It’s a common question for me these days. After talking about my weight-loss, severely reducing my carb intake, and how I must remain low-carb to do so, my interlocutor nearly always will press me;
Don’t you miss the carbs?
Honest Answer:
- Emotionally? OMG Yes!
- Rationally? Not in the least.
Here’s a story of a typical day in my life before I started low-carb.
On my morning commute to work, I’d think about the day ahead and how I should prepare. Then, I’d consistently wonder; “Is anyone bringing pastries?” Heck, why leave this to chance? Many times, I’d be the “nice” person and bring in the pastries or donuts myself. Then I couldn’t wait to place the goods in the shared office space, flip open the boxed delights and grab my favorite cupcakes. Just thinking about it, on my drive in, was exciting. Of course, it’s exciting! I mean, donuts!
Stop and think about that for a minute. Why are donuts exciting? There’s no evolutionary need for donuts. Instead, it’s quite the opposite. While every mainstream diet warns off donuts, the high carb diets suggest that it’s unreasonable to give up donuts forever. It’s like telling an alcoholic not to give up alcohol, as it’s an absurd and impractical thing to do.
I don’t buy that.
I’ve come to learn that “healthy” carbohydrates do not sufficiently suppress appetite. Processed carbohydrates, and sugars trigger hunger. Consider how easy it is to eat too many donuts, however, you want to define “too many.” Now, consider the last time you overate meat? I don’t mean “Meat and three” but, just meat? Even as a meat lover now, I experience a mild revulsive reaction thinking of the difference. There’s a scientific reason for this, something with grehlins, and other appetite-regulating hormones doing what evolution has focused them on doing. I don’t pretend to understand the science and there’s plenty more information for the curious.
I did an experiment. I ate two pounds of beef. The last few bites were difficult to finish as I felt full. I remember eating 6 – 8 donuts in one setting and only stopping because I rationally knew that was too many, but my body wasn’t stopping me. It’s nice when the brain, stomach, and heart work in tandem. It’s in this way that low carb has been the most natural diet to follow.
If you don’t trust your own experience, there’s been further research on the addictive nature of sugar. While not as addictive as cocaine or meth, it is consistent with the DSM 5 criteria (Food Addiction in the Light of DSM-5) for determining addition. Then there’s the matter of the sugar industry gaming public policy to vilify fat to encourage sugar consumption.
Now my brain and heart understand. Sugar, starches, carbs, all want to trick me. The less I eat of these tricky buggers, the better off I am. Got it. As 2 Keto Dude alumni, Richard Morris once mused, “carbohydrates are the packing peanuts of nutrition.”
Think about what this means for you nutritionally. We don’t need carbohydrates. At its least bad, it’s filler. It absorbs the delicious flavors of the foods you’ve prepped. I use a spatula now to capture that deliciousness, without the padding.
It’s better to simply do without carbs.
Then I’m asked;
“What do you eat? What is there to eat?”