Dr. Keith Berkowitz reveals his low-carb hypoglycemia theory

Last week I shared with you about a bewildering blood sugar issue happening with me right now. My blood sugars actually DROPPED after a meal rather than the typical rise and then gradual drop that happens in most people. This jogged my memory about a guest blog post I shared about a year ago about this very issue.

In Episode 144 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from the man behind the hypoglycemia theory associated with long-term low-carb weight loss success stories named Dr. Keith Berkowitz from the Manhattan-based Center For Balanced Health. Dr. Berkowitz worked with the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins and inherited many of his patients who lost significant amounts of weight. Now he’s seeing those patients dealing with hypoglycemia and is implementing strategies for dealing with this.

Click on the “LISTEN NOW” link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 144:

Ever since I blogged about my crazy blood sugar issues, people have been wanting to know more about this perplexing phenomenon. Dr. Berkowitz has been mulling this observational theory about reactive hypoglycemia around in his mind for a while now and is actively seeking a researcher to look into this for the sake of those low-carb dieters who have lost a lot of weight and then it just stops. This is something so many of us can relate to in our low-carb lifestyle.

Dr. Berkowitz identifies what this condition is, why reactive hypoglycemia happens even when you eat low-carb, and what you can do to overcome this. This isn’t just some quack theory because I’m living it right now. Practical, easy-to-implement strategies in response to hypoglycemia are shared by Dr. Berkowitz in today’s podcast and I can personally attest that they WORK! Since I’ve added many of the suggestions he recommends people with this do, I have lost over 10 pounds in the first week. I don’t expect this torrid pace to continue, but it is very encouraging so far. See my menus blog to see EXACTLY what I’m eating, how often, and the composition of the foods.

Never miss anything for your low-carb lifestyle anytime by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
3. Subscribing to the RSS feed
4. Going to iTunes–Click here to subscribe!

What’s your reaction to what Dr. Keith Berkowitz shared in today’s podcast? Have you experienced a hypoglycemic reaction to eating low-carb and feel “stuck” in your weight loss? Share your experiences with this in the show notes section of Episode 144. I appreciate Dr. Berkowitz sharing his time and expertise with us in today’s podcast about this critical issue. If you are concerned about possibly having this condition, then you need to get a glucose tolerance test as soon as possible. This could be the answer you’ve been looking for.

Tune in again next week as I share an eye-opening two-part interview with Dr. James E. Carlson, the author of a fabulous new book called Genocide!: How Your Doctor’s Dietary Ignorance Will Kill You. If you support the high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach to weight loss and health, then you are gonna fall head over heels for Dr. Carlson! Let’s just say he’s not very fond of the current dietary recommendations of a high-carb, low-fat diet. DON’T MISS the next edition of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.”

Low-carb burns fat, but can it lead to extra body heat?

Ooh, ooh, ooh,
I feel my temperature rising
Help me, I’m flaming
I must be a hundred and nine
Burning, burning, burning
And nothing can cool me
I just might turn into smoke
But I feel fine

–Elvis Presley singing “Burning Love”

Somebody’s turned up the heat up in here and it’s gotta be that low-carb diet I’m on, right? That’s what everybody does with livin’ la vida low-carb when something new happens to them after starting this way of eating–they blame it on low-carb! I mocked this notion in this blog post about an earache a couple of years ago, but what if there is merit to some rather strange side effects of following a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach? Hmmmmmm.

There are several things we KNOW will happen to most people when they begin the low-carb lifestyle: their HDL “good” cholesterol goes up, there is a marked improvement in mental health, for women it helps with reproductive health, blood sugar levels are stabilized, they end up having less acne, triglycerides plummet (a VERY good thing!), and so much more I could spend hours sharing with you about. But there are some things that can vary from person to person as one of my readers shared with me in a recent e-mail.

This 43-year old man starting cutting his carbohydrate intake beginning in January 2008 and has lost over 25 pounds so far. WOO HOO! He has really enjoyed this new low-carb lifestyle change, but was curious about an unexpected side effect that has been plaguing him with no apparent cause.

Click here for his “burning” question and find out what three low-carb experts have to say about this fiery conundrum!

The low-carb lifestyle changed my life much more than physically

After you lose weight, a whole lot about your life changes. Besides the obvious physical differences in how you look and feel, there are some rather unexpected emotional and psychological issues that happen whether you know it or not. Some of them are good and others will blindside you if you aren’t ready for them.

In Episode 34 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube,” Christine and I talk about the amazing changes that happen in your life after experience low-carb weight loss. It’s the fun part of going on the low-carb lifestyle being able to reap the rewards of your efforts and basking in the glory of achieving success and accomplishment when so many others have not been able to do the same. Hopefully seeing how our lives have changed following the low-carb miracle will encourage you in your lifestyle change.

See just a few ways our lives have changed in today’s video:

In my book Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year, you will see exactly how much my life has changed since I was that 410-pound gargantuan man in January 2004 compared to the man I am today. The changes were dramatic and the way people treated me seemed to suddenly switch, too. To this day, that is the one thing that surprised me the most about my weight loss experience.

The book I wrote about my low-carb weight loss experience

Just a friendly reminder, you only have a few days left to enter my 3rd blogiversary giveaway contest, so be sure to sign up for your chance to win one of 100 great low-carb prizes! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Catch up on all our previous YouTube videos and then go subscribe to our videos for the “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube” series. E-mail us your thoughts and questions anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and feel free to share a topic of interest you would like for us to cover in a future video. THANK YOU for watching and supporting our YouTube videos.

We all know low-carb is great for weight loss, but can you gain?

When people first start livin’ la vida low-carb and come to me with all their wide-eyed inquisitive questions about this and that regarding this truly amazing lifestyle change, I am always happy to share from my own experiences eating this way for the past four years as well as asking some of my low-carb expert friends who are studying, researching, and working daily within the scientific community into why and how the low-carb diet works so well to help people lose weight and improve their health.

One question I received from a reader in the Netherlands has been partially addressed before in a previous blog post. Longtime readers may recall in December 2006 I wrote a blog post entitled ” Can Low-Carb Evolve Into Making You Fat?” It was about a ridiculous study done on caterpillars fed a high-protein/low-carb diet that claimed that their metabolism actually changed over time to begin storing the few carbohydrates they did eat into fat. Preposterous to say the least and many of my low-carb expert friends agreed.

But what if it was possible that livin’ la vida low-carb could actually make you fatter somehow? It this even within the realm of possibility? That’s what my reader wanted to know when he sent me his e-mail. Click here to read his story and for a rather surprising answer from one of the top low-carb experts in the world.

Note from Connie: People often like to badmouth the Atkins diet for making you spacey and cranky. Well, a new study, which I asked my capable SUGAR SHOCK! Blog writer/researcher Karen James to report about, completely debunks that theory. Interesting stuff!

Click here for the scoop.

Beware: Sugar-Free Mentos aren’t just “sweetened with Splenda”

There oughta be a big bold WARNING label placed on any sugar-free product that purports to be “sweetened with Splenda” if sucralose is not the top sweetener. You know what I’m talking about–while the Splenda logo appears prominently on the front of the packaging of many low-carb, sugar-free products, the truth is there’s something else making that product sweet.

That something else is sugar alcohols usually, most notably and notoriously the one called maltitol. Just as sugar-free doesn’t mean the product is necessarily low-carb, neither does having the Splenda emblem on the packaging mean it is the primary sweetener. In fact, many times it comes in dead last in the ingredients.

If this is happening, then why does maltitol show up as the #1 ingredient, hmmm? Sounds like a bait and switch scam to me! I’ve warned about the negative impact this sugar alcohol can have on your stomach many times and even had this humorous story from a reader named Fred Scuttle who found out the hard way what the sugar alcohol maltitol can do to you.

Now I’ve got another horror story to share with you from Sarah who thought she would get away with downing some Sugar-Free Mentos without a hitch. HA!

Click here to read her rather graphic and disgusting reaction to this product supposedly sweetened with Splenda. It ain’t a pretty picture!

I enjoy hearing different opinions as it relates to health. Although I’m no expert in this field of study, I have learned more about diet, health, and nutrition over the past few years than I have anything else in my entire life (even more so than all those years of college and graduate school studying English and Public Policy!).

One of my most astute and very knowledgeable readers who is a literal walking talking encyclopedia of information about health (and a decade-long triple-digit low-carb weight loss success story) wrote this well-researched column on the role of dietary fiber in your diet. I am a fan of people consuming adequate amounts of fiber, but it really should be the right kinds of fiber as you will learn from in this column today.

While I have always been a strong supporter of fiber intake, this essay may make you stop and think about the source of your fiber. Let me know what you think about this and feel free to debate the assertions he makes.

You won’t want to miss this piece entitled “Fiber Folly Finally Fizzled.”

A “fatty liver” like this not caused by fat, but rather carb intake

I just love bringing up common myths about livin’ la vida low-carb and shooting them down with the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If we are ever going to convince people that this way of eating is indeed the healthy nutritional approach that we claim it is, then educating them over and over again with solid evidence until it finally sinks in should be our life’s mission. It’s my distinct pleasure to do just that on a daily basis!

Such is the case today with an issue I’ve never really addressed before in the more than 1700 blog posts I have written over the past two years. But a recent e-mail from a reader has given me the perfect opportunity to address this issue directly and provide some useful information for you, a friend, or family member who may have similar concerns.

Here’s what my reader wrote to me in her e-mail:

I am concerned about my “fatty liver” problem. I’ve contacted several people about this, but I haven’t gotten a response. Can you help me? My doctor tells me it’s not a big deal, but my liver function tests keep coming back elevated. Of course, his recommendation is for me to go on a low-fat diet. Now I’m very confused. I do best on the low-carb lifestyle, but I’m scared that I will damage my liver eating this way. With all the people you know, has anyone ever talked about a “fatty liver” being a side effect of low-carbing?

The dreaded “fatty liver” issue certainly deserves some quality space and I’m happy to share what I know about this very serious medical condition. Learn more about this very misunderstood ailment and get the facts about why a low-carb diet is ideal for people suffering with a “fatty liver” by clicking here.

After several weeks of interviews, it’s back to normal format again in Episode 42 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore”. If you read that story about the supposedly “drunk” pilot in the UK this past week, then you’re never gonna believe why the breathalyzer test came back positive (the man had ZERO alcohol in his blood!). Learn more in today’s podcast:

When you think about the side effects of livin’ la vida low-carb, you certainly don’t expect something like what happened to this pilot to be an issue. But it’s a potentially problematic one that should not be taken lightly because it could very well have ramifications on anyone who is on the low-carb lifestyle.

Episode 42 may be an eye-opener for many of you hearing about the low-carb/breathalyzer false positive connection for the very first time today. But actually I was on the cutting edge of sharing about this 8 months ago in this blog post. If this pilot had only read my blog last year, then he may not have had to go through this embarrassing incident.

Want more ways to check out my podcast? You can do it by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Going to iTunes
3. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
4. Subscribing to the RSS feed

Have you ever had to deal with being accused of drinking and driving or operating heavy machinery while “under the influence” of your low-carb diet? It sounds like a joke, but it’s absolutely, 100% true! I’d love to hear your story so everyone can learn about this so it doesn’t happen to them. I’m curious if this has happened to any of my readers or listeners. Do tell!

I’m happy to be back on the regular format at “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore”, including a full transcript of the show for the convenience of those of you who cannot access the audio because of your dial-up connection (this would be a good reason to upgrade to high-speed! *grin*). I’m working on setting up a series of interviews with the low-carb researchers working behind-the-scenes to scientifically validate livin’ la vida low-carb as the healthy nutritional approach we know that it is. Coming soon!

One of the things I enjoy doing at CarbWire is providing information that people can apply to their daily lives that will help them solve an issue they are having while livin’ la vida low-carb. Whether it’s about weight loss, health, fitness, or whatever, I think you the reader can be best served with practical and scientifically-sound ways to live this lifestyle over the long-term as so many of us are.

Today I have a very special guest editorial from Dr. Keith Berkowitz, who is the medical director for The Center For Balanced Health. I was talking to him on the telephone recently about his fantastic new high-fiber NexGen muffins when the subject of blood sugar came up.

He said that the issue of hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar which is a precursor to diabetes, has been given almost a monopoly of attention from the medical community while an even more dangerous condition has gotten completely overlooked and ignored. It’s the condition known as hypoglycemia.

Dr. Berkowitz went on to explain some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, and how it could be the reason why your weight loss suddenly stops while on the low-carb lifestyle. Also, if your energy is sapped and you begin feeling tired for no apparent reason at all, it’s time to get a glucose tolerance test to see what your A1C levels are, he said.

I was so spellbound by the discussion of this issue that I asked Dr. Berkowitz to write a column for my blog so that all of us can be better informed of the warning signs that we may be suffering from hypoglycemia and how to treat it. Special THANKS to Dr. Berkowitz for sharing his wisdom on this issue with us today and I welcome your feedback to what he has to share. ENJOY!

Click here to read the column by Dr. Keith Berkowitz entitled The Forgotten Blood Sugar Disorder: Hypoglycemia.