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Carbohydrates whether in the form of grains, sugar or dairy have been given a bad rap nowadays. Diets such as the Atkins diet, South Beach diet or Raw Diet have done away with carbohydrates period – even the good kind. But what really happens to your body in the long run when you eliminate carbohydrates. Although I was able to lose 40 pounds altogether, new challenges rose up. Here’s a personal documentary of what happened when I completely left out carbohydrates.
In the Beginning
Since my son and I had a pre-diabetic condition my doctor found it necessary to prescribe fasting at least five days a week for months-only water for breakfast, salad amp; protein for lunch and dinner (some dressing okay) and absolutely no carbohydrates. The only problem with that is intestinally your whole system or metabolism slows down due to the “starvation mode” your body becomes accustomed to.
The first 2 weeks were emotional torture – I told my doctor I needed my carbs to feel better. He was relentless and insisted I continue. Medication was prescribed to keep my energy and metabolism on a pseudo high. It helped decrease my appetite and had induced a form of psycho “happiness”. Digestively, I didn’t do so weil. I found myself using a laxative. Fortunately, my son and I adopted exercise little by little into our regimen which in turn allowed us to get used to building up muscle and increasing our metabolism naturally.
Fasting and eating of the healthy food will deliver the best results to the person. The purchase of the resurge pills should be done in order to get the right and correct results. The building of the muscles and metabolism is effective to meet with the weight reduction scenario for the human body.
After Weight Loss
After the weight came off , I stopped using the medication. Although, my body and mind got used to fasting, I found it ever-challenging to maintain my 40 – 45 pound loss because soon, I became use to eating and feeling hungry again. I noticed that without medication my weight would stabilize even when fasting. I wondered why I could eat so little and not have any pounds come off. Instead, I would gain maybe ¼ of a pound to a pound back. After a year I would fluctuate on a 5 to 8 pound gain. As for my teenage son, he gained it all back within the year plus more. Because of the pre-diabetes and high blood pressure he was once again on doctor’s order to fast without carbohydrates and take medicine (please note the medicine cost was $150 because insurance found it unnecessary).
Because he fasted, he overate and binged especially after school. Although, the medication did help him to shed temporarily, he’d return to his ways and gain some back. He was becoming a yo-yo dieter. He didn’t feel right taking the medication as he feared the long term effects of use. So he limited his intake to once or twice a week sometimes not taking any at all. Although, the training of fasting and eliminating carbs proved useful for some weight loss in the beginning, I could not help but worry about my son lacking the proper nutrients to ward off future disease and keep him strong. He didn’t like to take vitamins. Once he was off the medication, his hunger pangs got the best of him. He would just overeat.
Doing It Right
I decided to try myself on a new healthy eating regimen. First, I had to address the low metabolism state my body adapted to when fasting. Then, change my eating habits accordingly. Please note, I am not entirely against fasting, just fasting for long periods of time. Proper fasting with meatless, nutritious produce for a short few days works fine for me once in a while. For the most part, I ate small meals throughout the day and kept my intake of food at 1200 – 1400 calories a day – no lower.
I learned that your body needs fuel in order to burn fat. I made sure I was active. I incorporated healthy grains and lots and lots of vegetables. I still had fruit but, in moderation sometimes adding them to my salad or having them as a snack with yogurt. I ate a light breakfast, a good lunch and dinner. I incorporated carbohydrates such as multigrain high fiber bread, probiotic yogurt, soy, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, even nuts and mufas and pufas (mono amp; polyunsaturated oils). I had the occasional dessert, but as much as possible kept in moderation. I drank mostly unsweetened tea and water. I had the occasional soda and orange juice as well.
Exercise Time When?
Because of my hectic mommy schedule-I have four kids I felt my time was very limited for exercise. Being on single income, I didn’t want to spend money on an exercise club and was determined to incorporate workout as mommy. I would walk my kids to school which would take me a good 10 minutes of low intensity walking. Then I would intensify my walking with toddler in the stroller for another 5 minutes to warm up. For the next level of walking/running I did interval training for 15-20 minutes. A study found that interval training for 20 minutes had just about the same effects in cardio and muscle building as exercising at moderate pace for 40-60 minutes.
Once home, my 2 year old and I did some baby gym stomach exercises. Some free weights as much as possible. I was amazed to see that the time I spent from walking my kids to school to interval training to baby home gym took about 40-45 minutes. I was done by 8:30am in the morning with this schedule. I would begin my day energized, focused and ready to face those all-consuming challenges with a better attitude (thanks to the feel good endorphins from exercise). My play/mommy exercise time would prep my toddler for a fun day.
What I Learned
The eating and exercise plan took some time to work. As my body adjusted, I focused on how much better I felt. In the beginning, it took some time for my body to get used to the added muscle (surprising 3-5 pound weight gain). Once my body adjusted, increments of weight (assumed from fat not muscle) melted daily compared to the first medical regimen (which melted muscle and some fat away). I also felt stronger and noticed a healthier glow in my skin. I had more energy throughout the day which would carry me into the next day. I felt more focused and able to do things for my family with a better attitude. I was also able to save money because I didn’t need medicine, or excess vitamins (needed when fasting) and I was able to spend quality time with my little ones.
I learned a very important lesson about eating – to feed your body right with your family in mind. It’s really not about starving yourself, but fueling your body to do what it’s meant to do — to live healthy and strong.You are an example to those who you care for so don’t deny yourselves of proper care and share those moments with those special around you to build relationships and health amp; wellness.
