Low Carb Evangelists - It is not the Only Option

Oct 12, 2014

I am quite dismayed by what I perceive (ie my personal opinion) to be a significant push for all post ops to be living a low carb lifestyle. So I am writing this entry.

one snarky comment suggested I do some research before putting forward bad advice, this is my reponse.

I have no objections to people who choose to have a low carb lifestyle, nor those who sustain it. 
I love that you have found a lifestyle that you can maintain long term that is why most of us are here, and achieving that is awesome. (you can stop reading here, that is all you need to know about this post)

I do object to the following statements:
- low carb is the only way
- carbs are evil or bad
- carbs make you fat
- carbs are not required by your body

and I have a major issue to giving anyone 'tough love' when they struggle by ranting at them to cut out carbs.

My surgeon does not recommend a low carb lifestyle post op.

Here are other sources (bariatric surgery sites)  that do not recommend you have a low carb diet post op

• Eat balanced meals with small portions (source)
• consists of three well balanced meals daily with at least one snack (source)
• you should try to eat as normally as possible (like the rest of your family and freinds) but in smaller quantities (source)
• Eat nutrient-dense foods and balanced meals (source)
• Eat three, well balanced, meals each day (source)
• and maintaining a well balanced healthy, low fat, low sugar diet (source)

 I think that is sufficient to show I am not making all this up, but there are lots of sources out there that say essentially the same as above.  Again please note I am not saying low carb is wrong, I am saying that it is not the only option.

Peer Reviewed Academic Sources
I have over the years always actively read any peer reviewed academic papers in search of tips and guidance to help me lose weight, I am sure a lot of us have. There are loads of studies showing that low carb diets allow you to lose weight that that sometimes you lose weight faster.  If you really dive into this (and even if you read the papers linked on sites that are trying to say that low carb is actually better), over the long term, there is no difference what kind of diet you follow.  When the studies go for at least 12 months, there is no meaningful difference in weight loss between different styles of calorie restricted diets.

• Reduced-calorie diets result in clinically meaningful weight loss regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize (source) 2009
• There is probably little or no difference in weight loss and changes in cardiovascular risk factors up to two years of follow-up (source) 2014
• high-protein diets exerted neither specific beneficial nor detrimental effects on outcome markers of obesity, cardiovascular disease or glycemic control (source) 2013
• Body-weight loss and weight-maintenance depends on the high-protein, but not on the 'low-carb' component of the diet, while it is unrelated to the concomitant fat-content of the diet. (source) 2012

Some Studies do show Issues in some areas resulting from high protein and low carb diets

High Protein Potential Issues

• HP diets were associated with increased GFR, serum urea, urinary calcium excretion, and serum concentrations of uric acid. In the light of the high risk of kidney disease among obese, weight reduction programs recommending HP diets especially from animal sources should be handled with caution (source) 2014
• More attention should be paid to the potential adverse renal effects of HP diets. (source) 2010

Low Carb Potential Issues (mostly when exercising, but some purely based on decreasing carbs)

• when exercising low carb makes you feel sluggish and slow - because T3 goes up, Reverse T3 goes down and blocks T3 - Low Carb has the same effect as starvation even when there are enough calories. (sources 1,2,3,4)
• cortisol goes up, testosterone goes down - lose muscle and gain fat (sources - 1, 2, 3, 4, )

Low Carb Ketogenic Diet has no benefit over a Low Carb Non-Ketogenic Diet (super low carb, vs moderate carb) - (source) 2006

So pretty much, you do not have to follow a low carb diet to lose weight; if you do follow a low carb lifestyle and you want to do any athletic style training then low carb can hinder your performance, if you eat too much protein you can get kidney disease.  Being in ketosis does not have any benefits over not being in ketosis.

[I have edited this due to typos]

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