Here is a tip from a former marine who gained too much weight after leaving the Marine Corps.
You don't have to dedicate yourself to any diet plan or low-carb regimen to lose weight. Just substitute what you might eat in carbs with fat instead, bacon vs donuts, cheese vs cereal, or a sandwich with mayo without the bread. Doing this will have much less impact on insulin levels, where upswings cause weight gain.
When I was a kid I used to watch in awe as my Dad chowed down on a sandwich he made with liverwurst or other deli items (usually a Dagwood size, if you recall what that was and if you are too young to know about a Dagwood sandwich, well, just think huge). He would rub his hands together in anticipation, open his mouth as wide as he could, and take these monster bites, rolling his eyes and moaning with pleasure. He didn't restrict his great white shark bites to just sandwiches either, just about anything he consumed was done in a manner that suggested it might be his last meal.
Of course, later on when my mouth could handle it I too started eating like my Dad, hogging it down in a way that I convinced myself had me enjoying food more. I didn't just pick up this eating style during my stint in the Marine Corps, although back then I ate fast because I either had to or was in a hurry to get somewhere. The marines have a saying about chow time; "take all you want, but eat all you take".
Unfortunately, as a result of his bad eating habits, Dad became extremely overweight, developed diabetes and died at the tender age of 62 from complications of a gastric bypass operation.
After I joined the marines I had to learn how to eat all over again. In USMC boot camp I was always hungry, not because they starved me (just the opposite) but because I was expending so many calories in training I needed the nourishment. And the food was darn good too! Since leaving the marines I have had to watch what I eat and was not always successful, I gained weight and before I knew it had gained more weight than I thought possible. Before I discovered the low-carb lifestyle I was headed toward repeating my Dad's mistakes and fortunately I woke up in time to reverse that trend. (more…)
Get Me OUTSIDE!
This is why I don't like treadmills in the spare bedroom, garage, working out at health clubs or other forms of indoor exercise, other than they are boring, boring, boring, wall mounted TV or not. I don't care if Oprah has Michelle Obama, Tom Cruise, David Letterman, Ellen, Donald Trump and Tiger Woods on the same show! (wouldn't that be a show?), indoor workouts just don't work for me, even if I have a window to look out of.
If you ever wondered why your new year's resolution to exercise and lose weight lost it's momentum after only a few weeks here is a clue:
Hello! It's winter out there, cold, rainy, gloomy, etc. Your brain wants to be doing something outdoors, walking, hiking, just about anything as long as it's outside while your body cringes at the thought. Some refer to exercising outdoors as eco-therapy, or green exercise, although I think that word green is overused. Did you know for example that the color green balances the nervous system and is supposed to have a calm, soothing, effect?
When there isn't a whole lot of green around during winter where you live it can be tough to get motivated, much less stay that way until spring. But don't despair, just by seeking the natural world you can reap the benefits of re-connecting with the environment – a reduction in anger and stress levels only to mention a couple. Take the dog for a walk, bundle up and breathe the fresh air.
Saturated fat will have much less impact on insulin levels than whole grains (bread), cereal fiber or fruit and vegetables (which can heighten the risk of type 2 diabetes). Even if you don't follow Atkins or The South Beach Diet you may already have suspected as much or experienced an increase in blood sugar from eating them.
Low-Carb regimens that follow similar paths to those of the Atkins and South Beach Diets can be diets that include animal fat and protein. Or they can be vegetable and fruit inclusive. The problem is that most people don't know how to eat well and do what it takes to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
People tend to go to extremes, carbs should be limited just like fats. If you eat too much of anything, you're headed for a fall.
Care, Cure Commitment
The good news about Type 2 diabetes, which affects as many as 45 percent of women and 30 percent of men in the United States, is that it is 75 percent preventable with the proper diet. (The other 25 percent is hereditary).
And, while low-fat, high-carb diets are often recommended by doctors who treat diabetes, my feeling is that we have to minimize our carb consumption, especially the bad carbs (sugar) found in processed foods (empty, useless calories) and continue to promote the "good" carbs found in fruits and vegetables.
It then becomes a question of finding your carb "threshold" the fine line between weight stabilization and weight gain.
