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I'm getting some mileage from this. Never been a morning person - assumed blood sugar must be low. Did the glucose testing strip thing - found that was comple

I'm getting some mileage from this. Never been a morning person - assumed blood sugar must be low. Did the glucose testing strip thing - found that was completely wrong! Now cut carbohydrate intake until after daily brisk swim around 15:00. Suddenly I've shed eight pounds and brain fog problem is much improved. Hypothesis: problem was impaired blood flow to the brain not low blood sugar.

bitexploder 9y ago
Pet peeves of little experiments like this of carb cutting. Cutting carbs causes you to shed a lot of water weight. Also if the exercise is new it is quite possible that is the bigger factor in improving perceived cognitive ability. If you changed multiple things and started paying closer attention to diet it is really hard to pin down what actually helped the most. Vigorous exercise helps clear waste along with sleep, not much else really clears things out -- brain seems more and more to be a part of, or similar to, the lymph system. edit: also most people who do 18 hour fasts report feeling energized, better concentration, etc,. especially if they have caffeine on an empty stomach.
- fps 9y ago
  I've cut carbs and increased my calorie intake (through fat and protein) over the past year and have shed 70 lbs of "water weight". I went from Obese to a healthy weight, from a 42" waist to a 32" waist. And I've actually decreased the amount of exercise I've done, too. Amazing how much "water weight" all those fat cells were holding.
  - sridca 9y ago
    How can you be sure that it was being low on carbs, as opposed to consuming less calories overall, that was the cause of your sustained weight loss?
    - midgetjones 9y ago
      > increased my calorie intake
    - fps 9y ago
      I switched from a calorie restricted "balanced" diet (1900 kcal/day, 150g carbs/day) with small portions that was going nowhere to an unrestricted (>2500 kcal/day, <30g carbs/day) diet with larger portions and lost weight.
      - matwood 9y ago
        And you're measuring everything with a food log? When I do a low carb diet, even unrestricted, I have to focus (eat on a timed schedule) on getting enough calories to maintain my lean mass. Without carbs I simply do not eat enough naturally to maintain a weight I want to keep.
      - deleted 9y ago
        [deleted]
      - sridca 9y ago
        This is interesting. I'd like to learn more. Are their studies that demonstrate that consuming more calories (with different composition such as HFLC) leads to weight loss compared to lesser calories (regardless of composition)?
  - iplaw 9y ago
    I think that he is referring to the immediate weight loss effects associated with depleting the glycogen stores in your liver (400 grams) and muscles (100 grams). Each gram of glycogen is bound to 3 - 4 grams of water. Thus, depletion of your glycogen stores results in the loss of 2.0 - 2.5 kilograms (4.4 - 5.5 pounds) of "water (and glycogen) weight" within the first week of a low-carb diet. Larger individuals often retain even more glycogen and water, which can result in immediate losses of 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) or more. His point is that some studies, particularly short term studies, do not account for this non-fat weight loss.
  - danrice 9y ago
    Out of interest, how many grams of carbs/day did you cut down to?
    - fps 9y ago
      under 30, almost all from green vegetables.
      - cgh 9y ago
        Wonderful to hear. Please continue to post. How much of your fat intake is saturated? I greatly increased my saturated fat intake and saw the associated quality of life improvements you'd expect (included increased free testosterone).
  - bitexploder 9y ago
    Referring specifically to folks who change diet and report 6-12 lbs of weight loss in 1 or 2 weeks. Can't burn fat that fast. Carbs in excess cause cells to hold more water, this is a fact. Diet changes, especially water loading, macro nutrient ratio changes,and exercise can cause big shifts on a small time frame. Recommend hacker's diet style of weight trending vs scale measurements to measure short term weight loss.
  - reese_john 9y ago
    You were most likely underestimating your calorie intake at first, it is a common issue. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. Also, switching to a diet higher in protein tends to make people eat less calories and consequently lose fat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002798 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002798 An increase in dietary protein from 15% to 30% of energy at a constant carbohydrate intake produces a sustained decrease in ad libitum caloric intake that may be mediated by increased central nervous system leptin sensitivity and results in significant weight loss. This anorexic effect of protein may contribute to the weight loss produced by low-carbohydrate diets. So in reality, the reasonable explanation is that you decreased your calories involuntary by upping your protein intake.
- NoPiece 9y ago
  Note this study was not about carb cutting, "high fat" in this context means high fat + high sugar, a combo specifically designed and proven to fatten mice. 60% lard, 20% sucrose, 20% casein.
- delhanty 9y ago
  The exercise (ocean swim) isn't new. I've been doing it for years. And yes - it does help enormously (e.g to get the blood really flowing well) - as long as I get the start time, duration, intensity and intervals about right. I tend to swim only until just after the point that I reach peak performance. Also, (for me) it isn't just about carb cutting - it's about timing. If I eat a medium bowl of white rice at a breakfast, then I tend to feel worse afterwards and I put on (some) weight. If think that the blood gets thicker and stickier as blood sugar rises and so blood flow gets worse. If I eat the same medium bowl of white rice after my swim then I don't seem to put on weight, but it does help avoid a next day energy crash. I also paid it with 5g of Creatine Monohydrate (before the swim) and the combination seems to have reversed my middle-age loss of muscle. What doesn't work for me is vigorous early morning exercise fueled by caffeine. Again for me, that is the route to over -training and a long bout of fatigue. YMMV. Listen to your body.
tqkxzugoaupvwqr 9y ago
Similar for me. I get brain fog from eating sweets. After I cut sweets (including any products with a high amount of added sugar, like yogurts and cereal), the problem decreased. I started going to the gym after I wake up and have the first meal after that. This helped tremendously. My routine is loosely based on intermittent fasting. Most days, I have about a 12 to 14 hour gap of not-eating. So basically it is sleep, exercise, restricted eating. Works for me.
- matwood 9y ago
  So you cut sweets first and then started the gym or did you make the changes at the same time? I'm only asking because I would argue the gym is probably where you are getting your biggest change from. I've been working out consistently in some form or another for > 15 years, and if I go 2 days without doing something athletic I notice it physically and mentally.
  - tqkxzugoaupvwqr 9y ago
    Brain fog is tied to what I eat, exercise only helps alleviate the symptoms. With exercise I can eat more sweets until brain fog appears and it also disappears more quickly.
wcummings 9y ago
If you weren't working out before, I bet you the exercise is 9/10ths of it. Its amazing how much of a difference regular exercise makes for your energy and sleep schedule.
- delhanty 9y ago
  My exercise schedule is long-standing and unchanged - see other comment.
matwood 9y ago
> Never been a morning person - assumed blood sugar must be low. For healthy people this is usually a mental/learned thing. You're not a morning person? Start getting up at 6am and going to the gym. Eventually you'll adjust after a week or so.
- delhanty 9y ago
  Did I say I was healthy? What works for you doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. You frankly have absolutely zero clue about what I've tried over 30 years to become that morning person.
  - matwood 9y ago
    No reason to get defensive. Since you're now implying you have some health issue, my point still stands. Most people will adjust to whatever schedule they start to keep. Just look at the number of people who enter the military to see schedule adjustment on a huge scale. So it does not just work for me or all the other people I've seen turn themselves into 'morning people'.
    - delhanty 9y ago
      >No reason to get defensive. I didn't ask for advice or instruct anyone about what they should do anywhere on this thread. You on the other hand immediately instructed me what I should do. Perhaps you are accustomed to giving people orders? Been in the military perhaps? >Just look at the number of people who enter the military to see schedule adjustment on a huge scale. I call that BS. What data you have that is independent of the military's own data of the percentages that do and don't adjust? Outside of the era of conscription, make sure you correct for the fact that people who enter the military are a self selected sample.

bitexploder 9y ago

Pet peeves of little experiments like this of carb cutting. Cutting carbs causes you to shed a lot of water weight. Also if the exercise is new it is quite possible that is the bigger factor in improving perceived cognitive ability. If you changed multiple things and started paying closer attention to diet it is really hard to pin down what actually helped the most. Vigorous exercise helps clear waste along with sleep, not much else really clears things out -- brain seems more and more to be a part of, or similar to, the lymph system. edit: also most people who do 18 hour fasts report feeling energized, better concentration, etc,. especially if they have caffeine on an empty stomach.

fps 9y ago
I've cut carbs and increased my calorie intake (through fat and protein) over the past year and have shed 70 lbs of "water weight". I went from Obese to a healthy weight, from a 42" waist to a 32" waist. And I've actually decreased the amount of exercise I've done, too. Amazing how much "water weight" all those fat cells were holding.
- sridca 9y ago
  How can you be sure that it was being low on carbs, as opposed to consuming less calories overall, that was the cause of your sustained weight loss?
  - midgetjones 9y ago
    > increased my calorie intake
  - fps 9y ago
    I switched from a calorie restricted "balanced" diet (1900 kcal/day, 150g carbs/day) with small portions that was going nowhere to an unrestricted (>2500 kcal/day, <30g carbs/day) diet with larger portions and lost weight.
    - matwood 9y ago
      And you're measuring everything with a food log? When I do a low carb diet, even unrestricted, I have to focus (eat on a timed schedule) on getting enough calories to maintain my lean mass. Without carbs I simply do not eat enough naturally to maintain a weight I want to keep.
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - sridca 9y ago
      This is interesting. I'd like to learn more. Are their studies that demonstrate that consuming more calories (with different composition such as HFLC) leads to weight loss compared to lesser calories (regardless of composition)?
- iplaw 9y ago
  I think that he is referring to the immediate weight loss effects associated with depleting the glycogen stores in your liver (400 grams) and muscles (100 grams). Each gram of glycogen is bound to 3 - 4 grams of water. Thus, depletion of your glycogen stores results in the loss of 2.0 - 2.5 kilograms (4.4 - 5.5 pounds) of "water (and glycogen) weight" within the first week of a low-carb diet. Larger individuals often retain even more glycogen and water, which can result in immediate losses of 6 kilograms (13.2 pounds) or more. His point is that some studies, particularly short term studies, do not account for this non-fat weight loss.
- danrice 9y ago
  Out of interest, how many grams of carbs/day did you cut down to?
  - fps 9y ago
    under 30, almost all from green vegetables.
    - cgh 9y ago
      Wonderful to hear. Please continue to post. How much of your fat intake is saturated? I greatly increased my saturated fat intake and saw the associated quality of life improvements you'd expect (included increased free testosterone).
- bitexploder 9y ago
  Referring specifically to folks who change diet and report 6-12 lbs of weight loss in 1 or 2 weeks. Can't burn fat that fast. Carbs in excess cause cells to hold more water, this is a fact. Diet changes, especially water loading, macro nutrient ratio changes,and exercise can cause big shifts on a small time frame. Recommend hacker's diet style of weight trending vs scale measurements to measure short term weight loss.
- reese_john 9y ago
  You were most likely underestimating your calorie intake at first, it is a common issue. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1454084 Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects. Also, switching to a diet higher in protein tends to make people eat less calories and consequently lose fat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002798 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16002798 An increase in dietary protein from 15% to 30% of energy at a constant carbohydrate intake produces a sustained decrease in ad libitum caloric intake that may be mediated by increased central nervous system leptin sensitivity and results in significant weight loss. This anorexic effect of protein may contribute to the weight loss produced by low-carbohydrate diets. So in reality, the reasonable explanation is that you decreased your calories involuntary by upping your protein intake.
NoPiece 9y ago
Note this study was not about carb cutting, "high fat" in this context means high fat + high sugar, a combo specifically designed and proven to fatten mice. 60% lard, 20% sucrose, 20% casein.
delhanty 9y ago
The exercise (ocean swim) isn't new. I've been doing it for years. And yes - it does help enormously (e.g to get the blood really flowing well) - as long as I get the start time, duration, intensity and intervals about right. I tend to swim only until just after the point that I reach peak performance. Also, (for me) it isn't just about carb cutting - it's about timing. If I eat a medium bowl of white rice at a breakfast, then I tend to feel worse afterwards and I put on (some) weight. If think that the blood gets thicker and stickier as blood sugar rises and so blood flow gets worse. If I eat the same medium bowl of white rice after my swim then I don't seem to put on weight, but it does help avoid a next day energy crash. I also paid it with 5g of Creatine Monohydrate (before the swim) and the combination seems to have reversed my middle-age loss of muscle. What doesn't work for me is vigorous early morning exercise fueled by caffeine. Again for me, that is the route to over -training and a long bout of fatigue. YMMV. Listen to your body.

tqkxzugoaupvwqr 9y ago

Similar for me. I get brain fog from eating sweets. After I cut sweets (including any products with a high amount of added sugar, like yogurts and cereal), the problem decreased. I started going to the gym after I wake up and have the first meal after that. This helped tremendously. My routine is loosely based on intermittent fasting. Most days, I have about a 12 to 14 hour gap of not-eating. So basically it is sleep, exercise, restricted eating. Works for me.

matwood 9y ago
So you cut sweets first and then started the gym or did you make the changes at the same time? I'm only asking because I would argue the gym is probably where you are getting your biggest change from. I've been working out consistently in some form or another for > 15 years, and if I go 2 days without doing something athletic I notice it physically and mentally.
- tqkxzugoaupvwqr 9y ago
  Brain fog is tied to what I eat, exercise only helps alleviate the symptoms. With exercise I can eat more sweets until brain fog appears and it also disappears more quickly.

wcummings 9y ago

If you weren't working out before, I bet you the exercise is 9/10ths of it. Its amazing how much of a difference regular exercise makes for your energy and sleep schedule.

delhanty 9y ago
My exercise schedule is long-standing and unchanged - see other comment.

matwood 9y ago

> Never been a morning person - assumed blood sugar must be low. For healthy people this is usually a mental/learned thing. You're not a morning person? Start getting up at 6am and going to the gym. Eventually you'll adjust after a week or so.

delhanty 9y ago
Did I say I was healthy? What works for you doesn't necessarily work for everyone else. You frankly have absolutely zero clue about what I've tried over 30 years to become that morning person.
- matwood 9y ago
  No reason to get defensive. Since you're now implying you have some health issue, my point still stands. Most people will adjust to whatever schedule they start to keep. Just look at the number of people who enter the military to see schedule adjustment on a huge scale. So it does not just work for me or all the other people I've seen turn themselves into 'morning people'.
  - delhanty 9y ago
    >No reason to get defensive. I didn't ask for advice or instruct anyone about what they should do anywhere on this thread. You on the other hand immediately instructed me what I should do. Perhaps you are accustomed to giving people orders? Been in the military perhaps? >Just look at the number of people who enter the military to see schedule adjustment on a huge scale. I call that BS. What data you have that is independent of the military's own data of the percentages that do and don't adjust? Outside of the era of conscription, make sure you correct for the fact that people who enter the military are a self selected sample.