Low Carbs, No Fats... Is It Really Healthy?

[vesselle]

Originally posted by Gangrell: and I guess it's an accurate assumption when they say when exercising or going on a diet, the last thing you lose is actual fat.

it's true. i'm realizing that i really have no control over how and where i'm gonna lose fat. i've been jogging, exercising and strength training steadily for 6 months now and i'm thinking i'm just now getting down to actually losing the bulk of the fat. i've lost LOTS of inches but not much actual weight. i've also improved my muscle tone over my whole body. it's a trade off, i guess. i work at losing the fat and work to keep the tone.

it's crazy, but it's like my body does whatever the heck it wants. no matter how much i hope and pray it'll lose the stuff off my rear end first, every time i look back there, darn, it's still there. there's definitely less of it than before, but sheesh. it's just hitting me now that i'm gonna be doing this for the rest of my life. IF i want to be healthy and live a long life. so, i'm eating four small, balanced meals a day and keeping an exercise routine and being as active as i can. i walk or bike everywhere. just like when i was younger. [img]smile.gif[/img]

i'm liking it now, too. i look forward to jogging, walking and my exercise routine. and i really enjoy my diet. [img]smile.gif[/img] its not difficult for me to stick with it, cuz it's yummy and easy to prepare. i know it's something i'll have to keep doing forever, so i better like it! oh yeah, i see my gp every month and i also have a nutritionist, mostly cuz i'm a vegetarian, and i HAVETA make sure i get everything i need. [img]smile.gif[/img]

V***V

[Memnoch]

Now that the topic's on exercising, what's everyone's exercise routine?

[Memnoch]

Hmmm. Is it just my browser, or is my genie walking really really REALLY fast? He looks like he's on speed! [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img]

[Gangrell]

Originally posted by Memnoch: Hmmm. Is it just my browser, or is my genie walking really really REALLY fast? He looks like he's on speed! [img]graemlins/wow.gif[/img]

Your genie's exercising too eh? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

My routine doesn't involve too much, but it's enough for me. I just walk two or three miles everyday around noon time on my treadmill, work with weights for half an hour afterwards and with a rollerpin to work on my stomach.

Then I take a shower and eat a salad, like I said, not much.

[Memnoch]

My genie seriously looks like he's hyper.

Well, I only started to seriously train about six years ago, but it's now become part of my weekly routine - I try and train 5 times a week, three 1-hr weight/cardio sessions and 2 30min pure cardio sessions, and I try and swim at least once a week. Since we've moved to an apartment building which has a gym and a pool it's so much easier to be diligent about this.

For weight sessions, I always start with 10 mins of bike, 10 mins or running, 10 mins of stepping then I'll hit the weights. I'll work the following different major body parts on alternate sessions (usually with free weights but sometimes on machines):

i) chest, biceps and forearms;
ii) quads, calves and abs;
iii) back, shoulders and
iv) lats and triceps.

I make sure I don't work too many body parts in one session, and make sure I don't work the same body part two sessions in a row. I'll go 8 weeks heavy, with low (10-8-6-4-2 pyramid) reps and heavy (relatively speaking) weights, then go 8 weeks light, with high (15+) reps with lighter weights. I've found that my body reacts best with an high-low routine. Every eight weeks or so I'll change my routine around and change my program so that my body doesn't get used to it.

I've found it also helps to do a couple of dedicated cardio sessions each week - gets your blood circulating and makes you feel really fresh - especially first thing in the morning. It can be tough in winter when it's so hard to get up early - but it's worth the effort, and also good to do all your fat-and-carb-burning after a night fast, when you're stomach's empty.

It was REALLY tough to start off, but once it becomes part of your routine and you see results you start to look forward to it - if you miss a session it gets you down. And you feel good - and if you feel good, you look good.

I STRONGLY recommend that those of you who don't exercise - get off your butts and do so. Even brisk walking 30mins a week can do wonders for your fitness. Go with a friend, you can motivate each other. Find something that is interesting and fun, your body will thank you for it. [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[Sir Kenyth]

You don't "sweat" toxins out. You sweat water and whatever water soluable minerals and chemicals happen to be in your body at that time. You also have natural oils produced in your skin that might be stimulated, but that's it. Sweat glands are not built to, or meant to detoxify anything. That's what your liver and kidneys are for. Sweating and drinking lots of water can leach the water soluable nutrients in your body. Nutrients such as sodium, potassium and others can reach detrimental levels. Proper suppimentation is important. Sweating isn't bad for you, it's just another natural function of the body that's exploited by sellers of alternate medicine.

[Sir Kenyth]

One note also about climate and metabolism.

Cold weather causes you to burn more energy to stay warm as long as you let yourself get cold enough to begin with. Insulating clothing can negate this effect completely.

At the same time, hot weather can also increse the energy you burn. Your body expends a significant amount of energy to cool down if overheated. You have to be hot enough to sweat profusely for this to happen.

A temperate climate of 60F-80F won't do a thing even if you "feel" chilly or warm.

[B_part]

No it ain't healthy unless you do things properly. It just causes you to eat your own muscles.

A small lecture on metabolism:

Every organ of your body can use carbs, fats or proteins as their energy source, in that order of preference. But your brain cannot. It needs carbs and only carbs - no carbs, no brain. And it uses an awful lot of them. If you run out of carbs - and eventually you will unless you eat something - the brain can adapt itself to use ketons, which are derived directly from fats through liver metabolism. The problem is, it takes some time (2-3 days) for the brain to adapt to them. In the meanwhile, glucose must be synthetised (in the liver) from body proteins. Muscle proteins are broken down, and their aminoacids are turned into carbs for brain use, until the ketons can kick in.
In other words, the brain feeds on the muscle during the transition.

If you then take in some carbs - that is you eat - the process will somehow reset, and when these carbs have run out, the brain will again eat muscles. In the long run, your metabolism will adapt to the low carb diet and stop chewing on your biceps, but it takes some time (i guess a week or so, but I don't really know)

To make a long story short, the first kilos you lose are not fat, but muscles used to feed your brain. And reserve carbs stashed in the liver and other districts for the hard times. You are as fat as you were before. And after the diet, you will regain everything, since your body will try to compensate the losses.

The only diet that works is a balanced diet, in which you eat a correct amount of carbs, fats and proteins. Correct amount in fact means low carb, - but not as low as to starve your brain -, no fat - except some vegetables fats, like olive oil, which help your colhesterol - and a fair amount of proteins to balance the muscle losses. Sadly, correct amount means you will feel like starving for at least one month, because we usually eat much more than we need, and our stomach is used to that.

If you want a good diet, ask a nutritionist, a true one, not a TV book-selling charlatan. Remember, a diet is strictly personal, because each one has different needs, and a true diet is hard to follow. THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS!
However The most succesful way to lose weight is excercise, lots of it - it helps you burn energy and keeps your muscles fit because it regenerates whetever your brain might chew out of them.

[Gabrielles blades]

Im slightly overweight (the calculators i can find online put me at 15 lbs over)
For the past couple of years ive eaten mostly veggies, carbs, and once or twice a week ill have protein or cheese type things.

I used to eat 80% protein, so ive always wondered just how clogged my arteries are - anyone know how to test that? also, how can you tell if your kidneys are both working or if one is broken?

The difference between the protein diet and the health food diet seems to be around 15 lbs (on the protein one i hung around 190 lbs, while on the health one im around 175 lbs)

This summer i have been exercising in addition to the good food diet and as yet i have not lost a single pound. I suppose my fats are being converted to muscle so i weigh the same, but if that is so i ought to be burning more calories as well which ought to make me lose more weight.