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LadyNTrainer -> RE: Fitness questions answered (1/23/2011 10:31:39 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Darktra151
Low Carb Diets; Add some brown rice with that steak and toss that book written by Dr Atkins. Carbs are needed for energy and guess what you need carbs to burn fat. Shocking!!.
I have clients who do very well indeed on various controlled carbohydrate regimens, ranging from targeted/cyclic ketogenic to various levels of carb restriction. Generally there is a strong emphasis on vegetables and high fiber grain products as well as primarily lean proteins and healthy fats with a good omega ratio such as nuts, olive oil and fish. Ketogenic diets are not a suitable tool for every individual; that depends on their medical and dietary history, their current lifestyle and behavioral/psychological environment, and many other factors. I am deeply suspicious of any "cookie cutter" advice that suggests that one method works for everyone. It demonstrably doesn't, which is why most people fail on diet plans, even plans that may have worked well for others.
Working out on a ketogenic diet really isn't fun for the initial few weeks, but once ketosis is established, your cells do develop the mitochondrial reserves that allow them to fraction ATP for fuel in the absence of glycogen. Since most gym rats still aren't going to be fully satisfied with their performance without a direct glycogen source, a targeted ketogenic diet (eg, carefully calculated carb-ups before and after resistance training to optimally replenish muscle glycogen but not refill liver glycogen) is a viable tool. Timing and macronutrient ratios are crucial.
As for needing carbs to burn fat, that's a gross oversimplification to the point of not being true. Fasting cardio (generally morning cardio before breakfast) is considered optimal because when glycogen reserves are depleted, the body begins breaking down fat as fuel. A more general restriction on carbohydrates can definitely speed the use of the body's fat reserves for fuel.
Realistically people on a modern diet are not eating so much of the "good carbs"; the junk food out there that will have the most devastating direct effect on your fat storage metabolism via your insulin/glucagon cycle is high glycemic index carbohydrates. So restricting carbohydrates makes a great deal of sense, particularly when paired with an emphasis on high fiber, low glycemic index, nutritionally dense foods which happen to be "low carb". A lifetime of eating high-GI can result in significant disruption to insulin and leptin sensitivity, and carbohydrate restriction is crucial to addressing this issue if your client has it. No amount of low fat dieting is likely to compensate for insulin and leptin resistance if that is the underlying issue, and if you don't pay attention to glycemic index levels it can make the client's problem considerably worse.
Extremes are not healthy or sustainable, whether we're talking about a 400 calorie a day cabbage soup diet or doing Atkins wrong by eating a pound of butter wrapped in bacon at every meal. But the fact is that the average American diet is so high in glycemic index and nutritionally empty carbohydrates that restricting these foods and developing an awareness of why they are bad for you may be the most important step a dieter can take.
Ketogenic or controlled carbohydrate diets are not the magic answer for everyone, nor will they work ideally for everyone, though they are an effective response to insulin resistance and an excellent biochemical "hack" of your body's basic fueling system. I would recommend the work of Lyle McDonald and Dan Duchaine to folks seriously interested in further research; they are academics who provide excellent documentation and references to peer reviewed publications, unlike Atkins and the South Beach author, whose work is considerably oversimplified and dumbed down for laypeople.
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