I completely understand where you’re coming from, and brave is exactly the right word. Although I often discuss the importance of losing the diet mentality, I probably should mention more often how difficult it can be. For me, finding my healthstyle was mainly a head change that required deconditioning myself from 15 years of dieting.

As I explain in my diet history, personally I had to take a leap of faith. Because it was based in science, which is one of the only things that can persuade me of anything, it made it easier. The science supports consuming intact whole grains.

Another factor in my “bravery” is that I was training for a marathon at the time, so I figured I wouldn’t gain *too much* weight if my little experiment didn’t work out. My experiment was having oatmeal for breakfast.

But like I said before, I didn’t just not gain weight when I did this, I lost more weight than I ever had while starving myself of carbs. I’m still losing weight. It’s the weirdest thing having to consciously not lose weight!

I’d also like to point out that 7lbs in 2 months is nothing to scoff at. At that rate you’ll be down 42 lbs in one year. Seriously, you probably shouldn’t be losing weight any faster if you want to actually keep it off.

I think that one of the tricks for me is that once your meals are a little more balanced, it is easier to shrink portion sizes and not feel deprived. Then you get used to eating that way and the new “normal” is much smaller and yet more nourishing. You feel better and you lose that feeding urgency that you can get while dieting.

My advice is to keep trying to find your healthstyle and don’t make sweeping changes all at once. Experiment, make gradual changes and find what works for you.

Personally I think you’d be better off with the oatmeal than the tortilla

Thanks for connecting!

Darya

I think what you’re saying definitely makes sense. I’ve lost about 7 lbs in the last couple of months I’ve started slowly changing my eating habits and exercising a little bit more. I’ve honestly been doing more low carb (as in almost no grains/legumes) but I cant help but want to splurge and have them a few times a week.

Because I’m a bigger shape at the moment (I gained 30 lbs in the last year due to my stay at home job and a 5 month trip to Asia where I pulled a “supersize me”) trying to lose weight, I don’t think I can pull of the everyday morning muesli or oatmeal. Instead I eat quinoa instead of rice or pasta, wheat tortillas from La Tortilla Factory, and black beans. I’m not sure if this is slowing down my weight lost but for the most part I do feel healthier than ever.

Perhaps I am just getting impatient that in the last two months I’ve only lost 7 lbs. But I feel sometimes that I’m on a diet even though I am not trying to be. I do feel remorseful sometimes when I have that rare occasional slice of pizza, even if it’s something healthier from Cheeseboard or Arizmendi.

How did you deal with being brave enough to start taking the right step? I am trying to do it as well but sometimes can’t help but feel as if I am going against science and am prolonging my weightloss?

Thanks, Darya.

Jan

Great question. I agree the science behind “low carb” is very alluring and, in my opinion, accurate. For me the issue is that real, intact whole grains (not whole grain flour, but actual grains) don’t digest the same as traditional “carbs” and do not have the same impact.

In my opinion, books like Good Calories, Bad Calories only really describe the effects of processed carbs–sugar, flour and high-fructose corn syrup.

For me the moment of revelation was that when I started eating oatmeal and brown rice I didn’t gain weight, though I entirely expected to. For me that alone is reason enough to eat them since life is so much easier with this small adjustment.

However, since this was my only real dietary restriction, removing it pretty much eliminated the diet mentality for me and I just tried to eat healthy whole foods. As I followed this course I just started to feel much better and more energetic. I was never hungry (I think the small amount of grains helps tremendously for this), never had food cravings and lost even more weight. I’ve completely lost my taste for sugar and dessert now. Amazingly, I’m still losing weight (I have to consciously eat enough to not get too skinny).

I would never say that this same diet would work for everyone. My guess is the more overweight someone is the more they need to restrict carbohydrates. But I am very athletic and I think the few grains I eat really help me a lot.

My suggestion would be if you are already not eating grains to add them back slowly. I really only eat grains (muesli) for breakfast. Sometimes I have brown rice or quinoa in my lunch or dinner, but only a few times per week. But I do occasionally eat bread or dessert, I just never seek it out. Like I said, I really don’t even want this stuff anymore.

In many ways this is “low carb,” but not as extreme as the primal/paleo people who for some crazy reason don’t even eat beans. I live on beans and use them as most people would use starches like rice and bread

I hope this answers your question. Let me know what you think.

-Darya

Could you kindly explain the explanation as to why you still lost weight when u started incorporating whole grains into your diet? I can understand the science behind the low carb “diet” and I could see why people lose weight (rather quickly but still lose it nonetheless).

I guess I am trying to understand the science behind the whole grain healthstyle you have. You seem like a naturally very thin lady so I guess I’m trying to understand if eating whole grains would benefit most people without health issues (like thyroids) the way it has benefitted you…

I hope this request/question makes sense! Hope you are having a good weekend.

Thanks,
Jan

LOL! Well they like to tout the supposed science behind it as well but upon further examination it really doesn’t hold up. Taubes for example is quite good, but he doesn’t establish the case for low carb as the diet, although most paleo’s think so.

Nevertheless there is plentiful evidence that carbs per se is not the problem although it tends to be ignored or briefly acknowledged and then passed by as if it doesn’t exist.

It is what one blogger calls the “low carb oops.” They get you very close. They write great books. They get dramatic results (at least the first time around). But then at the moment of victory they slip at the finish line.

In my opinion they become the equivalent of the “low fat” folks in mainstream nutrition, although they operate in the alternative diet and nutrition world.

Ouch! LOL! While I appreciate Mark Sisson and regularly read his site, this line of argumentation really fails in my opinion. Of course we don’t need grains but one can demonstrate we don’t need vegetables, fruits, or any other available food besides meat. A diet consisting of eating essentially the entire animal is quiet capable of sustaining human existence. Reading Stefansson’s Adventures in Diet makes that quite clear (as does reading Dr. Weston Price on the Inuit and the Masai – who weren’t all meat but did consume only animal products).

So to follow the logic of the no grain argument you have would to say we shouldn’t eat any plant matter at all, and only a very small group is actually willing to go that far. For optimal health, it simply isn’t necessary to be so restrictive.

Michael