Why We Get Fat

I’m going to post what I eat — a little sub-blog on HL.o — in case anyone else needs meal ideas for low-carb dieting. Here’s why I’m a eating low-carbohydrate diet.

In January, I read the book, Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It by Gary Taubes, after watching Windows Weekly episode 190 where Paul Thurott mentioned he had read the book and knew he would lose weight. His discussion of the book lead me to purchase it and read it. Why We Get Fat is a scientific argument explaining exactly what the title says. With think knowledge, I eliminated carbohydrates from my diet by the end of February. I only eat meat, nuts, cheese, eggs, and low-carb vegetables (mostly green ones). I do not restrict my calories, and I don not use exercise to lose weight, merely for other health benefits.

I have cheated / taken a break from this new diet multiple times. I find that if I cheat during one meal in a week, I don’t end up with cravings. The times I have broken my diet more than a few days in a row have lead to half a week of tenacity, keeping myself from eating bread or sugar. You can also tell on the graph which follows when I had a bad bought with food poisoning (I let myself eat crackers and then other carbs to recover — also apparent on the graph). The last few weeks of the graph are summer (including my five-year wedding anniversary) when I spend half a week breaking my diet.

Chart: Heyer Weight Tracking
Weight-tracking Since January 2011

I am still very open to alternative arguments regarding my diets, but I figured my excess fat was more of a danger to my health than the possible damage I could do eating this way for one year. I’ve never been a big meat-eater, so it’s been an adjustment. I’m not sure what I’ll do with my diet once I’ve lost the weight I plan to (I’m going to see where I plateau). I do know treats will be farther apart, and the veggie content will remain. I miss beans, fruit, and sushi the most. It has been very good for my emotional health to have control over my weight.