Preface: I am not a doctor, personal trainer, health guru, nutrientalist, dietician, or mastermind.In the grand scheme of things – I’m a nobody; a regular guy who figured out what works for me.
You can all it a Ketogenic diet, a Paleo Diet and some think it’s the Atkins diet but it generally means one thing- Cut the Damn Carbs and don’t be afraid of fat.
The HISTORY- Cavemen (Paleolithic) had very few carbs a million years ago. They hunted and gathered all day and ate in the evening. This was the time before grains when the main sources of carbs were nuts, vegetables, and fruits. This meant the primary source of nutrition was protein and animal fats. Since there were no ways to store meat- it had to be eaten ALL (and the fur cold be used for fabric). Whole Grains and the need to put sugar in EVERYTHING would come along later in mankind and be the anchor of obesity in the western culture.
WHAT I DID- First remember this mantra - “Cut Down then Cut Out.”
I started lightly. First I cut all pop, junk, and high calorie bread (dropped 10 pounds in the first month. However I was still eating low calorie bread, pasta, oatmeal, apples, rice and baked potatoes. Once weight loss slowed: I cut down and cut more out. I even cut out carrots and tomatoes because of the sugar content. I cut out all fruit. I cut, cut, and cut ‘till all my carbs were coming from just spinach, kale, broccoli, green peppers, green beans, and nuts. All the other stuff I saved/save for cheat meals or cheat days.
WHY – Carbs and sugar spike insulin and insulin tells your body to store fat. This is the most basic reason to incorporate this diet. I could go on and on about further health benefits but thats for a later day.
Notes/Tidbits
-There are essential proteins and fats but not carbs. You don't just “have” to have them in an abundance amount.
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I can see how some folks would say I went to an extreme on this diet; however I wanted/want extreme results. I'm sure many of you will be able to get away eating an apple a day or blueberries and oatmeal. Me- I couldn't do it.
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Cheat days are important because one of the negative aspects of eating like this is that your metabolism will eventually slow down. A good cheat meal/cheat day will speed it up!!
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Always plan a cheat day after your workout
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Drink a lot of water.
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Don't worry about sodium/salt intake because with no carbs – your body can't hold on to salt/sodium anyway (thus why you should keep water intake high).
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When you first start - you will crave carbs and sugar badly. FIGHT IT. Lol
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Your body has 2 sources of energy – stored fats and carbs. But cutting your carb intake you are forcing your body to pull from stored fats for energy. Thus you should get cleaner.
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Eat wild caught fish and grass feed beef. You want FATS! Just the good kind (Omega 3) and not the bad kind (Omega 6s)
Ok thats it – I'm probably starting to bore you.
Take care and eat to live not live to eat