Dr. Mary Vernon, the former president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, explains why carb-restriction is an effective way to lose weight and improve your lipid profile.

After struggling to help her patients improve their health giving traditional low-fat, calorie restricted dietary recommendations, Dr. Vernon went to the medical literature. "I couldn't find anything that actually showed a low fat diet worked," she explained. 

After going back to the biochemistry textbooks, she decided that starch and sugar must be the culprit, due to their potent effects on insulin, the primary hormone involved in storing fat. While this explanation of obesity is controversial, from a clinician's standpoint, the results are crystal clear: patients are finally losing weight, controlling their blood sugars, and improving their blood lipid panel.

Dr. Vernon has since started Innovative Metabolic Solutions to help train physicians and other healthcare professionals in the science of carbohydrate restricted diets. 

You can read about what the clinical trial data has to say about carb-restricted diets here.

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I'm Georgie, a 43 yrs old, single mom of 2 teenage boys. Between work and kids and marital problems, I turned to food like most do to feed my emotions. I was eating a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's almost every night, sometimes 2, fast food to avoid going home. Divorce was inevitable and after going through that, I delved even deeper into depression and eating through the pain. Food was soothing, comforting, it made me feel better. 

It wasn't until Dec 2008 that I stepped on a scale again and saw how much I had not cared and was at 340. 340!!! I thought for sure maybe 250-260 at the most. The holidays came and I took the boys to the snow, I could barely breathe up in the mountains, let alone hike up the hill to sled down with them. I hated that I could not play with them anymore. It depressed me and I ate even more. I had to be well over 340 at that point. I didn't know, I stopped looking at the scale. 

The first week of January I got bronchitis, then pneumonia, by then double pneumonia. This happened more often every year as I got heavier. After that cleared up, I still could not breathe, they could not figure out what it was. Between emergency visits and hospital stays the next 2 months, I went to every specialist possible, trying every therapy they came up with, I could not even get out of bed to go to the bathroom without being out of breath and almost passing out...every time. I couldn't even talk. I had to write notes. I went to sleep not knowing if I was going to wake up, it was so horribly terrifyingly bad. For the first time in my life I was afraid I was going to die. Even one of the doctors asked me if I had my affairs in order, not knowing what I had or how to cure it. I scared my kids, they would look at me and just cry. It killed me when my sobbing son told me "please don't die mom". I hated doing that to them. I kept thinking that if I didn't weigh this much maybe I wouldn't be this bad. If I survived, I had to lose weight if I wanted to continue to live. I had to. That day in the hospital seeing and hearing my son was my epiphany moment.

Luckily one specialist called me every day and would not give up and did so much research trying to help me. With a trial medication, After 3 months of complete misery, pain and fear of the worse, I finally got better. I had a second lease on life. I had to make the most of it. 

A friend of mine was doing low carb, another was doing Atkins, both with tremendous weight loss and continued success. I started reading about it online, found the community forum, was a lurker reading the posts at first. Bought the book Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and the Atkins Essentials. I can do this I thought. I can really do this!

I started on Atkins and have not turned back. I want to live healthier...for the rest of my life. I know I'll incorporate exercise at some point a little at a time. 

My cholesterol dropped dramatically, my blood pressure is perfect, my doctor is amazed at my progress and more importantly I can BREATHE again!.

I will never take another breath for granted, for as long as I live.

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet?
The biggest challenge was learning to say no to others so i didn't feel excluded or hurt their feelings. It was hard at first and I caved a few times but it got easier. the gain from going off was not worth it. They all KNOW now that I won't veer off and it makes it so much easier. hard to argue with great results.

What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?
Definitely find what works for you. Some foods might work for others and not for you. Definitely move through the phases and don't stay in Induction very long. Add in new food, add variety, try new recipes and have fun with it. It's not a diet but a lifestyle choice. Make a permanent change for the better.

We are excited to announce that we have teamed up with PhotoCalorie to collect the actual dietary intake data from our registry members. From now on, all who register will have the option to use PhotoCalorie and track their dietary intake, learn about their macronutrient intake, and dramatically improve the veracity of their personal data.

Robb Wolf interviews Larry about this exciting integration and about the Ancestral Weight Loss Registry on the most recent episode of the Paleo Solution podcast. 

If you have already submitted your experience to AWLR, you can still use PhotoCalorie. Whether you want to use it for yourself and monitor your dietary intake, or you want to improve the quality of the registry data, or both, you can sign up for free and use PhotoCalorie. Anyone can use it on a smartphone or computer, however in order to take pictures of your food directly from your phone, an iPhone is needed. You can also download the free app in the iTunes app store. 

You can learn more about PhotoCalorie here. 

 
I am a Doctor of Physical Therapy as well as a Certified CrossFit coach and co-owner of CrossFit Craic, which is a fitness training and education center located in Dedham, MA.  I always seemed to have been viewed by my friends as the "healthy" one because I was the first to eat whole grain pasta, brown rice and oatmeal.  Eventually, as my husband and I got more and more into CrossFit and the functional fitness movement, we began stumbling upon the works of Taubes, Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, etc., and learned that the "healthy" things we were reading really weren't what they were all cracked up to be....at ALL.  

John (my husband) and I slowly began cutting out grains and processed carbs over the course of about one and a half years.  Since I have been living the "paleo" lifestyle, I have been stronger, healthier and happier than I have ever been.   The best thing in this experience for me is that my husband and I have changed the eating habits of my immediate family and the great majority of our clients at our private training facility.  We ascribe to and promote the paleo/primal ("No Bread" as well call it) lifestyle and time and again hear amazing stories from our members of significant fat loss, reversals of chronic health conditions, and otherwise life and family changing events.  Making the choice to eat the way I do has certainly changed my life.  

What was the biggest challenge to adopting a paleo diet?  

Not eating the processed, pro-inflammatory carbs that I used to eat is easy, since I gave it up relatively gradually.  The biggest challenge for me is coming up with a brief and honest answer to a questioning person as to why I eat the way I do.  Invariably, when people find out the way I eat, I find that answering them truthfully ("because it's bad for you" or "because it's poison") is usually met with some derisive, patronizing or otherwise non-constructive comments.  If I tell a white lie and say "I'm sensitive to gluten" or "it makes my stomach hurt", people tend to nod their heads and leave me alone.  Does this truly satisfy me?  Not really, but...it is difficult to reverse decades of propaganda in a five minute bus ride.  I haven't quite figured out the best response yet. 

What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?   

People approach this lifestyle many different ways, and since I have succeeded with mine I'll definitely provide some advice which I often give to my clients.  First...I am NOT on a diet.  I live a healthy lifestyle which involves not eating certain foods because they are bad for me.  This is in the same vein as saying that cigarettes or illicit drugs would not be conducive to my healthy lifestyle, therefore I do not consume these things.  If I can keep this in mind, it is easy for me to avoid processed, pro-inflammatory carbs without feeling like I'm deprived of anything; I know they are not good for my body, therefore I simply do not eat them.  

So my biggest piece of advice is try to get this into perspective: if you choose to eat a carbohydrate restricted/paleo/primal diet, you are making a CHOICE to follow a healthy LIFESTYLE.  Diets suggest short-term; I am more concerned about longevity and sustainability of a health choice. Another piece of advice I have is to get into it gradually: start by having a carbohydrate restricted breakfast, then add in lunch, etc.  I know some people promote going all in, cold turkey, which works for some people.  That tactic definitely doesn't work for me, and it may not for others as well.  Definitely figure out the best way to go into it so that you will succeed and SUSTAIN.  Lastly, get a teammate or two. 

At my business (CrossFit Craic in Dedham, MA), my clients and I all have a Facebook group dedicated to share stories, recipes, etc., with our lifestyle choice of "No Bread" (as we refer to it).  It is a great place for support, and I would highly recommend getting a loved one or friend on board with you, as it will make your journey into a healthier lifestyle much, much easier.  You will have someone else to commiserate with as you are forced to stand in the face of years of governmental hogwash :-).

Learn more about Sara and John and CrossFit Craic here: http://www.crossfitcraic.com/

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According to the USDA, we should be consuming no more than 300 mg of cholesterol per day to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease. The idea being that, in some people, high serum cholesterol is associated with heart disease, so reducing our dietary cholesterol may help to keep our blood cholesterol low. This hypothesis, overly abundant in the medical and nutrition communities, has much contradictory evidence.

This low cholesterol recommendation is also nearly impossible to comply with for the average carnivore. According to PhotoCalorie, just 6 ounces of steak or 1.5 eggs already exceeds your limit for the entire day.

The idea that dietary cholesterol increases blood cholesterol seems logical, however the evidence supporting this hypothesis is not strong. This has been known since as early as 1953. Dr. Ancel Keys was one of the first researchers to test this hypothesis, feeding subjects extremely high levels of dietary cholesterol and measuring their blood response. He found almost no effects, despite the absurd amounts of dietary cholesterol administered. Upon further research, Keys accepted that there is some relationship, and created a formula to predict it: blood cholesterol is proportional to the square root of the amount of dietary cholesterol added.

Change in serum cholesterol between 2 diets = 1.5*(Z2 – Z1), where Z is the square root of the cholesterol content of each diet in mg/1000 kcal


According to Keys’ equation above, if someone consuming a 2,000 calorie diet and 1200mg of cholesterol (4x the recommended level) per day reduced their total dietary cholesterol by 6-fold  to 200 mg a day, their serum cholesterol would drop by 21.75 mg/dl. Going from 300 mg per 1000 calories eaten to 150 mg per 1000 calories eaten would drop serum cholesterol by a mere 3.75 mg. This is due to the liver's unique ability to sense dietary cholesterol, and modulate subsequent cholesterol production. 

During the same time, other researchers believed there was a larger relationship. When they fed subjects cholesterol combined with egg yolk, their blood cholesterol increased. When they consumed much higher doses of pure cholesterol, the blood response was less pronounced. Possible explanations for this were increased bioavailability of the cholesterol when mixed with egg yolk, or the possibility that another ingredient besides the yolk’s cholesterol was increasing blood cholesterol levels. However, the amount of egg yolk required to make a significant difference is usually quite large.

Other researchers have since confirmed Ancel Keys’ square root relationship, adding that dietary cholesterol has greatest effects on serum cholesterol if it is added to a low cholesterol, or cholesterol-free diet. At moderate cholesterol intakes, serum cholesterol changed very little with added cholesterol. A 1997 meta-analysis compiled 9 predictive equations since 1990, calculating that for a 2500 kcal diet, a 1.37-2.68 mg/dl decrease in serum cholesterol could be expected for every 100 mg/day decrease in dietary cholesterol. The prediction based on their meta-analysis was a 2.2 mg/dl decrease in serum cholesterol for every 100 mg/day decrease in dietary cholesterol.

Encouraging the masses to eat a low cholesterol diet does not seem to have any significant effect on decreasing serum cholesterol levels. It also encourages low-protein diets, which are less effective for weight loss and satiety. 

For more on this, and a list of sources, see our dietary cholesterol page in the related science section.

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In 1987 I was a fit 220 pound single guy that ran 6 miles a day, weight lifted and taught aerobics 3 times a week. I met and fell in love with my wife who wasn’t a fitness fanatic like me, and I started to decrease my activities and eat unhealthy foods. By the time we got married (7/2/1988) I had started to gain and was at 275 pounds. When our first son was born (9/19/1989) the scale was reading 350 pounds. 20 years later at Christmas 2008 I weighed 493 pounds at the doctor’s office. I was worn out all the time! When I went to Wal-Mart to do the shopping, I needed to lean on the cart as soon as I got one and had to lean on it the entire trip. By the time I made it to the check-out counter, I was dripping in sweat! 

I was tired of being pointed at by little kids who said "Look mommy, there's a really fat man!" At least some kids didn’t know how rude they were…..adults did. I was at a company golf tournament once when a bike rider rode by and yelled "Oh my god! Get out of that cart and walk!" There is no describing how humiliating that was. While it would be easy to blame this on my wife, it wasn’t her fault. I had fought this battle before and knew I was the one responsible and as I edged closer to 500 pounds the time had come to do something! 

I had witnessed a friend of mine, Bonnie Voegeli lose 30 pounds in 3 months on the Medi-Weightloss Clinics program. I followed up with her to learn about the diet she was following and began the marathon on December 23rd, 2008. That is how I view this journey, a long slow marathon! In just two short weeks I was already down to 478. I then called my Medi-Weightloss Clinic in Andover, Kansas and set up my first appointment with Dr. Jeannine Cobb for January 23rd, 2009. I was eating 1000 calories and keeping my carb count under 25g a day. 

Medi-Weightloss Clinics is a physician supervised program that has 3 phases. Acute (weight loss), transition (transitioning from weight loss to maintenance), and maintenance. They, actually, teach you how to lead a healthy lifestyle using real foods and exercise! I initially went in weekly, but now go in monthly to have vitals checked and also have blood work done every 3 months. As a part of this program, I fill out a food journal and drink at least 120 ounces of water daily. The next week, I started to exercise. It wasn’t much, just 15 minutes 3 times a week on an exercise bike. Fast forward to the present and I take 4-6 spin classes a week, lift weights 3 times a week and walk 3 miles in 45 minutes 4-5 times a week. I ran for a bit and actually ran a half marathon in October 2010! 

I have gone from size 66 pants to a 36! This journey has had lots of milestones, but one of my favorites occurred in early August when I took 4 large trash bags of all my 3x and larger clothes to the DAV because I am never going to need them again! I had a tummy tuck where 11 pounds of skin was taken off and they were ready to do some lipo but there wasn’t anything there to lipo! During the 16 months it took to lose the 300 pounds, I recorded a loss every week! That’s right, I’ve had a loss every single week and needless to say, the Wal-Mart trips are a breeze now and yes, my wife is even exercising and eating healthy with me! She has lost another 125 pounds! I am now focused on long distance cycling and raising awareness of childhood obesity in the United States. I just completed a 100k ride in Plano, Texas on October 1st, 2011 for the Make a Wish Foundation! I have been able to maintain my loss now for another 20 months.

Which diets did you try in the past and did those make you hungry? What was different this time around that you believe contributed to this lack of hunger?

Even though I was only eating 1000 - 1200 calories a day, most of that was protein.  An average day consisted of me eating every 2.5 hours and of a 1095 calorie day I would have about  25 carbs (100 calories), 35 fat g (315 calories), and 170 protein g (680 calories). I would also drink about 120 ozs of water per day.  I think the combo of all the water and all the protein kept me feeling satisfied.  I know that watching the scale fall was also very inspiring!  I had done low fat diets like the one inspired by the "Fit or Fat" books.  I was one of the lucky ones that didn't get sick on Phen phen.  I tried the cabbage soup diet.  I tried everything.  I tried atkins and had a little success on it but it was very slow and I'm not sure.  I do know I tended to eat a lot of fatty and salty stuff on it so it may have been a water issue.  I Think that the combo that Medi has come up, physician supervision, along with the support they offer to their patients and tools like the Tanita Scales may have also been part of the difference in why this diet worked for me!!

What advice (if any) would you give to someone interested in trying a carbohydrate-restricted or paleo diet? Were there any obstacles that you overcame that could help future dieters?

You have to decide your important enough to make a change in your life so you will be around for your loved ones in the future. Starting something half heartedly will be met with failure. Never give up! Realize you are human and you will make mistakes. Your success will be determined in how you deal with those failures. Make small goals each week or month and attain them and above all, keep a positive attitude! Each small step you take towards your goal, means you are that much closer to realizing your dream!


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