Two Week Carbohydrate Intolerance Test

Two Week Carbohydrate Intolerance Test

2weeks = Weight Lost 5kg, Body Fat Burned 4%, Waistline reduced 2.5inches.  

I have been on a predominantly Whole Food/ Vegan/ Vegeterian diet (5 days on, 2 days off where possible) for about 18 months now. Exercise has been basically running about 5hrs a week. 

Weight loss from a peak of 91kg in Feb 2012 to an average of 81kg before the start of the test. Body Fat % loss from about 27.5-30% down to 25-27.5%.

The purpose of the Two Week Test (TWT) is to evaluate whether I have carbohydrate intolerance (CI) and/ or whether I have been overindulging in carbohydrates in light of my advancing age.

This TWT will also help indulge my curiosity whether;

- a Low Carb-High Fat (LCHF) diet can further improve physical endurance and ability,

- effect of carbohydrate on blood-work,

- reset body to avert Metabolic Syndrome (Pre-diabetes).

The Two Week Test is designed by Dr. Phil Maffatone. 

You can read more about how he developed the test

http://philmaffetone.com/how-i-developed-the-two-week-test

and about the actual test protocol itself.

http://philmaffetone.com/2-week-test

The TWT is not a diet where you carry on perpetually. It is recommended to conduct it for two weeks and slowly introduce back carbohydrate rich foods slowly after that - see which ones instigate a physical response in your body. You go about doing this by totally avoiding certain carbohydrate rich foods such as grains, starches, fruits and natural & synthetic sugars.

The TWT does not mean you will be hungry. You are to eat to satiety on vegetables, meat, healthy fats and oils from whole UNPROCESSED foods (more whole plant foods the better). You can see from my meal plans below that my caloric intake remains normal.

The TWT also does not mean that you are 100% carbohydrate free as you still obtain more than adequate carbohydrates from vegetables, nuts and seeds.

Weight on 5th October 2013

81.3kg, 26.5% Body Fat

After a 1 week food transition to carb free,

Started TWT on Monday 14th October 2013

80.1kg, 22.5%

Day 4/5 - felt the most tired probably as body switch from sugar burn to fat burn. 

Day 7 - Ran 1hr 4.74 miles at Max Aerobic Fitness heart rate. (142bpm). Felt abundant energy and was difficult to go slow to maintain heart rate. I feel anything more than 90mins I would probably needed some water and carbs. 

1-week - 24th October 2013

77.2kg, 23.7%

Day 11 (25th October 2013)

76kg, 23.2%

Breakfast Smoothie at 9am, still did not feel hungry at 1pm

Day 13 (27th October) - 22mile run. 5hrs 15 mins, 4700 kcal burned.

It is ok to consume carbohydrates during this exercise as most will be used up immediately. Hopefully as I was towards the end of the TWT, most of the benefits will already be achieved. 

Day before the long-run, I ate additionally about an extra 100gms of carbs.

1hr Pre Run - 188 kcal, 40gms carbs

During run - 785 kcal, 121gms carbs  ingested, about 4700kcal burned

Recovery - 296 kcal, 62gms carbs

Total for the day - 251gms carbs.

Intended to run at MAF HR (below 145bpm) but HR at start of run was already 20bpm higher than usual. Not sure whether it was lack of sleep or consuming food 1hr before run. Ended up running around LT zone (160bpm) increasing to about 170bpm when fatigue set in. I did not feel bonked at all but quads were not conditioned and started to cramp at Mile 21. 

Day 14, 75.5kg, 22% body fat 

Day 16, 30th October. 75.6kg, 22.7% body fat. Morning of scheduled full medical check up. 

(Weight on 5th October 2013 was 81.3kg, 26.5% Body Fat)

From the blood-work, Total Cholesterol dropped even though I ate more fat and 2-3 eggs per day! 

Details 

There is the possibility of weight loss  due to water loss. Glycogen in the muscles hold on to water, so when this is burned off, so will the water. Seeing that Body Fat% dropped or maintained makes me think water was not the only thing lost. I did feel more  thirsty (so drinking more), probably from the higher ratio of protein and sodium in my diet. 

Tracking my weight and body fat % over the past 3 months 

Pre-14th Oct generally weight above 81kg, body fat between the 25%-27.5% range. 

During TWT 14th Oct to 30th Oct, weight dropped to 75-77.5kg, body fat % between 20%-22.5% 

1st Nov - 11th Nov -  I re-introduced grains and sugars as carbs. A small rise in weight.

11th Nov - 17th Nov - Fell sick from overtraining. Body weight on 17th Nov was 74.4kg, 21.8%  (almost 7kg drop form 5th October)

18th Nov - 25th Nov - Business trip with less control on food and alcohol intake  followed by the inevitable weight gain. 

Below was my nutritional consumption during the TWT. 

Comparing with my Fitness Goals calculated using myFitnessPal, my weight should have maintained (or at the most 0.4kg loss) each week. However,  I burned off about 2kg per week. Note the ratio of carbs:fat:protein by the myFitnessPal app is calculated on the current US RDA.

Compare that my diet for the past year. 

This was for a typical day on what I thought was a healthy vegetarian diet of a Fruit-Heavy Green Smoothie for breakfast, rice + 3 types of stir fried vegetables for lunch and more rice + vegetables for dinner. (I will reserve my thoughts on vegan/ vegetarian/ paleo diet on a separate post). Lots of sugars, carbs and unhealthy cooking oils. No wonder my weight and body fat % plateau even on a 5 day per week exercise routine. 

Below was a typical day’s meal during the TWT. Mainly whole plant foods, healthy fats from nuts, seeds and fatty plants like avocado. Carbs are also from whole plant foods. 

And this was my consumption on the day of my 22mile run using mostly home made fuel.  

Breakfast - 2 tablespoons honey + 2 tablespoons chia seeds + 2 capsules electrolytes. 

1st 3hrs of run - 4 tablespoons honey diluted to 6% in water. 

2nd 3hrs of run - 500calories of Phil’s bar made from homemade ingredients.

GU Gel consumed at mile 20 in attempt to stave off cramps.

Recovery drink = Coconut water + banana + L-Glutamine

For  the rest of the day. Interestingly I did not feel the usual cravings for carbs or the usual low in energy.

Wrapping is up

- The Two-Week Test does show that as I live a relatively sedentary office lifestyle, perhaps there is some merit to eating a lower carbohydrate diet.
- Energy levels during the TWT, especially during the send week was extremely high. I worked on my feet at a standing desk practically the whole week while including single-leg balance exercises hourly. Could be a mental thing. 

- Energy levels for endurance type exercise was perhaps better with a Low-Carb High Fat diet particularly when the body is fat-adapted. 

- By eating nutrient dense foods from whole plants and health fats and oils, I felt satiated for most of the day just from the breakfast smoothies. Hunger pangs were eventually nonexistent. 

- Lost cravings for nightly potato chips or chocolates. Could be a mental thing. 

- Eating Nutrient-Poor foods led to eating more calories throughout the day. Rapid weight gain noticed.
- Consuming too much high-carb foods such as rice does produce insulin spikes, followed by crash (i.e. afternoon siesta's ).
- While body weight has stabilized, waistline still seems to be on the decline. 

Going Forwards

- I will continue with a Low-Carb, High Fat diet, incorporating No Sugar, No Grains as much as possible. Carbohydrate consumption will probably be higher than during the Two Week Test.

- To investigate whether how a Low-Carb diet affects higher intensity activities. Perhaps there is a need to increase Carb consumption to around 150gms per day or a better optimum level. 

- To observe whether a Low-Carb, High-Fat diet can eventually increase HDL and lower LDL & triglycerides (as theoretically supposed to)
- To monitor protein levels and muscle mass to avoid cannibalization of muscle tissue. 

(Disclaimer: I am neither a qualified medical practitioner, certified dietitian, nutritionist or fitness/ sports coach. Above views are my own from personal experiences and from what I've read, seen or heard.)