Top 10 Reasons Why I Love Low-Carb

The top 10 reasons why I love low-carb, in no particular order:

1) When exercising I don't spend the first 20 minutes burning off glycogen. Since I am already burning fat for energy, I start out burning fat and burn fat throughout my whole workout. On low-carb I burn as much fat in 20 minutes as a low-fat dieter does in 40 minutes. :)

2) Low-carb was the natural human diet before the advent of agriculture 10,000 years ago. We are made to eat fat and protein and only some carbohydrates. In fact, carbohydrates are not needed for survival; fat and protein are. I want to give my body what it needs, not what it doesn't need.

3) I no longer crave desserts and other sugary things like I used to. And when I drop down to 40g of carbs a day I lose all cravings. I practically sailed through Christmas surrounded by all the sweets and carby things at work and church because...well, I just didn't want them. That was such a feeling of freedom from addiction!

4) I actually crave healthy food and whole grains. I used to hate whole wheat bread. Now I can't imagine why I ever ate white. Now I eat only 100% whole wheat with sugar low on the ingredients list (a small amount of sugar is needed to activate the yeast).

5) I had no idea how much sugar everyday products have in them. Who woulda thunk that BBQ sauce is pure sugar? Or that most yogurt is full of added sugars? Or that a potato is the same as a mound of pure sugar to your body (your body sees no difference). Yike! Without these added sugars and starchy foods in my diet my blood sugar - and therefore my energy - are stable throughout the day.

6) I'm more in touch with my body and my cravings. I discovered I really do get mild PMS cravings - cravings that used to be undetectable because I was so addicted to sugar that I craved it all the time. Now I know it's the chocolate I want and that a sugar free chocolate bar will kill the craving just as well as a Hershey bar.

7) I started in at a size 18 and am now a size 8/10 (depending on brand). I have never been this small my entire adult life!

8) I get plenty of protein in my diet to protect and build muscle, keeping my metabolism up.

9) I get to eat delicious fatty foods that taste so much better than the fat free crap many people put in their bodies. I can eat whole eggs, bacon, cheese, and other products that people on low-fat can't eat. :)

10) My cholesterol numbers have improved, with my LDL (bad cholesterol) dropping and my HDL (good cholesterol) skyrocketing. This resulted in my heart attack risk going down from 3.4 to 2.2.

Technorati tagged: atkins, diet, Atkins diet, low carb, weight loss, health, health and wellness, food, obesity, nutrition, diary, life, cholesterol, top 10