Article - Low-carb Stupidity!

[Snez]

Take a look at this article:

Low carb intelligence vs. low carb stupidity

Remember that movie with Jim Carey, "Dumb and Dumber?"
And remember the sequel to that movie, "Dumb and Dumberer?"
Well, the low carb mania that is still sweeping the globe
today has reached a level beyond dumberer - It's more like
dumberererer (try to say that five times real fast)

There is an epidemic of "low carb stupidity" running rampant
among millions of people throughout the world today - and
fast food restaurants, food product manufacturers, supplement
companies, and weight loss programs are capitalizing on it
in a big way! The day I noticed a carton of eggs with the
copy, "Low in carbs!" printed on the top is when I really knew
the food intustry had hit bottom.

The low carb diet is not inherently "stupid," however.
It can be quite beneficial within certain parameters and
under the right circumstances. The problem is that many
practitioners are uninformed, misinformed, or simply lack
the common sense and intuitive bodily wisdom to utilize
the low carb approach intelligently.

Many low-carbers don't even know why they are on a low carb
diet, they're just following the followers (Not intelligent!)
Doing what everyone else is doing is usually one of the surest,
straightest routes to arrive at mediocrity! If you want to be
a success, your chances are far greater if you look at what
the masses are doing and do the exact opposite!

Fortunately, there is such a thing as "low carb intelligence."
Hopefully, by reading my brief rant, you will increase your
carb IQ, and soon join the ranks of the extraordinarily fit,
lean and healthy "carbo geniuses!"

Low carb stupidity #1

Selecting your beer or liquor carefully to make sure you
have the brand with the fewest grams of carbs.

Low carb intelligence

Avoiding alcohol if you're trying to lose body fat. Drinking
only in moderation if you're trying to maintain your weight
and be healthy.

Low carb stupidity #2

Believing any of the following: Low carbs diets are the only
way to lose fat, low carb diets are the best way to lose fat,
no one should ever eat a high carb diet, high carbs always
make you fat, starches and grains make everyone sick and unhealthy.

Low carb intelligence

Adjusting your approach according to your health status, your
goals and your body type, not according to generalizations preached
by dogmatic diet "gurus."

Low carb stupidity #3

Going on the Atkins diet (or any other very low carb/ketogenic diet)
with absolutely no idea why you're doing it or how the diet works
(going on it because "everybody" is doing it and because you see
it advertised everywhere.)

Low carb intelligence

Studying the physiology and biochemistry of the low carb diet
and completely understanding all the pros and cons. Then making an
informed decision whether to restrict carbs based on your own personal
goals, needs and heath status.

Low carb stupidity #4

Thinking that very low carb eating is a
maintainable "lifestyle."

Low carb intelligence

Understanding that reasonable (moderate) restriction of carbs
can be a helpful short term strategy for fat loss, a good way to
reach a peak, a legitimate method to control appetite, and an
effective way for some people to control insulin. But also
understanding that a balanced diet of natural foods is probably
the most suitable of all the diets for health, lifelong
maintenance and weight control.

Low carb stupidity #5

Believing calories don't count if you just cut out your carbs
(or not counting calories because it's "too much work.")

Low carb intelligence

Knowing that fat loss always did and always will boil down to
calories in vs. calories out. Taking the time and effort to
crunch your numbers (at least once), typing up your menu on a
spreadsheet, keeping a diary, and/or using nutrition tracking
software.

Low carb stupidity #6

Staying on a low carb diet that has stopped working (or never
worked in the first place).

Low carb intelligence

Adjusting your diet according to your results; understanding
that a common definition of insanity (and/or stupidity) is to
continue to do the same things over and over again, while
expecting a different result.

Low carb stupidity#7

Believing that you don't need exercise because all you
need to do is cut carbs.

Low carb intelligence

Knowing that dieting is the worst way to lose fat and that
exercise is the best way to lose fat (Burn The Fat, don't
starve the fat).

Low carb stupidity #8

Using the argument; "There's no such thing as an essential
carbohydrate" as justification for low carb dieting.

Low carb intelligence

Realizing that textbook definitions of essential" can be taken
out of context to promote a fad diet and that just because
there's technically no "essential" carbohydrates (as there are
essential amino acids and fatty acids) doesn't mean carbohydrates
aren't "essential" in other respects.

Low carb stupidity #9

Using the argument, "You have to eat fat to lose fat" as
justification for a high fat, low carb diet, without
explaining it or putting it in context (exactly how
much fat and what kind of fat?)

Low carb intelligence

Understanding the importance of essential and omega three
fats (the good fats), but not taking any single nutritional
principle to an extreme (such as, "If a little fat is good
for you then a lot is even better.")

Low carb stupidity #10

Saying, "All carbs are bad" or "All carbs are fattening."

Low carb intelligence

Avoiding generalizations, and instead, having multiple
distinctions about carbohydrates (and other foods) so
you can make better choices. For example:

Low GI vs. high GI carbs
Simple vs. complex carbs
Starchy vs. fibrous carbs
Natural vs. refined carbs
High calorie density vs. low calorie density carbs

Low carb stupidity #11

Not clarifying your definition of low carbs.

Low carb intelligence

Realizing that there are "very low" carb diets, "low" carb
diets, and "moderate" carb diets and that you cant lump them
all together. (Some people consider The Zone Diet, at 40% of
calories from carbs, a low carb diet, others consider 40%
carbs quite high).

Low carb stupidity #12

Believing that carrots are fattening because they're high
on the glycemic index and because a popular fad diet book
says so.

Low carb intelligence

Have we lost all vestiges of common sense? With an average
carrot clocking in at 31 calories and 7.3 grams of carbs,
do you really think that this orange-colored, nutrient-dense,
low-calorie, all-natural, straight-out-of-the-ground root
vegetable is going to make you fat? (if so, you are in
"carbohydrate kindergarten.")

Low carb stupidity - Lucky #13

Eating lots of processed and packaged low carb foods
(including those protein "candy bars") - and thinking
you're "being good" and "following your diet."

Low carb intelligence

Realizing that natural, unrefined foods are one of the keys
to lifelong weight control and that anything man made and
refined is NOT an ideal "diet" food - including the highly
processed low carb foods that are all the rage this year.
(Doesn't this bandwagon reek of the late 80's and early 90's
"no fat" craze, when all those "fat free" foods were being
passed off as healthy diet food, but were really highly
processed and full of pure sugar?)

--End of Stupidities--

Forgive me for the obvious dashes of sarcasm, but sometimes I
just can't help myself and I end up going into "rant mode" - I
think the last time this happened was in my newsletter last month
when I wrote about the ad for the candy bar that increases your
bench press by 50 pounds? Yeah... I heard those bars are especially
effective when you combine them with low carb potato chips
(weren't those low fat potato chips a few years ago???
Oh nevermind... it's all soooo confusing!)

For information on a more balanced method of fat loss which is
also individualized, all-natural and maintainable for life - and
which teaches you a new, safer, more moderate and more effective
"twist" to the old low carb diet, visit my fat loss website at
www.burnthefat.com

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto, CSCS
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Fat Loss Coach
tom@burnthefat.com

[Moonie]

Lot of what he says makes sense...

[Snez]

Yeh, a lot makes sense. We all just have to do what we feel is right for our bodies.

[luv2bslim]

yep Snezzy, I have to listen to my body and sat away from RICE!!
Good article BTW

[Snez]

Originally posted by luv2bslim
yep Snezzy, I have to listen to my body and sat away from RICE!!
Good article BTW

Is that all rice - white and brown?

[Snez]

More from the same author:

Are low carb diets the best way to burn body fat?

In last week's issue, we talked about "low carb intelligence"
versus "low carb stupidity." The interest in this subject
is so great that not a single day goes by that I don't receive
an e-mail with a question about the various low carb/high
protein diets. Last week I got this one:

"Dear Tom: Are you a proponent of the low-carb diet for bodybuilders?
Although this is hotly debated, I don't know many "ripped" bodybuilders
that have not tried such a diet. Thanks for your advice."

It's no wonder why there's so many questions about "low carbing."
Everywhere you look there are low carb bars, low carb drinks,
low carb meal replacements, low carb frozen dinners and so on.
Heck, they even have low carb pasta! In the bookstores,
The Atkins diet, Protein Power and Sugar-Busters have all been
best sellers. More recently, we've got the no-grain diet and
various types of "Paleolithic", "Neantherthal", and "cave-man"
type diets, which are also low in carbs.

Even though there's still a huge amount of interest in these diets,
the low carb vs. high carb issue is also still the subject of much
controversy. For every "low carb guru" who says that low carbs are
the ultimate diet, there is a "high carb guru" with the opposite
opinion. This has caused a lot of people a lot of confusion.

So what's the deal? Is the low carb/high protein diet the best
way to get "ripped" or just another fad? Here's my quick and
simple non-scientific take on the issue.

From a bodybuilding standpoint, the answer is an unequivocal yes;
reducing carbohydrates can really work. Most bodybuilders can't get
that "ripped" look without some degree of carb restriction. Almost
every bodybuilder or fitness competitor I've ever met uses some
version of the low carb diet when getting ready for competition.

The problem is, most people fail to take into account their
individual goals and unique body type, so they follow the
one-size-fits-all prescription of the latest "low-carb guru"
and take the carb restriction too far. Zero carb or close to
zero carb diets are completely unnecessary.

The other extreme; the high carb, very low fat diet, isn't the
best approach for bodybuilders either. These diets (60-70% carb,
20-30% protein and 10% or less fat) were trendy with bodybuilders
for a while, especially back in the 80's and early 90's, but
their popularity quickly faded - at least in the bodybuilding
community. Those who tried it discovered that it wasn't nearly
as effective as the low to moderate carb, high protein diet
(with a little bit of "good fats" added into the mix).

Why does dropping your carbs help you burn more fat? There are
several reasons, but to avoid getting into a complicated discussion
of nutritional biochemistry, let's just say that eating less carbs
forces your body to burn fat for fuel instead of sugar. Reducing
carbs and increasing protein accelerates fat loss by controlling
your insulin and blood sugar more effectively. The high protein
in these diets also speeds up your metabolism because of the
"thermic effect" of protein food. It also helps eliminate water
retention, giving you the "hard" and "dry" look which enhances your
muscular definition.

In my opinion, a moderate carb diet, with slight carb restriction
(especially at night) is the most effective (and most "sane") way
for bodybuilders to get ripped. For example, my competition diet
is about 175 -200 grams of carbs with most of the carbs eaten
early in the day when glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity are
higher. Every 4th day, I have a high carb day (350 grams+) to
replenish my depleted glycogen stores. With 175 - 200 grams of carbs,
that is just enough fuel to provide the energy I needed to train
hard and to prevent me from losing muscle. 175 grams is a far
cry from many of the low carb diets promoted today, but it is
"low carb" when contrasted with my off season carb intake of
around 400 grams.

Would dropping carbs even further to 30 or 50 grams a day (like
many fad diets recommend) get you more ripped or get you ripped
faster? Maybe. But the problem is, without carbs, you'll have no
energy to train hard. Sure, tuna fish and water will get you ripped,
but if your workouts suffer because your diet is "killing you,"
you aren't going to look or feel your best.

Another big problem caused by very low carb diets is loss of lean
body mass. The lower you drop your carbs, the more likely you are
to lose muscle along with the fat. Body fat becomes a the dominant
fuel source in the absence of carbohydrates, but so does
muscle protein!

A third problem with very low carb diets is the rebound effect.
The lower you drop your carbs, the faster you will rebound and
gain the fat back when you put the carbs back in (unless you are
extremely careful and disciplined). I swear I've seen guys blow
up 30 lbs in a matter of DAYS after their contest because they
went on a carbohydrate and fat binge after a four-month zero
carb diet. It wasn't a pretty sight!

When I experimented with a very low carb diet, (about 40-70 grams
a day), I lost huge amounts of lean body mass and looked very "flat"
and "stringy" (absolutely no muscle pump). I was also one irritable,
grouchy SOB. My friends nicknamed me "fog boy" because (sez them)
I stumbled around in a fog-like daze. One friend who hadn't seen
me since the previous year when I was a "bulked up" and carbed
up 208 lbs, saw me 48 lbs lighter after the low carb diet (yes,
160 scrawny pounds) and he said, "holy sh** Tom, what happened
to you? You're HALF the man you were last year!" That comment
encouraged me to make that the last time I ever tried an
extremely low carb diet.

Nutrition is a highly individual issue. Some people are very-carb
sensitive, insulin resistant and have metabolic problems, therefore they
have difficulty losing weight without carb restriction. Other
people can eat bagels, bread and pasta all day long and as long
as they're in a calorie deficit, they get six pack abs with ease.

Therefore, how many carbs you eat depends on your body type.
Are you an endormorph or an ectomorph? Do you have a fast
metabolism or a slow metabolism? Are you naturally lean or
naturally heavy? Carb sensitive or carb tolerant? Depending
on your genetics and metabolic characteristics, you might
thrive on high carbs or you might need a high protein, low carb
diet to get maximum results.

But beware: even if you think you're the carb sensitive type,
the middle path (moderate carb restriction) is the most sensible
way to go when you take long term maintenance into consideration.
A cyclical approach to carb intake is also an extremely smart an
effective strategy. (I discuss the "carbohydrate cycling" method in
chapter 12 of my ebook, Burn The Fat, Feed the Muscle: www.burnthefat.com)

The only way to determine how many grams of carbs is right for YOU
is to experiment with your concentrated carb intake (the "X-factor")
until you find your "critical carb level." If you start dropping body
fat rapidly at 175 - 200 grams a day like I do, then why would you
subject yourself to the torture of going even lower and doing one
of those 30-40 grams a day "ketogenic" diets? Why kill yourself?

There is no single diet that works for everyone. There are certain
universal nutritional laws that apply to everyone, but be very
careful of "gurus" who use the words "always" and "never" or who
make sweeping generalities like "carbohydrates make you fat."

If you want to get ripped, you should also pick the *type* of carbs
you eat carefully - it's not just the quantity of carbs, it's the
quality. In addition to moderating total carb intake, I also
recommend getting off ALL processed carbs including bread, crackers,
pretzels, pasta, bagels and switching only to natural, unprocessed
carbs like vegetables, oatmeal, yams, rice, potatoes, etc. That
single change will go a long way in helping you get leaner
(and healthier too!)

The bottom line is that it's not correct to say, "carbs are fattening,"
but there IS some truth to the assertion that a low carb diet will
get you leaner compared to a high carb diet - you just have to approach
it in a sensible and individualized way. Experiment with a reduced
carb diet and see what happens. Monitor your results at various carb
levels. If you're like most people, you'll probably find that a moderate
reduction in carbs and the proper selection of carbs does the trick
quite nicely. As with most areas of your life, going to the extreme
with your diet will usually do more harm than good.

For information on a more balanced method of fat loss which is
also individualized, all-natural and maintainable for life - and
which teaches you a new, safer, more moderate and more effective
twist to the old low carb diet, visit my fat loss website at
www.burnthefat.com

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto, CSCS
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Fat Loss Coach
tom@burnthefat.com

[Reen]

Hey Snez, I know that this is an old posting of yours but did you ever buy any books from this author, Tom Venuto? Would like to know what you thought if you did.
Ta, Rene

[donkeybrook]

hi reen, i bought some of his ebooks several years ago and subscribed to the burn the fat inner circle forum until a few months ago. i agreed with most of what he says, particularly about natural unprocessed foods. he is one of the few gurus who doesn't have a line of products to sell which raises him in my estimation to start with. in his books he rates foods as A,B,C or D foods. i.e. apples unpeeled and uncooked are A, applesauce might be B, apple pie C etc. His philosophy is basically that we should eat most of our food the way god made it. if it isn't recognizable as it's original form, don't eat it. he does have pizza occasionally, but he advocates eating clean 90% of the time. so he's not a food nazi, he does have the occasional treat himself. he gets the thumbs up from me

[Reen]

Thanks again, D. I have been thinking about getting a couple of his books - BTFFTM or the Body Fat Solution. I enjoy reading about diet and nutrition - am fascinated too by the idea of carb cycling and food combining etc so like to read on these subjects when I can. Sometimes I find I do well on a more structured or disciplined programme (I like routine with everything else in my life too, so why not with the diet?) I much prefer to not even think about what to have but to have planned it all out ahead of time.
Do you think it is worth me buying any of these - I mean, will I have read the stuff anywhere else or do you think I might find some gems tucked in the pages?
Ta, Rene

[donkeybrook]

hi reen , u can do it two ways. if he has a package out and u can get all the ebooks and inner circle membership for 39 or 49 $ or whatever, it is quite good value or u can be an inner circle member for 9.95 a month and u can access most of the info that way in various articles and u can ask q's on there too. it has some good recommended workouts which are quite specific which sounds like it would suit u. his recipes aren't all that inspiring and he tends towards low fat and very little dairy which i don't agree with personally. but his stuff is overall great and he doesn't dazzle u with products and silly claims. it's just good, straightforward, no frills advice. em used to subscribe to his website too.

[GregC]

yuck- what an awful article!


If you are going to say why a certain claim is stupid it usually helps to say why you think it's stupid, if you want to convince people. The author is just giving us his beliefs and not what the science tells us.

His opinions on grains being bad for just some people is rediculous- there is no evidence of a split in the gene pool where some humans have evolved to eat those things and can escape the nutritional deficiencies and host of other health problems they cause.

Also, what's with his idea that low carb can't be maintained as lifestyle? Why couldn't it be? No reason given.

And then there's the usual 'good carbs/bad carbs' argument. A carb is a carb, some carbohydrate foods are better than others but that has nothing to do with the carbs and everything to do with the vitamin and mineral content.Whether low GI or high GI, it's the glycemic load which counts.

[dani]

Thanks for the articles Snez, very interesting! I agree with some of what he says, but am mindful that at the end of the day he is just another salesman (oops sorry "friend and coach") making a c*%p load from the diet industry. He is also a bodybuilder and had probably never struggled much to maintain his weight or physique. When I 1st did low carb 15 years ago, I did lots of bodybuilding and got alot of my eating plans from bodybuilding mags - losing 35kg over about 6 months. When I cut back on the weightlifting I had to adapt my diet fairly significantly to maintain that loss, but I did it successfully for around 10 years prior to my pregnancy, when I gained 40kg following the "healthy" diet provided by the doctors and diabetes clinic (just gestational diabetes) at the hospital (unprocessed carbs forming the base of my pyramid hahahah what a joke, but followed the "experts" advice for the baby's sake, worst thing I ever did for my health). I did maintain my weight over that 10 years prior following a low carb diet (sorry, Tom I don't think it matters what % calories are derived from carbs, you have to find the balance that works for you, if Low carb intelligence is to define it then so be it, it was 10-20% form me - who cares whatever works and allows you to function well, not to mention look good I say). I agree with GregC also, that low carb can be maintained as lifestyle (unless you are heavily bodybuilding and even then it's debatable). I don't think his articles are about informing people and empowering them to make "Low carb intelligence" choices in as much as making them think they are "smart'' by giving him money to buy his product, bet he's taking a great xmas break somewhere expensive

[Analog6]

Totally agree, Greg and Dani. How insulting is the 'low-carb stupidity' label.

Low carb lifestyle does work, most people just can't resist the easy temptations of the carb rush. I saw an article recently which said we an actually be addicted to carbs due to the insulin rush.

[Sherrie]

Yes and no, low carb can easily be maintained but also we need to remember carbs are not evil. It is eating carbs that do not agree with you (e.g. grains) or your lifestyle (e.g. activity levels, medical issues etc) as well as over indulgence that is the problem. Carbohydrates and insulin do have a use and always will, neither is evil.