Low Carbing

My weight loss journey began as an uphill battle. I literally did everything by the book, yet all my efforts were met with frustration. I was breaking my neck exercising, counting calories, not eating fried foods, drinking lots of water, chomping on fruits and veggies, yet, I was still struggling.

And even worse, I would loose a pound today and gain it back the following day. Or loose four and gain back two. My weight was see-sawing all over the place and after struggling on my own for so long, I decided to seek professional help.

I went to see my GP. I told him despite my lifestyle modifications I still wasn't seeing any results. He recommended that I increase my protein intake and cut down my carbs and put me on Orlistat. It's a drug that gets rid of a third of fat from foods. It wasn't until I got home that I realized I forgot to tell him I don't eat fatty foods. I rarely eat fried food. At most once in two weeks. Well, this got me thinking... if I don't eat fatty foods, where is all the fat coming from?

I started researching and came across the evils of sugar and refined carbohydrates. I discovered that most sugars and simple carbohydrates get converted to fat. And all of them are empty calories; with no nutritional value whatsoever. Not only that, they mess with the body's hormonal system, and that's the last thing you want if you have PCOS.

Thus I had absolutely no problem eliminating the 'Empty Foods' from my diet. But I was still eating white rice, potatoes, pasta and bread, on a daily basis (evil, evil whole wheat bread!). And my situation didn't change much until I was introduced to the Low GI/GI Load diet. Suddenly it clicked, and everything made sense. It wasn't until I kicked this food group out that I really suffered from carb/sugar withdrawal syndrome. It seemed while I had eliminated sugar, the white rice, et al, were still padding my body's cravings... because they are essentially sugar!

Thanks to Crystal Tulips for introducing me to the Glycemic Load Diet by Rob Thompson. It was he that made clear the link between excessive sugar & starch intake and the worsening of PCOS symptoms. The way he put it me made me understand that the GI diet wasn't just another fad diet out there. And that for one who is serious about loosing weight and keeping it off, it is the ONLY sustainable, long-term diet!