I was reading an article about the evolution of training tables at BCS schools and thought about my own food choices. I've limited my carb intake, especially from breads and rice and have noticed a difference in my waistline and energy levels. Has anyone else inverted their food pyramid?

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-college-sports-training-tables-20171221-story.html

I'm mostly vegan, but along with that diet change I have reduced my simple carb intake, or maybe more accurately increased my complex carb intake. I rarely eat non whole wheat breads or white rice. Over the 4 plus years of pretty much avoiding meat and dairy products(another simple carb) and focusing on non-processed foods, dropped from 185 plus to under 160lbs. I also have a pretty low fat and low sugar diet.

I was a pretty big meat and dessert eater, but don't miss it at all. Part of that comes with age too, I think. The sweet tooth I had in my youth, just isn't there as much.

So, to answer your question, I haven't really inverted my food pyramid, but there are elements of that in my food choices. I probably eat more fruit than before or suggested in the inverted pyramid in daily breakfast smoothies, but along with that I include veggies.

I guess for me the bottom line is to avoid processed foods. Eat things that your grandmother would recognize as a food product. I just choose to not eat meat to avoid the high fat/cholesterol content.

The one carb I haven't reduced...and maybe have increased is beer. I would probably just waste away without those calories.

I try to eat well, and I do fair bit of research, and although there is a lot of information out there, a lot of which contradicts itself, there are a few good rules of thumb that frequently appear.

1. Eat more of fruits and vegetables (the more diverse set the better)
2. Eat less processed foods and sugary foods (read the labels as sugar is everywhere and can vary greatly within the same food genre [like granola bars or yogurt])
3. Use the mental tricks to curb portion size
4. A sprinkling of nuts is great
5. Most importantly, NEVER GO TO THE GROCERY STORE HUNGRY

Portion control. The only problem with it is the lack of sexy name.

"I eat the neato keto diet! MmmmMMMmmmm"


"I started the neato keto diet!"

55 million football only facility? Well damn
I guess that is part of what it takes
No title 9 issues?

Many contact sport are moving towards anti-inflammatory diets and plant proteins in place of inflammatory carbs.

The idea is to eat a lot of oily fish, carbs that are anti-inflammatory like quinoa, smaller amounts of meat, no or little sugar, ginger, etc. A good example of this can be found on the Furd football website or in the Tom Brady/Giselle book (not two groups I love). The idea is inflammation from work outs or contact prevents optimal performance and delays training. Also dare I say it a lot CDB rubs (with no TCH sorry) on areas with inflammation (like Oline shoulders),

May not be appropriate for those that spend life behind a desk.

I reduced my dairy in take for a few months, but then my blood work told me I was mildly deficient of Vitamins D, B6 and B12, which can only be had through meat and dairy products, so I reincorporated a very small glass of milk in the morning.

NASA is studying keto for Mars missions since it protects your brain and dna somehow. It is likely also helps with concussions (to make it slightly on topic), and absolutely is helpful for certain seizures.

In all cases, Keto is NOT limiting carbs, it is eliminating carbs. NASA and kids in hospitals take medicine to ensure they stay in ketosis, and kids in the hospitals have to be given special medications, because the pills carb content is often too high.

Unlike low fat fads, the good carbs, low carb, Atkins, Paleo, or even Keto seems like the direction of the future of eating: everything bad for you in the store is basically pure processed carbs. Soda, mass produced breads, chips. Walk through a supermarket and 90% of the food not on the perimeter is just processed carbs with almost no other nutrition. It's gross.

Keto has extremely interesting effects, but is almost impossible to actually achieve without constant monitoring. Low carb, very low carb, and good carbs diets are basically just abandoning the obscene changes in food over the last 50 years. They are not fads. Kellogg's convincing use to eat a bowl of simple sugars for breakfast is the fad.

Been doing OMAD 3-4 times a week then 16:8 the rest of the time for the last 4 month. BMI has dropped from 26 to 21. I try to eat healthy, but I've also been finishing off my kid's halloween candy, still dropping weight.

From Cal's own dept of nutrition/toxicology, associate professor Danica Chen explains why CR or IF can improve not just one's lifespan but wellspan.

nwbear84 said:

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I'm mostly vegan, but along with that diet change I have reduced my simple carb intake, or maybe more accurately increased my complex carb intake. I rarely eat non whole wheat breads or white rice. Over the 4 plus years of pretty much avoiding meat and dairy products(another simple carb) and focusing on non-processed foods, dropped from 185 plus to under 160lbs. I also have a pretty low fat and low sugar diet.

I was a pretty big meat and dessert eater, but don't miss it at all. Part of that comes with age too, I think. The sweet tooth I had in my youth, just isn't there as much.

So, to answer your question, I haven't really inverted my food pyramid, but there are elements of that in my food choices. I probably eat more fruit than before or suggested in the inverted pyramid in daily breakfast smoothies, but along with that I include veggies.

I guess for me the bottom line is to avoid processed foods. Eat things that your grandmother would recognize as a food product. I just choose to not eat meat to avoid the high fat/cholesterol content.

The one carb I haven't reduced...and maybe have increased is beer. I would probably just waste away without those calories.

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I only drink beer when the college football team I'm following is so good that they make me a nervous wreck. I only drank like a can of beer last year.

nwbear84 said:

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I guess for me the bottom line is to avoid processed foods. Eat things that your grandmother would recognize as a food product. I just choose to not eat meat to avoid the high fat/cholesterol content.

The one carb I haven't reduced...and maybe have increased is beer. I would probably just waste away without those calories.

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Three things:

1 - I agree with you on not eating processed foods. Almost nothing I eat is processed. And it feels good. To that end, I've sort of got on an organic, local kick (which I think might surprise some people). I will not buy produce that is not local (for the life of me I don't understand buying an orange shipped in from some place far away, when we grow really good oranges here in California). I only do organic chicken, i don't want water and salt pumped into them.

2 - Switch to gin. It has no carbs!

3 - I've really taken to intermittent fasting. If you do it correctly it totally works, and there's something really cool about just being in control. Amazing how you don't miss the food once you have mind over body.

I lost 50 pounds last year and have kept it off. I feel so much better.

No carbs in whiskey either

KenBurnski said:

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Bong rips=carb free. Side effect management is on you.

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Dude, there is no way the bong "experience" is carb free... (exception to no processed food comment above)

That's where one leverages their inner Jedi to go hog on a kale farm.

sonofabear51 said:

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No carbs in whiskey either

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Tequila also has no carbs and a study shows that agavins in tequila can lower your blood sugar and help you lose weight:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/familyhealth/tequila-is-linked-to-weight-loss-study-claims/ar-AAAkJ4w

Bear70 said:

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Been on kept for over a year. Lost about 75 pounds and feel better than ever. Keep my Net Carbs about 20g a day, basically total carbs-fiber=net carbs.
Food tastes better.
No bloated feeling and excess energy.
It's not complete elimination of carbs. It's reducing carbs.
Also, too much protein can produce the same issues as the body converts protein in the absence of carbs...at a certain amount.
I try to mix my day 75% good clean fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs.

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What are the examples of the clean fat that are in your diet. Avocado? Cottage cheese?

Maybe clean wasn't the right word but for me...
I drop MCT oil in my coffee in the morning. Avocado and avocado oil have been a wonderful addition. We use ghee for cooking. Fish and occasional red meat change up the pattern.
Every now and then we eat a few macadamia nuts but extreme moderation as they add up calories quickly. My wife will make a sugar free chocolate with Lily's chocolate and some macadamia. Nice quick fix of fat and not as much regret. I've found sugary foods are much too sweet now which makes it easy to stick with Keto.
I used to miss pizza....but a good mozzarella, uncured pepperoni, and a light low carb tomato sauce...in a bowl with no crust...delightful.
We found early on to stay away from anything that advertised as "Keto" friendly.
We could probably just eliminate carbs and processed food and have similar weight loss results.
However, on a 1500 calorie diet and still trying to be active in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and chasing kids around, the high fat seems to be an adequate replacement for carbs. Blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar...all below normal range when they were pretty high at one point.
There are good high fat choices out there but utilizing them are a personal preference. MCT oil is pretty good for me.

burritos said:

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Bear70 said:

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Been on kept for over a year. Lost about 75 pounds and feel better than ever. Keep my Net Carbs about 20g a day, basically total carbs-fiber=net carbs.
Food tastes better.
No bloated feeling and excess energy.
It's not complete elimination of carbs. It's reducing carbs.
Also, too much protein can produce the same issues as the body converts protein in the absence of carbs...at a certain amount.
I try to mix my day 75% good clean fat, 20% protein, 5% carbs.

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What are the examples of the clean fat that are in your diet. Avocado? Cottage cheese?

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Butter and Bacon

jk

Two years ago we went Paleo/Keto/LowGlycemic diet. Changed our lives. Maybe saved mine. Lost 80+ lbs and have kept it off. No bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, ice cream, sugar etc for two years. Never looked back.

We eat TONS of bacon, red meat, and butter. My cardiologist, endocrinologist, primary care physician, and gastroenterologist are all ecstatic.

Worked wonders us. Maybe not everyone. But we don't plan on ever going back..

txwharfrat said:

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Two years ago we went Paleo/Keto/LowGlycemic diet. Changed our lives. Maybe saved mine. Lost 80+ lbs and have kept it off. No bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, ice cream, sugar etc for two years. Never looked back.

We eat TONS of bacon, red meat, and butter. My cardiologist, endocrinologist, primary care physician, and gastroenterologist are all ecstatic.

Worked wonders us. Maybe not everyone. But we don't plan on ever going back..

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Wow, good job. Do you eat cheese and dairy?

Same here, started using this:

oskirules said:

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txwharfrat said:

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Two years ago we went Paleo/Keto/LowGlycemic diet. Changed our lives. Maybe saved mine. Lost 80+ lbs and have kept it off. No bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, ice cream, sugar etc for two years. Never looked back.

We eat TONS of bacon, red meat, and butter. My cardiologist, endocrinologist, primary care physician, and gastroenterologist are all ecstatic.

Worked wonders us. Maybe not everyone. But we don't plan on ever going back..

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Wow, good job. Do you eat cheese and dairy?

Cheese only. Not any milk, yogurt, etc. That is why it is not truly "Paleo" (we eat cheese). Or really event Keto, since I do eat some fruit with natural sugars like grapes and peaches from time to time. We are really just focused on glycemic load. Eating like we are diabetics, even thought we aren't. I wanted a LIFESTYLE we could sustain - not a diet. We drink lots of dry red and white wine too. What don't we eat? Potatoes, pasta, sugar, grains, legumes, vegetable oil, lactose products. We call it "Paleo with cheese & wine"!

Growing up we were told by Kelloggs commercials (and the US Govt) to eat of "healthy" breakfast of milk, corn flakes, toast, oatmeal and orange juice. We don't eat ANY of that stuff. It is all POISON. ALL OF IT. Instead we have eggs (lots and lots and lots of eggs), bacon, cheese, and lots of veggies for breakfast. Please keep in mind that the AHA came out in 2014 and said essentially...

"Whoops! Our bad. Eggs are fine for you. Eat up to 3-4 per day, no problem. Never mind".

I found a young cardiologist that keeps up with technology and loves the Paleo type of diet. It's working and we love it. I have discovered that, for me, if you add BACON or REAL BUTTER to anything, it immediately tastes better.

Who knows what data the nutrition/food science community will come up with in ten years. Maybe I'm killing myself - but, for now, it does seem to be working, and we LOVE it!

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txwharfrat said:

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oskirules said:

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toast, oatmeal and orange juice. We don't eat ANY of that stuff. It is all POISON. ALL OF IT.

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I love whole grain bread, oatmeal and OJ. Why do you say these are poison? I'm genuinely curious.

I've found them to be full of carbs and leave me still feeling hungry after eating because of the crash from the glucose spike they gave me. Kind of an endless cycle, hungry-eat-hungry-eat.
High fat foods stay with me longer and I sometimes find myself having to eat to keep my macro levels up instead of being hungry.
I was blown away when I saw a single slice of white bread had more carbs than I'm eating in one day.

The only negatives I've found on keto so far...
-sodium, need extra sodium as the massive amounts I used to have in processed foods are now gone. Even adding extra to my diet I'm still averaging less than recommended daily amounts. Some sugar free vitamin drinks help with electrolyte loss and cramps if they spring up.
-fiber, gotta stay hydrated and keep the digestive process moving. I take whole husk psyllium to help out. Has some carbs but in fiber form so it works.

GoOskie said:

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txwharfrat said:

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oskirules said:

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toast, oatmeal and orange juice. We don't eat ANY of that stuff. It is all POISON. ALL OF IT.

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I love whole grain bread, oatmeal and OJ. Why do you say these are poison? I'm genuinely curious.

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You might as well be eating a bowl of sugar. Straight up. Your body turns every one of these into sugar very quickly. Just skip it and eat 25 spoonfuls of sugar.

I started intermittent fasting about a month ago and I've lost 10 pounds. Here is the Ted Talk video that got me started -- I also bought and read his book. Some of the posts above inspired me -- I just signed up for Amazon Unlimited (free trial) as a easy access to read some books on Keto diet (which I have never tried and only know of superficially). Thanks for the inspiration!

GoOskie said:

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txwharfrat said:

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oskirules said:

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toast, oatmeal and orange juice. We don't eat ANY of that stuff. It is all POISON. ALL OF IT.

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I love whole grain bread, oatmeal and OJ. Why do you say these are poison? I'm genuinely curious.

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These spike insulin. When you're in a high insulin state you are in an anabolic(growth and accumulation state) vs catabolic state(breakdown and recycling and preservations of lean muscle). We're adults and getting older, we don't need to grow anymore(fatter and cancer).It takes 12 hours for insulin to go away after you eat unless you eat again, then you're 12 hours away again... Keto diet leads to less insulin. Being in a high insulin state affects 3 very important heath preserving cell pathways AMPK, mTOR, and Sirtuin. In simplistic terms, these promote autophagy(recycling of old useless protein, cells, and cell organelles), promote mitochondria biogenesis, improve efficiency of energy metabolism(I know, yawn), upregulates protection against oxidative stress, reduces inflammation and promote DNA preservation/repair. When you're sick, it's because you have sick cells, which can heal. Every time you eat something with carbs, you halt these cell processes. Eating carbs for 4-5 decades several times a day, leads to 'aging'. In modern day society where carbs are pleasureable and abundant, our cells never enjoy sustained healing, they just degenerate. The decay of what is known as aging can be slowed by engaging in these processes so that you can have a longer 'wellspan'. 12-16 hours of not eating a day helps. Exercise helps but we can't all be professional work out enthusiasts. Keto helps, but proteins/calories stymies the mTOR pathways.

randythebear said:

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I started intermittent fasting about a month ago and I've lost 10 pounds. Here is the Ted Talk video that got me started -- I also bought and read his book. Some of the posts above inspired me -- I just signed up for Amazon Unlimited (free trial) as a easy access to read some books on Keto diet (which I have never tried and only know of superficially). Thanks for the inspiration!

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I can't tell who you're replying to, but I'm a huge believer in intermittent fasting as a lifestyle, not even a diet.

Keep at it!

Ok guys. With your encouragement, I am beginning day 1 of this key-toe diet. How is it supposed to help me again? Does this really work?