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unintelligible

I have been studying nutrition on and off for a very long time now, especially after I learned that I am gluten intolerant a long while back. Only in the past few months have I decided to go all the way to all meat, and I can safely say this is a permanent lifestyle adjustment for me.

I've known about ketosis and how that works for a while, but MANY positive side effects came about that I wasn't expecting:

1.) A complete disappearance of acne and other chronic skin problems I've had: It seems that the amount of carbs in my diet correlated directly to the amount of acne I had (ie, eating lots of sugary fruit produces some, then adding bread increases it more!) Also, my skin used to be crackly and dry, now it's all smooth.

2.) Perpetually clean teeth - This has revealed to me that nearly all dental problems come from carbohydrate. After cutting the carbs out and eating nothing but beef and eggs, my teeth never actually need brushing - nothing ever builds up, my teeth are stronger and whiter than ever, no plaque, etc. Brushing is only done as a cosmetic measure to keep from bad breath (and often that isn't always necessary!)

3.) Digestion has never been better. For one, it was only until I made adjustments to my diet that I realized that I was constantly bloated my whole life, and having gotten used to it and thought it was normal - because only in these past few months have I ever felt so UN-bloated. I got it reduced to a degree when I cut gluten out of my diet (this was before I decided to go low-carb), but I now discovered that fiber also was one of those things that has agonized my stomach all my life, since it gives me gas and a certain degree of constipation, especially if I eat a lot of it. Also, it seems that carbohydrates themselves, even without roughage, seem to disrupt my stomach acidity (if I eat too much sugar or starch I get heartburn), though this is pure speculation.

Furthermore, my bowel function was immediately healed once I adopted this WOE. I have NEVER experienced constipation as a result of dropping fiber - I found it to be quite the opposite; fiber seems to get stuck in my gut and it has always been that way for me - but I didn't realize it until I knew what it was like to not have it in my stomach (after eating a horribly unhealthy diet for much of my life that was mostly wheat, cheese and sugar and fruit based - I chugged down that pizza and pastry and apples...)

4.) Mental health - I have grown up with a lot of mental & emotional problems, have been hospitalized, gone to private schooling, and have taken psychiatric drugs during my teenage years - all of which failed me, of course.

After I graduated from high school (about a year ago) I began studying nutrition on my own. Something I have discovered is that in many cases people think they are depressed, they are actually hypoglycemic - something that is only possible with constant uptake of carbs in the diet that would be constantly causing blood sugar fluctuations.

I found that this was true for me - when I have low blood sugar, I typically have panic attacks, heightened levels of social anxiety, paranoia, and so on and so forth. When my blood sugar is at its correct state, I am fully alert, energetic, friendly, can think more rationally. And nothing controls blood sugar better than this meat diet which is devoid of carbohydrates - and ths leaving blood sugar dead steady.

I may also be suscpetible to the mild opiate-like subtances in gluten (wheat!) and casein (dairy) (exorphins, gliadorphins in gluten, casomorphin in casein) in gluten and casein (I don't eat foods like cheese anymore either, it gives me an upset stomach), as they have been implicated in many mental illnesses - and I used to eat nothing but different variants of cheese and wheat - Pizza used to be my everyday staple food, I'd order it out, make it, etc. I loved cheesecake the best of all desserts; I loved pastry and french bread and cheez-its and that's what constituted a large bulk of my diet, particularly during my teenage years (when my mental health was at its worst)

So the meat diet's omission of carbs and other addictive substances (as I am gluten intolerant) have improved my mental health - not just because of my MUCH better physical appearance and lack of gaseous stomach bloat (I'm slim and glowing with health - have dropped from 210 lbs to 145 lbs!)

5.) Athletic ability - The meat diet gives me way more energy than a carb-rich diet ever has. In fact, it seems that this diet gives me a certain amount of superb ability without even having to "train" for it - one day, I found out that I could run for miles and miles on end, yet I never trained for it. Beyond that I would have to do some training (and am soon planning to take up some athletic hobbies), but I was amazed with myself.

What I should emphasize about all this: The synergistic effect of all these positive things. How bizarre this is: the very foods that I was taught are most dangerous (like red meat and eggs) actually happen to be some of the healthiest foods on earth for me, and I now subsist on them. The diet is surprisingly cheap, too - eggs and ground beef and chucks are excellently priced and can be had in bulk, plus I never have to "eat out" or get sugary snack foods or anything (which really adds up as hidden food costs for many people). I never overat, and I end up eating way fewer calories (not that calories count, but this is funny nonetheless) to perfom the same level of activity than when I ate a diet high in carbs.

There's no way I can ever go back to eating carbs. Ever.

Rob21370 · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 8:45 pm Post subject:

Welcome and way to go on your diet. You'll find lots of happy and friendly carnivores here.

NikkiLC · Hunter Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 232 Location: England

and i too have noticed my panic and anixity attacks have dropped since i dropped the carbs.

adwred

bubbaM · Hunter Joined: 06 Aug 2006 Posts: 227

Wow, that's so great that you found this way of eating at such a young age. And also, on behalf of all of us here I would like to cordially offer you the job of creating the recipe for <Yes, you guessed it!>

THE ZERO CARB PIZZA!!!!

We can't wait!

Bubba

Carolyn · Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:24 am Post subject:

unintelligible,

Welcome!

What do you eat for fats? do you do 80%/20% of calories, fats to protein?

Max Thunder · Hunter Joined: 12 Aug 2006 Posts: 231 Location: Canada

unintelligible · Posted: Mon Sep 11, 2006 5:50 am Post subject:

Scout Finch · Meat Devil Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 1162

Yeah, the clean teeth thing was a surprise to me as well. I've had two teeth cleanings since being carnivorous, and prior to those cleanings I was always being reprimanded for not flossing my back teeth enough. The last two cleanings I had no bleeding and she said my gums looked to be in fantastic shape.

Carbs are sugar - glucose - whatever. They are just bad. Bad news. Bad carbs! Bad! Bad! Go away, carbs! Go away now. Shoo! Yup

Now everybody knows I'm weird. Bonkers

Rob21370 · Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 2:22 am Post subject:

Meredith · Pack Member Joined: 07 Sep 2006 Posts: 90

Moronic_Pathways · TROLL Joined: 03 Jul 2006 Posts: 268

how long did it take for your bowels to adapt to an all meat/fat diet?
it seems to bind me up like a mofo and i get no relief except from fibers.When i used to eat this way originally a few years back and exclusivly all meats/fats i noticed i'd get really backed up then all of a sudden i'd have the shits and flush everything out then feel completley empty..this happened at least once a month-is that normal?
if i could get my bowels to settle down and become okay,i'd definetly be on this WOE without any sort of fiber or 'helper shitter outters' Grin

.

unintelligible · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 1:04 pm Post subject:

WesleyT · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:00 pm Post subject:

bleh, fibre makes me fart all day
i've never been a veggie eater in my life, in a period i started to eat "more healthy" is started farting all day Very Mad

adwred · Posted: Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:03 pm Post subject:

It's true. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've tooted in the last 5 or 6 weeks since going zero-carb. Yay to no farts!
_________________
I'm a vegetable-eater by proxy. I make sure to get 5-10 servings of herbivore per day.

Scout Finch · Meat Devil Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 1162

For those who are interested, Fiber Menace by Konstantin Monastyrsky is a great read about the preposterous notion that fiber is healthy. It's a well researched and easy-to-understand book, along the same vein as The Cholesterol Myth.

Consuming indigestible substances in the name of "good health" is insanity.

http://www.fibermenace.com/

brklx · Top Cat Joined: 02 Jun 2006 Posts: 350

You are so damn lucky to have discovered this so early in life, I wish I had.

Peter_UofIllinois · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:58 am Post subject:

Unintelligible,

I am a 25-year-old grad student at the University of Illinois and am new to the Forum. I am also gluten intolerant; I am highly sensitive to grains in general. I have been on the zero-carbohydrate plan for 1 week now, with the hope of curing my rosacea which has affected me off and on for about 10 years. With my rosacea, I basically have a permanent red flush on my nose, cheeks, and ears - similar to a mild sunburn. For some reason I've never had issues with acne, though.

I have a few questions for you, as from your story it seems we have a few things in common:

1) Do you use any form of oil to add fat to your diet, such as coconut or olive oil?
2) Do you use any herbs and/or spices to season your beef and eggs?
3) Is beef your sole source of meat, or do you also eat, for example, chicken, lamb, fish, pork, etc?
5) Do you take any nutritional supplements?
6) Do you react adversely to zero-carbohydrate dairy products, such as heavy cream and butter? I have been including these in my diet over the past few days, but am highly suspicious that they have been making my face more, rather than less, inflamed.
7) Finally, did you experience any withdrawal symptoms at the start of zero carb?

Thank you for your feedback. Your story is definitely a success story! Congrats on identifying a diet that is optimal for you and has so greatly improved your life.

Best regards,
Peter

unintelligible · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:44 pm Post subject:

Lynnette · Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 10:50 pm Post subject:

Scout Finch · Meat Devil Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 1162

Lynnette, yeah, I think people probably adapt differently to a high-fiber diet, but some never do and the gaseousness ends up being a recurrent theme in their lives!

I never suffered from being really gassy ever, but I just wasn't feeling good on lots of veggies, fruits, beans, and other "healthy fare." I couldn't keep my weight down and I was binge-eating like crazy. So there was still a downside, even without the gas!

BTW - Welcome! Yup

Lynnette · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 5:06 pm Post subject:

Thanks, Scout, for the welcome.

I tried going vegan recently and I did not feel good. I was eating whole foods, too...not refined junk. I felt sluggish. Acid reflux burned my throat by the way. I had the blisters to prove it.

I'm kind of a health nut, so I wanted to follow what I thought was a healthy diet, a vegan diet. I'd read The China Study and that's rather impressive. But veganism is not for me, gas or not. But I'm so terrified of farting that I'd probably give it up just for that Happy

However, nowadays, the vegan community says one shouldn't eat too many beans or other concentrated protein *rolls eyes* I guess I could have gone beanless.
_________________
I'm happily in ketosis. My breath smells like a rat swam in turpentine, then crawled inside of my mouth and died. But I'm losing weight, so who cares??!!

Lynnette · Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject:

I forgot to say that a vegan diet did not allow me to lose any weight even at lower calories.
_________________
I'm happily in ketosis. My breath smells like a rat swam in turpentine, then crawled inside of my mouth and died. But I'm losing weight, so who cares??!!

Dustyboy · Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2008 2:56 pm Post subject:

My wife will not kiss me, will the bad breath go away once you keto adapted?

Kristi31 · Top Cat Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 378 Location: Montreal

My bad breath disappeared once I upped my fat and decreased my protein.
_________________
"When you give up your dream, you die"

Dustyboy · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:42 pm Post subject:

I just brush my teeth several times a day. How long did it take you to get adapted?

Kristi31 · Top Cat Joined: 24 Nov 2007 Posts: 378 Location: Montreal

I'm not yet ketoadapted after several months BUT I believe it is because I was eating too much protein relative to fat and energy was being mobilized from glycogens stores in order to aid digestion. Hence, glucose released from glycogen stores, increasing insulin and in the process preventing keto-adaptation. Perhaps, some protein was turned into glucose as well but I'd reckon that fat was prpbably turned into glucose to replenish glycogen stores as protein conversion to sugar is very hard on the body.

Now, that I've increased fat, ketones are spilling less and less in my urine. We'll see if my hypothesis holds true.
_________________
"When you give up your dream, you die"

Dustyboy · Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:31 pm Post subject:

a lot of people on this forum talk about cutting dairy and increasing fat. I am not losing tons of weight but the dairy is the only thing keeping me sane right now. How did you increase your fat, with butter? eggs perhaps? Confused

Carnation · Top Carnivore Joined: 15 Dec 2007 Posts: 3586

You can add extra egg yolks to any eggy thing you make, whether it is scrambled eggs, drinks, or even using them as a dipping sauce. If you like butter, slap some on every piece of meat and egg you cook (it tastes better if you do it after removing from the pan). Cook everything in copious amounts of lard/tallow/butter. Try eating super fatty cuts of meat like pork belly (check recipe section). If you like ground meats, you can mix extra fat into them. You can get fat scraps for next to nothing at the butcher (especially if you say they're for your dogs). Of course, there are always butter shots! Happy

kallyn · Pack Member Joined: 21 Nov 2006 Posts: 74 Location: NoVa