Well, i certainly can't say "back from the dead," as the expression goes! :-D I've been busy and having a good time!
The break from the usual grind has been good for both of us. It's been about three weeks since we started preparing to go on vacation -- first taking Spense and Pip to our daughter's house (with our back yard torn up, getting our pet-sitters to visit wasn't really feasible), then the trip to Florida and the cruise, then back to Texas. Whew! It was quite a ride!
I took some good notes during the cruise presentations, so i'll have some highlights for you this week. The talks ranged from VERY informational all the way down to tepid, but there were a couple which were really outstanding. The last two years, though recordings were made of most talks, "something happened" and were not posted online in their entirety -- i HOPE they learned their lessons and did better this year, and that you'll actually be able to see the full presentations instead of the slides of a few....
But anyway, i'm back: a bit tired but happy and spiritually rested, ready to tackle the "real world" again!
Looking forward to your cruise recap. I've never gone on the Low Carb Cruise before, but am considering it for next year. I'd even be interested in giving a talk, rather than just being a spectator, but I have no idea on what. I still feel like a total beginner in terms of being a practitioner and don't know why anyone would want to listen to anything I have to say. I could probably speak pretty well on Alzheimer's, but other than that, I'm not sure what topic I could possibly choose that would distinguish me from the crowd. There's so much "been there, done that" in the LC community. What could I talk about that hasn't already been addressed a thousand times?
ReplyDeleteI'm open to ideas!
Also: Do you feel like there's less interest in the LC Cruise the last couple of years, as there's been more contention in the community? I dunno. Looking from the outside, it just seems like people aren't as jazzed about LC as they used to be. Maybe because it's not as much on the fringe as it used to be, and people are finding less of a need to connect with like-minded others in person? I wish I'd gone on some of the cruises when they seemed to be a bigger deal/more exciting than they are now. I could be totally wrong. That's just my perception on how I've seen things change over the years.
i think a talk on Alzheimers would be well-received, but i'm under the impression that Jimmy asks speakers to talk on particular subjects -- you might approach him and ask!
DeleteThe "paleo low-carb blogosphere" IS a lot less active and enthusiastic than it was a few years ago, in my opinion because the science is more firm than it used to be. A lot more principles are generally accepted, and there haven't been any major new findings; lots of things like gut-bugs, circadian rhythms and what-not are ALL acknowledged as significant, but no one single thing is KEY -- even insulin has to share the stage with glucagon and leptin these days! :-) When this happens, as you said, people don't have to flock together for mutual support and encouragement the way they used to.
Glad you're back, Tess!
ReplyDelete@Amy, I like your blog. Maybe what you've commented on here could be the topic of a talk: the contention is pointless because we don't all need to be doing the same things. Some people do better on a Zone-type diet, some need to strictly avoid allergens, some need to be keto. People shouldn't be shamed for snacking or eating regular grocery store meat or diet soda. Healthy eating is only a competition if you make it one--but why make it one? I think the emphasis on absolute purity turns off a lot of people who'd benefit from a LC diet.
Thanks, Lori! :-) I think you're right, in general, that what each of us should do for optimal health is an extremely individualized thing! It's when we try a conventional-wisdom sort of approach and things don't go well, that we need to read up on other people's n=1 experiences, compare our bodies' reactions to theirs, and possibly emulate their successful practices, in order to achieve the best results we can.
DeleteWelcome Back Tess ... Looking forward to hearing more from you when you are ready.
ReplyDelete@Amy - I'd be interested in Alzheimer's and low carbing
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan! Now that i'm home i have a million things to do, but i AM convinced that some of the things i heard on the ship can be helpful to a lot of people! :-)
DeleteYay Tess is back! Looking forward to you take on the talks...I'd like to do one, too. I don't seem to make enough time in my schedule to speak as often as I should. My new owners have let me loose on wellness and maybe that will be my new venue.
ReplyDeleteHi to Lori! I read all of the bloggers that comment here. It keeps me sane with all the continued doctors that don't get LC living.
"My new owners have let me loose on wellness...." -- LOL! :-D That should be exciting! Good luck!
DeleteMentally hanging out with the people we do, it's almost shocking that so many health professionals are so behind-the-times. I think it's only a matter of time before mainstream thought joins us -- surely, the science can't be ignored forever! May you have good fortune in awakening your peers!
Welcome to normal life, Tess! I am looking forward to read about your take on presentations. LCarbing is getting less controversial and more wide spread as time flying. I don't mind it at all.
ReplyDeleteNope! :-) Exciting as it is to be a rebel and a radical, it's gratifying to be able to float with the stream ... in the correct direction.
DeleteGlad you're back and rested. Eager to hear about the talks. I really appreciate all Jimmy does for the LC community, and I am a fan and supporter of his, but I do disagree with his dietary advice (and think it's actually the source of his regain problems). Interesting to hear that interest has died down; I'm only a year-young in the LC community so I lack that experience and perspective. Interesting to read it here, and your thoughts on why. I think one area where LC advice fails is to allow for and even advocate different levels of LC. 20 g carbs/day is very daunting (it even was for me, an experienced low-carber), but you can get improvements at higher carb levels (as I did). Individual variability is a beautiful thing, and can be very welcoming, too. Just a thought. Insiders already know this, of course. I'm talking about recruiting ;)
ReplyDelete:-) Everybody has their own tolerance levels, for every different macronutrient -- generalizing TOO FAR is the big fault in the nutrition world! From our genomes to our environments to our personal histories, there are just so many things that complicate the equation....
DeleteThen there's the question of "optimal" versus "tolerable"! :-D On the ship, optimal for me would have been (as some of our table-mates did) ordering double portions of the meat dishes without sauces and forgoing all the starches and sugars, and drinking water. ***not gonna happen!*** I "treated myself" to things I cope with adequately, but only had ONE "tropical cocktail" (sugar bomb), and didn't finish a lot of the desserts I ordered.
I realize that i'm lucky in not having the problem with "trigger foods" that some people do, but I also ration my "guilty" pleasures with a strict hand.
Five years ago when I started, there were some awesome bloggers regularly posting: Eades, Briffa, Jenny Ruhl, John Durant at Hunter-Gatherer, and Davis had a serious, technical blog (the Heart Scan blog). Davis was a voice in the wilderness, Tom Naughton and Steven Guyanet hadn't gone over to safe starches, Eades was regularly posting awesome stuff, John Durant was always funny, and Jenny Ruhl was shredding junk science at least weekly. Good times.
ReplyDeleteI still think the best action a newbie LCarber could do is go and start reading archives of Dr.Eades blog.
DeleteAfter 7.5 years of LCarbing I almost lost my interest in reading multiple blogs about the subject. I mostly socialize on-line now in like-minded places.
I'll second that. If I had access to only one blog besides my own, it would be his.
DeleteOh, yeah.... I would probably have a hard time just selecting ONE! I'm very partial to J Stanton, and then there are the early writings of Kurt Harris, and Chris Masterjohn, Richard Feinman, ... but I think Peter at Hyperlipid would be my #1.
DeleteChoosing only one blog is impossible for me . I will keep Wooo's one for sure, and your blog, Tess is an important social internet activity for me, I always check when Lori, Splitting Chips and Hurf have new posts. I support LC diabetics by my participation. I try to cut on internet time in general, especially everyday surfing, so some blogs I check only weekly. I dropped the Diet Doctor recently, but I enjoy Tom Naughton writing and wit no matter what he writes about.
DeleteAs soon as I decided to cut on web reading, here is another interesting blog refereed by Peter in his last post https://rosemarycottageclinic.wordpress.com/all-posts/
DeleteI read through every one of Wooo and Peter's blog posts, and then re-read..yes I have an addiction. Those two are my standout bloggers. I also like Rosedale, he doesn't blog but I re-read his book, and his AHS2012 youtube talk was so mesmerizing and when I decided I was absolutely, unequivocally convinced that this is my way of eating for life. Not to mention he's rather cute :)
Delete@Amy, you have rather a sassy way of writing, maybe appealing to women. I'm thinking binge eating, the role endorphins play, LDN or hormonal issues or menopause ( I know you're not at meno age but the latter being one that is not addressed much so JM might find it novel to hear, appeal to wider audience). Just brainstorming :)
Oops meant to say welcome back Tess and looking forward to hearing about the cruise.
ReplyDeletelol -- thanks! :-)
Deletecoincidentally, there were TWO great talks this year about the weight-loss struggles women (especially older ones) face. as soon as I finish all the returning-home-to-normality chores, i'll get right on the reports....
Welcome back. I look forward to your re-caps and your take aways. On the last panel at PaleoFX 2015, Jimmy Moore mentioned that he felt that LCHF crowd was "afraid" to attend PaleoFx. Michelle Norris commented that she would like to address that for PaleoFX 16 (over Memorial Day weekend in 2016, Austin Tx).
ReplyDeleteAs a LCHF attendee, I did not find that to be true. All the people like me (okay, there were some shredded Cross fitters there- but all were really nice) had improved or were improving their health and wanting to learn more. Any show downs or verbal back and forths between LC and high carb were surrounding the Sarah Ballentyne talk and that was no big deal- IMO.
Really, it was every day folk- young, middle age, and a few 70+ folks- all different, all with a story to tell, all very friendly. Of course other people may have had different experiences- say someone like Jimmy Moore. It will be interesting to see how LCHF will be presented in 2016. I love watching the history unfold..... :)
Also, looking forward to seeing the youtube videos and podcast listening later this year. I think that if you feel good doing LCHF, then it's a no brainer.
thank you, Karen! It's good to be getting back to normal after all that "whooping it up" :-)
DeleteI'm very glad to hear that the atmosphere was so good! The reports we heard about the Ancestral Health Symposium was so off-putting -- it seems that there was fat-person-shunning going on which only widened the breach between the cross-fit contingent and those of us who are still in the process of healing old low-fat-diet damage....
It is off the theme of that post, but i want to share with my on-line friends some thoughts . I recently took several audio-books from our public library and I started to listen Herriot's "All Creatures Great and Small". I am sure everybody has read that classic memoir of an English veterinarian, I wish my internet friends acquired a desire to refresh the book in their memories. Last time I read it about ten years ago. There are many things could be said about the great book, the listening made me think again about how medicine has changed during last 70 years. The author started his practice with old slowly working remedies(I recognized the zinc paste treatment for skin conditions for example), but soon antibiotics and steroids allowed to almost perform miracles in previously hopeless situations. Herriot thought old medicines would be complitely forgotten and would give road to new wonderful drugs. We live in times when some old remedies come back to heal slowly when even more modern ones work often too powerfully and often tip a body out of its balance. There is a need in powerful remedies in extreme situations, but I think we jump to strong solutions often way too quickly.
ReplyDeleteyou haven't piqued my desire to read it AGAIN, but to read it for the first time! :-) I remember it being very popular when I worked in a library way-back-when, but never checked it out myself.
DeleteI almost envy you - to read that absolutely charming book the first time!
DeleteAnother example of "food for thoughts" from that book - the veterinarians kept in their array of treatments a medieval remedy of blood letting for treating hard cases of a strange and poorly understood (an inflammation is often poorly understood) horse illness laminitis. They didn't know why a bloodletting was helpful, but often it was the thing which made the difference in the outcome. While reading about it, the recent discussion on Lori's blog about the role of iron came to my mind. May be the removal of some iron from the horse system was the reason why bloodletting worked?
DeleteBTW, some time ago on the blog Paleo Guy http://thatpaleoguy.com/2011/10/10/neolithic-equids-why-the-long-face/ he mentioned an article where an Equine Syndrome X or Equine Grain-Associated Disorders for equine disorders associated with long-term consumption of grains and molasses, which involved insulin resistance, was discussed . A Laminitis is among the cluster of conditions which are caused by insulin resistance in horses.