You’ve all heard the schpiel. If you want to lose weight you can’t eat carbs. Atkins, South Beach, whatever. These diets claim to produce quick results by cutting out most or all carbohydrates. Truth be told, if you can manage to only knosh on veggies, eggs, meat and cheese for a few weeks you will most likely drop weight. However, you should also be prepared to put it all back on, plus some, the second you return to ranks of bread-eaters. (Unless, of course, you intend on foregoing pizza, crackers and toast for the rest of your life.)
To be fair, I went on the South Beach Diet after I had my second daughter and had great success. On this plan you are allowed a limited amount of “good” carbs after the initial two weeks of going cold turkey. A lot of the recipes in the book I bought were pretty tasty and I actually still use some of them today. I have to admit, it’s exciting the first two weeks to see such rapid results. I lost all of my pregnancy weight in two months and was back in my skinny jeans. However, I struggled the second I let myself indulge on that first breadstick. It was like opening the floodgates! Since then I have gained and lost the same 10 to 15 pounds over and over again. Though I’ve finally kept it off, I feel like I owe a lot of it to my decision to allow myself carbs in moderation and not restrict myself any longer.
Carbs give you energy, folks! One thing I really noticed each time I tried to go back on a low-carb diet again was how hard it was to find the strength and energy to work out. Whole grains, fruit and beans give your body the fuel you need in order to expend energy through physical activity. When I prepare for a long run I eat mullti-grain toast with peanut butter. I burn that off in the first couple of miles plus I have more energy to keep going for many more. Yes, vegetables are good for you but when I was fueling my body with nothing but a dry salad I could barely drag myself off the couch to go exercise.
Processed, sugary foods like doughnuts, white bread and potato chips will of course still be detrimental if your goal is to lose weight but I still believe that in order to achieve lasting results you have to find a balance between good and bad. The fact is, most people are not going to be able to stick to such a restrictive diet for the rest of their lives. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “everything in moderation” a thousand times. This means carbs too! So put that bun back on your burger and fill up with a salad on the side.
Photo by norwichnuts.
I think you hit the nail on the head with the “everything in moderation.” I do South Beach, but I don’t call it a diet, I call it a lifestyle. I’ve only gone back to phase 1 a few times during the over 3 years I’ve done this, and it mainly to break a bad cookie habit. I think it’s a psychological thing to get me back to appreciating the “bad” things I eat, and not eating them all the time. Like you say, it’s a balance. I think truly healthy people are aware of this.
I admit that I do try to go back to some version of Phase 1 as well after I’ve had a week of particularly bad eating. It feels like a fresh start in a way. My ultimate goal though is to be able to eat “bad” foods without going overboard and feeling guilty!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kristin Lindemann. Kristin Lindemann said: Nice post @tmgessner! You reaffirmed my motto. RT @fitmke: Revisiting the age old question: To carb or not to carb? http://bit.ly/g8Ytal [...]