I want take a break from writing about Camille and Marcus and write about a new, health experiment I'm trying out. It's called the Low Carb, High Fat diet (LCHF). Most people are familiar with the Atkins diet - where carbs are avoided. In LCHF, carbs are avoided and natural, high fat foods are pursued. That's right! Natural, high fat foods are not just allowed, the are PURSUED. Those who have adopted this diet have reported more energy, better focus, better sleep, higher immunity to illness, and - for those who were overweight - weight loss. You basically become an X-man (X-person?) if you stick to this diet.
What does this mean for me? This means that I will be eating a diet centered around bacon, eggs, and all sorts of other crazy crap that the USDA recommends we consume only in moderation.
So why am I doing this?
I love lists, so here's a list of my motivations and goals:- With two small children, I'm always tired. I want more energy.
- I've done a lot of reading online about this. I've had conversations with co-workers about this. I'm curious to see whether carbs (and especially wheat) are as "poisonous" as some make them out to be.
- If the claims some of these doctors make are true, I want to switch my whole family over to this diet. I don't need big agro companies profiting from and exploiting us, and then driving us to big pharma companies as we get sick from their shitty food.
- Volleyball season is always just around the corner.
- I just watched a Ryan Reynolds movie and noticed that my stomach doesn't look like his.
There you go, ladies. - When I go out with my wife, I want her to think "I'm with HIM."
- I think it'll be fun to eat full-fat things all the time.
- I'm just curious and bored. This gives me something to focus my daily attention on.
What are the parameters around this experiment?
Again, lists are awesome. So...- Avoid carbs. This includes:
- Sugar (nearly all forms)
- Bread
- Juice
- Cereals
- Pasta
- Margarine
- Rice *cry*
- Wholegrain stuff
- Limit:
- Fruit
- Root vegetables (sweet potato-like veggies)
- Alcohol
- Milk that is not full cream (this include whole milk)
- Pursue fatty and high fiber/low-carb foods like:
- Meat - as fatty as I want
- Fish and shellfish
- Eggs - yolk and white
- High fat oils - butter, coconut, olive, canola (though want to stay away from modified soy beans), full cream
- High fat dairy - butter (again), cream (40% fat), sour cream, Greek/Turkish yogurt and high-fat cheeses
- Nuts
- Berries
- Drinks:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
- Food volume:
- I can eat as much as I want of any of the allowed foods. That's it.
- Not sure about times of day. Can I eat foods right before bed?
Why blog about this?
I decided to blog about this in order to keep a good record of what I'm doing, and what effects it has on my daily life. If I don't put everything down in writing, it's easy to miss or dismiss all the changes, or lack of changes, I'm seeing. If I don't blog about it, I will likely stop chronicling my experience. It's all about accountability and creating a log to look back on.
Here is what I promise you - the follower of this diet/blog adventure:
- I'll write daily - whether it's volumes of prose or a quick sentence.
- I'll touch on how my diet is evolving
- I'll touch on changes to my regular, physical activity
- I'll give notes on how I'm feeling
- I'll give notes on quirky things I notice regarding the effects of this diet
- I'll be honest and transparent.
- I'll try to be as non-biased as possible. Yes, I want this diet to work; but I don't want to fool myself either. If this diet makes me feel like crap, my energy levels are low, my waist grows, and my breath starts to stink more; I'll let you know.
- I don't know that I'll do weigh-ins, or waist measurements, or anything like that because I honestly don't care about those things. My waist is already 31", my weight is 10 lbs LESS than what I'd like it to be. This isn't about losing weight, or looking good. (My wife already thinks I'm hot. ;)) It's about optimizing my body.
- I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.
- Ok, I lied. It's a little bit about looking good.
Final Thoughts
So that's it. I think this is going to be fun. For those that will follow along, I hope this is interesting and fun for you too.
Wish me luck!
Chin
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