My plans for the beginning of the year are starting to firm up. Ever since the marathon expo of the Des Moines Marathon last October, I have been thinking about running the 2nd running of the Team Ortho’s Minneapolis Marathon. Their booth in the expo and race people were extremely friendly, and convinced me this was an up and coming race in the Midwest. A race by runners for runners.
Now the training still has to be accomplished, but this week was week #1 of the 18 week training session ending June 6. I will be putting in at least 3 runs of 20 or more miles. On the way to running the marathon, I will also be running a race pace half marathon at Drake Relays at the end of April. My runs so far this year have been good. I did my first 10 miler today of the year, and it’s only going to build from here.
I know I have posted about much exercise related in awhile, and for the most, while I have been running and keeping active. I haven’t been training at all. Runs have been shorter (4-6 miles) with zero long runs. The weather has been pretty brutal lately (-23F anybody) in Iowa, so much has been in doors. I have been working out about 4 days a week in the company gym. These workouts have been low impact, high sweat workouts on the elliptical trainer or stair climber for 35-48 minutes. On two days, I also try to make at least 2 circuits of the weights.
This past week that changed slightly as I upped the ante a bit. My wife is getting back into exercising with me. We are doing some exercise videos – not P90X as I still don’t have the time to do 45-60 minutes in the gym or running on the nice days and do 1 hour exercise videos. Lately, I have been alternating between Jillian Michaels Shred and a 60-minute core workout. I may also add 10 minute Trainer from Tony Horton as well into the mix to boost the cardio part of the other videos. 34 extra minutes is doable per day, but 60 is not.
As for race plans, the only thing on the agenda is the Power Climb (aka 801 Grand Fight for Air) coming up in February.
One of the constant comments is “didn’t low carb die off in 2004?” or “didn’t Atkins Nutrition go bankrupt?” The implication is that it was obviously a fad diet, and that all wise people know better now. Besides just simply being false comments, I have been seeing more subscribers lately than ever, and my humble video and blog have been receiving more views than ever. (Here are the results from 2009 videos -- http://www.network-admin.net/?p=637)
There are still numerous people doing the diet and many starting on a daily basis, and while perhaps it might not be as “hip” or cool as 2004, people doing Atkins now have better access to more low carb recipes, better support sites, and better communal atmosphere than back in 2004. A lot of the naysayers criticisms have been addressed or proven false since 2004 as well.
Regarding the state of ANA and Atkins Diet, first and foremost, Atkins Nutrition is back well into the black. They are quite profitable and their Atkins Diet University and forums are extremely popular, but even that said, the information is already out there for the diet. People can start the diet with or without ANA support. They may be more successful with the support, and I encourage people to get well-researched advice and guidance as they start any diet plan. Their current batch of products are also much better in terms of taste and closeness to Atkins vision himself.
This all said even if everyone else stopped doing Atkins today I would still be just as motivated to keep on keeping on and being healthy tomorrow as I am today.
This post is just a random smattering of interesting (at least to me) stats on my videos on Youtube. I like to review where I have been to help determine where I should go in the future:
Thank you each of you for your watching, commenting, and participating with my videos in 2009. My goal behind the videos was always to help others be as successful as I was, and the secondary goal was to keep motivating me to learn more and achieve more athletically knowing I had people watching me. At least for me, I know I learned a lot this past year from those that watched and was inspired by them (many of whom reached or were nearing goal). I think 2009 was very successful, and I plan on making 2010 even better.
This is my recipe video to celebrate the holidays — a perfect complement to most holiday menus. This recipe was derived from a recipe from Linda’s Low Carb (http://genaw.com/lowcarb/mushroom_chicken-sausage_casserole.html) but was changed due to taste and items in the house. My wife loves this recipe! We both rate it 5 stars.
Ingredients:
2 pounds Sausage
3 cups Roast Chicken or Turkey
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 Medium Green Pepper, Chopped
2 stalks of Celery, Chopped
1 Medium Head of Cauliflower
8 oz. Cream Cheese
8 oz. Cheese, Shredded
1/2 tsp Black pepper
Paprika
Makes 10 servings.
Crust:
~1 cup Almond flour
~1/4 cup Flax meal
1/2 tsp of Salt
¼ cup vanilla whey protein
2 TBS liquid Splenda (5 drops)
1/3 cup butter, melted
Topping:
12 oz Neufchatel cream cheese, softened
1 egg
½ cup sour cream
½ cup Liquid SPLENDA®
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup blueberries, thawed if frozen
Crust: In medium bowl combine almond flour, vanilla whey protein, vital wheat gluten or oat flour, Splenda and butter. Press into an 8-inch square glass dish. Bake in 350°C oven 10 minutes.
Topping: In food processor, process cream cheese. Add egg, sour cream, SPLENDA® Granular, butter, and vanilla extract; process until smooth. Stir in fruit cocktail. Pour over crust evenly. Bake in 350°C oven 20to 25 minutes, or until set.
My wife loved the dessert, and I’ll post the modified nutrition info shortly
This is the basis for my upcoming video, but I wanted to publish it here first as it may help me clarify my thoughts. This video is again a reactionary video to a prompt made to me in a vegan video. One of the reasons I enjoy the discussion with vegans is because it makes sure I eliminate the things I feel and replaces with things I know. The comment was:
Bowulf, I am afraid you and I are going to disagree on this one. Can you offer any honest peer reviewed long term study which shows what you are claiming for the Atkins diet?
Never one to give up a challenge, I went ahead and did some research on exactly what research has been done on the long term effects of a low carb high fat diet.
First a foreword – there is a wealth of short term studies out there, whose results or findings could certainly be extrapolated to suggest long term results. I have mentioned these studies quite often in other videos, but I can understand how some people might be waiting for “the other shoe” to drop. In fact, one person said you won’t see the true effects for five years, which seemed rather the red herring. Or similar to someone telling you, “You won’t see it coming, there’ll be no signs, but the bridge is out and you are going over it. Trust me!”
One of the problems with long term studies is two fold. For some long term studies, they often turn out to be epidemiological studies or studies of large groups of people. While there are some really good studies, there are some really horrible ones. They often breed bias in researchers as in the case of China Study, who focused on the meat eating as being the key indicator for cancer risk factors. Ignoring the stronger risk factor in wheat consumption, and ignoring that smoking hand-rolled cigarettes and drinking alcohol showed improved one’s cancer risk. The second problem is self-reporting. While it might be possible to control or be diligent in recording one’s eating patterns for 2-3 or even 6 months, carrying it over 24 or 60 months seems impossible and fraught with dropouts. You are thereby left with people self-reporting how they are eating. This is also obviously fraught with error as people misreport or simply underreport what they are eating.
Without further adieu, here are a select smattering of the long term research done on Ketogenic or Low Carb diets.
Two years:
“Carbohydrate-restricted diet for obesity and related diseases: an update” (2008)
“Long-term consumption of a carbohydrate-restricted diet does not induce deleterious metabolic effects.”(3yrs)
Studied the low carb “Optimal Diet” and the risk factors for cardiovascular disease did not increase. http://www.nrjournal.com/article/S0271-5317%2808%2900213-3/abstract
Three months after diet initiation, 29 (61.7%) patients showed a reduction in seizure frequency of >50%, including 21 (44.7%) who became seizure-free. Of the 21 patients with complete seizure control at 3 months, 16 (76.2%) successfully completed the diet for 2 years without relapse
Four years:
“Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes: stable improvement of bodyweight and glycemic control during 44 months follow-up” by Jörgen V Nielsen and Eva A Joensson. http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/5/1/14
This one is interesting in that it became difficult for the researchers to compare the low carb diabetic group results to the standard diet diabetic control group as so many of the control group had heart attacks (80 percent) or died during the subsequent four years. Low carb group had better adherence (in fact more of the control group switched to the low carb group), better weight loss, better triglycerides, better HBA1C, and dramatically lower incident of cardiovascular disease. (16% vs 80%)
Twelve years:
“Long-term use of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of epilepsy” http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=548112 Darcy K Groesbeck a1, Renee M Bluml a2andEric H Kossoff a2c1 a1 The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA.
These researchers followed these high fat patients over 12 years. In fact, that study even referred to Atkins as perhaps being a better diet than the generic diet. These were published in NEJM, Cambridge Journal, Pediatrics Magazine, and Epilepsy magazine.
These doctors reviewed the charts of 28 children (15 boys, 13 girls) who had remained on the ketogenic diet for 6-12 years for the treatment of epilepsy. Three children (11%) became seizure-free, seizures in another 21 were greater than 90% improved, and 4 had 50-90% improvement in seizure frequency. In addition, 9 were able to discontinue all antiepileptic drugs. Overall, medications decreased from an average of 2.1 to 1.3 per child.
* HDL Cholesterol improved
* Triglycerides improved, no marked dyslipidemia
* “There is some interesting data on the Atkins diet type regimen and the South Beach diet type regimen showing efficacy in seizure reduction; both are much easier to administer than the ketogenic diet,” said Mandelbaum.
* Growth may have been stunted as the number of pts below the 10th percentile of height and weight by the final checkup appears stunted.
BACKGROUND: Low-carbohydrate diets have been advocated for weight loss and to prevent obesity, but the long-term safety of these diets has not been determined.
METHODS: We evaluated data on 82,802 women in the Nurses’ Health Study who had completed a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Data from the questionnaire were used to calculate a low-carbohydrate-diet score, which was based on the percentage of energy as carbohydrate, fat, and protein (a higher score reflects a higher intake of fat and protein and a lower intake of carbohydrate). The association between the low-carbohydrate-diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease was examined.
RESULTS: During 20 years of follow-up, we documented 1994 new cases of coronary heart disease. After multivariate adjustment, the relative risk of coronary heart disease comparing highest and lowest deciles of the low-carbohydrate-diet score was 0.94.
CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that diets lower in carbohydrate and higher in protein and fat are not associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease in women. When vegetable sources of fat and protein are chosen, these diets may moderately reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
** Total fat, animal fat, total protein, animal protein, and vegetable protein were not significantly associated with the risk of coronary heart disease according to multivariate analyses.
** Cholesterol – In a meta-analysis of five randomized trials comparing a low-carbohydrate diet with a low-fat diet for at least 6 months, the low-carbohydrate diet was found to have a beneficial effect on HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels but an adverse effect on total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.25In our study, data on lipid levels were available for only a small subgroup of participants. In this group, the low-carbohydrate-diet score was not associated with total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol levels but was inversely associated with the triglyceride level
If you haven’t noticed, I have been away from the blog for awhile. I am not sure what exactly changed from posting at least monthly to not posting in 7 months, but be that as it may, I am back. I am feeling there is information I haven’t been able to post anywhere, It might have seemed too trivial for a video, too personal for my style of videos, which are less vlogs than an attempt at education or “how to” videos. Somehow putting my person difficulties in a video seems like asking for more nasty comments.
In this video, which is a reaction to friend and fellow firefighter being treated for cancer and venturing into a vegan video (and being slandered and attacked -- http://tinyurl.com/yjhq5wu ), I respond to the theory that consumption of animal products (aka delicious meat, eggs, and cheese) on a ketogenic diet like Atkins leads to a higher cancer risk.
First the detractors and their comments:
http://tinyurl.com/yzeaj6u
“Another Harvard study showed that women with the highest intake of animal fat seem to have over a 75% greater risk of developing breast cancer.[285] ”
As one Harvard School of Public health researcher noted, because of the meat content, two years on the Atkins Diet “could initiate a cancer. It could show up as a polyp in 7 years and as colon cancer in ten.
The most comprehensive report on diet and cancer in history was published in 1997. It took over four years to complete, reviewing 4500 studies from thousands of researchers across the globe. After all that work, what was their number one recommendation? “Choose a diet that is predominantly plant based, rich in a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans with minimally processed starchy foods.”[491] In other words, essentially the opposite of the Atkins Diet. (Side note: Do they even know what the Atkins Diet is? Do they understand the promoted variety of vegetables and phyto-nutrients featured?)
In the January issue of Scientific American it was noted: “Cancer is most frequent among those branches of the human race where carnivorous habits prevail.”
In response to these studies, correlation does not equal causality. What else do these carnivorous, which is just more name calling since we are more omnivorious) also eat or do? Do they eat bread with their meat? Do they talk more on their cell phone? What is their total sugar intake in relation to vegans?
Here are the mentioned studies:
All cancers:
Back in the 1920s, Nobel laureate Otto Warburg discovered this particular metabolism, termed aerobic glycolysis, the glycolytic phenotype, or the Warburg effect.
Perspective Medicine Chemistry 2007
The Role of Glucose Metabolism and Glucose-Associated Signalling in Cancer
http://tinyurl.com/ykc9m2x
However, to prevent cancer-cachexia (wasting away or loss of muscle/appetite), we propose the application of a carbohydrate-restricted nutrition, which includes significant amounts of (n-3) fatty acids as well as selected plant polyphenols. Considering the observations discussed above, this strategy could represent a novel and promising approach for a diet-based intervention against aggressive cancer.
Sugar consumption is positively associated with cancer in humans and test animals (5861). This observation is quite logical because tumours are known to be enormous sugar absorbers. It has also been found that the risk of breast cancer decreases with increases in total fat intake (16).
Long-term effects of a ketogenic diet in obese patients
http://tinyurl.com/ykmf75s
Pérez-Guisado J. Carbohydrates, glucose metabolism and cancer. Endocrinology Nutrition. 2006;53:252255. http://tinyurl.com/yk37jhv
http://tinyurl.com/ywo9sw
Since early 2007, Dr. Melanie Schmidt and biologist Ulrike Kämmerer, both at the Würzburg hospital, have been enrolling cancer patients in a clinical study of a most unexpected medication: fat. The good news is that the results were positive: the patients stayed alive, their physical condition stabilized or improved and their tumors slowed or stopped growing, or shrunk.
Brain Cancer
The calorically restricted ketogenic diet, an effective alternative therapy for malignant brain cancer. -- Nutr Metab (Lond). 2007 February
http://tinyurl.com/yfwrmje
Effects of a ketogenic diet on tumor metabolism and nutritional status in pediatric oncology patients
Journal of the American College of Nutrition, April 1995
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/77…
Drug/diet synergy for managing malignant astrocytoma in mice
Nutrition And Metabolism May 2008
http://tinyurl.com/yjkfs87
Breast Cancer
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/86…
Lancet. 1996 May
Intake of macronutrients and risk of breast cancer.
http://tinyurl.com/yzrd39r
Our findings suggest that the associations between carbohydrate intake or glycemic load and breast cancer risk among young adult women differ by body weight. With obesity, the more carbohydrates the greater the risk of cancer.
Gastro Intestinal Cancer
http://tinyurl.com/yzv53hn
Growth of human gastric cancer cells in nude mice is delayed by a ketogenic diet
Nutrition and colorectal cancer risk: The role of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1.
Rudolf Kaaks
International Agency for Research on Cancer
Conclusions: Chronically high levels of circulating insulin and IGFs associated with a Western lifestyle may increase colorectal cancer risk
One of my good friends on the Atkins Diet, Izaboutime, talked to me regarding a scare he had. He was following the diet religiously and working out fiendishly in the gym. In that time, he sweated the potassium of his body and put himself into a hypokalemic state. He thought he was having a heart attack. The post script to his tale is he found out what it was and wanted to be sure others knew as well. That was why this video was created.
Hypokalemia
https://health.google.com/health/ref/…
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/en…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypokalemia
What is Potassium Good for?
* important for neuron (brain and nerve) functioning
* maintaining osmotic and pH balance -- electrolyte
* fluid balance
* heart, kidney and adrenal functions
* preventing muscle contraction
Recommended daily intake of over 4-5,000mg.
Some say we are dangerous for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. Some just type 1 diabetics, but it really couldn’t be further from the truth. As all people, ESPECIALLY diabetics, could benefit from controlling blood glucose levels by carbohydrate monitoring or restriction. There are two major proponents for Low Carb for diabetics:
Richard Bernstein, Type 1 Diabetic since 1946 http://www.diabetes911.net/about.php
Author of THE DIABETES DIET and Diabetes Solution
Mary Ross Vernon
Chairman of the board, American Society of Bariatric Physicians
Co-Author of Atkins Diabetes Revolution with Robert Atkins http://tinyurl.com/cbjk76
2007 and 2008 Runner Up for Diabetic Educator of the Year Award
Mary Ross Vernon has been controlling diabetes with an Very Low Carb Diet (similar to Atkins Diet) for many years. She says both her Type 1 and Type 2 patients have benefited from carbohydrate restriction. She also notes that seeking quality physicians to handle the dramatic decrease in insulin requirements is paramount as some patients could be medication free in 3 days! See the attached quote (http://rjr10036.typepad.com/askdrvernon /2007/05/ron_of_sarasota.html).
The first video deals with case damning the existing treatment or recommendations to follow a high carb diet managed with ever increasing doses of insulin. This second video deals with the evidence for rather managing it with a low carb lifestyle. There are two great studies for advocating this method.
Dietary carbohydrate restriction in type 2 diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome: time for a critical appraisal
Nutrition and Metabolism(Lond) 2008; 5: 9.
Numerous authors including Richard Bertstein, Mary Vernon, Jeff Volek, Eric Westman http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/arti…
Conducted Multi-center trial in which 63 obese men and women were randomly assigned to either diet, 21 Low Carb, 21 Control, 21 High Carb for a one year study.
This discussion focuses on type 2 diabetes but many of the principles will apply to metabolic syndrome and possibly to type 1 as well[6,7].
1. Carbohydrate restriction improves glycemic control, the primary target of nutritional therapy and reduces insulin fluctuations.
2. Carbohydrate-restricted diets are at least as effective for weight loss as low-fat diets.
3. Substitution of fat for carbohydrate is generally beneficial for markers for and incidence of CVD.
4. Carbohydrate restriction improves the features of metabolic syndrome.
An important idea guiding current medical thinking is that clustering of seemingly disparate physiologic states, obesity, atherogenic dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia and hypertension, termed metabolic syndrome (MetS) suggests a common underlying cause. A recent review showed that carbohydrate restriction improves all of these markers[24].
5. Beneficial effects of carbohydrate restriction do not require weight loss. It’s not simply a weight loss argument or due to people losing weight do they achieve the benefits.
Low-carbohydrate diet in type 2 diabetes: stable improvement of bodyweight and glycemic control during 44 months follow-up Jörgen V Nielsen email and Eva A Joensson email http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com…
Conclusion:
There is now little evidence for the claim that a fat-reduced diet for weight reduction has any particular value beyond caloric counting [10]. Current dietary recommendations seem to be a major part of their problem rather than being part of the solution. Carbohydrate restriction, however, reverses or neutralises all aspects of the metabolic syndrome [20,21].
