Remember the Twinkie Diet guy? He was a professor who decided to try out an experiment. For 2 months he ate nothing but Twinkies, Oreos and Doritos and lost 27 lbs.
He lost the weight by restricting calories, eating only 1400 calories per day (he also took a multivitamin and a protein shake to make sure he had some daily nutrition.)
It goes to show that you can eat anything you want and still lose weight as long as you are using at least one of the 3 main approaches to keeping your insulin low. The question of eating “bad” foods come up a lot with people asking if it’s okay to eat cheesecake or chips while trying to lose weight.
The answer is a confident yes. Of course this Twinkie guy’s diet is not sustainable but enjoying junk food definitely is.
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AN ASIDE
After that story (i.e. publicity stunt) went viral, people in the calorie counting camp buzzed with European, soccer-holliganism intensity and universally cried, “See! I told you so! A calorie is a calorie and that’s all that matters.”
The diet world has become political, which unfortunately detracts from back and forth dialogue and exchange of ideas . While eating less does does lead to weight loss, there are many other variables involved. And so you have to ask yourself:
– Will I plateau at one point if I simply cut calories? If so what then?
– How come there are people that eat more and still lose weight (low carbers)?
– Can I sustain calorie restriction over the long haul?
So it’s really difficult to make the statement that calorie reduction is THE WAY. As if it’s the only tool needed and that no more talk is necessary.
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“Why are you eating that Cake? I thought you were on a Diet?”
So how do you work cake into your diet? Again, it’s about insulin control. Use one or more of the 3 approaches to lose weight and you can weave junk food in and out of your diet and look forward to eating instead of feeling resigned every time you sit at the table.
For example, if you modified “what” you ate and went the low carb route then you’d simply eat low carb desserts like sugar free chocolate pudding or fruit with heavy cream and sweetener.
If you modified how much you ate then you’d be eating less on some days and more on others. In this case you’d make sure to eat that cheery cobbler on the days you eat more.
If you modified when you ate then you could have that Boston Cream doughnut at the end of the day right after supper.
It always comes down to insulin regulation and those three approaches mentioned are the mechanism through which you lose weight and enjoy your diet at the same time.
MINDSET
The hardest part for many people when changing the way they eat is getting themselves oriented around the way to go about it.
We’re entrenched in the 1980s Fat-is-bad, calories should be low and do aerobics mentality. This newer way forward is going to take some time to sink in because of all the resistance from the past, and because of the political nature of dieting these days.
That’s okay. You’re here which means your mind is open and you’re moving in the right direction. Relax and enjoy the ride.
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THE EATING LOVE GUIDE (FREE)
The Eating Love Guide has helped many people regain control of their eating patterns, resulting not only in weight loss but also better health and improved self-esteem. To read it online, click here.
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