The Carb-Sane Asylum

S ummary: BUMPED January 26, 2018 This post was written around three and a half years ago, and through some bizarre twist of dietary fate, somehow ketogenic diets are still trending on Google for everything from weight loss to hang nails.  So I thought I'd bump this post which was my attempt at dispelling some myths regarding ketosis and the role of dietary protein in the mix.   In the end, and some of these points are not made specifically in this post but I'll make them here: Carbohydrate restriction is the greatest determinant of ketogenesis  Protein (various amino acids) can feed into the Krebs Cycle and attenuate the reduction in oxaloacetate that favors ketogenesis from fatty acids. Ketogenesis represents a conversion of fat energy to ketone energy but it is not evidence of the ultimate usage of that energy.   Like glucose, ketones will be burned for energy before fatty acids, so ketogenesis is not an indicator of actual fatty aci...

I am unsure why, but I am experiencing some problems with notifications, reading and posting responses to comments.  This morning I posted one reply (I think, no notice it didn't go through) and then was unable to respond to another (kept getting some verification notice).   In addition, I have been mostly on my phone as my computer screen cracked rendering it unusable until I managed to disable the touch screen.  With that successfully disabled, it's a crapshoot if the unit turns on for limited use.   I'm hoping Tuesday for my replacement. I would *REALLY* love returning to more regular blogging in 2018.  

S ummary: Diabetes, whether Type 1 or Type 2, is a dysfunctional, wasteful metabolic state.  As a result, an uncontrolled diabetic either uses or loses more energy than their non-diabetic selves would otherwise use.  As such, the untreated diabetic is essentially "underweight" compared with the body weight that the same energy intake would produce were they not diabetic. There are differences in endogenous insulin production between the two types of diabetes.  In Type 1, there is effectively no insulin production.  In Type 2, there is usually elevated basal insulin production, but a relative deficiency in acute insulin secretion, specifically an impaired early insulin response to glucose (GSIS).  The absolute or relative insulin deficiency results in the following to a greater or lesser degree: Excessive lipolysis resulting in an increased cycling of the Triglyceride/Fatty Acid cycle.   Impaired suppression of glucose production in t...

s ummary This post discusses a few studies on BMI and body composition and CVD mortality.  It was prompted by a Twitter conversation wherein Rob made claims regarding  frail obese people , and that obesity science must address body composition to move forward.  The idea being that people with BMIs up to 40 don't have a "weight" problem, they have a fat problem, and the solution is to gain more lean mass then lose fat mass whether or not there is net weight gain/loss/neutrailty in the process.  BMI is essentially a useless measure.     There are a lot of people, particularly in the "strong women" and Healthy-At-Every-Size (HAES)/related communities putting forth a similar message, that weight doesn't matter, and the former, especially, promoting lifting heavy weights and "thickness".  A sizeable proportion of people from just about every corner of the internet is fixated on the concept of preserving and/or building lean mass.   ...

I have much to be thankful for this year, and this is a day for celebration.    Wishing you all the best day, I'm thankful for all who read here!   I'll be making an apple pie (crust from scratch too!) and there's a slice with my name on it ... it will be worth every calorie!  Also my sister makes the BEST pecan pie only once a year on Thanksgiving, so you better believe I'm having a slice of that too!  I hope you all enjoy the special foods at your celebrations, but more importantly the family and friends you celebrate with.   Have a great day!

The Noakes Foundation has put out a new book entitled Diabetes Unpacked * , edited by Dr. Zoe Harcombe PhD.   It is a compilation of chapters written by a who's who of the low carborati.  This installment deals with Chapter 3 by Dr. Jason Fung, a nephrologist masquerading as an obesity specialist and diabetologist.  He has no formal training in either, and his grasp of some pretty basic physiology is tenuous at best.  That latter "charge" can be backed up by fact checking (or attempting to fact check that which isn't simply Fung POOP (Pulled Out Of Posterior) ) any of his various blog articles, books, podcasts or YouTube videos.   * That's my Amazon affiliate link This post will be an evolving one of sorts that I'll bump if and when content is added.  I've avoided giving Fung much "ink" here, frankly because I never thought anyone would take him seriously enough to deserve it.  Clearly I was wrong.  There's apparently no lim...

T his mix of snarkasm and practical advice is brought to you by Facebook Memories reminding me of a post I made around a year ago -- The #LCHF Weight Loss Industry & Evangelizing Low Carb  -- and the upcoming Keto Clarity Academy event featuring Melanie Miller and Jimmy Moore "influencing" people on how to stay healthy for the holidays. The holiday season will be soon upon us, and even those who celebrate no December holidays will likely still have to navigate related social engagements.  Let me preface this by saying that I recognize there are a number of people who absolutely cannot, or probably should not, stray from their dietary regimen.  There are others who, when they do, have a much harder time getting "back on the wagon" compared to whatever issues staying on plan will cause.  If you are any of these people, this blog post is not for you.  This blog post is aimed at all of those who are angst-ridden going into and through the upcoming holi...