Help me decide my next step

[Josh]

I don't expect anyone to solve the age old carbs/zero carb debate, but I'm having problems deciding my next step and wondering if you can help me tease out the right course of action at all.

I had unexpected success going zero carb for 2 weeks, and basically felt fine on this diet. I tried eating an apple a couple of days ago to see what happened and found it too sweet. Since then I've eaten fruit <30g carb a day and it was ok...maybe my pancreas just needed to get back into it.

I feel fine, however now if I eat carbs I get bad carb cravings as obviously I'm not fully adapted to low carb.

So I'm thinking what to do now. I feel like going zero carb for a while, but have some concerns mostly based on what Lex has said. His feeling was that VLC would probably be best for most people.

I'm concerned about the ability to generate short term bursts of energy being lost, as it's important for how I train. Does anyone have details or studies for this? I'm interested to know if I could go ZC for a while without permanently compromising this...at what point do you start to lose it?

Also, my ability to exercise is greater when eating carbs atm so it creates a positive cycle...exercise helps adaption.

I feel ZC calling though, the feeling of being free from cravings.

[TylerDurden]

If you are serious re exercise, then, IMO, eating raw carbs is best. I can't imagine switching constantly back from RZC to RVLC is a good idea given that RZC requires completely different bodily adjustments.

[miles]

Well... I know we're not Cheetah's, but you can't say they don't achieve short-term bursts of energy eating only animals...

[Josh]

RZC requires completely different bodily adjustments.

Thanks guys. Tyler, could you say more about this? How are they completely different? I thought zero carb would be a bit more adaption to using ketones + losing the ability to produce insulin?

[TylerDurden]

Thanks guys. Tyler, could you say more about this? How are they completely different? I thought zero carb would be a bit more adaption to using ketones + losing the ability to produce insulin?

I mean that the body seems to require different enzymes/bacteria etc. plus the entirely different ketogenic reactions when on RZC than on diets with raw carbs in them.  I myself found out that after  many months/years of being RVLC(ie <1% of my diet at the time was raw carbs), my body found it increasingly difficult to digest raw carbs, so that when I switched back to a diet of higher amounts of raw carbs, it took me some time for my body to readjust.

Those who do better on RZC also seem to need a long transition before they get 100% used to the ketogenic aspects of the diet, lasting some months. I'd imagine the same would apply in reverse for someone who'd been years on keteogenic diets.

[Josh]

Thanks. Very difficult decision. It makes sense to eat some carbs, but they seem to throw me right out of whack...I was managing fine zero carb, but the carbs give me intense hunger for carbs or cooked food and make my stomach uncomfortable.