Reading List: The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living

I’m not going to do a book review; you can find those on Amazon.  I’m just going to recommend this as an addition to your low-carb library if you would like to read about our way of living from a perspective that is:

·         Biological

·         Physiological

·         Chemical

·         Clinical

After reading and understanding this book by Drs. Jeff Volek and Stephen Phinney, you’ll be able to throw around terms like “lipogenesis” and “ketogenic hierarchy”, as well as how and why glucose goes to your liver.  Intimidating? No.  And I hated biology in school.

If nothing else, this is a great book to give to your doubting medical practitioner or your friend who thinks you are following a quack diet that is doomed to bring disaster to your next physical check up.

And if that fails to convince you, there is a rocking-awesome ice cream recipe in the back.

Rebekah

Fat Head

I’ve been in awe of my slow cooker; it is truly a low carb follower’s best friend.  Last week, I put in two packages of chicken thighs (I really do not like chicken thighs) that had been rubbed with a spicy mixture of chili powder, cayenne, cumin, etc., a sliced onion and a rough-chopped carrot on top, set the glorious thing to high for five hours, and had shredded chicken by dinner.  I kept half of the liquid that accumulated and poured it over the shredded meat, and my husband and I have been eating the chicken all week – re-heated with more spices, with salad, and tonight in soup.

I now like chicken thighs – at least shredded chicken thighs.

Bonus: organic, boneless chicken thighs are $2.99 per pound.  Frugal and yummy.

But my post today is really more of a recommendation for you to see the following movie if you haven’t already: Fat Head.  It’s an amusing, yet acerbic, response to Super Size Me, and our low carb friends Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades are featured in the interviews.  The graphics are hokey and funny, and the commentary is pretty sarcastic.  If you know nothing else about me, you know that I love sarcasm.  After all, I want to be Lady Violet Crawley when I grow up (and I’m well on my way…).

My husband watched with me, and while he knows the importance of eating plenty of good fat – yes, animal fat – in his diet, he was a little more convicted about removing sugar from his eating.  While he doesn’t ingest anywhere near the level that the average American does, he is still attracted to the bakery cookie, the coffee shop cinnamon roll, etc. and he has two of these treats on average each week.  That is in addition to my weekly rotation of low-carb treats that get baked.

While on a walk this morning, he said, rather resignedly and completely ungoaded by me, “I have to stop eating the cookies, don’t I?”

“Why are you saying that?”

 “Because, sugar is the devil.”

(treading carefully) “Well, sugar has many harmful effects on the internal functioning of the body, the least of which is gaining weight and having huge thighs like me.”

“I know, and while I don’t have any weight to lose [and he doesn’t] I should be more cognizant of high blood pressure.  I am not participating in the pharmaceutical industry.  I don’t want to carry a suitcase full of pills with me wherever I go.”

“So, do you want to try no sugar for a week and see how you feel?”

“And while we’re at it, can we have more bacon?”

And then, you know, trumpets sang from the heavens, bunnies danced at our feet, and non-carcinogenic fireworks popped out from the trees.

The morale of this little story, if you live with a skeptical member of your family, is to get Fat Head from Netflix and play it so others can sit down and watch.  And then let them start the conversation.

Rebekah 

***I am so having one of those “I could’ve had a V-8! moments” --  I should have played this movie when my MIL was here!  Maybe at breakfast when she was eating corn flakes and sugar…

Pilgrim's Progress

Greetings, low-carber’s.  We are past the half-way point of January, the traditional month for fat-loss resolutions and the dirty habits and eating methods we allow to re-capture our lives before the month is through.

How’s it going so far?  Are you struggling with some of the healthy changes you’ve made, or is it smooth sailing and easy-peasy?

I’m going to be out of town for a few days of vacation (November, December, and the first half of January are very busy times for my work) and am going to struggle with you as I encounter my biggest saboteur: me away from my kitchen and sheepish justifications for eating garbage.

·    “I’m on vacation!”

·     “Oooh, I’ve never had banana crème brulee before!  Just this once…”

·     “How many glasses of champagne have I had?  That can’t be right…”

And the worst one, and don’t tell me you haven’t done this:

·    “I feel bad about my body.  I hate myself in this swimsuit/shorts/sun dress.  And now I want a brownie.  Brownies make me sick, but gosh they taste good even if I will be a bloated, gassy mess tomorrow.  But since I won’t be thinner tomorrow – no matter how many carbs I don’t eat – I say ‘screw it’ and eat the brownie.  Two brownies, please.”

Keeping a food journal at home is easy – at least compared to being away from home.  It’s not so easy when you are on a needed-break from regular life.  But I’m bringing the journal with me, and I’m going to report back here on Monday, January 30^th, what I ate. 

Even the off-course things. 

Even the dreaded brownie-moments.

How are you staying accountable to yourself, especially if you just need to maintain an already healthy weight and lifestyle? 

Rebekah

Friday Q&A

We're starting a new feature at Sugarless, Flourless and Fabulous: Friday Q&A.  If you have any questions to which you would like us to respond, feel free to email them to us!

Today's question(s):

• How long have you been sugarless and flourless?
• Do you plan to maintain this for life?

Rebekah
I have been sugarless and flourless, a bit inconsistently, since June 2011.  I had researched Atkins for three months before finally giving it a go.  I would eat low-carb for a day, and then we'd go out for TexMex food and I would cram the basket of chips and salsa in my mouth and, like Scarlet, think about being low-carb tomorrow.  It wasn't until I decided I was done with this nonsense and planned to do Atkins for thirty straight days of Induction that I saw any results.  As I posted Wednesday, I was seduced by the enticing carbohydrates of Italy and Spain this last Fall and I fell completely off the wagon.

I'm back on the wagon, and feel amazing!

As for life maintenance, I absolutely will continue low-carb eating.  I pull from two different low-carb philosophies: Atkins and Paleo/Primal.  I'm doing Atkins as a tool for counting my net carbs so I can continue to lose the unwanted and unnecessary body fat.  What I don't like about Atkins is the employment of "fake" foods with soy flour and sugar substitutes (note: the original Atkins does not incorporate Atkins brand shakes and bars, so be warned).  This is where my research into Paleo/Primal eating comes in: no grains at all, highly limited use of dairy - and only if it is full-fatt, no fake sugars at all, rice on very special occassions, and focused exercise routines.  Also, Paleo/Primal practically mandates, so much as it is available and you don't pay $5 for a cucumber, that your food should be organic and wild (grass fed) if it is meat.

I'm seeing better results in the gym by lifting very heavy weights for short durations compared to when I lifted light weights for many repetitions to "tone".  You don't want to tone; you want to build muscles so you can improve your bone density, keep those tendons supple, look amazing in your underwear, and eat more bacon.

Adrienne
I have been eating sugarless and flourless (a.k.a low-carb) on and off since 2003. I vividly remember the night I watched Larry King interview Dr. Atkins. I had tried eating low-carb several months earlier and could not even make it through a single day without sugar. When I saw the riveting interview with Atkins, I became convinced that his plan was the answer to my weight problem. I was so intrigued by what he proclaimed his diet could do, I had to try it myself.

The very next day, I began the Atkins Diet in earnest and stayed on it for a few years. I experienced not only a 25 pound weight loss - from 185 pounds to 160 pounds (a size 6 to 8 for my 6'2" stature) - but I slept great, had much more energy, clear skin, less painful menstrual cycles, no bloating and no PMS. I was friendlier, my mind was sharper, and no longer experienced the afternoon crashes I did before when sugar was ever-present in my life.

One summer, my husband and I took a 31-day RV trip, visiting several western states. Little by little, the carbohydrates and the sugar crept back into my life. I was on vacation after all! It was time to enjoy and let go and that's exactly what I did. By the end of the trip, I could only wear pants that had elastic waists and drawstrings. I was officially off the plan and I didn't care.

Eventually, I gained back all the weight and then some. I stopped weighing myself at 194 and am confident I crossed the 200-pound threshold, an all time high. I don't believe in going backwards in any area of my life. So I tried new ways of eating:  vegetarian, small portions, Weight Watchers. None of it worked. I had all but resigned myself to middle-aged spread and a size 14.

Then, through the wonders of blogging, I met Rebekah, my co-writer of Sugarless, Flourless and Fabulous and Amy, who writes for lowcarbhighstyle. Reading about their successes on their blogs and recalling my previous results convinced me to commit to a life without sugar and flour.

I restarted my low-carb lifestyle last fall. I have gradually - not rapidly - gone from 184 pounds earlier this year to my current weight of 172. I would like to lose seven to ten more this year.
I do plan on living a low-carb lifestyle indefinitely.

Will I ever eat sugary treats and pastas and breads again? Of course! When it's a special occasion or when I am traveling to a place where the carbs and sugar are worth it (not eat a croissant or Nutella and banana crepe in Paris? Ignore pizzas and scoops of gelato in Italy? I think not). But for the majority of the time, low-carb is how I'll be living. I am committed to feeling and looking my very best. And for me, this plan is the way for me to achieve that.

Recasting Update

I had such success with Atkins last summer in fat loss terms, and even better success with my digestive issues and fussy skin when eating a more Paleo-themed diet and exercise regimen. 

Going to Europe this past autumn to celebrate my 40th birthday, I ended up messing it up big time.  While I didn’t gain the fat back, I did gain some digestive issues because (to use phraseology honed in Junior High) there’s, like, yummy croissants and gelato and pizza over there.

While I was able to make many corrections once home, there was this holiday called Thanksgiving and football games.  I didn’t eat bread, but I did have some gluten-free stuffing from a box, and my intestines howled.  HOWLED.  Just because you are following a gluten-free regimen doesn’t mean you can snarf down gluten-free treats.  The thought of that dish makes me curl up inside in the most pejorative of connotations.

Christmas.  I did have a bread-free Christmas and New Year’s, but darn it if I didn’t thrust a champagne bottle (well, bottles…) in my hand and shout “Carpe diem!” off my balcony.  I forgot about the next day’s seizures.

Through all of this, I didn’t gain a single inch.  I gained pounds, which is the result of water my body was retaining in order to process all the garbage I was feeding it.  And why do I call it garbage?  I had treats made from grain-free ingredients (almond flour, coconut flour, etc.) and alcohol and copious amounts of chocolate.  But, too much of a good thing does not yield exponential experiences of food nirvana.  It’s just more.

So I am here with you, starting the 2012 off right with a focus on eating properly to nourish my body, take off those pounds of flesh that didn’t come off last year, and meeting my health goals one item at a time.  In the past week, two pounds have vanished, and I’m ready to do the work again (in this case, refraining from too much of a good thing!) to add to the deficit.

What changes are you making for 2012?  Are you starting a low-carb eating regimen for the first time, coming back to it after an absence, or are you maintaining a low-carb regimen and enjoying the benefits?

Rebekah

2012 Healthy Living Plan

For decades, I made a lengthy list of resolutions every January. Most of the "to-dos" and "not-to-dos" revolved around losing weight, getting healthier, and toning up. Most of those "to-dos" and "not-to-dos" were abandoned by March and I was left feeling like a failure.

Last year, I made not a single resolution - just skipped it entirely. This year, wanting to make changes but not make "resolutions" (I don't like that word much), I am creating a plan: A 2012 healthy living plan.

Over the years, I've discovered the only way for me to become slim, trim and fit is to have a strategy, a plan, with boundaries and structure. When I attempt to make healthy changes willy-nilly, I have no focus and eventually gain weight and become lazy and inactive.

In honor of our new year and so that I don't make a too-long and watered down list, I thought of 12 ways to improve upon my health this year.

Source

2012 Healthy Living Plan 

1) Be prepared. For dinners, meal plan weekly and shop for the items needed on the weekend. For lunches and snacks, spend an extra hour or so washing and cutting vegetables, making chicken, tuna and/or egg salads, dividing snacks like nuts and olives into small containers to make them convenient to take along for lunches.

2) Drink more water, fewer faux sugar drinks and less or no alcohol.

3) Add a variety of proteins and vegetables to my diet. I often find myself getting stuck on having beef or chicken multiple times per week and relying heavily on broccoli and cauliflower as my vegetables. Variety is the spice of life, you know.

4) Move more. Walk, tone and stretch at least three days per week for a minimum of 120 minutes total. I don't believe in hard-core workouts. Exercise doesn't have to be painful and torturous. A simple 30+ minute brisk walk with some hills followed by 30 - 40 girl push-ups and 100 abdominal crunches is a good enough workout for me.

5) Buy organic whenever doing so is possible and the cost reasonable. Several years ago, I paid $5.00 for an organic cucumber and it wasn't even one of those English types. I'm still mad.

6) Sleep. Get more of it and better quality. Exercise helps me sleep better as does having a cup of relaxing tea before bed.

7) Limit nitrates. Find nitrate-free options for favorite foods like bacon and deli meats.

8) Find new recipes to add to my repertoire by combing low-carb websites and cookbooks.

9) Limit faux sugars of all kinds. Try using a stevia-based sweetener whenever possible.

10) Keep carbohydrates to no more than 40 net per day.

11) Start a food journal. I kept one for years but eventually got away from it. Rebekah convinced me in this post to start a new one.

12) Appreciate my body. Respect, honor and care for it because it's the only one I am ever going to have and I need it to last another fifty years.

What is on your plan for 2012? 

Adrienne