Looking for patterns in weight loss and consumption Low Carb Nugget 64 The main lesson of my diet so far is that weight loss is a complex and perplexing topic. It's one of the great mysteries of life. But if a method is working for you, stick with it. … [Read more...]
This week’s nuggets: June 13-17, 2017
This week on the Low Carb Nugget Podcast, I attacked sugar and defended saturated fat. In other words, it was business as usual, but at least I had my voice back. Take a listen! You can subscribe to the Nugget via any of the following: Apple Podcasts Google Play Music Stitcher TuneIn (If you have an Amazon Echo, try the command, "Alexa, play The Low Carb Nugget Podcast on TuneIn.") #16 What's in a name? Does it make a difference what you call a diet? Should Jim call his diet “low-carb” … [Read more...]
Calculating Skaldeman’s fat burning quotient
When I started this blog many years ago, I was eating a "low-carb" diet. Now I'm eating a "low-carb high-fat (LCHF)" diet. The change in terminology is significant. The goal is not to replace excessive carbohydrate with excessive protein, but with quality fat. I'm trying to get more than 70% of my daily calories from fat. A useful tool for deciding what to eat on an LCHF diet is "Skaldeman's fat burning quotient." The quotient is named after Swedish diet guru Sten Sture Skaldeman, who … [Read more...]
An about-face on fat in the diet
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which calls itself the "world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals" and probably is, recently broke ranks with the anti-fat brigade, urging that the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans "deemphasize saturated fat from nutrients of concern, given the lack of evidence connecting it with cardiovascular disease" (Press Release). The wording is awkward. I think what the Academy means to say is that we should stop bad-mouthing saturated … [Read more...]
My low-carb week in review: April 12 – April 18, 2015
The maddening logic of metabolism struck again this week. I ate according to my low carb diet all week -- no splurges, no wild indulgences, no day out of the norm. For the week, I averaged 1,727 calories, 139g fat, 26g net carbs, and 91g protein per day. That average daily calorie total was significantly lower than for past five weeks, and the macro-nutrient percentages were about the same. All in all, a great week of sensible low-carb eating, and yet I gained a bit of weight, tipping … [Read more...]
My low-carb week in review: March 22-28, 2015
I lost 3.6 pounds this week. (Correction! I only lost 2.4 pounds for the week, going from 227.2 to 224.8. I had the wrong number in mind for the previous week. I apparently was looking back two weeks. JA, 4-26-15.) I'm happy about the drop, of course, but wary. Was that all fat, or was some of it water? Based on my past experience, I mistrust any weight loss greater than two pounds per week. It's likely to be followed by a week of little or no weight loss. But, then, 3.6 pounds lost this week, … [Read more...]
Lunch today: low-carb, yes, but is it high-fat?
For lunch today, I made salmon patties, which I ate with some canned spinach, butter, and a few olives. (Yes, canned spinach. I like fresh and frozen spinach, too, but canned spinach is what I ate as a kid -- what Popeye the Sailor ate to get strong -- so I have a soft spot for it. I like it, especially with melting butter on top.) The salmon patties were an experiment. I added a tablespoon of chia seeds to my usual recipe. I wanted to test the chia as a binding agent. It didn't work all that … [Read more...]
Yes, tax bad food — after we all agree on what it is
Because thou art vegan-leaning, shall there be no bacon cheeseburgers? Taxing other people's vices always seems like a win-win. It allows the majority to feel holier-than-thou and adds money to the public coffers. For instance, I've favored the enormous taxes placed on tobacco. As you can probably guess, I'm not a smoker. I have no vested interests that keep me from seeing the logic of the standard public health argument. Smoking is implicated in widespread health problems that cost … [Read more...]
Setting the stage for tragedy: changes in the U.S. diet, 1970-2006
In the years 1977-1984, the U.S. government pushed out dietary recommendations to the American people to cut their intake of saturated fats (as in butter, lard and red meat) and increase their intake of carbohydrates and fiber (as in grains, fruits and starchy vegetables) and of "healthy" fats (as in poly and monounsaturated vegetable oils). The goal was to prevent heart disease. The theory was, dietary fat -- especially saturated animal fat -- causes a build up of fats in the blood, leading … [Read more...]