He Said: Weekend Chef here. About a month ago, I wrote a book review for Why We Get Fat: And What To Do About It by Gary Taubes. I decided after reading the book that I was going to give a carb-reduced lifestyle a go as a long-term plan. The goal for me wasn’t weight reduction (although the extra Disney World weight from August had to go). I was seeking, to start, a scientific participation in the solution to our global obesity epidemic. No small goal there! I truly believed that the solutions presented in the book were realistic, viable and hopefully sustainable. The task was simple enough: eliminate all sugar and carbs while maintaining no calorie or fat intake restrictions. I started eating primarily meats and cheeses and vegetables and nuts. I kept up the 99% carb elimination over the first 3-4 weeks, lost several pounds and felt pretty darned good overall. The hardest part was finding enough to eat around the house and outside the house. Given enough supplies, I happily keep up eating in this fashion. I’m not out to torture myself, though, so I make the occasional exceptions here and there. Some naan when we’re out for Indian. A bite of treats with the kids. I still believe food and life are for enjoying, but if my general health benefits from reasonable lifestyle changes, I believe I will do my best to see it through.
She said: I have been pretty good about accepting the Weekend Chef’s new diet. The kids and I aren’t partaking in this carb-reduced diet. However, when grocery shopping, I buy all of the Weekend Chef’s weekly requests including hummus, nuts, olives, pickles and cheese. This diet might have increased our weekly grocery bill by several dollars. However, it’s all for a good cause! I don’t cook a separate meal for the Weekend Chef but even this past week, we all had turkey burgers over a bed of arugula instead of on a hamburger bun. However, tonight, I’m making a Pumpkin French Toast Bake, which is definitely not diet friendly. So, the Weekend Chef will end up eating leftovers of something else this week. The kids are aware of their dad’s diet. However, this past weekend when their uncle brought them a special dessert when babysitting them, they saved some of the chocolate mousse and strawberry cake for us to try. They know we love trying new foods and wanted us to have a taste. Although he’s trying to abstain from sugar, the Weekend Chef might have had some of those desserts. This diet is a lifestyle change. I don’t purposefully flaunt sugar and carbs in front of him. However, if I’m having something new or we’re out to eat, I’ll always offer him a taste. And he usually tries just a bite. As he has told me, he’s not going to deprive himself on special occasions. Overall, his diet hasn’t been too difficult to adjust to as a family. While I commend him, I just can’t go the no carbs, no sugar route.
Have any of you made any long-term diet changes? How has it affected, if at all, your enjoyment of food?
Please share in the comments section.
Great for the Weekend Chef. I fully support since I was strictly wheat-free for about a month! I decided that it wasn’t a long-term thing for me, so I’m less strict, eating pizza and rice and noodles but still trying to minimize it. I notice that when I eat wheat, my sinuses flare up terribly. And hey, I want to keep off the 8 lbs I’ve already lost being wheat-free. Also, I eat less on the “diet”. No more terrible snacking, during the day and late-night.