Everybody's Different

A great post worth reading by weight-loss wonder and online pal PJ:

The Divine Low Carb! by PJThe Divine Low Carb: Everybody's Different

Since I've found low-carbing, and gluten/casein-free paleo-style eating, I've been tempted to think that it would work for everyone. All the world's problems could be solved if we all just ate like...well, like me! And of course, it isn't true. While I think our overall health picture would VASTLY improve if we stopped eating crap and focused more on whole foods, prepared in traditional ways, I have to admit that some people wouldn't fare well with my eating style. Lots of meat and fat and no grains could, for someone else, be what lots of grains and no/very little meat or fat was to me - a total frickin' disaster.

It's very tempting to assume that there's one true path, especially when you've experienced an epiphany of your own. Suddenly you're a dietary dictator, preaching your way to all who'll listen and (as South Park would say) loving the smell of your own farts. This scenario is pretty much what we've had for the past 20 or so years, with media and "experts" telling us to cut the fat, up the fibre, and hit the treadmill. For some people, this works. For a whole lotta others, it's an exercise in futility. It didn't matter how many hours I logged at the gym; when I was eating grains, legumes and other high carb fare, I was overweight no matter how little I ate. I could drop a few pounds here and there, but they always came back.

I know what works for me: adequate-high protein, pretty high fat (60-80% of my diet), low carbs. And those carbs are best, for me, when they come from veggies and some fruits. Weight-wise I am not as sensitive as others to sugar and junk, or to starchy veggies, but health-wise I feel a huge difference. A meal here and there, no problem; a day of lots of carbs and the Seven High-Carb Dwarfs appear: Sleepy, Spotty, Bloaty, Fuzzy, Heavy, Cranky and Fart. And this is not just from junk food. Several weeks ago I had a carb day that consisted of 2 bananas, some baked beans, and a Meaty Magic GFCF pizza with rice cheese and a rice flour crust. The next day I was exhausted, draggy, zitty, gassy, irritable and retaining 2 pounds of water. It was like having PMS. And I battled serious sweet cravings and hunger for days after.

But I have friends who can eat like this and not gain an ounce. My BF, for example, goddamn him all to hell. Mind you...pretty much everyone I know who eats this way has GI problems. Hmmm...maybe we're all a little more alike than we think?