Comments on: Tahoe dinner and breakfast

By: Barb in the 'burgh

Barb in the 'burgh — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 14:41:20 +0000

Hi, Dr. Mike,

I am one happy LC gal today–I’ve lost 11 lbs and feel great. In past LC experiences, I have second-guessed my success, wondering if my LC plan was healthy. Those times I met some resistance from my partner (an MD) and friends who thought I was nuts; eventually LC eating ended and the weight piled back on–a familiar story to many of us, as I’ve read. Here’s where I’m stumped: Is it safe for me to eat as few calories as I’m consuming if I feel sated? I’m 58, 5’4″ and weight 245. I eat about 100 gms of high-quality animal protein a day, drink 64 oz of water, and consumer my 25 gms of carbs as veggies and some berries. I’m eating about 1500 calories per day but some days I have to eat 1/2 cup of almonds to get that many calories because I don’t feel hunger. This is really a dream come true for me but I worry about those infrequent days that I’m so satisfied that I only eat 1200 calories. I’ll appreciate your input!

Thanks, Mike!

Barb

Hi Barb–

If you are 5’4″ and weigh 245 pounds you have got plenty of nutrients in storage to go along with the 1500 per day that you’re eating. Once you’ve burned off most of the excess body fat you’re carrying I wouldn’t be surprised to see your appetite return because then your body will need to get energy from the food you eat instead of from the food you ate over the past few years (i.e., body fat). Hope this explanation makes sense.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Marilyn Leahy

Marilyn Leahy — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:51:09 +0000

Hello Dr. Eades. I really enjoy your latests posts. I have send several of them winging to friends. I am trying to get a few ideas across so I can send all my friends Taubes book and maybe they will actually read it. Meanwhile, I’d like to make a comment on the observations from the chiropractor. I experienced a similar effect when I first began LCing. I ate a lot and a lot of fat and a lot of protein. I was never diagnosed with an eating disorder but yet I felt as if my body was making up for years of nutritional starvation. Many many packages of bacon and steak later my appetite has settled down again. But for a while I acted as if I had been starving. I believe I had been. Nowadays I marvel about my total lack of interest in the dessert lines at buffets and similar “treats.” And I thank God for my vastly improved health. Tip of the hat again to you two and Mr. T.

Hi Marilyn–

You deserve most of the credit for your turn around. You should be proud of yourself.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Annie

Annie — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:12:55 +0000

I, like many other low-carbin’ gals enjoy wine and spirits (no mixer). I tend to drink mainly on the weekends and holidays rather than daily. I’m wondering what you and your wife think of the recent reports (ABC News yesterday) that alcohol — whether spirits, beer or wine — increases breast cancer risk?? I always thought that any purported risk was negated if one supplemented with folic acid. Also, none of the studies seem to deal with binge drinking (5+ drinks one or two days per week for example) — rather they speak of steady, daily intake.

Hi Annie–

These reports are all based on observational studies, which can’t prove causality. No one truly knows whether alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer or not, but my hunch is that in moderation it probably isn’t.

Best–

MRE

By: Hiabbe

Hiabbe — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:23:08 +0000

Wow.

Looks better than the fruit and nut Fuhrman oatmeal I ate this morning..and ended up starving an hour later.

I hate to put this here, but I’m a little scared of low-carb. Is the meat at the supermarket okay or should I only settle for grass fed meat? I can get nitrite free bacon, but the rest…

Hi Hiabbe–

Grass-fed is probably the best, but good hormone-free, antibiotic-free beef is pretty easy to find.

Cheers–

MRE

By: mrfreddy

mrfreddy — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 17:44:56 +0000

ok, then, I’ll meet you at OB’s in Truckee, for karaoke night, hahaa! unless I get banned there too…

I may just head up to the Strand, if Amazon doesn’t hurry up and ship my copy. Looks like pretty dry reading tho….

Let’s meet for breakfast at the Squeeze In in Truckee. Stupendous omelets (will substitute tomatoes or fruit for the hash browns) and ice cold mimosas.

I certainly didn’t think the book was dry reading at all. I guess it depends upon what one wants to get out of it.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Karen J

Karen J — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:59:53 +0000

This is my “One comment to rule them all”.

Kevin and I have enjoyed your blog immensely over the past few weeks. I’m just getting over my addiction to the Pavarotti/Adams video.

Your “fructose crystals” post was hilarious, the “cures of the past” was rather sad (your contest would have a lot more takers if the winner got a copy of Taubes book ). But your “observational studies” was the best. You should be a professor!

Your dinner plate looks just like ours, though your tomatoes are missing some basil

Costco now has Coleman Natural bacon and beef hot dogs. While I suspect their farms are not exactly following the most preferred (pasture) practices, it’s still an order of magnitude better than most.
Wellshire Farms makes a good bacon, too.

Trader Joe’s has a sprouted grain bread that has 4 ecc/slice. It tastes best when completely smothered in butter. Danish butter.

I would like to ask you where you go to get good salami?
Is it possible to even get real salami in the US anymore?
Did you smuggle any wild boar salami home from Italy?

Thanks for the fantastic blog.

Karen J

Hi Karen J–

Thanks for the all-purpose, info-rich comment.

It is possible to get real salami in the US. In fact MD put up a blog post about it a while back.

And, no, we didn’t smuggle any wild boar sausage home with us. I wish we had.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:41:52 +0000

Dr. Mike,

I got my Taubes book yesterday, and I’m so excited, although it’s going to require some serious reading! However, this caption at the ABC news website excerpt of the book makes me wonder if the media are already missing the point: “Author says whole grains and green veggies keep you thin.”

http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3654291&page=1

It’s almost enough to make me believe in conspiracy theories. How those hemorrhoids could even glance through the book and some up with that caption beggars belief.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Anna

Anna — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:18:47 +0000

1) Niman Ranch makes a nitrate-free bacon, which can be ordered from their website or found in many national stores. Trader Joe’s carries it for about $4/pkg, but it is probably more elsewhere. TJ also has their own brand of uncured bacon for about a half dollar less. Uncured is the other description to look for besides nitrate-free. Note that even those types use a celery extract, which makes naturally occurring nitrates.

2) Egg-phobia is taking a long time to go away, isn’t it? I also eat three eggs over easy cooked in 1-2 TBL butter nearly every morning, plus sometimes more eggs in other dishes later in the day.

3) Wow, I want to take Sue’s speed-reading course! My copy of Taubes book just arrived yesterday and I’ve barely found time to crack the cover, let alone finish the book. But I daresay the housework will probably slide the next few days…

Cheers,
Anna

Hi Anna–

I’m curious as to how you’ll like Taubes’ book. Please let me know.

Cheers–

MRE

By: seyont

seyont — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:14:37 +0000

That looks like Whole Foods’ pepper bacon, which is awesome. I use a bed of spinach to soak up all the fat. (I’m alone at home in this opinion, but I just figure the fat is the whole point of bacon. Why throw any away?)

Grass-fed note: Even Safeway- on the Peninsula, at least- now offers some grass-fed ground beef, joining Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Maybe that newly remodeled Safeway in Truckee has some, too.

You have a very good eye, seyont. That’s exactly what it is.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Barb in the 'burgh

Barb in the 'burgh — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 14:01:53 +0000

Hi, Dr. Mike,

I was wondering what you and MD do about calcium intake and whether you feel it’s necessary to take supplements for that. I started LC again this week and this time I’m not getting resistance from my partner due to the diagnosis of borderline hypertension. I’m 58 (on 9/30–can it be?) and my goal is an 80 pound loss. I’ve maintained a 20 lb loss for 3 years so I know I can do it and the week is going well. I KNOW this is the healthiest way for me to live and I like eating this way but I want to avoid osteoporosis.

Thanks–you do all of us a great service by maintaining this website.

Hi Barb–

Many, many things play a role in the prevention of osteoporosis that are more important than calcium. One in particular, vitamin D, plays a much stronger role, but there isn’t a lobby for vitamin D like there is for the dairy industry. I myself take 5,0000 IU of vitamin D3 daily (vitamin D3 is the only type one should take). The protein that you get in a low-carb diet also helps to maintain bone health. A study done with elderly subjects a few years ago showed that those who got the most protein had the least osteoporotic bones, and those who got the most animal protein had the strongest bones of all.

Cheers–

MRE