I often advise those who are looking to lose weight, particularly around their middle, and improve blood sugar control to eat a low-carbohydrate diet. This typically causes people to think of the Atkins diet, piles of bacon and steak, and no fruits or veggies. Which is not at all what I'm talking about. I think of my way of eating as modified low carbohydrate. I first heard of this when I read Syndrome W, an excellent book by Dr.Harriet Mogul. She details a modified low carb diet which is not extremely low carb like the Atkins diet, but does cut way back on carbs in general. As a result of reading her book, I tried cutting out the toast with my breakfast and the bread on my sandwiches at lunch, along with other forms of sugar that can sneak in during the day. I've been eating this way for 7 years now and have maintained a 40-pound weight loss with a fluctuation of 3-5 pounds over those 7 years. It works. The one place I disagree with the Syndrome W plan is that it is low fat. After losing some weight, I also started to increase my fat intake due to personal research and also reading about both paleo diets and The Primal Blueprint. This helped to increase my satiety levels and I actually continued to lose weight, much to my surprise. Also, my blood pressure normalized, my cholesterol levels improved significantly, and some hormonal issues I was having resolved when I made this change. I don't have joint pain in the morning when I wake up anymore, I am more fit than I ever was in my 20s or early 30s, and I don't get crazy hunger swings and stomach pains anymore. I know - I sound like an infomercial. But it's all true. So how do I do it? The short story is I try to keep my total carbohydrate intake for the whole day below 100 grams. Most days, it is between 50 and 75 grams. If my intake starts creeping up above 100 grams, so do my weight and my blood pressure. And, in my book, a carb is a carb is a carb, whether it comes from a fruit, vegetable, nut, rice, or a piece of chocolate. I don't count fiber differently, and I'm not meticulous about counting - I just have a general sense of where I'm at. The longer story details how I actually do this. So here's what a typical day looks like for me: Breakfast - 2 eggs, any style, sometimes with vegetables or salsa or breakfast meat, but not most days. Snack - 1-2 oz nuts Lunch - 2-3 cups chopped fresh veggies (typically a salad) and a serving (3-4 oz) of protein (usually chicken). Oil and vinegar as a dressing. Snack - sometimes after work, I will have some form of nut butter on rice crackers or celery, but generally I try to work out and skip the snack altogether. Dinner - This is where things can get tricky and budgeting comes into play. One of us cooks most nights and we have dinner as a family so it's important to me that I eat something that I enjoy, while staying low carb. I try to get at least 2 more vegetable servings in - often oven-roasted vegetables of some form. If I'm hungry, I'll have some protein. And I usually have some carbs with dinner - rice, sweet potatoes, rice pasta - something starchy. I don't cook specifically low carb for the family, so I make modifications. I might have a pasta sauce over vegetables instead of pasta, or cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. Treats - Fruit (1 piece at the most) or dark chocolate (1-2 oz) Alcohol counts - it's worth about 5 grams for a serving of dry red wine or unsweetened liquor. If I want a glass of wine, I skip the rice. If I eat extra potatoes, I skip the chocolate. I like to have some spontaneity in my choices, but can only afford a little bit of wiggle room. Some tips/tools that have helped me: -I save most of my carbs gram for the evening when we eat a meal as a family and I'm more likely to want to indulge. I would rather have a serving of homemade risotto at dinner with the family than eat a bag of pretzels by myself for a morning snack. -Don't focus on calories - but they still count. Nuts are great, for instance. One ounce has 4-6 grams of carbs, depending on the nut. But low carb doesn't mean no impact. They still have lots of calories, and I could easily down several ounces without realizing it. I measure myself a serving for each day at work and put it in a baggie to avoid overeating. I do find that I can eat more calories and maintain a much lower weight on a lower carb diet than I ever did when I was eating low fat/high carb. -Use a tracker until you get accustomed to the carb content of foods you enjoy. This is my favorite so far. -Understand the science behind why low carb works for so many people. I love this infographic. It's more motivating when you think about what you are doing to your body biochemically. This is NOT just about aesthetics or attaining some ridiculous physical goal - it's about caring for your body, inside and out.
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AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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June 2019
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