The new plan

Last time I lost a lot of weight, I did it using a low-carb approach. I believe in the benefit of reducing the consumption of carbs that convert to sugar very, very quickly. Carbs that convert to sugar (glucose) quickly causes our pancreas to release insulin to move the glucose from our blood into our cells. This release of insulin is what triggers the body to store fat. This constant production of insulin is also a factor in insulin resistance, which is why we're seeing so many people becoming diabetics.

How will I do it this time? My plan is reduce simple carbohydrates like pasta, bread, sugar, rice and increase fruits, vegetable and exercise. There's nothing earth shattering about this plan, but I do have a couple of fairly unique plans for this.

I'm adding green smoothies to my diet, which means I'm going to replace one or more meals each day with a green smoothie made of 60% fruit and 40% leafy greens like spinach and kale.

I need to add that I'm a skeptic by nature. I don't believe most of the nutritional hype that I see on the internet. Many people who ascribe to the doctrine of green smoothies and juicing wheatgrass believe that consuming these type of nutrients constantly repairs and heals the body. I think that's true to an extent, but what I think is more true is that by eating healthily, we are poisoning ourselves less. That is the biggest benefit of eating healthy. Nutrition is not a magic bullet to heal the body. The key to healing our bodies is to stop poisoning it with things that make it malfunction.

Health Revisited

I started this blog several years ago during a successful attempt to lose 40 lbs. I ended up losing 60 lbs and finally got to see six-pack abs, a life-long dream. Sadly, over time, I gained a lot of it back. It's a common story, but that doesn't make it any better. I never completely lost all of the good habits I learned. It started with a lack of consistency. Then, I ignored my good eating habits almost entirely, and when I remembered them, I seemed to have a special event every week that justified over indulgence. I'm writing this to myself. I doubt 20 people will ever come to this blog and read it. I hope I will be one of them.

This is a message to my future self. "Hey dumbass! Yes, you-- the guy typing this. When you get fat, you look like a slob and your health suffers terribly. Your blood pressure goes up and your back starts to ache. And now that you're older, your blood sugar is starting to creep up. Get back on path!"

Okay, I'm back on path.

Cartoon from this link