Thread: Low carbs

Whats the advantages and disadvatages of low carbs recently ive been eating foods very high in protien without alot of carbs im not going to do it forever i guess its just a phase im going through its a bit like "carbing up" but the exact opposite.. pros and cons?

Originally Posted by jimm

Whats the advantages and disadvatages of low carbs recently ive been eating foods very high in protien without alot of carbs im not going to do it forever i guess its just a phase im going through its a bit like "carbing up" but the exact opposite.. pros and cons?

Where everyone messes up with low carbs is by trying to do it low fat and high protien.

Excess protein not used for muscle synthesis and repair is converted to glucose, then unused glucose is stored as glycogen. Glycogen storage capacity in the liver and the muscles is only 15g/kg of lean body mass. Anything in excess of this is stored on and in the body as saturated fat and cholesterol.

This is why my high fat, moderate protein, low carb (compared to most) diet has improved my lipid profile to perfect instead of the walking heart attack it was.

Remember, when we started teaching low fat through the AHA it seemed to make sense. It seemed logical. And we had NOT ONE SHRED of evidence to back it up. It didn't stop us from teaching it for over 20 years.

Low fat is a mistake no matter how you eat.

You want to do low carb and spare muscle? 10-20 calories/lb of lean body mass, depending on your goals. 60% fat, 35% protein, 5% carbs. Your trigycerides will improve, your HDL to LDL ratio will improve. Your blood pressure will go down. Your BGL will normalize, you won't have constant insulin spikes which lead to DMII and autoimmune disease.

Then one or two days a week you can load up on healthy sugars and starches if you want by eating potatoes, sweet potatoes, a little dairy, and some fruit.

Avoid grains because they are unhealthy for humans. In terms of fat loss and muscle gain your body won't know the difference between grains and other starches...but your long term health will thank you if you avoid them...and anything made from them.

For bodybuilding, what I've described is not optimal. For health however, it is. For cutting, what I've described is perfect, even if you skip the "cheat days" for 8-12 weeks at a time.

I've never seen this fail for anyone who actually stuck with it and did it the way I described. Most can't take the day or three of feeling like shit at some point in the first two weeks. Those who tough out that short period of time find that they have abundant energy, and are much leaner and healthier than those on a higher carb diet.

The local docs who send me clients do warn them, "he's very unorthodox but current research is starting to indicate that he's right....just do what he says and you will get healthier."