I have spent years studying weight loss, weight gain, obesity, human biology, psychology, behavior change, medicine, and disease prevention. However, I have can admit to not approaching the subject of weight loss with a completely open mind. In all of my studies of weight loss, I ignored low carbohydrate eating.
Low Carbohydrate Diets
I ignored low carb diets because:
- I thought they were not based on science
- I thought they were hard to maintain
- I thought that I couldn't maintain my muscle
- I thought that I would always be tired
- I thought they were too high in "bad" fats, and finally because
- I like carbs
Good Calories, Bad Calories
I have been a proponent of low glycemic load eating since reading The Glucose Revolution: The Authoritative Guide to the Glycemic Index-The Groundbreaking Medical Discovery, and the studies that the book references. However, I did not research low carb eating the same way.
After reading Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb™ Blog and Muata Kamdibe's Mr. Low Body Fat Blog for a few months and talking to Jimmy personally, I have decided to thoroughly research low carbohydrate eating. I am going to start with a book Jimmy reccomended to me called Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.
11 Critical Conclusions
According to Random House, The 11 Critical Conclusions of Good Calories, Bad Calories are:
- 1. Dietary fat, whether saturated or not, does not cause heart disease.
- 2. Carbohydrates do, because of their effect on the hormone insulin. The more easily-digestible and refined the carbohydrates and the more fructose they contain, the greater the effect on our health, weight, and well-being.
- 3. Sugars—sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup specifically—are particularly harmful. The glucose in these sugars raises insulin levels; the fructose they contain overloads the liver.
- 4. Refined carbohydrates, starches, and sugars are also the most likely dietary causes of cancer, Alzheimer’s Disease, and the other common chronic diseases of modern times.
- 5. Obesity is a disorder of excess fat accumulation, not overeating and not sedentary behavior.
- 6. Consuming excess calories does not cause us to grow fatter any more than it causes a child to grow taller.
- 7. Exercise does not make us lose excess fat; it makes us hungry.
- 8. We get fat because of an imbalance—a disequilibrium—in the hormonal regulation of fat tissue and fat metabolism. More fat is stored in the fat tissue than is mobilized and used for fuel. We become leaner when the hormonal regulation of the fat tissue reverses this imbalance.
- 9. Insulin is the primary regulator of fat storage. When insulin levels are elevated, we stockpile calories as fat. When insulin levels fall, we release fat from our fat tissue and burn it for fuel.
- 10. By stimulating insulin secretion, carbohydrates make us fat and ultimately cause obesity. By driving fat accumulation, carbohydrates also increase hunger and decrease the amount of energy we expend in metabolism and physical activity.
- 11. The fewer carbohydrates we eat, the leaner we will be.
There is no perfect diet or nutrition plan, but low carb eating may be a viable option for many, including myself. So, I will spend the next few weeks dissecting this book and its references. I'll let you all know what I find.
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**Please consult your physician, registered dietitian, or certified fitness professional before starting or changing your diet or exercise program.**
