Before we get to the essence of this post, I must warn you: you are about to go down the rabbit hole. This whole field of knowledge is full of controversies and contradictions. Everyone knows there is this scary substance in our blood called cholesterol, and we need as little of it as possible, right? Oh, and everyone also knows there is bad cholesterol and good cholesterol, right? Well, just start researching it, and these seemingly commonly acknowledged notions suddenly become so very non-obvious, you might regret ever getting interested. However, we are after real health here, right?
weight loss
Potato Diet Experiment
If you are from the low carb camp, your brow just went up. Yes, you read that right – potato diet. What on green Earth is that, you ask? Well, you probably heard of egg fast, fat fast or bacon fast – days or weeks of eating just one foodstuff. This is it – potato diet is like potato fast. My eternal curiosity got me to try this weirdest diet of all, for the whole of 3 days. I was interested to find out about it for a while, ever since I’ve read the theory behind it, many personal accounts of success, and even a lukewarm endorsement from the #1 low-carb website in the world, believe it or not.
Universal add-on to kefir or yogurt
I stumbled onto a mix that adds whole new dimension to any fermented milk product I’ve tried. Be it kefir, yogurt, kefir cheese or separated buttermilk fat, it works for any of them. It’s so simple, I am almost embarrassed to call it a recipe. Then again, it’s healthy, tasty and opens door to infinite number of variations. Try it and see if you like it as much as I do.
Allergy Be Gone
This development is from the so-called NSV (Non-Scale Victory) series. As you know, I started my weight loss drive with LCHF+IF in March of last year, so this spring is the first one I get to experience in my new state of weight and health – 50+ pounds lighter and non-diabetic anymore.
A few days ago I suddenly realized that first time in many years I have no annual allergy symptoms. No sneezing, no itchy eyes, none of this every year spring nightmare.
Calories, Macros and Weight Loss
Battles are raging on the internet. Flames are all over these scorching hot topics. Do we need to count calories or can we eat to our heart content, as long as macros are right? Which macros are right? How much fat? Is there a limit to consuming fat bombs and putting butter sticks in our coffee? To every meek “I do everything by the rules, yet don’t lose a single pound” there is a scolding “You must be doing something wrong, because it worked for me,” cheerful “Continue doing it, it will work,” or consoling “You are getting healthier, that’s what matters.”
Zealotry in Nutrition
Reading Robb Wolf’s recently published brilliant book Wired to Eat, I was immediately struck by the remark he made at the beginning. It touched on the theme that bothered me for a while. Here is a quote, and see if it sounds true to you as well:
Perhaps even more frustrating, however, was the tendency for folks who actually followed the Paleo diet to turn the general concepts into quasi-religious doctrine. Folks newly converted to Paleo tended to be quite dogmatic in the insistence that this was “the one true way” to eat. Often, these devotees had reversed serious health problems with this way of eating, so their enthusiasm was understandable, but not many people enjoy the company of or the message from someone who comes across as a holier-than-thou diet zealot.
Fermented Carrots
This has to be the easiest ferment I’ve ever done. I stumbled onto it while looking for something to replace the sauerkraut in those couple months when the previous crop of cabbage best suitable for fermenting is out and a new one is not in yet. Not that you couldn’t make it, but the kick is weaker than I like, and I am always curious about something new. Sure, brined cucumbers are always here, and it’s my long-standing favorite, but curiosity… what can I say, cats are my favorite animals for a reason. But back to carrots.
Weight Loss and Blood Sugar Progress, Visualized
This is an update to the older post with new blood sugar test information, showing the progress since publishing the book. As a threat of regaining the weight and holding the blood sugar in check remain a concern for many, I thought such an update would be helpful.
Low Carb Wheat-Free Pancakes Two Ways
There are countless recipes for the low carb/keto pancakes floating all over the Internet, some of them great, some not so much. Here are two that I like; one is on a softer side and another with a bit grittier texture. Both are very easy to make and lend themselves to any kind of topping, from sour cream to berries.
Exercise for Weight Loss – Needed or Not?
If you read my posts regularly (or any LCHF/keto/IF authors, advocates, and community boards for that matter), you know I don’t believe in CICO approach (CICO stands for Calories In Calories Out, as in “eat less and move more, and you will lose weight”). So intuitive, so common, so broadly believed – and dead wrong. If you still have doubts about that, raise your hand and I will gladly point out a few sources that help see why this approach doesn’t work. Or just look around – see many people who managed to implement that idea successfully despite many decades of it being promoted?