Sunday, December 18, 2005
My Body as a Science Experiment
My apologies for being away for awhile. Things got a bit crazy around here in the past couple of weeks!
While I was on my blogging hiatus, I decided to experiment with food a bit. I made some important discoveries which, I believe, are going to be the keys to my ultimate success with this low-carb way of eating. My goal was to figure out a workable plan for me. Note that your mileage may vary. Here's what I discovered:
1. I am hypoglycemic, so it's important for me to distribute my calories evenly throughout the day by eating frequent small meals. Eating low-carb tends to suppress my appetite and tricks my brain into thinking that my body doesn't need food as often. However, I've come to realize that I can easily develop cravings and overeat at the next meal if I don't keep my body steadily supplied with fuel.
2. It's not enough for me to give up sugar, I'm going to have to give up artificial sweeteners as well. (Horrors, I know!) Aspartame gives me headaches and the sugar alcohols lead to extreme intestinal distress. All types of artificial sweeteners seem to lead to binging and intense sugar cravings. I'm totally convinced that, for me, eliminating sweets in any form is the only way to go. Sigh...
3. A couple of weeks ago, I switched to the South Beach Diet. I am still losing weight, but I feel a lot better than I did on Atkins, and my system seems less sluggish. I'm still eating in much the same way, but have introduced fruits, nonfat milk (for my latte habit!), and limited grains. Fruits are always eaten with a protein, such as apple slices with a bit of peanut butter or an orange with string cheese. Grains, if eaten at all, are limited to one serving per day with a meal.
While I was on my blogging hiatus, I decided to experiment with food a bit. I made some important discoveries which, I believe, are going to be the keys to my ultimate success with this low-carb way of eating. My goal was to figure out a workable plan for me. Note that your mileage may vary. Here's what I discovered:
1. I am hypoglycemic, so it's important for me to distribute my calories evenly throughout the day by eating frequent small meals. Eating low-carb tends to suppress my appetite and tricks my brain into thinking that my body doesn't need food as often. However, I've come to realize that I can easily develop cravings and overeat at the next meal if I don't keep my body steadily supplied with fuel.
2. It's not enough for me to give up sugar, I'm going to have to give up artificial sweeteners as well. (Horrors, I know!) Aspartame gives me headaches and the sugar alcohols lead to extreme intestinal distress. All types of artificial sweeteners seem to lead to binging and intense sugar cravings. I'm totally convinced that, for me, eliminating sweets in any form is the only way to go. Sigh...
3. A couple of weeks ago, I switched to the South Beach Diet. I am still losing weight, but I feel a lot better than I did on Atkins, and my system seems less sluggish. I'm still eating in much the same way, but have introduced fruits, nonfat milk (for my latte habit!), and limited grains. Fruits are always eaten with a protein, such as apple slices with a bit of peanut butter or an orange with string cheese. Grains, if eaten at all, are limited to one serving per day with a meal.
// posted by Beauty and the Brain @ 5:10 PM 
