As much as I hate to admit it, my initial success with low carb eating was through The South Beach Diet. I stuck with it through the induction phase, guided by my wife who had read the book. On my way out the door to work one morning she surprised me with, “I’m starting The South Beach Diet today. You in?” What was I supposed to say? “No, I’ll continue to eat McDonalds and Wendy’s every day in front of you.” Of course not. That’s not how I roll. So I gave it a shot, even though I wasn’t very motivated at first. Boy did that motivation level change quickly.
After the first day, I dropped 2 pounds. I couldn’t believe it.
I’m not exactly a prototypical ‘low-carber’ – my way of eating falls somewhere between the Paleo world and the Low Carb world. More of a mix. I’ve grown to avoid the overt chemicals: I would never waste my money on ‘Atkins Bars’, for example. Nor do I continually look for low carb baking recipes that feature Splenda and other crap. Just not how I roll. At the same time, the typical Paleo guidelines are a little too loose on fruit intake, and a little too heavy on promoting exercise, which is more than questionable for those of us who have to watch our weight. While I still consider myself a newbie when it comes to nutrition, I’ve learned an awful lot over the past 10 months on this journey. One of the key things I’ve learned is how controversial some subjects are. Kinda like the Splenda I just mentioned : ) So, I thought it would be fun to write about those controversial topics that I’ve noticed mentioned repeatedly:
Dairy
The Paleo folks often eschew dairy. While the low carbers eschew whole milk, they’ll think nothing of throwing a heaping dose of heavy cream on their make-shift deserts. Strawberries and heavy cream makes for a delicious desert, by the way. It’s my ‘go to’ desert for curbing my sweet tooth 🙂
Sweeteners
Articifical and non-artificial sweeteners are controversial in the context of losing weight.
What should be perhaps the most highly controversial topic when it comes to losing weight is the role that exercise plays in it…or doesn’t. Here is the simple question:
Does exercise contribute to weight loss or maintenance?
The answer, based on the associated research so far, shows no link. Isn’t that amazing? Not that there is no link, but that we’ve been lied to all our lives about it? Everyone, including many low carb experts who should know better than to simply accept things at face value, seem to believe that working out is a contributor to weight loss. Or, at least, can be a contributor so long as calories are not increased along with the physical activity. But any knowledgeable low-carber should already know that it isn’t about the caloric intake – it’s what you eat, not how much. Eat bad foods (carbs) and you gain. Don’t eat them and you lose (or maintain, if you are in the enviable position of already being at your natural weight).
The Experts’ Take
So what do the credible experts say about this topic?
UPDATE 10/14/2011: noticed a typo and just changed it. I had originally stated, later in this article, “eople seem to think that dietary fat does not go directly to your hips/belly.” It should have read “People seem to think that dietary fat GOES directly to your hips/belly.” A crucial typo. It’s been changed.
This blog seems to be gaining traction. I’ve had a number of requests (through email and Facebook) from old friends, relatives, and acquaintances asking me if this way of eating really works or if I’m just posting this stuff to make money through Google’s AdSense program. I assure you, the pennies a day that this blog currently generate from the ads (because let’s face it, the vast majority of site visitors do not click on ads). I started this blog more so to chart my progress and extol the benefits of this way of eating, and I am hoping to get into the LCHF ‘blogosphere’ so that other low-carbers will comment on the many questions I’ll undoubtedly have in the future, and will post here.
To my surprise, this week, after watching my weight loss success and listening to me incessantly go on and on (and on and on) about how great I feel now that I kicked the sugars and starches via LCHF, my wife decided to join me in this way of eating. I love her the way she is, but she’s unhappy with her weight. She’s fine with me posting her progress on this blog, so I will provide updates from time to time.
Advice for Beginners
The following advice is for overweight and obese people. If you are one of the lucky people whose body is not suffering from hyperinsulinism and can process carbohydrates properly, then you likely are also one of those folks that has been in decent shape most of their lives and just need to shed a handful of pounds, likely due to age. If that’s the case, then you don’t need such a radical change of diet. Just skip dessert for a few weeks. This advice is for people like me who have been fat most of their lives. Lucky people like you can actually lose weight on a low-fat diet.Â
As much as I hate to admit it, my initial success with low carb eating was through The South Beach Diet. I stuck with it through the induction phase, guided by my wife who had read the book. On my way out the door to work one morning she surprised me with, “I’m starting The South Beach Diet today. You in?” What was I supposed to say? “No, I’ll continue to eat McDonalds and Wendy’s every day in front of you.” Of course not. That’s not how I roll. So I gave it a shot, even though I wasn’t very motivated at first. Boy did that motivation level change quickly.
