If your goal is strictly weight loss by calorie restriction, then I’m not sure there’s a difference. I’m not pre-diabetic or diabetic, so for myself, that’s not a consideration. I’m happy it worked for IxnayBob. Many years ago, I achieved a large weight loss without IF, and now weight loss is not a concern of mine.
Now if you can show me a VERY large sample size over a long period of time for both men and women from a wide cross section of society where IF was shown to have major advantages over any other types of diets out there on the market, for faster weight loss, helping build and maintain better muscle mass as you age, life extension, staving off dementia, ALS or other insidious disease, then I’ll definitely take a deeper dive.
I haven’t read Dr. Fung’s book, but any book on a subject doesn’t equal proof to me. There are lots of books on diets and “dieting.” So, call me skeptic.
Last night I ran into someone who I hadn’t seen in a while and they were telling me all about their (her husband and herself) Keto diet and the success they’re having being on it. It sounded like a miracle.
@sushritto, what makes Dr. Fung’s books different from many “diet books” is his vast documentation of research findings to back up his statements. I can’t quote passages from his book as it is not allowed. If you don’t want to read it, that’s certainly fine, but he doesn’t advance theories that are not backed up by significant study. It’s probably the MD in him that compels him to do so on such a scale.
Thanks! I eat yogurt (Greek, plain, within my carb limit) and occasionally drink kombucha (harder to find low carb but it exists), and get both kinds of fiber every day so I like to think I’m doing OK by my gut, but I am intrigued and will do a little more research on resistant starch.
@Nrdsb4 I appreciate your viewpoint. I don’t know the entire universe of “diet books,” but I’d bet there are at least a few backed up by science or significant study. Though I have heard of some studies, no idea about Dr. Fung’s findings, that have falsified their results.
I’m speculating that IF worked for you and that’s great. Congrats!
I’m thankfully healthy, maintaining a low body fat % for many years while also building more strength and stamina than I had years ago. And that has been achieved thru basic “clean eating” and consistent rigorous programmed (variable) exercise.
So, my diet and exercise plan works great for me. However, if others have plans that aren’t working for them, then by all means, try IF and hopefully they’ll find life long success.
I remember mainstream* “low fat” recommendations that were <30% of calories from fat (and <10% from saturated fat). But the actual consumption in the US never reached that, and has also been far too high in total calories (from both carbs and fat) for the typical activity level of people in the US. I.e. regardless of what was being promoted, the effective diet in the US over the last few decades has been high carb and high fat, mostly the junkier versions of each.
I would not be surprised if most people could eat more total calories (including more of both carb and fat calories) given pepperoni pizza than if they could eat either the pizza crust alone or the cheese and pepperoni alone.
*As opposed to a few radicals like Ornish et. al. whose super-low-fat diets very few tried and fewer stuck to for any significant time.
Maybe I am just odd in finding overly sweet things, white bread, etc. to be less desirable (taste wise) than most other foods.
Different varieties of rice have different glycemic indicies (brown typically is somewhat lower than the same variety of white). So it depends on what rice went into the sushi. Of course, the glycemic index of a mixed food like sushi could be different from that of one component.
Obviously, if you want lower carb, you could eat sashimi.
@sushiritto, if I didn’t have to eat so very low carb, I would not. It’s HARD. Not because I don’t like the food on the diet, but because I really love rice, whole grains, potatoes and other starchy veggies, toast with my eggs, and occasionally, fruit and sweets.
If I didn’t need to do IF, I most certainly wouldn’t. It’s okay when I’m doing low carb, uncomfortable when I don’t.
This is where “you do you” comes into play. If what you do is working, WHY would you change??? If what you are doing is not working, well, that’s when you have to figure out what does.
My DH eats TONS of carbs, and I mean tons. Other than a bout of colon cancer 12 years ago, he is very very healthy. No meds at all, stays trim, low blood pressure, etc. He sees no reason to change, and I wouldn’t try to change him. To what end?
I am not so tempted by white bread or sweets. But I love potatoes, rice, bread, starchy vegetables, Mexican food, and Italian. I love cheese and crackers, buttered toast at breakfast. If I eat that stuff, I don’t do well.
For Mexican food, how about just meat and vegetables with salsa (and beans if low GI things like beans are ok). For Italian food, how about cioppino, salads, and the various kinds of antipasti that are low carb? Of course, there are recipes for making low carb tortillas, pizza crusts, crackers, and bread with such things as almond flour.
Yes, I can certainly do the meat/chicken/fish and vegetables with salsa. But come on, I’m from Texas. Sometimes I dream about tacos and enchiladas.
I actually did bake an almond flour loaf of bread tonight. It reminded me more of the texture of cornbread, but it was good, definitely good. People are so creative and resourceful. Okay, I can’t eat bread, but how can I create a bread-like substance that allows me to acknowledge my metabolism and give me the taste/texture I crave? There are people out there working on that question. It’s NOT the same as bread, but it’s a damn good substitution and something I could definitely live with.
I found another source that has a coconut flour tortilla recipe. Will definitely give that one a go.
Mex beans are high carb. Healthy for other reasons, but not part of keto.
The point is balancing and limits. Right now I try to keep to 30 carbs max/day. One slice of ordinary bread is 26. Oops. I found a great low carb at WF, 9 grams. Does it for me.
I find many ethnic food loaded with sugar if I read the label carefully. No more asian food for me. According to the book, one needs IF to shock the body to use up sugar stored in the body . When one eats less, the body slows down too instead of using up the reserve, countering the low calorie intake.
@Southmom Dave’s Killer Bread, 21 Whole Grains Light 65. I like multigrain and haven’t tried other types. 9 grams Net Carbs.
I may be wrong about all bread being 26 or so. It was my prior fav light bread that is. I’m using the Carb Manager app. It’s sometimes off (eg, showing zero for some food- because the data isn’t loaded. I have to scroll a little further.) But very handy.
I like Ixnay’s way of settling into a routine, after figuring out safe choices, and not always checking specifics.
I’m also finding a lot of support for IF, good sources.
Apparently the act of cooling the rice changes the nature of the starch, ucb. Some of it changes from digestible to resistant - not the same as indigestible like the fiber in celery, but digested differently, in a way that impacts the glycemic load.
Or so I have learned over the past couple of days.
I’ve experimented with some low carb baking. Coconut flour bagels are one of the successes. I make them once every couple of months when I crave that sort of thing for eggs or avocado toast or a sandwich. Got recipe if you like.
My grocery stocks pretty decent low carb wraps that I do not eat routinely but occasionally get to make sandwiches for long car trips and such. I’ve made enchiladas with them too.
Same for me, max 30 net carbs. I am wondering how to fit grocery store sushi in that calculation (read most Japanese restaurants keep their rice room temp, not chilled, so less/no resistant starch? How do i count that?)
I’m just staying away from more than a quarter cup of rice at a time. (I’ve got a lot of experience with having a fav food, but in a very small amount. I could buy market sushi and only eat two pieces. I can skip the sauces.)
A big distinction, imo, is people who truly are diabetic. Many of us have more freedom to ebb and flow a little. So, ok.
I can overanalyze to complete confusion. So I work to not get distracted by GI or hot vs cold, etc. I just look at the net counts. My calculator is confusing on sushi carbs, what a serving is. But I see this:
“Pretty much all sushi is not low carb, because of the rice in it, and sometimes also due to the sauces. At most sushi restaurants, you really have just one keto friendly option, which is sashimi.” (And the sugar.)
Hmmmm, resistant starches; really didn’t know about them. One of the things I miss is oatmeal and eggs. Are you saying that if I make a batch of steel cut oats (in my Zojirushi rice cooker) and put them in the fridge, I can then put my 6 fried eggs on top and have a great “breakfast for dinner?”
I do the unrefrigerated version of this every month or two, because, well, yumm! Is it down to “half a sin” now from “a sin or two.”
