Our own Matt F-B has an article in this week's Voice! Check out Cereal Killer, a review of Against The Grain by Richard Manning, which tells of the evils of corn, rice, and wheat. Go read the review, Matt describes it much better than I can. (Of course, he's getting paid to!)
Speaking of grains, Debbie and I have sworn off the carbs, at least for a couple of weeks. Yep, we're dieting. But no, it's not the dreaded Atkins / hunter-gatherer diet. Instead we're following the South Beach Diet. My stepmom and dad went on it, and I started reading the book when we were visiting them in DC. It makes a lot of sense, especially given what I've read about the evils of processed food. Basically, the point of the diet is to eat foods that turn into sugar more slowly. So far we're in Day 3. I'll let you know when I can fit into my old pants.
| Friends | Agriculture |
My in-laws went on the South Beach and lost significant weight quickly, but they felt awful. Then the weight loss tapered off and they found themselves wondering, "are we going to have to live this way forever. Are we going to gain all the weight back".
But I think you hit the nail on the head concerning processed food, and that is why Atkins and South Beach are so effective for Americans. If you strictly limit your carbs you are in effect cutting out all the snack/junk food that Americans buy. Once you stop eating chips, booty, fast food burgers, fries and all the other quick cheap foods you start to lose the weight. There is a dearth of healthy non bread or potato snacks easily available.
My friend Greg is now on the online version of this in NY. If you want the inside scoop, let me know. Also, fyi, he went on it before joining the company. I'll be interested in how it goes--law school has thinned my wallet and fattened me up everywhere else.
Comment #2 :: link :: February 25, 2004 02:57 PMDespite Matt's interest in exploring the evils of processed food (or even agriculture in general), he has remained somewhat scornful of my recent attempt to banish carbs from my diet and lose a few pounds.
From my expereince, M E-L, you should be prepared to be very tired in a few days. But then it gets better. I think I've lost some weight, although it's always hard to say if it's just water.
Having spoken of this change in my eating habits while at work, I've found that many doctor-friends are secret dieters who say the low-carb way is the way to go. And I had just thought they had great metabolisms!
Comment #3 :: link :: February 26, 2004 04:15 PMI've been on an "all-Beef-Jerky" diet for some time now. It is a little high in sodium, but it is basically no carbs at all. You always feel full and your jaw gets really strong. I'm not going to tell you all my tricks, because I'm writing a book. You are my friends though, so I guess I can share a few tips (don't frickin' write a book though, or I'll find you and sue you):
1. Watch out for stupid things like so-called "teriyaki" beef jerky. First of all, it isn't really teriyaki - more like, teriyaki-flavored! Secondly, the teriyaki has sugar which, of course, means carbs.
2. Slim Jims don't count as beef jerky. I'm not even sure if they are beef. Anyway, doesn't matter - they have carbs, so steer clear!
3. BOTH Puporoni AND beggin' strips are actually meant for dogs. Learned that one the hard way. I gotta say though, if you give these to your dogs, you are one cool dog owner. Especially the beggin' strips, which even have the same frickin' smell!
4. You are a total puss if you eat 'turkey jerky.' Buffalo jerky is pretty stupid too. It would be cool if they had pork jerky, but they don't. Or maybe that's what bacon is. Whatever - the point is, if you are going to do Jimpy's All Beef-Jerky diet, just stick to beef jerky.
5. If you get really bad cramps, that's just the sodium talking. Drink more water. It could also be a lack of potassium. Not sure what to do about that yet. Also, I hear scurvy can be an issue. I'm looking into maybe some manderin orange-flavored beef jerky, but that seems about as puss as turkey jerky. At least it doesn't break the "all beef jerky rule." Check out the book for more.
Stay thin, people!
Comment #4 :: link :: February 26, 2004 05:51 PMAre you really writing a book Jimpy? Can I get a piece of that? My brother and I have a lot of good beef jerky stories. Veg-all too!
Comment #5 :: link :: February 27, 2004 01:06 PMThanks for the plug, Mike. To correct the record at the risk of sounding defensive, I do not believe I have scorned my beloved wife's efforts to cut out carbs and feel better about her eating. Indeed, I have quietly tried to limit my own carbs. Rather, I have derided sardonically her choice to start cutting carbs the same week that we had lots of delicious fruit in the refrigerator, thus inducing me to eat more carbs.
Comment #6 :: link :: February 27, 2004 01:29 PMMFB: If I didn't know better, I would say you hadn't been in many relationships. "I don't want that, so you have to eat it" has been a favorite of mine for a long time now. :-)
Jimpy (& patrick):
I would disagree with you on the anti-buffalo (more properly anti-bison, unless you mean water buffalo) jerky stance. For Christmas 2002 my dad gave me what worked out to be something like a pound each of bison and elk jerky and they were quite good. Now, I could agree on eliminating gator jerky and hummingbird jerky from the diet.
MEL, how's the South Beach coming along? Report, please.
Comment #8 :: link :: March 8, 2004 11:50 AMIt's coming along... so far I've lost about 5 lbs., I think. Hard to tell without a scale, but the pants are definitely looser. It's hard, though, while your body figures out that it has to get sugar from your fat, rather than from high fructose corn syrup.
Comment #9 :: link :: March 17, 2004 03:30 PM
