Good Calories Bad Calories Book Report/Synopsis

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley As far as I've ever been able to find, exercise - and I'm talking significant aerobic and resistance exercise - has the capability to raise a person's HDL a maximum of 10%. If you have a high HDL level already, 50 or more, that would be up to 5 or so points. However, if you are genetically low HDL-wise (like me - <25), you get a whopping 1 to 3 point increase. I doubt that will save my life. I personally want to exercise so I have some strength and endurance in my declining years , not because I think it's going to do much for me weight or longevity-wise. I tend to agree with Tesaje, I haven't seen much science supporting exercise helping with weight loss. I do agree it improves insulin sensitivity, which is a good thing. By the way, I've been taking high dose Niacin (with my doctor's agreement). At my last lab test my HDL was 39. I've never been over 25 in my life. To me that was a significant increase - 55%.

I take a niacin/statin combo, that has helped my numbers dramatically. But talk about hot flashes from hell...

I've been a fairly regular exerciser for years, but have been trying to reduce the carbs - whole grains, mostly, which appear to be just as bad. FWIW, I weigh 164lbs, and the only weight problem I have is when I binge on DQ hot-fudge shakes...

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tesaje Ketosis (i.e. ketones in the urine) happens with low carb intake. It can be achieved with lower protein and replacing the nutrients with fat. Most low carb diets are not high protein but are high fat. Ketones are an alternative cellular fuel to glucose.

Well that's true - I should have said I don't have any desire to go so low carb as to induce ketosis. You can go fairly low carb and get a lot of your carbs from non-starch, low-glycemic sources without inducing ketosis.

On exercise and HDL - that's tough for folks who genetically have low HDL and exercise doesn't help much. I've noticed that when I am fit due to regular exercise my HDL is quite a bit higher. For me it's a difference between an HDL of around 39-40, and an HDL of 60!

I get a niacin flush just from a normal multi-vitamin. You had better believe that I immediately switched to a lower niacin multi-vitamin!

Yes, I mainly exercise as an anti-aging strategy, but I definitely see weight gain when I don't keep it up over a long period!

Audrey

[windsurf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SciFiFan53 Also, since we live in Shanghai right now, just an observation. The Chinese typically have had a high carbohydrate (mostly rice based), low protein/fat, and low calorie diet for many years - and there were few fat people here. They also tended to get alot of excercise. From what I have heard, in the last few years the average weight has gone up. I haven't seen any studies that claim to pinpoint a cause, but everything is changing now - including higher protein intake, higher fat intake, less exercise, more fast food, etc.

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell; the largest epidemiologic study thus far undertaken. Traditional high plant, low animal diet=less disease (Ca and cardio); modern diet (toward standard American diet)= much disease.

[Tesaje]

Exercise doesn't seem to affect my weight at all. But it certainly makes me feel better and my joints don't ache as much if I do it regularly along with stretching. One of the things I noticed with low carb vegetable matter is that those are the really nutrient dense veggies and fruits.

I guess I'm lucky. My HDL has always been around 80-95 with low triglycerides which seem to more related to negative health consequences than cholesterol numbers.

But now I've got a bunch of Halloween candy - hardly any kids showed up.

[Notmuchlonger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tesaje Exercise doesn't seem to affect my weight at all. But it certainly makes me feel better and my joints don't ache as much if I do it regularly along with stretching. One of the things I noticed with low carb vegetable matter is that those are the really nutrient dense veggies and fruits. I guess I'm lucky. My HDL has always been around 80-95 with low triglycerides which seem to more related to negative health consequences than cholesterol numbers. But now I've got a bunch of Halloween candy - hardly any kids showed up.

The most important question is. Do you have gummy bears or jolly ranchers. Holy cow those are my kryptonite.

[DeborahB]

I thought I'd share some info.

I have read the book and also been on the Atkins diet (off and on) for about 7 years. On Atkins I have had blood work done routinely and it's always good - better than when I'm off it. I lose weight with difficulty for various reasons and it is time for me to start a diet again... just in time for Thanksgiving? Ugh!

On the Atkins diet I only lose if I am really restrictive about it so I get tired of no carbs after a while. That's why I go off it. Please don't share helpful advice on how to do it - believe me, I have researched and tried pretty much everything. I have to keep to under 20 g carbs a day to lose weight quickly (or even not so quickly). That is basically a few vegetables.

Gary Taubes' book is really well researched. The original article was available on the NYTimes.com website - just search for Taubes. I saw it recently so it's probably still there. It's a lot shorter than the book :-)

I have totally changed how I feel about food since starting Atkins. I no longer avoid fats, for example. I don't get hungry all the time, as I did when I was on a low-fat diet. Oh, it looked SOOO healthy, but I was hungry and I didn't lose much weight.

Right now I'm eating a lot of carbs (sigh) but trying to keep portions under control. Soon, a diet. Soon...