"Crafting Mom" wrote in message
news
Patricia Heil wrote:

You say that like it's a bad thing Yep, the calories are reduced,
greatly. No, I don't FEEL like I am on a calorie-reduced diet.

This is because some people still claim that low carb is working some kind
of magic that allows to you to lose weight without any kind of restriction.
So, yes, saying that low carb works by reducing the total amount of calories
is meaningfull.
Most of the people around here seems to at least understand that, but in the
big outside world, many people (and ads) still believe in that kind of magic
thinking : eat as much as you want, as long as you eat no carb.

This goes against the religion of "you must suffer in order to lose
weight".

I don't believe in this religion. I don't "believe" in Aktins either. You
might say I'm a diet atheist.

I feel so good! I am never famished and watching the clock waiting for
my next meal! My diet is largely leafy greens, some proteins (mostly
fish/eggs/poultry), good oils like olive oil, and a bit of fruit and
dairy. ("Yes, Virginia, there is such a thing as fruit on a low carb
diet"). Any of the fluff and frills of standard diets don't suit me
very much.

I eat about the same things as you do, except I also eat red meat and carbs
(rice, pasta...). The idea of cutting one part of the nutriment from my food
not only seems unhealthy to me, but it would also mean never eating again
most of the cultural food that is available to me in my area. So, I was able
to eat paella at dinner yesterday, something that would be possible neither
under low carb (the rice - unless you're a glycemic low carb and consider
that paella has a reasonnable glycemic index) or low fat (paella without
olive oil and chorizo is just not paella). I guess weight-watcher, the Zone
or whatever is trendy right now wouldn't allow that kind of meal. And that's
my main problem with most diets. If I'm going to do something for the rest
of my life, I don't want it to go in the way of my enjoyment or social life.
And I don't find farmished either. I don't spend my time watching for the
next meal - unless I intend to cook something trully delicious. If I feel
hungry, I just eat. And if I don't feel hungry at the next meal, I just pass
it. And I still lose weight at a decent rate (actually, a little on the too
fast side according to my nutritionist) and my blood values have all
improved a lot during the last two months.

I don't need the confirmation of any "studies" to know that for ME, I am
no longer walking around feeling "foggy", I no longer need to go near
the antacid aisle, and I feel energetic. The fact that the calories are
reduced is a GOOD thing.

Since there is no over real way to lose weight, yes, it's a good thing. It's
also nice that you are feeling good on your diet, that's still an
improvement compared to other diets. But you're still on a diet, there is
some food you're not allowed to eat (and thus risk bingeing on, or
re-carbing as some call it), food that you might have liked.

It's nice to be able to have a plate of fish
and salad and be able to stop there in mixed company without even
TRYING.

Yes, it's very nice for you. Actually, that's one of the benefit I will give
to low carb : it cancelled some of the anti-fat mania that is still the
norm. The problem is that it did that with starting another mania.
So, you can eat your fish, and you are able to stop, and this is a nice
thing when you're having dinner with your friends. But what if your friends
have prepared a paella? Or couscous? How do you handle that? Do you ask your
friend to prepare special food for you? Do you bring you own?
You can't imagine the freedom there is when you are going to have dinner
with your friend, and the only reason you are worried about what they have
cooked is when it comes to pick the proper wine to go with it...

I remember eating things like spaghetti in the past and wonder
how on EARTH the person sitting beside me felt "full" after half a
plate!

Yes, I remember that too. Actually, I was thinking exactly the same about my
paella yesterday. Three months ago, the whole 1kg (2.2lbs) package would be
shared between my girlfriend and myself - and once I had finished my half, I
would finish the leftovers from my girlfriend. Yesterday, we just cooked
half the package, and my own portion was plenty enough. Before, I still had
room for some cheese, and then a dessert. Yesterday, I just felt full.
Actually, I now have troubles understanding how the hell I did manage to eat
that much.
Depending on what's on your spaghetti, I would probably feel full after half
the plate. Or maybe, if I had had no starter, I would actually eat the full
plate and then have no room next for neither cheese nor dessert. It's
perfectly possible to feel full on spaghettis, especially if it's not plain
no-butter spaghetti. I do agree that no fat spaghettis are neither fun nor
satisfying.

Low-carb dieting has re-introduced the whole POINT of food, that is to
*satisfy* hunger (as opposed to make me even hungrier), and nourish (as
opposed to consuming a bunch of junky empty calorie food).

That's something I can credit low carb with. Let's say that after a period
of crazy diets, low carb is only half-crazy...
But you forgot the third point of food : satisfying your pleasure. I
wouldn't like the fact of throwing away 90% of the gastronomy of my country
in the name of a diet.

Food has to be filling and actually COUNT, for me to consider it at all.
Low carb way of life (which I stumbled upon completely by ACCIDENT) has
changed my whole mindset about food.

Totally agreed. Except I don't think you need low carb to accomplish that.
Low fat certainly is neither filling nor satisfying. Low fat often tastes
bland. It's also often unhealthy, because many low fat industrial meals are
stuffed with trans fat and chemicals to give them enough texture and because
you do need fat (for vitamins, essential fatty acids...). But the fact that
low fat is bad is not a reason to switch all the way to the other extreme.
The fact that low fat is bad is just a reason to drop it in favor of a
trully balanced diet (though I do agree that cutting a bit on the high
glycemic index stuff a bit doesn't hurt).