Update from the last post on my results following a carnivore diet:
I mentioned the weight loss and change in body shape. The other big change is the change in my body composition: my lean body mass has increased by ~5%, despite not losing a great amount of weight.
So why am I excited about the change in lean body mass?
Increased lean body mass means more muscle mass. More muscle mass means that my body is burning more energy, which will continue contributing to weight loss.
Now, I have to make some sort of disclaimer. My motivation for this quest is not about weight loss for the sake of losing weight, but to ensure I don’t fall victim to the detrimental health effects of the chronic diseases which are associated with metabolic syndrome. I definitely do not want to spend the later years of my life in poor health, with worries about medical cover and the cost of medication or not being able to live an active life.
The following may be signs of metabolic syndrome:
- a waist circumference of 92 cm or more in men or 79 cm in women
- a blood pressure that is consistently 140/90mmHg or higher
- insulin resistance
- non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- polycystic ovarian syndrome in females
- erectile dysfunction in males
- acanthosis nigricans (velvety hyperpigmentation of skin, usually in skin folds)
Sources online describe metabolic syndrome as having at least three of the following five medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum triglycerides and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL). One’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes is increased in the presence of metabolic syndrome.
Based on blood tests over the last few years, I know that my blood sugar, serum triglycerides and serum HDL values are all where I want them to be. My blood pressure has also decreased since I started the LCHF way of eating. My only remaining concern is abdominal obesity.
Abdominal obesity is a condition where excessive fat builds up around the stomach and abdomen. This compares to subcutaneous fat, which is found underneath the skin or intramuscular fat, which is found between the layers of muscle tissue. Abdominal obesity is often visible as a “beer belly” in men, or an “apple shape” in females. There is a strong link between abdominal obesity and cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and vascular diseases.
Abdominal obesity can be measured in various ways:
- absolute waist circumference of more than 102 cm in males or more than 88 cm in females
- waist-to-hip ratio of more than 0.9 for males or more than 0.85 for females
- waist-to-height ratio of more than 0.5 for adults under 40 y.o. or more than 0.6 for adults over 50 y.o.
So I’m going to keep on with my quest to get rid of the last remaining thing that may affect my quality of life as I grow older.