I’m going to guess that I’m not the only one who does this, but over the years, I’ve treated my nutrition like a poorly run science experiment. Maybe you’ve done this too, but I’ve tried dozens of different approaches to finding health.
I’ve tried eating everything I wanted to, I’ve tried eating lots of cereals/oats and avoiding meats, I’ve tried eating lots of mixed nuts, eating as little as possible, and I’ve recently gone through over a year of eating raw eggs every day for lunch.
When I paired with exercise, I occasionally saw some positive results, but when it came to bloodwork, many of my numbers were outside a normal range. The more I followed the guidelines of doctors and experts on nutrition, the more discouraged I became. I eventually started avoiding getting my annual physical altogether unless I had to.
I’ve never been crazy overweight, so I’ve never really been that concerned about my health. But a couple of years ago, I came across a guy who had just been diagnosed with type two diabetes who was eating the same kind of “healthy” normal meals I was eating (oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch, and some typical dinner).
This shook me up. I realized I could be on my way to becoming diabetic, and I had a sneaking suspicion that I might already be pre-diabetic after I was diagnosed with fatty liver.
My biggest challenge was that while I knew that it would probably be good for me to avoid sugars and carbohydrates, I never had the willpower to make it happen. I would start out okay but then quickly give in. I felt that a life without sugary foods and desserts wouldn’t be a very fun life to live.
Then a few weeks ago, I did something that really messed me up. I took all my historical bloodwork going back a few years and plugged it into a spreadsheet showing ranges suggested by a book called Good Energy. Seeing many metabolic indicators in the red for over ten years broke something that was holding me back. I knew it was time to get my health in order.
After a ton of research, I finally decided to give low carb/keto a serious try.
What was shocking at first was how low carb keto should be. A total net allowance of 20g of net carbs is miniscule. It’s equivalent to a single piece of bread.
- I stopped eating bread, cookies, candy, and most sauces.
- I started making meals of only beef, chicken, pork, bacon, eggs, and limited dairy.
- I’d cook these in butter, avocado oil, olive oil, or ghee.
- When I felt hungry, I’d eat more of these things.
I was shocked at how full I felt. I was shocked that most of my cravings for sugar were gone. I started loving whole-fat and low carb yogurt (but I do have to moderate how much I eat).
I can eat healthy food and not starve myself.
Results: Over the past month, I’ve reduced my weight by over 9 lbs. More importantly, I’ve reduced my visceral fat (the scary fat that lives in your abdomen under your muscles), by 1%. My body fat has gone down by 1.8%
Let the experiment continue!
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Copy my health spreadsheet, and use it for yourself. (Do me a favor, and let me know if you find this helpful.)
Here are a few resources that have drastically shaped my convictions about food:
- Dr. Tro on Twitter/X – many people have found health by eating meats, eggs, and low-carb veggies.
- Good Energy – what we eat impacts us on a cellular level, which impacts our organs, which impacts our health. Heart disease, cancer, and other diseases directly tied to the food we eat.
- The Blood Sugar Solution – sugar is a huge problem.
- The Big Fat Surprise – research showing that eating fat doesn’t make people fat.
