7-30-08: Yardsale

Atkins induction Day 7

After increasing the carb a bit due to feeling horrible yesterday, my CFT was a recent PR @ 800, and I am fairly certain I could have DL'd 375#, but I did not feel like pushing it. However: today my performance went right down the toilet. I suspect I must have had more like 40+ g carbs yesterday? Anyway...

WOD was a 15K run, my last timed runs were

- 5K 21:30; 6:55 pace
- 5K (getting over flu) 23:30; 7:33 pace
- 2.5K 9:37; 6:11 pace

Yesterday I finished 5K (of a supposed 15K), legs feeling heavy as lead;

- 5K 34:15; 11:01 Pace

Little kids, little old ladies and emaciated weekend warriors were passing me, and I was, to my chagrin, wearing my Ironworks "Personal Trainer" shirt! Amazingly, most of the "joggers" were going at my pace or slower, pathetic.

Anyway... afterward I went out and bought "Ketostix", which indicated that I was barely in Benign Dietary Ketosis, which is the point of Atkins: so I was totally devoid of glycogen, AND I was not able to burn fat for energy, hence the amazingly bad performance.

I ate NO carbs today, besides half n half in my Coffee (2-3g carb at the very most), perhaps the first time in my life I have done so. Accounting for the glycogen in muscle meat consumed, maybe 5g carbs at the very outside.

Another possible culprit is diet soda. It is possible that just the sweet taste provokes an insulin response. The jury is out on this:

http://www.sucralose.org/facts.html

Fact: Sucralose is safe for people with diabetes

Numerous studies show that sucralose is not recognized by the body as a carbohydrate and has no effect on blood glucose control or insulin response. These studies included high-dose prolonged-use studies in normal individuals and in persons with diabetes. The FDA has concluded that the overall data on sucralose supports its safety for the general population, including people with diabetes.

However a few animal studies might suggest this is not so:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_soda#Health_concerns (Wiki take with grain of salt)

Animal studies suggest that artificial sweeteners cause body weight gain, theoretically because of a faulty insulin response, at least in cows and rats. Rats given sweeteners have steadily increased caloric intake, increased body weight, and increased adiposity (fatness). Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73. Adding saccharin to the food of calves increases their body weight as well.McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.

# ^ Swithers SE, Davidson TL. A role for sweet taste: calorie predictive relations in energy regulation by rats. Behav Neurosci. 2008 Feb;122(1):161-73.
# ^ McMeniman JP, Rivera JD, Schlegel P, Rounds W, Galyean ML. Effects of an artificial sweetener on health, performance, and dietary preference of feedlot cattle. J Anim Sci. 2006 Sep;84(9):2491-500.

I would like to repeat this trial, but my little nagging injuries are acting up, so it might have to be a 15K Row instead (or a 18K row, but that sounds truly frightening)once I am solidly in Ketosis (Aug 1, projected). Also I owe "Helen"...

Also I took my blood pressure at the prharmacy: 117/93, which indicates hypertension, usually, it well below the normal range, perhaps too much salt? I thought a low carb diet was supposed to LOWER your blood pressure. So far I am not incredibly impressed with Atkins (except the weight loss seems to work as advertised). I'm looking forward to eating a zone-like diet of matched carbs (7g protein, 7g carb (not to exceed 130g), whatever g fat, only whole foods, full-fat dairy, coffee and red wine).