Low-Carb Challenge

This is a blog about healthy eating.

And yet, in the last month, I have blogged about pizza, French fries, pie, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and chips.

Healthy versions of these things – yes -- but pizza, French fries, pie, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, and chips nonetheless.

I stepped on the scale yesterday to discover that I had gained four pounds over the holidays.

Yikes. Time to reign it in.

January’s challenge will be to make my meals lower in carbs.

Yes, there are good carbs and bad carbs. I already use whole grains and avoid refined sugar (I challenge you to find a speck of white flour or a single grain of refined sugar in any of the above-mentioned recipes). But having recently lost 40 pounds on a low-carb diet, I know that my body needs more protein and less carbs (of any type) in order to lose weight. It may be different for everyone, but low-carb is what works for me.

When I say low-carb, I’m also talking about relatively low-fat. I don’t eat bacon as part of a low-carb diet. My low-carb diet involves two servings of whole-grains or complex carbs (for example, a slice of Ezekiel bread and half of a large baked potato) per day, and one serving of fruit per day. I also allow myself up to two servings of beans/nuts/legumes, which supply protein along with some carbs. The rest of my diet consists of pretty much unlimited quantities of vegetables, lean proteins (egg whites, chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc.), and low-fat or non-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.). I consider this a healthy and balanced way to eat, rather than an extreme or faddish low-carb diet.

In addition to my low-carb challenge, I’ve also re-committed to my exercise regimen. I am doing the P90X program again (I am already a P90X graduate, having completed the program once already) and have committed with friends to run the Saint Patrick’s Day 8K race in Washington DC on March 11th.

Vegetables and exercise – I’m planning to lose weight the old fashioned way!