Just this week, I finished a month on a new diet. Well, it was more than a new diet,
really. It was more of a lifestyle
change. My weight hasn't been a problem
for a long time. This one was more
complicated than that.
Let me back up a bit.
You may know the story--my dad had his first heart attack when I was
5. I've spent my life in fear of the
same and have exercised and eaten "right" ever since because of that.
Lately, I've been trying to be more proactive about my
health. I've seen my primary care
physician, my cardiologist, my gastroenterologist, and my physical
therapist. I've consulted with a sports
performance physician, a nutritionist, and a health coach.
The result was that I needed to make some changes.
I gave up caffeine. I
know that doesn't sound like much but for me it was huge. I start my day with a cup of coffee. Strong coffee. The stronger the better.
It's a good thing that my friends over at Vienna Coffee
Company make a tasty cup of decaf otherwise I would be stuck to stuff that
doesn't have a lot of taste but is merely hot.
And I've switched to a low carbohydrate diet. Now this might
not sound like much either but I have been a carb animal for most of my
life.
Breakfast?
Carbs. Always. Carbs on carbs. Lunch?
More carbs. I love bread,
desserts, potatoes, and rice.
Since age 5, when my dad had that first heart attack, I've
followed a low fat diet. Skim milk,
nothing
fried, no eggs, infrequent red meat.
And lots of carbs.
Medical science now tells us that we may have been wrong
about it all. That the low fat/high carb
diet may not yield the results that we sought.
That high carbs may contribute to heart disease and
good fats may help
prevent it.
The bottom line is that I was consuming too many carbs and
that it was bad for me. It may not be
the same for you. You need to seek that
piece of medical advice for yourself.
But for me, things have changed. For the past month, I have minimized my
carbohydrate intake. No potatoes, no
rice, no desserts. No dairy, no legumes. None.
Not even my beloved Frito's.
Mostly cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussels
sprouts, green leafy vegetables. For a
month, I've eaten at least a salad every day.
And lots of lean meat and eggs.
I spend a lot more time in shopping and food prep. I have always read labels but now look for
carb grams instead of fat grams . To say this is a huge emotional leap for me
is putting it mildly. Suddenly, fats
(good fats) are good for me.
It's been hard, especially on the bike. As I reset my system
to burn fat (which all of us have plenty of) from burning carbs (which we need
to constantly ingest), I was sluggish and more than once got dropped in a group
bike ride. A month in, it has gotten
better. I'm not there yet but I'm
getting there.
For the next few weeks, I will gradually increase my intake
of good carbs, avoiding simple sugars and refined flour.
None of this has been easy but I am convinced that it will
help me be healthier and live longer.
I need to see the science behind your thinking….to my understanding the human body runs on carbohydrates (good, complex carbs, not refined white stuff!) and we cannot make a conscious or diet induced change to "burning fat" when the body naturally and efficiently runs on carbs….lets chat!
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