Posted by
Jamie V.
"Why do you follow a low-carb regimen?"My Father was an Atkineer back in the early 80's when he broke his back and still managed to lose 80 pounds in 6 months.
I began down a road of low-carb eating then at the age of 14. Without trying, I actually became too thin, and forced myself to regain some of the weight. Still, with children and marriage and moves due to my sweet babboo's career, weight losses and gains put me at a staggering 350 pounds at the beginning of this year. My children were worried, and my doctor had his hands on his hips. So, on January 1st of this year, I rededicated myself to healthy, whole-foods eating. I dropped 50 pounds in about the first 10 weeks of 2008. Then through some stalls and missteps, I've still managed to lose 30 more pounds, to a total of 80 for the year. I'm excited to see what the next 6 months will bring.
I know that many are skeptical of low-carb diets, and totally understand that there are many who mis-use the plan for weight loss (eating the bars and shakes instead of finding healthy alternatives) or who eat scrambled eggs everyday and eschew the importance of vegetables as phytonutrients. For me, to be able to eat what I would like to through creating foods with healthy ingredients is a great amount of fun, and is also healthy for my family.
I believe with all my heart that the low-carb way of eating worksas well, when the body is depleted of carbohydrates, for fuel it turns to the fat stores in the body. A meaningful state of lipolysis has helped me drop from a woman's 6X to a woman's 2X in pretty short order. I have regained my mental clarity, feel energetic, my depression is gone, and my blood pressure has stabilized. My doctor-- who's seen me recently for the first time since last year for a bad back-- almost dropped his clipboard. He tells me I've lost over 90 pounds (at the time I'd lost roughly 80, so I might have weighed even more than I'd realized!), and rubbed his chin a lot during the appointment. That, coupled with a perfect blood pressure was worth the trip (the pain meds for my back didn't hurt, either).
Speaking to hunger, because a low-carb plan keeps hunger at bay, where I was a binger on a higher-carb plan (I ate literally thousands of calories a day and could not stop), I have a difficult time overeating on a low-carb one. The foods are filling and have staying power due to the moderate amounts of fats and proteins. I don't deny myself lasagna when I want it because I've put together a fantastic, 'legal' one that works for many gluten-free low-carb eaters. If I want mozzarella sticks, I make them. Pizza, waffles, you name it. And I'm in the kitchen constantly trying something new (which is why I was so excited and envious that you were able to see the BHG test kitchens). While following WW online, I ate to plan, was hungry all of the time and very moody. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months following WW. Following a low-carb plan, I lost 55 pounds in 3 months without hunger. (I totally accept that not all plans work for all people)
Low-carbohydrate eating is a very fun, rewarding and healthy lifestyle when good foods are employed as a means to this end. I show people what I enjoy on the food pyramid and suddenly they're seeing that I'm not really eating all that differently from them. I double their vegetable intakes, double healthy proteins, quadruple heart-healthy fats, eat fruits high in anti-oxidants and loaded with vitamin C, and when I want something high in fiber I look to flax seed meal or other low glycemic-load fiber items for 'grain replacement'. (Flax crackers are fantastic and easy to make).
I could seriously go on forever regarding low-carb eating (can you tell?), because it is a passion and something I wholly believe in.
One more thing? In a study, two groups, both eating the same number of calories per day, showed very different results: Low-Carb/higher fat dieters lost 15% more weight than the high-carb/low fat dieters in the same time period. Ketosis/lipolysis has an advantage.
So, I embrace any lifestyle which helps a person shed weight and is one people can follow for a long and healthy life, but my purpose in much of my writing is to share healthy, whole recipes for those not only who follow a low-carbohydrate/gluten-free lifestyle (or even just a gluten-free one), but for those looking to use whole food ingredients (such as the previous recipes for cauliflower crust pizza, which employ vegetables in an almost totally undetectable way) for general better health.
I also want to show others that eating a plan which is lower in processed foods can be exciting, fulfilling and results in some serious weight loss with very little effort. It's difficult to shift in a society where we love chips, cookies and Milk Duds, but because I am doing this for my family as well as myself, I remind myself that the rewards far exceed doing the breast stroke in a vat of Cheetos.
Here's to another 80 pounds gone by the end of the year through eating fun, whole, healthy foods without hunger.
*strikes a Disco pose*
Jamie
A Non Low-Carbers Asks...
Posted by Jamie V.
"Why do you follow a low-carb regimen?"
My Father was an Atkineer back in the early 80's when he broke his back and still managed to lose 80 pounds in 6 months.
I began down a road of low-carb eating then at the age of 14. Without trying, I actually became too thin, and forced myself to regain some of the weight. Still, with children and marriage and moves due to my sweet babboo's career, weight losses and gains put me at a staggering 350 pounds at the beginning of this year. My children were worried, and my doctor had his hands on his hips. So, on January 1st of this year, I rededicated myself to healthy, whole-foods eating. I dropped 50 pounds in about the first 10 weeks of 2008. Then through some stalls and missteps, I've still managed to lose 30 more pounds, to a total of 80 for the year. I'm excited to see what the next 6 months will bring.
I know that many are skeptical of low-carb diets, and totally understand that there are many who mis-use the plan for weight loss (eating the bars and shakes instead of finding healthy alternatives) or who eat scrambled eggs everyday and eschew the importance of vegetables as phytonutrients. For me, to be able to eat what I would like to through creating foods with healthy ingredients is a great amount of fun, and is also healthy for my family.
I believe with all my heart that the low-carb way of eating worksas well, when the body is depleted of carbohydrates, for fuel it turns to the fat stores in the body. A meaningful state of lipolysis has helped me drop from a woman's 6X to a woman's 2X in pretty short order. I have regained my mental clarity, feel energetic, my depression is gone, and my blood pressure has stabilized. My doctor-- who's seen me recently for the first time since last year for a bad back-- almost dropped his clipboard. He tells me I've lost over 90 pounds (at the time I'd lost roughly 80, so I might have weighed even more than I'd realized!), and rubbed his chin a lot during the appointment. That, coupled with a perfect blood pressure was worth the trip (the pain meds for my back didn't hurt, either).
Speaking to hunger, because a low-carb plan keeps hunger at bay, where I was a binger on a higher-carb plan (I ate literally thousands of calories a day and could not stop), I have a difficult time overeating on a low-carb one. The foods are filling and have staying power due to the moderate amounts of fats and proteins. I don't deny myself lasagna when I want it because I've put together a fantastic, 'legal' one that works for many gluten-free low-carb eaters. If I want mozzarella sticks, I make them. Pizza, waffles, you name it. And I'm in the kitchen constantly trying something new (which is why I was so excited and envious that you were able to see the BHG test kitchens). While following WW online, I ate to plan, was hungry all of the time and very moody. I lost 25 pounds in 3 months following WW. Following a low-carb plan, I lost 55 pounds in 3 months without hunger. (I totally accept that not all plans work for all people)
Low-carbohydrate eating is a very fun, rewarding and healthy lifestyle when good foods are employed as a means to this end. I show people what I enjoy on the food pyramid and suddenly they're seeing that I'm not really eating all that differently from them. I double their vegetable intakes, double healthy proteins, quadruple heart-healthy fats, eat fruits high in anti-oxidants and loaded with vitamin C, and when I want something high in fiber I look to flax seed meal or other low glycemic-load fiber items for 'grain replacement'. (Flax crackers are fantastic and easy to make).
I could seriously go on forever regarding low-carb eating (can you tell?), because it is a passion and something I wholly believe in.
One more thing? In a study, two groups, both eating the same number of calories per day, showed very different results: Low-Carb/higher fat dieters lost 15% more weight than the high-carb/low fat dieters in the same time period. Ketosis/lipolysis has an advantage.
So, I embrace any lifestyle which helps a person shed weight and is one people can follow for a long and healthy life, but my purpose in much of my writing is to share healthy, whole recipes for those not only who follow a low-carbohydrate/gluten-free lifestyle (or even just a gluten-free one), but for those looking to use whole food ingredients (such as the previous recipes for cauliflower crust pizza, which employ vegetables in an almost totally undetectable way) for general better health.
I also want to show others that eating a plan which is lower in processed foods can be exciting, fulfilling and results in some serious weight loss with very little effort. It's difficult to shift in a society where we love chips, cookies and Milk Duds, but because I am doing this for my family as well as myself, I remind myself that the rewards far exceed doing the breast stroke in a vat of Cheetos.
Here's to another 80 pounds gone by the end of the year through eating fun, whole, healthy foods without hunger.
*strikes a Disco pose*
Jamie