Does no carbs mean no energy

[cjc]

HI after a thread I posted yesterday you advised me to cut down on my carbs (thanks) but talking at work today someone said if I am hardley eating any carbs were will my energy come from ??? I am getting more confused now here is what I now eat after yesterday post

bacon sausage tom, mushroom scrambled egg
tuna salad
pork steaks and lots of veg
shape yoghurt 2 apples
how does this sound many thanks

 

[jacquirs]

the body produces glucose from what you already have and also then takes its energy from fat burning

there are many on here who are far more techie than me but that's my understanding

i don't lack energy by not eating carbs in fact i have more as the body is not falling asleep every post meal as i was before

also veg and fruit have carbs in them just in a different form so if you eat plenty of veggies you should be fine

what you described as meals for a day sounds fine to me, i would eat though maybe not 2 apples but then that is me, have only just started a bit of fruit again

good luck Jacqui

 

[caitycakes1]

ditto what jacquirs said. since low carbing I have never had so much energy or felt so well. Not much of a techie either but know how well I feel.

Caitycakes x

 

[Dennis]

Hi cjc,

It may surprise you but your meals yesterday had a very healthy carb content. There would be carbs in the sausages, tomato, mushroom, vegetables, yoghurt and apples. You don't mention drinks but if you had tea of coffee with milk then the milk contains lacose which is carbohydrate.

It's not possible to work out exactly how much carb there was because you haven't given portion sizes, but I would hazard a guess at around 60+g carbs in total. As the body only needs 50g on average to meet its energy needs, that day's intake was pretty much perfect! If you had eaten less carbs than your body needed then it would have burned off some fat cells. This produces ketones that the body can use for energy instead of carbs.

 

[hanadr]

You can live inefinitely without eating Any carbs at all. The Inut people of Canada ued to do it all the ime. It means living off nothing other than fatty meat and fish. Veggies contain carbs and fruits contain loads of carbs. You don't need carbs for energy, that's a myth that's been spread by interested parties.
You can get all your energy from fats and ketones.
Also dietary ketones, produced from eating low carb, are harmless and not the same as diabetic ketoacidosis

 

[timo2]

Hi cjc,

Your body is able to function perfectly well on very low levels of carbohydrate, using just fats
and protein for fuel (for an indefinite amout of time).

Regards,
timo.

 

[IanD]

I have more energy now than a year ago - I can play 2 hours of tennis at club standard. Also I'm much less likely to drop off.

 

[saz1]

This low carb lark is very similar with a well known slimming club colour coded meal plan exept on this plan you can eat butter, cream and such; the previously forbidden foods. I have found that even previously following the diet made me feel loads better. Now as I am reducing the amount of carbs I eat, I feel better and more energised so I reckon my sugars are coming down too. I am waiting for some strips in the post so I can properly follow my levels. And if you love pasta and such, low carb megastore has loads to offer. I ordered low carb garlic and parmesan mash for instance and some tortilla wraps, pasta so I can still have my utter comfort foods like a bowl of pasta with bolognese sauce and parmesan! And all this with guilt free mind! Cheese and cream, cant be bad!!!

 

[Stuboy]

I dont understand the Ketone thing...

So far my understanding was that Ketones are a by-product of used body fat, which in poisonous the body and thus bad...

So what's the difference in diabetic ketoacidosis and ketones from low carb? (this is a genuine question... im not getting funny!)

Low carb has never appealed to me because i love pasta and potato's and pizza and bread... i can't imagine not eating these things... but hearing about having MORE energy with low carbs is appealing. Dont get me wrong... i don't JUST eat carby foods, i eat a ton of veg and meat too.

 

[Patch]

Ketones are not related to ketoacidosis. They are 2 completely different things. Ketoacidosis is a "side-effect" of fasting/starvation. Ketones are produced when your body digests/burns fat. If you are eating fat you are not fasting.

I used to be a carb addict (pasta was my poison - and believe it or not I got that addiction from following the previously mentioned diet. Bloody Green days got me addicted to pasta!)

Once I went lo-carb (<15g per day) the cravings completely went away. When you run your body on fat/protein instead of carbs, you don't feel hunger, and you don't need to eat. Before lo-carbing I used to start planning what I was going to have for dinner at around 3pm at work. Food literally ruled my life. Now, I don't think about it at all, and some evenings I have to force myself to eat something.

Lo-carbing is great and I love it.

 

[Natalie]

Ketoacidosis occurs because of starvation, when there is no food the body attacks it's fat as it's not getting any sustenance, and it's the acidity of the blood caused by the accumulation of ketones which makes the person ill - ketones on their own are a normal part of metabolism and do not build up enough to cause problems

That's how I understand it anyway!

Also, I feel much more energetic after a plate of veg than carbs - if anythings, too much carbs makes me sluggish and less active!

 

[tubolard]

Ketosis is associated with carbohydrate starvation, ketones are a byproduct of the conversion of fat cells to energy. Ketones are related to ketoacidosis which is where the body, because of high glucagon and low insulin serum levels, produces more glucose via gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, and ketone bodies via ketogenesis, excessive amounts of ketones build up which will eventually bring down the blood ph levels to a level incompatible with life (I just love that phrase!).

There is debate whether being in a prolonged state of ketosis is good for one, and the only sensible differentiation between the two (that I've heard so far) is that ketoacidosis is associated with high BG levels whereas ketosis isn't.

Regards, Tubs.

 

[fergus]

It's a pity that ketosis suffers from guilt-by-association!

In the same way that countless people have been frightened away from eating dietary fat by an illogical association with bodily fat, the idea that ketosis is a precursor to ketoacidosis has confused lots of people too.

Ketosis is the body's natural response to a lack of carbohydrate. It's essentially the fuel we turn to while we're fasting, such as overnight for example. It is completely benign, and in fact essential to health. Many of the body's organs actually function more efficiently using ketones rather than glucose as a fuel. Fat stores are created as a consequence of carb intake and raised insulin levels, and fat is metabolised when insulin levels drop. If the two processes are in balance, our weight remains stable.

Ketoacidosis on the other hand is the the result of the absence of adequate insulin, typically in T1 diabetics with a chronic lack of insulin or in T2's who have lost beta-cell activity.

In other words, ketoacidosis hasd nothing to do with a low-carb diet, and everything to do with an insufficient level of insulin.

All the best,

fergus

 

[diabetesmum]

Hi All,
Everything I have read supports what Fergus has said: Ketoacidosis is caused by a relative lack of insulin - less than your body needs for it's basal or 'housekeeping' functions. It is not caused by high BG's on their own, or by starvation or dieting or low carbing. A scientist heavily involved in diabetes research told us that when insulin production falls to below 20% of what a particular person needs, then DKA begins. The presence of sufficient insulin prevents the blood turning acidic when there are ketones, as I understand it, but I am no techie!
Sue

 

[fergus]

Spot on, Sue.

All the best,

fergus

 

[diabetesmum]

Thanks Fergus
Sue

 

[Trinkwasser]

Agreed, there are basically two factors: you can convert protein to glucose in quantities sufficient for your body's needs,and this is a relatively slow process which doesn't cause BG spikes.

Also you can switch to using ketones from fat as fuel, this may take a finite time to occur as your body resets, hence the "Atkins flu" which is usually a temporary phenomenon. Some of us do significantly better running on ketones.

I have a suspicion that one thing that gives low carbing a bad rap is when your carb input is high enough to switch you back and forth between glucose and ketone metabolism

Check out this and the more recent thread

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/low- ... me-around/