As any of you that know me, whether friend, patient, or both, you know that I’m not the slimmest guy around and that I could stand to lose some weight. Like it has for many people, weight loss has been a nearly life long struggle for me (pictures from when I was around 7 or 8 show a pretty slim kid, but after that…)
Over my life, I’ve been to the doctor, who put me on severe calorie restricted diets (600 cal/day for a growing adolescent?), tried various chocolate shake diets (you know that’s really what they are), and the list goes on.
If you’ve ever struggled with weight loss, you know the frustration and self-loathing that goes along with the lack of progress and ultimate failure of any attempt at weight loss. I have shared that frustration for some time.
Two years ago I read a book by Gary Taubes entitled, “Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health.” This book both enlightened and enraged me. Basically, I came to understand that we as a society have been led down an erroneous path to for the past 60+ years. It is not dietary fat that is our problem, rather it is the fact that the Standard American Diet (SAD) is based on carbohydrate intake, chiefly from grains such as corn and wheat, sugar, and high fructose corn syrup. Over the past few decades Americans have, in fact, been very good at following orders to decrease fat intake, which would make you think that the problem of obesity would be improving. Nothing could be further from the truth, rates of obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed to epidemic levels in this country.
I can sum up “Good Calories, Bad Calories,” for you in three words: Atkins was right.
Yes, the low carb route is the way to go if you want to lose weight and keep it off. I started on November 4 and to date I have lost 9 pounds and I’m a notch tighter on my belt.
If you think that a low carb diet is the “bacon and eggs” diet, or if you think that it’s unhealthy for your cholesterol levels or your heart, then you must…
TUNE IN TOMORROW FOR MORE!