While many people claim massive improvements in energy when shifting to a low-diet, I cannot claim such radical shifts. My peak energy is no better but I, perhaps, have fewer fluctuations. I was already lean, so had no weight to lose, which is a reason many people adopt low-carb eating. What surprised me was how easy it was to shift eating styles. Although I never went to extreme induction (less than 30g of carbs per day), I did begin at around 60g of carbs a day. That was still low enough to get me into ketosis.

Avoiding postprandial sluggishness has been the primary benefit I received from low-carb eating. I can be completely full after eating a low-carb meal but still ready for work. The same level of satiety from a more “balanced” meal would leave me feeling sluggish. I certainly would not be performing any rigorous mental work for at least an hour, maybe longer.

I thought I would badly miss my pasta, but did not. I was hungry between meals until I adjusted the non-carb quantities up to make up for the lost carb calories (a serving of pasta is about 200Kcal). I still feel an echoic pull when I pass the cookie aisle in the supermarket or a donut shop. I am sure I will eventually have high-carb day when I indulge in French fries, but mostly the shift was easier than I imagined.

Perhaps because I am lean, and have no weight to lose, I have found I do better with a slightly higher carbohydrate intake. Even after adding extra low-carb calories, I still found myself hungry between meals. This was worst at night and felt close to hypoglycemic. I have since increased my carb intake, and that has improved things. I am do not really count carbs any more (I do, but very casually) but at a rough guess I am at 80 to 100 grams a day.

Results:

• Not much change in body weight. I perhaps lost a pound or two.
• I am perhaps slightly more “cut.” This is probably related to small loss of weight, as I have not done any training.
• My energy levels are more constant throughout the day although I do not have the reinvigorated feel that many claim.
• The last time I did more intense aerobic exercise (I admit it was a while ago) I felt that I had more aerobic capacity (I felt less out of breath at my existing exercise level).
• I never get carb cravings. When I am hungry it feels like hunger (a call to refuel) not a major craving.
• Foods that once provoked an addiction like response (once you start eating, it is hard to stop) such as ice-cream, cookies, or potato chips, no longer do so.

What I eat.

• I am certainly not paleo. I have some grains (oatmeal), dairy (cream and butter), peanuts, and other things that I am sure or not paleo.
• I mostly avoid: sugar (but I do eat fruits), starches (potato, pasta), and HFCS, etc.
• I eat leafy greens without limit (practically speaking it is hard to eat huge quantities of these).
• I eat beef, chicken, fish, as well as pork and bacon.
• I eat most vegetables in moderate quantities (even decent portions can be carb light because some of those carbs are fiber).
• I eat various nuts and seeds.
• I cook in butter (mmmm!), olive oil, or coconut oil (can be very good).
• I use plenty of cream and sometimes coconut cream. Coconut cream can make nice smoothies.
• I use added protein (mostly Whey).
• I do eat chocolate (85%) and cocoa.

Problems:

Sometimes I still get hungry between meals. This is surprising as satiety is the one thing such diets are supposed to avoid. This could be due to no longer having those little snacks that are not counted (cookies, etc.). Some of it could be due to not eating enough calories. Being more generous with carbs can help here.

My total total cholesterol is high. However, my triglycerides are low and my HDL is high. The total number is higher than I would like. I will, at some point, take the VAP test. That gives a broader picture of actual cardio-vascular risk.

Musing

I have met a few vegetarians in my life. All of them seemed to be somewhat nervous ectomorphic types. I suspect that in a strange irony, many would do well on a low carb, higher protein diet (which is more likely to include meat). I suspect that such a diet would actually calm their “nerves” and the extra protein would offset the catabolic effect of nervous stress.

Resources

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes or his article for the New York Times [registration required]

Protein Power by Michael R. Eades, M.D.

From the movie Fat Head, this short video explains why calories in versus calories burned is not the complete story. A good introduction to topics covered by Taubes and Eades.

Being a geek I want the most efficient routine possible. If the particular routine has some theory behind it so much the better. The routine is based on evolutionary theory (way cool right now) and takes about 40 minutes once or twice a week. That does not include 5 to 20 minutes each day for walking. This routine is not just for geeks (or philosophers), it should be simple for you to create your own version.

I have no medical training. I have no fitness training. This routine has not killed me (yet), but it might kill you. Check with your physician first.

The Ideology

The real point you should take from this is that your exercise routine should be simple for you to remember and simple for you to perform. You should be able to fit it into your life. The routine should be complete so that it does not matter if you miss a day (some routines rely on targeting groups of muscle or activity – if you miss a day you miss part of the routine). It should take as little time as possible, giving you less excuse to say that “I don’t have the time.” There should be as little technical stuff to remember, making it easy to just drop into the gym and exercise. Just because you miss a few days is not an excuse to give up entirely.

The Theory

Humans were not designed to run marathons nor we designed to lift massive weights.  However the human body is designed to move.  Our hunter-gatherer forbearers did a lot of walking. A lot of their day was spent walking or performing some light lifting.  What running they did was in short but concentrated bursts (escaping predators, bringing down prey). An exercise routine should seek to mimic this pattern, namely: Lots of walking, some lifting, and bursts of intense aerobic activity.

The Routine

Seek to do twenty minutes of walking each day. This does not have to be in one go or even a special activity. You can build up your time with little “tricks” such as parking the car further away, taking the stairs not the elevator, or walking somewhere else to eat your lunch instead of having it your desk (taking a break is a good idea in itself). You can also walk to places you might drive (e.g., dropping off or collecting a video). To reach twenty minutes I usually need to do some walk-for-its-own-sake exercise. But on days where I don’t mange that, the “tricks” give me about ten minutes worth (with no “wasted” time).

I do not use a heart rate monitor to set my exercise level.  I set the levels by how hard I am breathing and how much I want to stop. The first level is moderate. I run at a pace where I can barely carry on a conversation and where I can easily continue but would really prefer to stop.  If you can talk with ease and are moving at a pace you could continue all day then you are not working hard enough. You should feel it, not in an “I am going to die way” but in an “I would rather stop” way. The second level is the “intense” level. At that level I am breathing as hard as I can, my legs are moving as fast as they can, I badly want to stop.  I feel that this method of setting your pace is better than a one-size-fits all heart rate number (I feel under exercised at the correct rate for my age).

I use a mixture of body weight (e.g., pull ups) and machines (e.g., seated row) for the weight lifting part. I don’t target specific muscles but try to cover the broad muscle groups. For weights, I move up the stack. I use a weight where I can just perform about 12 reps. After the 12 reps, I immediately up the weight and try for about 8 reps. After that, I increase the weight again and try for about 4 or 5 reps. When I can easily perform the 12 reps, I increase the weight.

Summary
7 to 10 minutes of moderate aerobic (I use a treadmill)
About 20 minutes of weights
2 to 3 minutes of moderate aerobic (treadmill again).
1 to 2 minutes of intense aerobic
2 to 3 minutes of moderate aerobic and cool down.

Notes:

I deliberately avoided specifics because you should figure out exercises and a routine that you like.  This is probably not the greatest routine but it is simple and does get done.

My resting pulse has fallen from around 72 to around 60. I have increased the running speed needed for “moderate” and “intense” exercise. I have increased the amount of weight I can lift for a given amount of effort (i.e., I am stronger). Although not my primary intent, I have put on some bulk and more definition (more “cut” or “ripped”). My blood pressure remains normal (was before I started). I did not compare before and after triglycerides.