Well, with Thanksgiving now under our belt (literally), and at the risk of sounding hypocritical, I thought I’d share with what we’re doing in terms of weight-watching these days.
As many of you know, we have followed the Atkins Low-Carb plan for the past 5 weeks. (Our results are discussed at the end of this article.)
As of yesterday, we’re trying something new called the “Roller Coaster Diet”.
You’ve probably heard of it.
You may have even been on it yourself a few times.
How The Roller Coaster Diet Works
In all honesty, it’s not much fun sticking to one type of diet and eating the same menu items over and over, regardless of WHICH type of weight loss program you’re on. The urge is great to eventually get out of line and sabotage your diet progress. To avoid that, we made a conscious decision to jump OFF the Low-Carb train and jump ON to the Low-Fat bus.
Either way you look at it, we’re still eating healthier than we were before. Yet, now we’re looking forward to a whole new array of foods that we’re “allowed” to eat and different menus that we can try out.
Our plan is to do the Low-Fat thing for a month or so at a time, then go back on the Low-Carb thing for a month or so, etc. etc. Hence the name: “Roller Coaster Diet.”
The result will be: variety!
And at the same time: healthy weight loss/maintenance.
Low-Carb VS Low-Fat
Now, obviously we’re not doctors or weight-loss experts by any means, and there are probably a million and one reasons why we shouldn’t do this. But we think there might be something to this “Roller Coaster Diet” idea… for us at least. And, there’s at least one group of researchers that agrees with us!
If nothing else, it’s got to be better for us than the typical diet most Americans follow — eating all we want, of anything we want, whenever we want. Don’t you think?
We see advantages to both plans (Low-Carb and Low-Fat) in and of themselves, and we enjoy the foods and menu items associated with each approach. Here’s what the experts are saying about Low-Fat vs Low-Carb.
Just the same, everything has its faults. On the Low-Carb plan, you’re eating foods that are very high in fat. And on the Low-Fat plan, you’re eating foods that have very high carbohydrate counts. Extremes of either can be detrimental to your overall health and well-being.
For our “Roller Coaster Diet”, we’re aiming for the best of both worlds, seeking out Low-Fat foods that are also low in carbs.
Our Progress Report
Keep in mind, the fact that we’ve switched from Low-Carb to Low-Fat doesn’t mean we’re bashing the Atkins thing or giving the impression that it doesn’t work. Truth is, we knew going in that we would only follow the Low-Carb way of life for a few weeks. Five weeks seemed just the right amount of time for us.
In that short amount of time, Jim lost nearly 20 pounds (he’s got access to a scale at work) following the Atkins plan!
While I haven’t a clue about pounds or inches (due to lack of a scale or the desire to be scaled), I know that my face thinned out a bit, and I can now tie my shoes more comfortably! But seriously, for me it was always about how I feel and how my clothes fit, more than it was ever about a number.
Summary
Following one diet plan — no matter which particular diet it is — gets boring and monotonous after awhile (about 5 weeks to be exact). Everyone needs a little variety in life, and that includes in your diet as well.
We think this “Roller Coaster Diet” approach is right up our alley. And with Christmas just 4 weeks away, that seems like a perfect amount of time to concentrate on a Low-Fat way of life for a change.
(Now, we just need to get the books printed & start making millions marketing our new “Roller Coaster Diet”! C’mon, you know it would sell. Everyone’s looking for the next great fad diet to try.)
COMING SOON: Our “beef” with the Low-Fat plan, plus helpful tips for following a Low-Fat diet, including our favorite Low-Fat recipes.
Professionally, I pursued my Masters Degree in Family Therapy at Texas Tech — where I obtained invaluable expertise and experience helping people with a wide variety of physical and emotional health issues. Personally, I think it's useful when people realize that they're not the only one going through a difficult time. So any time that I think my personal health experiences would be helpful to someone else going through the same thing, I will share my story here. With health issues that I've personally experienced (like Endometriosis, Lyme Disease, Hysterectomy, Skin Cancer, Ganglion Cysts, Autism, and other topics that very few people enjoy talking about) and health products that I've found beneficial (like sleep aids, essential oils, and medications)… I do my best to provide my own raw and honest firsthand experiences that I think others would appreciate hearing about and (hopefully) find helpful. I'm grateful that I have a number of friends who have also been willing to share their very personal stories here — regarding their own physical and emotional health. When I'm not writing about health topics, you will find me sharing Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
