Tuesday, June 08, 2010

The Belly Fat Cure

I have a client who is losing weight -- stubborn weight that wouldn't budge -- using The Belly Fat Cure. So I bought the book. And Tim, who is wanting to drop a few pounds before vacation, asked me if I'd like to try doing it with him.

First I said I'd think about it, with the intention of saying no. When I really did some thinking, I realized my hesitation was mostly about not wanting to fail, as doing most anything with Mr. Willpower can be discouraging. But then I thought about how I've wanted to get my eating on track for some time now, and this could be the time to do it. And I also realized that I'm the one who makes it a zero sum game and that is simply not necessary.

The diet is fairly low carb, but not in a crazy Atkins-like way. And as carbs, especially in the form of candy and cookies, are my downfall, it seems ideal to kind of reset my appetite. The diet relies heavily on protein and fat as fueling options and that's fine. And hey, if it doesn't work, I can go back to my Twizzlers and Toll-House cookies, right? :)

We started on Sunday, and so far, so good. There are some foods that I normally eat that are considered "good" foods -- raw almonds, organic tortilla chips (in moderation), my Beverly International protein powder that tastes like cake batter (!). I've made two recipes from the book (Garden Fresh Greek Salad and Chipotle Chicken Tacos) that were huge hits with my whole family.

Am I hungry? Sometimes, but not all the time. And I'm learning to rethink hunger. Feeling hungry is not an emergency. It's how you're supposed to feel before you eat. (I read "Think of food as fuel, not stuffing." a while back and this seems to apply.) Am I losing water weight? Of course, as carbs help your body to hang on to water. Am I feeling slimmer? Yes! Is this sustainable? Only with modifications. But can I try it until we leave on vacation? Absolutely!

(I just finished my very satisfying breakfast of cottage cheese, Barleans Omega Swirl, and sliced almonds.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

At least that doesn't sound like a drastic thing you've embarked on.

Atkins is poor and some who've tried it said they put weight back on and it gave them gas and bad breath :-o.

Carbs helping ot incrase water retention makes sense as carbs are also known as "hydrated Carbons", or Glycans as well.

The basic formula for pure Carbs if you like, Glucose is C6H12O6; so basically 2 water molecules for every Carbon in effect.

Hopefully this works in some way for you.

Good look and bets wishes.

:-) :-).

Matt

leslie said...

Matt -- I was hoping you'd write! Glad to hear that you're ok with moderation in this. Have you read The Primal Blueprint? I may be willing to go that direction after I do this, now that I'm not feeling like a failure from dieting. :)

ColeC said...

Like Matt, i'm glad it't not drastic like atkins either. Carbs are the only energy source that fuels your brain cells, so you don't want to cut them out. he's also right about people on Atkins and when they get off they gain all or more of the weight right back because your body is getting back into normal gear and usually it's all water you lose anyway and then muscle, which lowers your metabolism further. This should be good to just get your taste buds back on track and drop some weight for vacation. As far as mr. willpower goes, you know I have that same guy over here and it is hard!

have a great day my friend and try to stay cool ;)

ColeC said...

P.S. I started blogging agian, in case you're interested ;)

Anonymous said...

I checked out something called primal Blueprint.com

It looks like from that poster on the site, you use techniques similar to that supposedly of Neanderthals, or Cro-magnons, but incorporate more available food choices and more advnaced understanding of exercise.

Thye seem very thorough on pointing out all its supposed good points. Might be necessary, might just be a bit of heavy overpromoting, especially as they list a slew of supposed positives, so it's hard to tell if they're real or just a bit of a bragging session.

Not leats as Apple and Pear Cider Vinegar had supposed masses of good points and was probably and still is a form of modern day cure all that doesn't live up to hype. Don't think that was necessarily pure snake oil though, just something with inflated positives.

let's face it, anyone can claim to make something scientifically proven to improve Brain function, Fat loss etc etc, but would you pay for it, if it gives you 0.1% as opposed to 10-20%?

Plus quoting Oprah in this instance means nothing, useless she's done it, which she may not have done. A bit like quoting the name of that guy who lost a load of weight on Subway food. Keep the quotable notables in context, I.E. people who have actually used your system. Adds a bit more authenticity I say.

The testimonies are legit. Real names, real locations, not just things like C Wang Arizona or David S Kentucky, which then turn out to be one of about 10 or 20 people, when you use legit internet searches. None of which may have used the promoted method.

Overall I think it is a potentially good system, but it might not work for all.

Also some of it may well probably be quoted stuff. limit or avoid grains Rice and Pasta, avoid too much Heavy Metal by limiting Fish. Don't eat cookies, don't drink Caffine to avoid risk of Anemia and Pruritis, (it blocks Iron absorption), Heart Burn, Stomach Ulcers, Gout promotion, (the Xanthines convert to Uric Acid, like Nitrogen in proteins and Saturates does).

Those are possible examples of what might be written.

I'd say if you're interested, try it, but be mindful of what it may do, because everybodies body is different.

Plus they may eliminate foods, known to cause allergies like Soy, Wheat, Sesame Seeds, Peanuts, Nuts, Dairy, etc etc, or in some cases include some like Veggies and Legumes, which can cause in some cases Salic Acid allergies. Unless you boil them to hell, then supposedly they taste bad.

Someone on a site I use has a Salic Acid allergy and that's all he could do to eat certain things, boil them until they tasted awful, or end up vomiting and feeling bad.

Hopefully that explains things okay. As I say if you like the Primal thing, run with it. I don't see many downsides, except the possible hype promotion the site seems to give it, but then if they cut back on the info, they might get people claiming they're hiding stuff so meh.

At least you probably won't have to eat Maple Syrup concotions 6 times a day :-p :-p.

Gloopy, syrupy home made tinctures x-p. x-p