A new diet?? Hmm..

I've been reading this month's Reader's Digest Asia and came across this interview with "award-winning science journalist", Gary Taubes, who encourages a diet with high fat and low carb. I was skeptical at first but after reading his explanations, I think I might just give it a try.

He made a fairly controversial statement -- it's not the calories in/out of your system that matter or the amount of exercise. But it's about the food that makes us hungry easily and overeat i.e. refined carbs because they raise insulin levels. He pointed out that many obese people end up eating very little for life with little effect and while I'm not obese, I did find myself agreeing with him. I do lose weight if I eat less, but it's restrictive and usually can't last long or the weight loss just plateaus until I give up.

"if you go to an endocrinology textbook and look up what makes a fat cell fat, it'll tell you all the ways insulin does it. Then you look up obesity, and it'll say people get fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. There's a complete disconnect between the fundamental science and the cause of human obesity."

He added that  a low carb meal with all-you-can-eat works as effectively as a restrictive low fat, low calorie meal. Not sure if I'm convinced about that, but I do understand what he's trying to say. Anyway, so there are 5 guidelines:-

1. Don't try to limit fat.
"Eating high-fat foods keeps you from feeling deprived". This includes bacon, cream and cheese. (MY FAVEEEEE!)
2. No more pasta, bread, and rice
To lose weight, you need to stay below 20 grams of "net" carbs a day (i.e. the grams of carbs minus the grams of fibre). 2 slices of bread is about 24 grams of carbs.... so.. about 1 slice???
*gasp* that means no more going to my favourite Italian restaurant near my office.... that also means a burger without the bun!!!
3. Be picky about vegetables
Starchy vegetables - most of the ones that grow underground, as well as corn - are off-limits.
Leafy greens should be up to 4 cups daily. Broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, okra and brussels sprouts up to 2 cups a day.
4. No hidden sugars
!?!?!? Fruit cannot. Fruit juices also a no-no. Of course soda and cakes are off-limits. Hmm.. hey.... I like fruit juices :(
5. Eat as much as you want
Portion control is not necessary as you will feel fuller on this diet.

Wow, interesting innit? It sounded quite scary until I saw a typical low-carb menu from this American clinic. It didn't look like some carnivorous feast as I had initially thought. It goes something like this and sounds quite do-able.:-

Breakfast

• 2-egg ham-and-cheese omelette
• diet cranberry juice
• coffee with cream and sugar-free sweetener

Lunch

• Salmon salad (2 cups lettuce and 1 cup salad)
• Water or diet soda

Dinner

• 8 ounce rib eye steak with blue cheese
• 1 cup of "mock mashed potatoes" (cauliflower with butter, cream and bacon)

Dessert

• Sugar-free gelatin or sugar-free gelatin chocolate pudding (made with heavy cream)

Too bad, I had a starch filled diet today. Maybe I can try for the rest of the week :) I am fine without bread or rice but I wonder if I have the willpower to let go of pasta!! If a bowl of rice is about 40 g of carbs, then could a small bowl of porridge be like around half?? Lol... let's just see how it goes.

Sighh... got a research to do for tomorrow morning but I'm getting nowhere. My colleague is not feeling well so I offered to do the research. Fingers crossed! Ahh well, if I get a big scolding, then so be it..