I was recently a guest on the Body IO FM podcast. You can listen to that episode here.
The hosts of Body IO FM are John Kiefer and Dr. Rocky Patel. I became aware of them more than a year ago when they were the guests on an episode of Jimmy Moore’s Ask the Low Carb Experts. It was a 90-minute Q & A with lots of good information, but their basic message came down to this: ketosis is great, but most people get better results if they cycle in and out by having a “carb nite” once per week. You can read an overview of the theory by visiting the CarbNite website.
That’s more or less what I’ve been doing for the past couple of years. I stay pretty low-carb on most days, but on Saturday nights we usually go out to a nearby Mexican diner we like. I’ll eat the corn tortillas, rice and beans with that meal.
If you enjoy my posts, please consider a small donation to the Fat Head Kids GoFundMe campaign.
I listened to John’s guest spot on Fat Burning Man a while back. His other theory, carb backloading, seemed interesting enough that I tried it a few times—but I didn’t think it was right for me. I do still occasionally eat a few carbs (20g-40g) after a workout here and there, but that’s about it.
He doesn’t claim it’s the idea plan for everyone either. I appreciated that when I listened to him being interviewed.
The entire carb loading thing has been around for generations. Vince Gironda, the Iron Guru, was huge on low carb high fat dieting going back to the 1940s. His maximum definition diet was unlimited steak, unlimited eggs and that was it. But every five days or so, he would have his clients have a carb meal, usually a salad or vegetables.
Most pre-contest bodybuilding diets suggest carb depletion/loading every few days one week out of their show. They take the water out by depleting the carbs, then right before the show, they load up on carbs which puts the water back in the muscle, which fills the muscle, makes them fuller.
I am not sure how this plays out in every day living. I am going to experiment with it and see how it goes. But I can see where it is headed. On Christmas I made a bag of ravioli…hadn’t had them in years…and found out that I didn’t miss them. I feel I may have to force feed my carb intake.
I don’t miss most of the wheat-based foods I used to eat either. The rice, beans and corn tortillas are nice treat on Saturday, however.
There is an authentic Mexican Restaurant right down the street from me that makes these huge chicken or beef burritos for $5. I haven’t had one in appx. 5 years.
Their Mexican Eggs mixed with rice and seasonings is nice, too.
As my nephew, who was 9 at the time said, “this wasn’t made by some teenager at Taco Bell”.
Taco Bell is the McDonald’s of Mexican food. Cheap and convenient, reasonably tasty. But you get what you pay for.
Sweet potatoes would be my choice. Beans are great too.
Is this only a once-a-week thing?
If you’re doing the Carb Nite protocol, yes, it’s once per week. One evening per week, to be more precise. They warn against making it an all-day pigout.
Looking forward to the book/DVD.
I’m looking forward to actually getting it done.
I’m of the opinion from personal experience and from reading this article that the thyroid needs some carbs to function properly.
I found after a month of consistently low carb eating (only high quality fats – and lots of them, some proteins, not a lot of vegetables, and only berries that are low in fructose) that I had a totally weird menstrual period like I have never experienced before. I’ll skip the details since this is mixed company, but I knew something was waaay off. And I started feeling cold a lot. That is not like me. In fact, I normally have the opposite problem. It’s all I can do to get cool, normally. (I’m in my 50’s, btw)
So, for me, I needed to add back some carbs. I try to eat some starchy vegetables and occasionally rice every week and feel a lot better now. My hormones have returned to normal and I don’t feel cold anymore. I think that’s my body’s way of saying I am better not going too low carb. But I definitely feel better limiting them. Just keep trying to balance things out. The Perfect Health Diet is probably closer to ideal for me.
I recommended the Perfect Health Diet book last year (much to the consternation of low-carb purists) because I believe it is better diet for some people. The key is to find what works for your body.
There is a lot of argument about Jaminet’s book among the Wheat Belly crowd. They just don’t buy the RS in rice or cooking a potato and letting it cool concept. Green bananas or nothing.
Or raw potatoes. Dr. Davis mentioned raw potatoes specifically in his latest book.
Yes, I remember that. I appreciate your open-mindedness and boldness.
re: … but on Saturday nights we usually go out to a nearby Mexican diner we like.
That used to be the family tradition here too, but is no longer, and it’s sad, because it wouldn’t be that hard to craft a Mexican style menu that didn’t present the challenges commonly seen, such as:
Pervasive Wheat – this was the killer for us, as we have a family member quite sensitive to runt mutant goat grass (sold as “wheat”). Even avoiding the obvious flour items, cross-contamination arises (some restaurant are becoming attentive to this, but it’s rare).
Cheat Day Hi Gly – Once LC adapted, I suspect that a once/week cheat even with organic non-GMO corn and certified arsenic-free rice products is enough to cancel out the whole rest of the week, in terms of HbA1c, triglycerides and LDL-P numbers. There’s not much they can do about the wheat germ agglutinin in rice. Carb exposure, of course, is not exclusive to Mexican menus, and is largely a matter of customer choice.
And of course, the typical restaurant is not going to be organic, so you will get your RDA of Bt genetics, RR genetics, glyphosate uptake, neonicotinoids, etc. which I see mostly as a gut biome hazard, a full and honest risk-assessment of which is some years away (if ever).
Oxidized PUFA n6 Industrial Grain Oils – unless you luck out and find a place still using, or whic has resumed using good ‘ol lard. I expect this to be the first sign of a turn-around in Mexican menus.
We don’t cheat with wheat. The stuff can make me wheeze like someone with a mild case of asthma. My daughter Sara gets red, raised patches on her arms she calls “da bumps.” She likes quesadillas, so the Mexican diner makes hers with corn tortillas.
It’s still not a paleo-perfect meal by any means, but we don’t aim for perfect. We aim for a good diet most of the time.
I listened to John’s guest spot on Fat Burning Man a while back. His other theory, carb backloading, seemed interesting enough that I tried it a few times—but I didn’t think it was right for me. I do still occasionally eat a few carbs (20g-40g) after a workout here and there, but that’s about it.
He doesn’t claim it’s the idea plan for everyone either. I appreciated that when I listened to him being interviewed.
The entire carb loading thing has been around for generations. Vince Gironda, the Iron Guru, was huge on low carb high fat dieting going back to the 1940s. His maximum definition diet was unlimited steak, unlimited eggs and that was it. But every five days or so, he would have his clients have a carb meal, usually a salad or vegetables.
Most pre-contest bodybuilding diets suggest carb depletion/loading every few days one week out of their show. They take the water out by depleting the carbs, then right before the show, they load up on carbs which puts the water back in the muscle, which fills the muscle, makes them fuller.
I am not sure how this plays out in every day living. I am going to experiment with it and see how it goes. But I can see where it is headed. On Christmas I made a bag of ravioli…hadn’t had them in years…and found out that I didn’t miss them. I feel I may have to force feed my carb intake.
I don’t miss most of the wheat-based foods I used to eat either. The rice, beans and corn tortillas are nice treat on Saturday, however.
There is an authentic Mexican Restaurant right down the street from me that makes these huge chicken or beef burritos for $5. I haven’t had one in appx. 5 years.
Their Mexican Eggs mixed with rice and seasonings is nice, too.
As my nephew, who was 9 at the time said, “this wasn’t made by some teenager at Taco Bell”.
Taco Bell is the McDonald’s of Mexican food. Cheap and convenient, reasonably tasty. But you get what you pay for.
Sweet potatoes would be my choice. Beans are great too.
Is this only a once-a-week thing?
If you’re doing the Carb Nite protocol, yes, it’s once per week. One evening per week, to be more precise. They warn against making it an all-day pigout.
Looking forward to the book/DVD.
I’m looking forward to actually getting it done.
I’m of the opinion from personal experience and from reading this article that the thyroid needs some carbs to function properly.
I found after a month of consistently low carb eating (only high quality fats – and lots of them, some proteins, not a lot of vegetables, and only berries that are low in fructose) that I had a totally weird menstrual period like I have never experienced before. I’ll skip the details since this is mixed company, but I knew something was waaay off. And I started feeling cold a lot. That is not like me. In fact, I normally have the opposite problem. It’s all I can do to get cool, normally. (I’m in my 50’s, btw)
So, for me, I needed to add back some carbs. I try to eat some starchy vegetables and occasionally rice every week and feel a lot better now. My hormones have returned to normal and I don’t feel cold anymore. I think that’s my body’s way of saying I am better not going too low carb. But I definitely feel better limiting them. Just keep trying to balance things out. The Perfect Health Diet is probably closer to ideal for me.
I recommended the Perfect Health Diet book last year (much to the consternation of low-carb purists) because I believe it is better diet for some people. The key is to find what works for your body.
There is a lot of argument about Jaminet’s book among the Wheat Belly crowd. They just don’t buy the RS in rice or cooking a potato and letting it cool concept. Green bananas or nothing.
Or raw potatoes. Dr. Davis mentioned raw potatoes specifically in his latest book.
Yep and they actually blocked me on their Facebook page for suggesting that it is okay to cook a potato and let it cool in order to get the RS. I thought they’d be big about stuff like that.
Yeesh. Sounds like some closed-minded people are running that group.
Yes, I remember that. I appreciate your open-mindedness and boldness.
re: … but on Saturday nights we usually go out to a nearby Mexican diner we like.
That used to be the family tradition here too, but is no longer, and it’s sad, because it wouldn’t be that hard to craft a Mexican style menu that didn’t present the challenges commonly seen, such as:
Pervasive Wheat – this was the killer for us, as we have a family member quite sensitive to runt mutant goat grass (sold as “wheat”). Even avoiding the obvious flour items, cross-contamination arises (some restaurant are becoming attentive to this, but it’s rare).
Cheat Day Hi Gly – Once LC adapted, I suspect that a once/week cheat even with organic non-GMO corn and certified arsenic-free rice products is enough to cancel out the whole rest of the week, in terms of HbA1c, triglycerides and LDL-P numbers. There’s not much they can do about the wheat germ agglutinin in rice. Carb exposure, of course, is not exclusive to Mexican menus, and is largely a matter of customer choice.
And of course, the typical restaurant is not going to be organic, so you will get your RDA of Bt genetics, RR genetics, glyphosate uptake, neonicotinoids, etc. which I see mostly as a gut biome hazard, a full and honest risk-assessment of which is some years away (if ever).
Oxidized PUFA n6 Industrial Grain Oils – unless you luck out and find a place still using, or whic has resumed using good ‘ol lard. I expect this to be the first sign of a turn-around in Mexican menus.
We don’t cheat with wheat. The stuff can make me wheeze like someone with a mild case of asthma. My daughter Sara gets red, raised patches on her arms she calls “da bumps.” She likes quesadillas, so the Mexican diner makes hers with corn tortillas.
It’s still not a paleo-perfect meal by any means, but we don’t aim for perfect. We aim for a good diet most of the time.
Carb cycling is what works best for me too. When I first go into ketosis it is fantastic but then as time progresses I have less and less energy. Now I find light ketosis combined with extra carbs every few days is what works best for me. If it wasn’t for Chris Kresser, Paul Jaminet, Rocky Patel etc, I might still be stuck with no energy.
Exactly why I believe no matter what diet works for some — low-carb, ketogenic, Perfect Health Diet, carbcycling, whatever — we shouldn’t assume it’s best for everyone. Some people say they feel best if they stay ketogenic all the time. I believe them. Some people say they feel best if carb up now and then. I believe them too.
Carb cycling is what works best for me too. When I first go into ketosis it is fantastic but then as time progresses I have less and less energy. Now I find light ketosis combined with extra carbs every few days is what works best for me. If it wasn’t for Chris Kresser, Paul Jaminet, Rocky Patel etc, I might still be stuck with no energy.
Exactly why I believe no matter what diet works for some — low-carb, ketogenic, Perfect Health Diet, carbcycling, whatever — we shouldn’t assume it’s best for everyone. Some people say they feel best if they stay ketogenic all the time. I believe them. Some people say they feel best if carb up now and then. I believe them too.
My body seems to be very picky/specific about how I eat carbs. I’ve found that my sweet spot is eating a carby meal (typically potato or sweet potato-based) once or twice a week on the weekend. If I try to be low carb entirely, I put on about 10 lbs, and if I eat more than about 3 carby meals a week, I also put on about 10 lbs.
Justin, if you’d like an awesome carby meal, check out this soup. So good! We also add in some spicy stuff and some coconut cream to make it creamy.
Hey Kim! The soup! OMG! However, it is not carby at all! I ran it through the recipe converter and a 12 oz serving has 196 kcal, 9 g fat, 8g net carbs and 20g protein. The only change I made was subbing acorn squash that I had on hand for the butternut. That lowered the net carbs to 7 . What a find! I can definitely see adding coconut milk and some cayenne or hot curry powder to make it even more awesome. Thanks for sharing!
BTW…good interview but it cut out on their website, for me anyway, around the 80 minute mark.
The question I have, which doesn’t seem to be answered by any of the podcasts, is “how long after embarking on the low carb high fat eating journey can one then start carb cycling? What are the health indicators to look for to suggest carb cycling can be initiated?” I tried carb cycling after eating LCHF religiously for over a year, and i discovered that it did not work for me at all. It is not clear to me if it’s because my body was not “ready” yet, or if it’s just not an option for me ever.
They recommend a 10-day VLC diet before adding a carb nite.
What about if you’re doing weight training with HIIT cardio? Can you eat more carbs if you’re doing that every day?
I suppose … but personally, I wouldn’t do cardio or HIIT every day.
I find that to be a bit micromanaging, If it works, do it. If it doesn’t, then don’t. I’ve been training for over 35 years and never bought into that “more carb, less carb” stuff, unless someone is training for a competition or modeling and needs to be ultra lean.
I’m deadlifting 400 lbs. right now eating under 50gms carbs/day.
My body seems to be very picky/specific about how I eat carbs. I’ve found that my sweet spot is eating a carby meal (typically potato or sweet potato-based) once or twice a week on the weekend. If I try to be low carb entirely, I put on about 10 lbs, and if I eat more than about 3 carby meals a week, I also put on about 10 lbs.
Justin, if you’d like an awesome carby meal, check out this soup. So good! We also add in some spicy stuff and some coconut cream to make it creamy.
Hey Kim! The soup! OMG! However, it is not carby at all! I ran it through the recipe converter and a 12 oz serving has 196 kcal, 9 g fat, 8g net carbs and 20g protein. The only change I made was subbing acorn squash that I had on hand for the butternut. That lowered the net carbs to 7 . What a find! I can definitely see adding coconut milk and some cayenne or hot curry powder to make it even more awesome. Thanks for sharing!
BTW…good interview but it cut out on their website, for me anyway, around the 80 minute mark.
The question I have, which doesn’t seem to be answered by any of the podcasts, is “how long after embarking on the low carb high fat eating journey can one then start carb cycling? What are the health indicators to look for to suggest carb cycling can be initiated?” I tried carb cycling after eating LCHF religiously for over a year, and i discovered that it did not work for me at all. It is not clear to me if it’s because my body was not “ready” yet, or if it’s just not an option for me ever.
They recommend a 10-day VLC diet before adding a carb nite.
What about if you’re doing weight training with HIIT cardio? Can you eat more carbs if you’re doing that every day?
I suppose … but personally, I wouldn’t do cardio or HIIT every day.
I find that to be a bit micromanaging, If it works, do it. If it doesn’t, then don’t. I’ve been training for over 35 years and never bought into that “more carb, less carb” stuff, unless someone is training for a competition or modeling and needs to be ultra lean.
I’m deadlifting 400 lbs. right now eating under 50gms carbs/day.
Is there any real point to deadlifting that much weight?
Because it’s there. Why do people climb mountains?
I love that answer!
Could I have a Friday night happy hour carbnite of chips, MMs and bruskies?
You can do anything you want. I won’t stop you. Keifer and Patel consider it an anything-goes night, even donuts. I still avoid the wheat and sugar on my carb nite meals.
I found Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale anabolic diet that seems to be similar to carbnite:
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/anabolic-diet
Could I have a Friday night happy hour carbnite of chips, MMs and bruskies?
You can do anything you want. I won’t stop you. Keifer and Patel consider it an anything-goes night, even donuts. I still avoid the wheat and sugar on my carb nite meals.
I found Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale anabolic diet that seems to be similar to carbnite:
http://www.everydiet.org/diet/anabolic-diet
Last night was my first “Carb Nite”…2 slices of pizza, pint of H-D chocolate peanut butter ice cream…double serving of mac and cheese using rice pasta…the pizza and ice cream was followed by a two hour nap…put me right out. This was almost a force feeding, not because I wasn’t hungry but because there was not one mouthful where I thought, “Oh my God, why have I been denying myself this stuff.”
I don’t miss sugar or wheat enough to make them part of my Carb Nite.
2nd carb nite was last night and I honestly do not think I can do it anymore. Another two hour nap. This morning I feel lousy.
I can see one carb meal but not a 6-8 hour window of carbs. It’s too much for me. The interesting thing is, there is nothing in the carbs that makes me want to go back for seconds.
It’s one big meal for me.
Last night was my first “Carb Nite”…2 slices of pizza, pint of H-D chocolate peanut butter ice cream…double serving of mac and cheese using rice pasta…the pizza and ice cream was followed by a two hour nap…put me right out. This was almost a force feeding, not because I wasn’t hungry but because there was not one mouthful where I thought, “Oh my God, why have I been denying myself this stuff.”
I don’t miss sugar or wheat enough to make them part of my Carb Nite.
2nd carb nite was last night and I honestly do not think I can do it anymore. Another two hour nap. This morning I feel lousy.
I can see one carb meal but not a 6-8 hour window of carbs. It’s too much for me. The interesting thing is, there is nothing in the carbs that makes me want to go back for seconds.
It’s one big meal for me.
Carb Nite is a poorly researched ripoff of Lyle McDonald’s work from the Ketogenic Diet and the Ultimate Diet 2.0. I’m more familiar with his concept of Carb Back Loading, but really all he did was add IF to Lyle’s diet. He should really give credit where it’s due. Lyle took the work from Mauro Di Pasquale and Dan Duchaine and actually added to it w/the Ultimate Diet 2.0. All Keifer did was add IF and then on his website promote nicotine gum as a supplement for weight loss, lol. Lyle literally wrote the book on the Ketogenic Diet w/600 references, which is really a technical guide to Bodyopus another Ketogenic carb cycling diet from the 90s.
Tom, I’m a huge fan, but I think you should read Lyle’s work as he is the go-to guy on this stuff.
I did, in fact, read Lyle McDonald’s book on ketogenic diets.
Carb Nite is a poorly researched ripoff of Lyle McDonald’s work from the Ketogenic Diet and the Ultimate Diet 2.0. I’m more familiar with his concept of Carb Back Loading, but really all he did was add IF to Lyle’s diet. He should really give credit where it’s due. Lyle took the work from Mauro Di Pasquale and Dan Duchaine and actually added to it w/the Ultimate Diet 2.0. All Keifer did was add IF and then on his website promote nicotine gum as a supplement for weight loss, lol. Lyle literally wrote the book on the Ketogenic Diet w/600 references, which is really a technical guide to Bodyopus another Ketogenic carb cycling diet from the 90s.
Tom, I’m a huge fan, but I think you should read Lyle’s work as he is the go-to guy on this stuff.
I did, in fact, read Lyle McDonald’s book on ketogenic diets.