possible, not try to suppress its release.
7)
On the flip side, you'd have to be totally
out-of-the-loop if you haven't heard that more fat
increases your risk of heart disease, cancer, and
obesity. Naturally, everyone wants to hear that they
can eat fats and lose weight. I guess if you want to
look good in your coffin, then it's okay with
me.
I've always
disagreed with the American Dietetic Association and
the idea that 30 percent fat is healthy. I believe
that a diet of 20 percent or less fat poses a
substantial health benefit as well as a reduced risk
of obesity.
It amazes
me that this diet is back. Are people's memories
really that short that they can't remember the
reason that the Atkins' diet vanished the first
time?
Consider
what bodybuilders learned years ago. During the 70s
and early 80s, every major bodybuilding competitor
dieted on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, yet
most of them ended up very smooth and not very well
defined.
The
bodybuilders of the late 80s and 90s have improved
dramatically. By having a diet high in protein, low
fat, and moderate in carbohydrates, some of the best
physiques ever have been produced.
Some
confusion about carbohydrates could stem from the
fact that people see and hear bits and pieces of
information from gym buddies and accept the
information as fact.
While it is
true that as a contest nears bodybuilders decrease
their carbohydrates, that doesn't mean that cutting
back excessively yields better results.
Over the
years I have found that by removing the starch at
the final meal during the last three to four weeks
before a show, bodybuilders tend to get very tight
and more defined. And for others, a biased article
designed to sell books placed prominently in a major
magazine could be all it takes to attract everyone's
attention.
When you
hear people talking about a "new" diet
approach, stop and ask yourself does it follow
healthy guidelines? Does the diet call for measures
that you cannot do for life? If so, don't even try
it.
For 18
years Keith Klein has been one of America's leading
nutritionists. His books include Weight Control For
Young America, Lean For Life, Get Lean, The Healthy
Chef, and Kidtrition Cafe. His columns run in
Fitness Express, Health and Fitness, and many other
publications.
Keith
hosted a nationally syndicated 2-hour radio program
GetFit, for three years on Prime Sports Network.
Keith's popular television show, Smart Bodies, aired
weekday mornings on TPN for several years. He
currently hosts the Keith Klein Nutrition Hour and
is director of The Institute of Eating Management,
where he acts as personal nutritionist to many of
America's top athletes, models, and dancers,
including Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal, Ricky
Sanders (Washington Redskins); golf pros Greg
Chapman and Kelly Knehne; Lee Labrada (Mr. America
& Mr. Universe), Carla Dunlap (Ms. Olympia),
Victoria Gay ("Jazz" of the American
Gladiators), Betsy Bates (Ms. America), Tatianna
Anderson (Ms. Fitness USA), Deanna Clark.
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