Lex's Journal

[TylerDurden]

As the saying goes:- "the grass is always greener on the other side". I have noticed that most of the locals near my villa on the Italian coast never ever swim. If they go near the water at all, that's no more than a few times a year, and then they just put their toes in the water, at best. I guess I'm just glad that, outside the holiday period, I don't live in the mountains or by the sea.

[Dorothy]

"We stayed overnight in a fishing village and I let her taste my freshly caught raw fish... she was amazed how delicious freshly caught raw fish was, she chowed down half of my foot long raw fish, without condiments!"

Sounds like heaven. I grew up by the ocean so I miss the ocean like you miss the forest Lex. I had a dream last night about being at the shore happy to be back home. We should trade.

About the pesticides - well, yeah, if you have a choice. But it's darn HARD if not almost impossible to find an organic version of what Lex gets. A friend suggested to me that the processors don't throw away the waste but sell it for dog food etc. themselves - therefore getting HALF the cow for free from the farmers and then selling it. It's really hard to find processors that are willing to process the entire animal for you... I've been working on it talking to farmers. They often can't even get back the organs for THEMSELVES from an animal that is theirs. Or...... maybe it's just that it's out of the norm so takes more time and effort. Either way, it aint easy getting a ground up whole animal (especially with the consistency that Lex gets) from any other source and especially if one isn't buying the entire cow.

Again - so far we there is no indication that anything is broken - so why fix? I marvel at you Lex figuring out a way to get the lifestyle along with the health benefits that you have.

With that aspirin - you really can't tell if it had other effects with absorption or not because just like with diet - just because you aren't "sick" doesn't mean that a SAD diet isn't having internal affects that you aren't aware of. So...... I still wouldn't be surprised if you had some improvements that you weren't necessarily expecting after awhile being off that stuff.

I'm kinda glad that you don't want to experiment incorporating all sorts of new foods because you are such a great test case. The simplicity in the way that you are eating has broken to pieces all sorts of assumptions. No vitamin C deficiency, your bones are not crumbling, your intestines are fine. Now that the aspirin is gone I look forward to seeing how you progress over the next couple of months. As long as this way of eating feels right to you and you continue to feel good and better over time, I'm a grateful witness to your consistency.

[PaleoPhil]

I have noticed that most of the locals near my villa on the Italian coast never ever swim. If they go near the water at all, that's no more than a few times a year, and then they just put their toes in the water, at best. I guess I'm just glad that, outside the holiday period, I don't live in the mountains or by the sea.

That's interesting. By coincidence, I don't think my grandparents on either side of the family ever went swimming in their lives. What's up with that? Did traditional people fear water or something, or were my grandparents exceptions? Could it have been fear of tuberculosis, or pollution, or a combination, or were people just too busy with farming or jobs to bother with swimming, or what?

I myself enjoy swimming, especially floating, which I'm pretty good at (I've even fallen asleep while floating on the water, without a floatation device and without submerging, not that I'm bragging or anything, it's one of the few things that I exceed the average in). It's also interesting that traditional Inuit did not know how to swim (likely due to the ice-cold temps of the Arctic Ocean), so that if they ever fell into the ocean from their kayaks or while stepping across gaps in ice, they would quickly drown. Yet I've seen videos of traditional Inuits stepping agilely across ice flows, betraying no fear. Astonishing.

To I hope make up for this terrible tangent in Lex's journal, I think we're overdue for some praise and thankfulness towards Lex. Thank you for continuing to post in this forum, Lex, and for sharing your honest and informative thoughts. Every now and again I must try to remember to thank you.

[gc]

Sounds like heaven. I grew up by the ocean so I miss the ocean like you miss the forest Lex.

And the meadows and the clean streams and the rocks....

[PaleoPhil]

Lex, what are your thoughts on hormesis?

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/06/hormesis.html
http://coffeetheory.com/2012/03/15/why-i-practice-hormetism/
http://gettingstronger.org/hormesis/

[lex_rooker]

Phil,
I really don't know anything about hormesis.  From the links you provided it seems that it includes many everyday things for which they have now found a cool sounding name.  I'm sure that I must practice it on occasion since it includes exercise, intermittant fasting, as well as eating small concentrations of things.  Heaven knows that this is true just by drinking the reconstituted sewage called tap water here in Los Angeles.  Our water is full of all kinds of junk - some measurabe, and some at the proverbial hormesis level. 

I feel great so it must be working, and now I have a cool sounding name for it!

Lex

[lex_rooker]

I recently completed reading The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance by Volek and Phinney.  In the book they made the case for running your body on Ketones and Fatty Acids as its primary fuel rather than Carbohydrates.  They have done a good bit of work in determining the level of ketones in the blood necessary for the brain and other systems to switch from using carbs to ketones and fatty acids as their primary fuel.  The general breakdown is as follows:

Less than 0.6 mmol/L indicates a full glucose based metabolism
0.6 mmol/L -  1.5 mmol/L Nutritional Ketosis begins
1.5 mmol/L - 3.0 mmol/L Optimal blood ketone zone (most systems using ketones or fatty acids as fuel)
2.5 mmol/L - 4.0 mmol/L normal rise after heavy exercise
4.0 mmol/L- 10.0 mmol/L water fasting or starvation levels
10 mmol/L or over is considered ketoacidosis which is not a good thing.

Blood ketones can be measured like blood glucose you just need the right meter and test strips.  Not cheap.  The meter is about $20 USD, but the test strips are about $5 USD each.  After reading the book I was curious what my blood ketones would be so I took out a loan on the house and ordered a meter and 20 test strips.  They came in today's post at about 10 am.

According to the book blood ketones tend to be lower in the morning and then rise throughout the day depending on what you eat and your level of activity.  They are supposedly highest after exercise.  This morning I was feeling energetic so I went to our local High School track and did eight 100 yard wind sprints with about 2 minutes between them.  That was about 8 am.  The meter and test strips arrived at 10 am and I made the first test at about 10:30am.  The reading was 3.2 mmol/L which is about the middle of the Post Exercise range suggested by Phinney and Volek.

I ate my normal meal of around 2000 calories at 1pm with 75% - 80% of calories from fat.  I took another reading 7 hours after eating (8pm) and the reading was 2.7 mmol/L, towards the high end of the Optimal Ketone range.  Phinney and Volek state that there seems to be no benefit to increasing blood ketones beyond 3.0 mmol/L, and Volek states that he tries to maintain an average around 2.0 mmol/L.

Anyway, it seems that these two tests show that my blood ketone levels are right in line with the expectations as recounted in the book.  Ketones were definitely higher after exercise and my high fat diet has resting blood ketones in the high optimal range above 2.5 mmol/L.

According to Phinney and Volek I can manage ketones by continuing a high fat intake of 75% - 80% of calories and then either adding a few carbs or increasing protein intake.  All should be fine as long as ketones don't drop below 1.5 mmol/L or exceed 3.0 mmol/L.  Apparently when you get down around 1.5 mmol/L the brain and other systems will start switching back to glucose and there is no measurable benefit to maintaining a level above 3.0 mmol/L (at least from a performance perspective).

Obviously I don't have much of a track record here, but thought folks might be interested.  Just as my past experiments were aimed at testing Gary Taubes theory's,  these tests are to find out how my many years following this way of eating have effected blood ketones and to see if I can duplicate similar results to Phinney's and Volek's.  So far they are spot on, which is not surprising since the book is based on actual studies.

The book goes into great detail as to why urinary ketones don't correlate well to blood ketones and much other technical stuff so if you are interested in this subject I highly recommend the book.  If you are into physical perfomrance, they don't think that a cyclic ketogenic diet provides as much benefit as is hyped.  According to Phinney, actual tests showed that droping blood levels of ketones back into the glucose burning range casues the test subject to again require up to 2 weeks to get back to where they were from a performance standpoint.  In other words, they had to re-adapt.  Eating high carb meals every few days would keep you constantly in the adaptation phase and you would never reach peak performance - sort of the worst of both worlds.

Thoughts?

Lex

[aLptHW4k4y]

Just a question (I'm not so familiar with the topic): don't ketones strain the liver, because  they have to be produced first there (whereas glucose is used directly by the cells)? I'm not sure how demanding the ketone production process is. My guess would be that it's pretty expensive because it's mainly used as a fallback solution, when there's lack of glucose.

[Löwenherz]

Hi Lex,

good to hear from you!

Thanks for the (always very) interesting info. I just ordered the book from Volek and Phinney. Regarding ketogenic diets, I believe that most people (inlcuding myself in the past) underestimate the process of adaptation.

BTW: How is everything? Please tell us more about your current physical and mental health status.

Best wishes

Löwenherz

[lex_rooker]

Just a question (I'm not so familiar with the topic): don't ketones strain the liver, because  they have to be produced first there (whereas glucose is used directly by the cells)? I'm not sure how demanding the ketone production process is. My guess would be that it's pretty expensive because it's mainly used as a fallback solution, when there's lack of glucose.

I suppose it depends on how you look at it.  The liver is always doing something.  If you are eating a high carb diet then it is converting lots of glucose into triglycerides for storage.  Which is more demanding, creating ketones from fat or triglycerides from glucose?  I have no idea.

I also find your assumption that creating ketones is a "fallback solution" implying that it is an abnormal condition, amusing.  Based on the catastrophe of our high carbohydrate diets as pushed by our government, (several orders of magnitude increase in, diabetes, auto immune diseases, massive over weight, heart disease, cancer, and all the other modern diseases), what makes you believe that having our bodies run on ketones instead of glucose is abnormal and for emergencies only?  Whether our bodies use ketones/fatty acids or glucose as the primary fuel is totally dependent on what you choose to eat.  A low carb diet creates a ketone/fatty acid based metabolism, and a moderate to high carb diet creates a glucose based metabolism. 

I ate a high carb diet for most of my life as I believed the government and other "health" gurus that carbs and glucose were what our bodies were designed to run on.  What I got for my belief system was a 40" waist at 220 lbs (I'm 6'1") for a BMI of 29 which is borderline obesity, high blood pressure 165/95, a fasting blood glucose level of 144, triglycerides of 500+, a cholesterol level of over 250, loss of bone mass with loosening teeth, arthritis in my hands and neck, and severe migraine headaches several times per month that would send me to a dark room in agony for 24 to 48 hours at a stretch.

I've been on a low carb diet with my body running on ketones and fatty acids for about 8 years now.  My weight dropped to 160 lbs with a 33 inch waist and a BMI of 21.  Blood pressure dropped to 106/65, blood glucose now stays right at 100 fasting or otherwise and seldom varies by more than 10 points either way.  Triglycerides have dropped ten fold into the 50's, cholesterol dropped to 180-190 range, arthritis totally disappeared as did my migraine headaches.  A DEXA scan and dental x-rays have shown that my bone density has increased significantly as well.  My teeth tightened and my average overall bone density has restored to about 95% of that of a 30 year old (I'm 61).

Needless to say, my belief system has changed.  I no longer believe that a glucose based metabolism is "normal".  My annual blood tests tell the story.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

BTW: How is everything? Please tell us more about your current physical and mental health status.

Löwenherz,
I'm doing well.  After so many years on my VLC diet there is now very little change and nothing much to report other than my annual blood tests.

After reading Phinney's book and getting the ketone meter I thought others might be interested in what my blood ketone levels are since I've been pretty much zero carb for so many years.  Took my 3rd reading this morning and it was 3.6 mmol/L which is high for a non-post exercise reading.  I expect that this shows that I could drop my fat intake and increase protein or add a few carbs to my diet without harm.  I'd normally make a second test to double check such a reading, but the test strips are so expensive that I'll just wait and make another test tomorrow morning and average the results over time.

One of the things that I like about the ketone reading is that ketones seem to vary in direct proportion to diet so I can actually see the effect of carbs and extra protein as a change in the level of ketones in the blood.  BG measurements don't allow this as the body will maintain a minimum BG level regardless of what you eat.  I've always wondered what the difference would be between eating 65% of calories from fat and eating 80% of calories from fat.  I now have a way to test this as ketone levels should vary in direct proportion to the percentage of fat in the diet.  It will be interesting to see how dramatic the variation is.

Lex

[aLptHW4k4y]

I also find your assumption that creating ketones is a "fallback solution" implying that it is an abnormal condition, amusing.  Based on the catastrophe of our high carbohydrate diets as pushed by our government, (several orders of magnitude increase in, diabetes, auto immune diseases, massive over weight, heart disease, cancer, and all the other modern diseases), what makes you believe that having our bodies run on ketones instead of glucose is abnormal and for emergencies only?  Whether our bodies use ketones/fatty acids or glucose as the primary fuel is totally dependent on what you choose to eat.  A low carb diet creates a ketone/fatty acid based metabolism, and a moderate to high carb diet creates a glucose based metabolism. 

There has to be a minimum amount of glucose in the blood. I'm not sure how to interpret that, it must mean that glucose is very important in the body (but certainly not in the amounts you get from high-carb diets).
I mean you can look at it like this as well: the body doesn't start producing ketones until all glucose is used up because high blood glucose is also bad and toxic and requires that it's converted to fat if glycogen is full, etc, and so it's more important for the body to prevent this from happening. In this sense it's the glucose metabolism that is an abnormal condition, not the ketones.

I'm glad that such a low carb has worked so great for you! In order to do low carb you've cut a lot of carb containing foods: how are you sure that you got healthier because of cutting the carbs in these foods, and not something else in them?

[lex_rooker]

There has to be a minimum amount of glucose in the blood. I'm not sure how to interpret that, it must mean that glucose is very important in the body (but certainly not in the amounts you get from high-carb diets).

Yes, there has to be some minimum amount of glucose in the blood but there is no requirement that this glucose come from dietary carbs.  The body will make all the glucose it needs from protein especially if most systems have converted to using ketones and fatty acids.  At that point glucose needs are very small.

I mean you can look at it like this as well: the body doesn't start producing ketones until all glucose is used up because high blood glucose is also bad and toxic and requires that it's converted to fat if glycogen is full, etc, and so it's more important for the body to prevent this from happening. In this sense it's the glucose metabolism that is an abnormal condition, not the ketones.

Not quite true from what I've read but close enough.  The body is always making some ketones even when glucose is high.  You are very right about the body needing to clear excess glucose quickly as high levels of BG can kill you just as high levels of ketones (ketoacidosis) can do the same.  They are just different sides of the metabolic coin but both seem to be related to insulin.

I'm glad that such a low carb diet has worked so great for you! In order to do low carb you've cut a lot of carb containing foods: how are you sure that you got healthier because of cutting the carbs in these foods, and not something else in them?

I'm not sure.  I only know that when I cut out the carb containing foods many of my health problems went away.  My guess is that it is a combination of several things.  Carbs driving insulin, hormone analogs in wheat and soy, excess dietary fiber, anti nutrients in plant foods, and improper fatty acid profiles from plant based fats might all be problematic.  To me it doesn't matter since I no longer consume much in the way of plant based foods, all of these potential problems are a moot point.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

Worked all day today installing cabinets for a friend.  No access to my regular food so had a couple of lettuce wrapped burgers at Carls Jr. sans all the dressings and other muck.  Just ate the over cooked meat - had the consistency of shoe leather - threw the rest away and called it good.  Really didn't need to eat at all, but since I was doing the work for free my friend insisted that he buy me lunch.  This happens very rarely, but when it does, I just make do the best I can in the situation and don't make a fuss.

Ketone reading this evening is 2.8 mmol/L.  Didn't get a chance to take a reading this morning before leaving to do the cabinet job.

Lex

[PaleoPhil]

Interesting report on ketones, Lex, thanks. I like how you test things instead of just making assumptions.

Speaking of ketones, I learned some interesting tidbits on it recently. You can check them out here, if you like:

http://www.rawpaleodietforum.com/omnivorous-raw-paleo/ketones-from-fruits-bark-and-alcohol-say-what/msg96159/#msg96159

Have you ever had your CRP number checked? I didn't notice it in your lab reports.

[lex_rooker]

Hi Phil,
No, I haven't had my CRP checked.  It's one of those tests that they perform if you have other risk factors but insurance won't pay for it if Cholesterol and Triglycerides are low etc.  I've had the same problem with the Vitamin D test.

My old doctor retired at 75 last year so I now have a new one.  I'll ask when I go in for my annual labs this month or early next month.

As for the Ketone tests, I'm doing the same thing I did with glucose monitoring.  I'm monitoring it and not trying to achieve some specific number.  I eat the way I eat and I'm letting the numbers fall where they may.  Later, I may make a change in my fat/protein ratio and see what happens to blood ketones, but again it will be to see what happens and not achieve some specific number.  That said, I have found Phinney's and Volek's work useful in that I can see that my readings are in line with the results of their studies.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

This morning's ketone reading was 3.0 mmol/L
This evening's Ketone reading was 2.3 mmol/L

For me it seems, that I have a higher ketone reading in the morning than in the evening.  This is the opposite of what Phinney and Volek say to expect.  My guess is that it has to do with my only eating 1 meal per day, with that meal in the mid afternoon.  All of Phinney's and Volek's studies were done with 3 meals per day.  This is only a guess as I have no idea about the details of their studies and how their protocol(s) differ from mine.

It might also have to do with the activity level of the study participants. Phinney especially, studied athletes that expended high levels of energy throughout the day.  I'm busy, but my activity level is very low by comparison.  It doesn't take much effort or endurance to run a lathe, milling machine, table saw, or router.  Since high activity levels seem to raise blood ketones, this may be the reason that higher levels of ketones were seen with athletes in training in the evening.

All speculation of course.  I'm reporting my test results, those of you that have read Phinney's / Volek's book can draw your own conclusions.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

Only had 4 test strips left and used them yesterday and this morning.  I tested early in the morning when I got up, then went and did some exercise (wind sprints), test in the evening with the final test early this morning when I got up.

Upon arising ketones were 3.5 mmol/L
3 hours later after exercise ketones were 3.1 mmol/L
at 9pm ketones were 1.6 mmol/L
upon arising this morning ketones were 3.3 mmol/L

I'm guessing that ketones rise over night as I'm essentially fasting so my body goes into starvation mode and ketones rise.

I ordered 50 more test strips and they should be here sometime next week.  Unfortunately they don't carry them at local drug stores.  I imagine that call for them is low as they are so expensive.  I don't even think the place that I order them on line has them in stock.  I think they drop ship them from the manufacturer when they are ordered.

Lex

[Löwenherz]

Löwenherz,
I'm doing well.  After so many years on my VLC diet there is now very little change and nothing much to report other than my annual blood tests.

That's great!

I just got the book from Volek and Phinney. It's a real jewel in the low carb universe.

Löwenherz

[lex_rooker]

I just got the book from Volek and Phinney. It's a real jewel in the low carb universe.

I fully agree.  I've had several versions of Lyle McDonald's "Cyclic Ketogenic Diet" book which is long on complex instructions for weight lifters with many statements that seem to be supported by ancedotal evidence at best.  Volek and Phinney have actual solid research to support their positions.  I also like being able to measure my own blook ketones to see how they track with Volek and Phinney's work.  I don't think Lyle has any objective measurement methods other than percieved muscle bulking over time which is not what I care about.

Lex

[lex_rooker]

I forgot to mention an interesting tid bit related to my first round of ketone testing.  I had a lot of work to do for a friend one day and I just didn't have time to eat.  I worked from about 6am to 10pm installing cabinets and counters at my friend's home and didn't stop for a meal.  I was busy and just forgot to eat.

I did measure ketones the night before (2.6 mmol/L) and in the morning when I awoke (3.2 mmol/L), but was so tired that I just took a shower and went to bed when I got home in the evening.  The next morning I again measured ketones when I awoke and they were 4.6 mmol/L, well into the fasting/starvation range according to Volek's and Phinney's book.  At this point I hadn't eaten anything for about 40 hours.

This seems to support my contention that my higher levels of ketones in the morning might be due to the 15+ hours without eating, whereas the lower ketone reading in the evening might be due to being only a few hours after my single large meal of the day and the glucose produced by the protein I eat causing reduced production of ketones.  This one instance certainly seemed to demonstrate that the longer I went without eating the higher my blood ketone levels.  According to Volek/Phinney the fasting/starvation response tends to start when ketones are above 3.0 mmol/L and top out somewhere above 5 mmol/L but below 10 mmol/L.  Anything at or above 10 mmol/L is considered ketoacidosis.  My high reading of 4.6 mmol/L is well into the fasting/starvation range but safely below ketoacidosis.   Also, my morning readings are often between 3.0 mmol/L and 3.6 mmol/L and this is considered the beginning of the fasting/starvation range.

I'll do a little more testing on this once I receive more test strips.  The on-line Pharmacy says "they're in the mail" so it shouldn't be too long.

Lex

[Chris]

Rumor has it that your eating "Dog Food", is that right? If it is, what are your sources?

[lex_rooker]

Rumor has it that your eating "Dog Food", is that right? If it is, what are your sources?

Tis true, I eat dog food.  Rather rough stuff with chewy bits, occasional bone chips, and a rather strong taste with a smell to match.

It is Slanker's Pet food.  It is not meant for human consumption, it is not USDA inspected, and if you choose to eat it, you do so at your own risk.  It is made up of all the leftovers of things that normally can't be sold for a profit as well as the entire carcass of old animals, some of which have tumors and other problems.  Most people that try it can't tolerate it.  The taste is just too strong and the smell is not appealing.

If you are not a daring soul, then may I suggest Slanker's "Primal Beef".  It is made up of Liver, Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and a couple of other things mixed with their regular ground beef - something like 40% mixed organ meats with 60% ground meat.  Not as strong tasting or smelling and it is USDA inspected and meant for humans.

Lex

[CitrusHigh]

lol fruitloops anyone?

You don't seem like a very happy person lex, why is that?

[Chris]

If you are not a daring soul, then may I suggest Slanker's "Primal Beef".  It is made up of Liver, Kidney, Spleen, Heart, and a couple of other things mixed with their regular ground beef - something like 40% mixed organ meats with 60% ground meat.  Not as strong tasting or smelling and it is USDA inspected and meant for humans.

Lex

Thanks Lex for your recommendation and quick response. I think I'll try the "Primal Beef", at least for the time being. Thanks again.