tegid’s BodyBlog

I saw the article called ‘Breaking out of Prison’ written by Adam247 a few days ago:

http://blog.bodybuilding.com/adam247

I like observations - and the questions they raise. I’m glad that Adam and others like him are writing things like this.

One of the things that I have noticed since joining bb.com is the derision that is launched at the bodybuilding community - particularly from the UK’s fitness industry and its medical world. I do not feel that this derision is supported with adequate rationale: I used to run the gyms in a medical university (in the UK) and spent quite some time chatting with the PhD/research students and the trainee medics, listening to their opinions and their approach to things. I’d say that Adam’s approach is as every bit as convincing as theirs. "Bodybuilder" vs. Sport & Exercise Science PhD students. I’d say that the only difference is the way they’ve come to their current conclusions… Think about it, people!

I haven’t performed this diet in a way that deliberately targeted fat loss. Fat loss just happened to be one of its side-effects.  My approach to this diet was to establish something that could be maintained long-term so it was introduced slowly, allowing my body to adapt without going into any dangerous ‘reactions’ that could send me straight into unstoppable epileptic seizures.

In its original format, the ketogenic diet was developed at the John Hopkins hospital in the 1920s, to treat children that had incurable epileptic seizures. It involved an initiation phase and then a maintenance phase. The initiation phase involved fasting until 10% body weight reduction had occurred. Initially this was done through a 25 day starvation and after complaints (are you surprised??) it was reduced to 36 hours of no food at all.  The ketogenic ‘ratios’ of macronutrients were introduced gradually - as it takes a good 14 days for the body to adapt - namely the bran cells’ mitochondria and the liver (which converts fatty acids into ketones)

There were a small number of patients (kids!) that developed hypoglycemia - and I had very strong evidence to suggest that hypoglycemia triggered my epileptic seizures.  So I had to adapt the John Hopkins system - the last thing I wanted was to be killed by it..  They recommend starting with 75% of total daily kCals coming from fat.  The other 25% come from carbohydrates and protein combined.  What they are trying to do is ’starve’ the brain into using ketones for energy - rather than carbs.  Put simply, as a fuel type, Ketones act like diesel - more mpg but poor acceleration. Carbs are like regular gasoline - better acceleration and faster top speed.  Converting between the two is always going to be complicated.

In an adult, the body will release all the glycogen stored in the liver and muscles for the brain to use, before the brain will use ketones.  So initiating ketosis it depends very much upon how rapidly you can use up all your stored glycogen.  For me, it was at least two weeks and the second week felt ruddy awful, as the glycogen drained out of me. My weight plummeted as stored water was also released.

I didn’t start with 80% of my total kCal coming from fat.  I started at half this - and changed things gradually, over 2 week intervals. A HUGE thanks to Dom (dpd555) for all the comments he made during this. I admit that things weren’t always perfect and corrections have been made along the way BUT I’ve been seizure free for 14 weeks. And I feel so much better than I have over the past 8 years. It has been complicated, obsessive (I still weigh and analyse every gram I eat) and initially I was petrified this might kill me if I got it wrong.

My rationale was also guided by the lifestyles of the Inuit and Sami people that live above the Arctic Circle.  During the winter they traditionally have no carbs so I wanted to mimic what they go through during one of their autumns because I know that they survive perfectly OK (I used to be involved in Arctic Research, long ago).  Hence I reduced carbs and increased protein (way too much protein, in retrospect) initially.  I then reduced protein and increased fat.

The other thing that I have not investigated yet is how to STOP the ketogenic diet. I suspect that it involves equally complicated manipulation of diet macronutrients.  I know that the brain will always grab carbohydrates for fuel if it gets the chance, owing to the fact that only carbs can get through the brain-blood barrier very rapidly.  Hence after a certain threshold level of carbs in the blood, the brain will instantly ’switch over’ to carbs.  At that moment, fat is no longer required for fuel and I assume it gets stored (270g fat a day = a LOT to store!).  

There is an element that I have not investigated, yet – and which is very important (thanks FireMedicMike for pointing this out). How does insulin and the endocrine system respond to chronic ketosis?  I want be check this out very soon.  There are suggestions that the pancreas gets affected and this could lead to hypoglycemia - leaving me back in the firing line when it comes to seizure triggers. For others - it may leave you with type II diabetes. I will try to get regular checks for diabetes. I will also try to get hold of medical data from the Norsk Polar Institute to see if diabetes is noted as being higher in the Sami peoples that live above the Arctic Circle.

As ever - I couldn’t have done this without my guardian angels: Adam247, CarlaHampshire, dpd555, mk2004, FireMedicMike and xxx666. Thank you!

I haven’t written much in the Blog recently - I’ve been developing and applying the ketogenic diet that has so far successfully stopped my epilepsy for 3 months.

On Friday I dared do things that I haven’t done since developing epilepsy - namely clean & jerk and then go for a run afterwards. The last time I did that was over 8 years ago and I was running the gyms at the University of Birmingham.

So I have some major, major thank-you’s to go out here:

Firstly to dpd555 who has researched the effects of this diet (at a nanoscopic level!) on adult people with incurable seizures. He continues to send encouraging messages and updates from the world of academia. I wouldn’t have dared try this approach without his words.

Carla Hampshire has been a saint - and has sent some of the most touching messages to me. I know that she’s been praying for me over the months when my condition was getting worse. While dpd555 was in charge of my brain, Carla was in charge of its soul! She did a stunning job. I feel so utterly delighted to know that she got her pro card last week. That was well deserved.

FireMedicMike and MK2004 continue to stand by me, regardless of the ups and downs I experience. I want to see the pictures of both of them going up on stage and competing, at some time in the future. I just know that something good is going to happen for those guys.

And then… When London’s neurologists’ speeches were preparing me for death… Along came the guy that  shattered their arguments with the one quality that they will never have.. The one thing that could keep my life-fire burning when their rain set in. Honesty. Thank God I bumped into Adam247 when I did. He’s seen me in seizure, he’s seen me fight them off… He’s always been there for me, with downright honesty and his astonishing mixture of physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual reasoning… He’s the one person that accurately indicates my mistakes - without offending me - so that I can change.. And improve.  It’s rare that I trust people to the extent I trust him.

So there are a few of the names that have helped me get through the past year. Where would I be without the bodybuilders that have helped me rebuild my life?

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I feel as though my ability to ‘think’ is now back - after 8 years of suspended animation caused by those prescribed epilepsy drugs.  I was taught to argue by the philosophers at Jesus College, Cambridge: Heaven help the medics that put me on those drugs- should my focus ever turn to them….