A bit about VLC page

[nachobrawler]

Here is a good study done on the muscle sparing effectiveness of VLC diets.


Nutrition & Metabolism | Full text | Very-low-carbohydrate diets and preservation of muscle mass Nutrition & Metabolism


I know the study is kind of old (2006) but it provided me with something I hadnt recalled from my recent research. Adrenergic stimulation. Interesting...that may be why I feel so energetic all the time on VLC...

Enjoy...

[spakesneaker]

Here is a good study done on the muscle sparing effectiveness of VLC diets.


Nutrition & Metabolism | Full text | Very-low-carbohydrate diets and preservation of muscle mass Nutrition & Metabolism


I know the study is kind of old (2006) but it provided me with something I hadnt recalled from my recent research. Adrenergic stimulation. Interesting...that may be why I feel so energetic all the time on VLC...

Enjoy...

Yeah that is why a lot of people feel very energetic on VLC at first... some people, however, 'burn out' over time by stressing the adrenals like that.

[nachobrawler]

Honestly, I feel anything but stressed.

[Digby]

I stay vvlc probably 95% now, and when I do get a few too many carbs, say over 75g, I feel unpleasant effects. There's a spectrum in this; some people don't do well vlc, others of us do.

[nachobrawler]

I stay vvlc probably 95% now, and when I do get a few too many carbs, say over 75g, I feel unpleasant effects. There's a spectrum in this; some people don't do well vlc, others of us do.

+100,000,000 Digby! I totally agree. I think everyone is different and no one way of eating works for all people.

I believe my body was designed to run on VLC and am like you. The more carbs I eat...the worse I feel. But that doesnt mean what works for me is right for everyone else.

[iniQuity]

Thanks for the study. I’m undergoing a bit of VLC myself, well I’m generally LC but I’m trying to purposely skip potatoes for at least two weeks to a month (if I can make it. I miss sweet potatoes already) to see if it budges some body fat and to see if my workouts suffer from it as I’ve been believed for a long while. However, this is in an attempt to see if this “technique” will get me the lower body fat levels that I’ve been after for a while.

I read Robb Wolf and he said that unless you’re ALREADY lean, carb re-feeds may not be ideal for those LOOKING to lean out. It’s possible that VLC with is muscle-sparing and fat burning properties is ideal for a fast-track to weight loss, but maybe once you’re already lean is when you have less fat to mobilize and oxidize for energy and that’s when you experience a burn out effect. Meaning, if you’re skinny, it’s perhaps best to include your starches.

As it stands, my workouts are mostly strength driven with some endurance and conditioining work but I don’t classify them as intense enough to justify a LOT of carbohydrate post workout so what I’m doing is just eating protein at every meal, with some low carb veggies, plenty of eggs and limiting dairy. In a month I hope to be able to post something in my journal whether this is doable for me long term or not.

Thanks for the post!

[spakesneaker]

Honestly, I feel anything but stressed.

there's a difference between feeling stressed and stressing the adrenal glands by stimulating them to produce lots of adrenaline as a response to low blood sugar... and like I said, it happens to *some* people *over time*.

[nachobrawler]

there's a difference between feeling stressed and stressing the adrenal glands by stimulating them to produce lots of adrenaline as a response to low blood sugar... and like I said, it happens to *some* people *over time*.

OK...your point is made. Thanks for the info.

[nachobrawler]

Thanks for the study. I’m undergoing a bit of VLC myself, well I’m generally LC but I’m trying to purposely skip potatoes for at least two weeks to a month (if I can make it. I miss sweet potatoes already) to see if it budges some body fat and to see if my workouts suffer from it as I’ve been believed for a long while. However, this is in an attempt to see if this “technique” will get me the lower body fat levels that I’ve been after for a while.

I read Robb Wolf and he said that unless you’re ALREADY lean, carb re-feeds may not be ideal for those LOOKING to lean out. It’s possible that VLC with is muscle-sparing and fat burning properties is ideal for a fast-track to weight loss, but maybe once you’re already lean is when you have less fat to mobilize and oxidize for energy and that’s when you experience a burn out effect. Meaning, if you’re skinny, it’s perhaps best to include your starches.

As it stands, my workouts are mostly strength driven with some endurance and conditioining work but I don’t classify them as intense enough to justify a LOT of carbohydrate post workout so what I’m doing is just eating protein at every meal, with some low carb veggies, plenty of eggs and limiting dairy. In a month I hope to be able to post something in my journal whether this is doable for me long term or not.

Thanks for the post!

Good luck, man. Sounds like you have a plan and are sticking to it. Thats more than half the battle, right? Letme know how it goes and if it works for you or not.

As for me, lean has never been a problem. I think I may have once been about 18% bF...but thats it. So, the VLC approach is melting the flab off of me and best of all....my arms and chest actually got BIGGER when I last measured a week ago! How's that for muscle sparing!!!!!!!

[spakesneaker]

I read Robb Wolf and he said that unless you’re ALREADY lean, carb re-feeds may not be ideal for those LOOKING to lean out. It’s possible that VLC with is muscle-sparing and fat burning properties is ideal for a fast-track to weight loss, but maybe once you’re already lean is when you have less fat to mobilize and oxidize for energy and that’s when you experience a burn out effect. Meaning, if you’re skinny, it’s perhaps best to include your starches.

Yeah Mark also recommends carb re-feeds mostly for lean people looking to lean out more, but more because of better leptin sensitivity I think. Interesting point about less fat to oxidize!


I'm not endorsing this link but it's definitely food for thought! 180 Degree Health: The Catecholamine Honeymoon

But guess what happens when you chronically elevate your adrenal hormones for months on end? Your adrenal gland receptors (adrenergic receptors) tend to downregulate, and all that circulating adrenal juice starts to become increasingly ineffective. In fact, the subjects of Ancel Keys’s calorie restriction study, by the end of the 1,700-calorie feeding period, were almost completely unresponsive to adrenaline injections!