WeightLossBanter - View Single Post - CNN article: Low-fat? Low-carbs? Answering best diet question

**Orlando Enrique Fiol**

wrote:
I'm not on the atkins diet, but I did eliminate all empty carbs from
my diet, such as bread, rice, sugar, cereal, etc. I eat fruit,
vegetables and lean meat. I don't eat massive amounts of saturated
animal fat. I get a small or modest amount of fat from meat, plus some
fat from salad dressings, plus fish oil pills, and raw nuts. I eat
chicken without the skin. I lost 31 pounds so far. I'm looking better,
feeling healthier, and doing fine.

Sounds like the same South Beach I'm doing. I've lost nineteen pounds in a
month with occasional necessary departures from the diet.

Humans didn't evolve to eat empty
carb type foods, so I am sure that I don't need those. In fact I know
they are extremely harmful and damaging to the body, so there is no
way I will ever eat those foods again.

I could never make such a promise. I know I won't eat empty carbs thrice a day,
every day, and I know I'll stay away from them most of the time. But, if I'm
somewhere and encounter a truly amazing dessert, some freshly baked bread, real
French fries or fresh warm corn tortillas, I'm probably going to have some and
get back on plan later on that day.

And as long as I don't eat
massive amounts of animal fat, I think I will be fine. I don't see why
not eating empty carbs has to mean eating enormous amounts of animal
fat. Everybody knows that saturated fat is a bad thing. And so are
empty carbs.

Everybody also knows that we're occasionally going to eat foods high in either
or both saturated fats and empty carbs. I don't plan on permanently giving up
duck, chicken hearts or beef tongue, although I can easily live without pork
bacon, fatty roasts, butter, cream and most high fat cheeses. You sound very
enthusiastic about your eating choices, almost bordering on zealotry. I'm old
enough to allow myself some doctrinal latitude, doing what I know is right most
of the time and indulging in the other stuff on occasion. In my experience, any
time a diet becomes pedantic and overwhelming, I lose interest. Bottom line, I
know what empty carbs and saturated fats do to my metabolism, cholesterol,
blood sugar levels and weight. After a month on South Beach, my total
cholesterol is down a hundred points, I've lost weight, my fasting glucose
levels are down thirty points and my blood pressure is lower than ever. I
wouldn't trade any of that for the bloated hunger I previously considered my
birth curse. However, I've proven to myself that I can take one to three days a
week of eating one meal of anything I want while continuing to lose weight and
derive health benefits from a predominantly low-carb diet. Some people can't do
that, I realize. Some people can't reject less desirable carb choices while
holding out for their weekly indulgence of what they really enjoy. Most people
are so essentially controlled by their carb cravings that they either give in
all the way or banish them out of desperation and self preservation. But,
moderates like me should not be perceived as noncommittal weaklings. I know
that for me, balance between what I enjoy in food and what my body can process
is the key. I have found that balance to reside somewhere in the low-carb zone
most of the time, without too much animal fat, but with fruits and whole grains
every day. On occasion, I seem to be able to tolerate moderate amounts of
refined carbs and saturated fats. Those occasional indulgences help me get
through the low-carb times when I sometimes feel deprived. No diet is going to
work unless deprivation feelings either dissipate or are replaced by extremely
strong motivations. Being totally blind, I don't look at myself in the mirror
each day. My fiancee loves me at whatever weight I find myself. There go two
strong motivations that work for most people. My health has clearly been the
strongest motivation, since I was bordering on diabetes a month ago and know I
could reverse the genetic pull with low-carb eating and weight loss. Those
motivations keep me on the straight and narrow when I'd prefer to give in. But,
I've also developed ways of evaluating what's worth going off plan. I don't eat
any packaged or boxed baked goods, sliced breads or frozen processed foods. I
don't consider pasteurized juices worth it for me. But, I refuse to live
through this summer without watermelon, peaches and sweet corn.

Orlando