Holiday Carbing

I decided to allow myself to eat carbs (within reason) during the time between 12/22 and New Year's Day.

What did I eat?

Well, the first thing I really had to have was a bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats.  Everyone else was having a bowl, and they just sounded so crunchy and delicious.  I enjoyed them.

I ate a couple of pastry items I associate with Christmas, a German stollen and a Danish Kringle.  I enjoyed every morsel of sweet, floury goodness.

I allowed myself to have everything on the Christmas Eve buffet: the baked potato, the salad topped with sugared walnuts, crackers and cheese.  Yes, I did.  And I had the cheesecake dessert.

My son's girlfriend sent over some Christmas cookies, and I ate enough of those to be able to tell her how delicious they were.

And today I ate my favorite snack:  Nutella on a tortilla shell.  Yum.

Finally, I gave each of the kids some Starbucks hot cocoa, and one didn't like it.  So I had a couple of cups of that.

Otherwise, there really isn't anything I'm craving.  That's what I like best about not eating carbs.  I get to feel sated.

Though I might have just one more bowl of Frosted Mini Wheats.

Christmas update!

This morning I finally remembered to weigh myself before having my tea and breakfast, and I'm happy to report I've lost thirteen pounds.

On the work front, I've been migraine-free.  I felt a headache on both Monday and Tuesday, but both responded to Aleve and/or Excedrin Migraine, and once I adjusted to the schedule, I had no pain at all.

Taking my lunch has also be surprisingly easy.  There's a small fridge in the classroom (because when Amber returns she'll be a nursing mom and will need it), so I can keep my tuna salad there all week.  I take celery sticks to eat with the tuna plus a cut up apple and peanut butter for dessert.  I've taken leftover ham, cut into chunks, plus two cheese-sticks and some edamame beans.  I got around the need to bring a salt shaker by taking a plastic container with the salt thrown in.  After I'd nuked the edamame, I emptied the packet into the plastic container and shook it up to distribute the sale.

I'm allowing myself to enjoy some carbs while the kids are home, although Graham's girlfriend made me some delicious coconut balls that are super lo-carb.  I'll have what everyone else is having tonight at Grandma's and tomorrow for our Christmas breakfast.

And today I might bake some cookies.

Merry Christmas, everyone!!

Start working full time on Monday!

I have been extremely fortunate and will begin a long-term sub assignment on Monday.  I was concerned about the number of storm-related headaches I've been having, so I went to the doctor to get my Axert prescription updated. 

And then realized I've been drinking more caffiene in the past few months.  Gee, I wonder if that was a factor?

Effective yesterday, I'm watching the caffiene intake like a hawk!  I had been drinking more coffee and even more tea.  I'm now limiting myself to two cups of tea each morning.

Effective today, I've purchased (Group Health covers only the generics) seven Axert tablets for $204.00.  That's about $30 per pill.  On the other hand, I make about $187 for each day of sub work.  I think it's worth $30 to be able to go in and earn that amount.

A Stormy Fall

We had a lovely summer here in the Seattle area, but now that fall is here, Mother Nature is taking revenge.  We've had one rainstorm after another, and each one has given me a migraine.  The low-carb diet that seemed to work wonders in the pleasant summer sunshine is no longer protecting me.  I need an abortive.

I've gone so long without taking any Axert that I can't get a prescription at Group Health.  Today I got up (very late, had a headache) and logged on to the site so I could choose a new personal physician and schedule an appointment.  Whew!

I'm concerned because I am about to start a long-term sub assignment at a local middle school.  I'll be covering for a teacher I really admire, and I want to do my very best work.  My best work includes arriving each day on time.  Which I can't do with these constant headaches.

A quick note about Thanksgiving:  I ate whatever I wanted on Thursday and Friday and Saturday AND Sunday.  Then I went back to lo-carb eating on Monday.  I think it worked well.  I enjoyed candied yams, stuffing, a fabulous sweet-potato pie baked by my son, grandma's apple pie and pumpkin pie, and a nice little scoop of ice cream.  And when it was over, I happily returned to my lo-carb diet.

Sustainability

One of my friends, on reading a recent post, asked, "Is that way of eating sustainable?"

To my surprise, the answer is "Yes!"

I've been avoiding carbs since July.  Occasionally I have a hankering for some coffee cake or a bowl of cereal, but otherwise this diet offers something other diets don't:  satisfaction.

When I ate low-fat, high-fiber diets, I was always hungry, always looking through the cupboards for something low in calories to eat.  I felt deprived.  I obsessed about food, always thinking about my next meal, my next snack.

On this eating plan, I eat my fill at each meal.  I know I can have as much as I want.  When snack time rolls around, I enjoy a handful of nuts, or an apple (dunked in peanut butter sometimes) or a few bites of cheese.

On my birthday, I allowed myself a piece of fresh bread with dinner, and of course ate dessert.  When eating with friends, I split a dessert. As Thanksgiving approaches, I intend to have a spoonful of sweet potatoes, a slice of pie, some stuffing.

Our pantry shelves are gradually emptying out as the kids take away our carbs.  On our son's last visit, he packed up all but one box of pasta.

Packing lunches for work has been easier than I expected.  I pack a sliced apple (is the Honey Crisp Apple the best invention ever?), a little peanut butter for dunking, and last night's leftovers.  If there aren't any leftovers, I pack a few stalks of celery and some tuna salad.  (I avoid taking nuts to school because some kids have severe peanut allergies.)  Sometimes I pack cheese.  It's working.

One factor that helps quite a lot is that my husband and I are both eating this way.  I'd like to say the synergy is what makes it work, but really, the reason it helps is that I'm not buying one set of groceries for him and another for myself.  At mealtimes, we both eat the same thing.

So yes, I can sustain this plan.

Oh, and I've lost eleven pounds.

I'b god a code

So what do I do?

In the past, whenever I had a cold, I treated myself to a large, steaming mug of tea with a teaspoon of lemon juice and two teaspoons of sugar.  Without the sugar, I can't quite do the lemon juice.

I'd begin the day with pancakes (or crepes) so that I could swallow down many tablespoons of lovely maple syrup.  Oooooh, that felt good.

Later, I'd make a batch of rice pudding.  With white rice, no less.  I'd cook the white rice and milk until the rice was just about to disintegrate, add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar, sprinkle with cinnamon, and nutmeg.  I'd throw in a handful of raisins.  Atop each serving I'dd add more raisins, more brown sugar.  Pecans.  Cream. Carbs, carbs, carbs, and cream.

Without carbs I'm drinking plain black tea.  I've had an Airborne (didn't check the carbs on that) and will eat my usual cottage cheese and fruit breakfast.

What else is good to eat when a lo-carb eater has a cold?

Headache!

Got a headache on Friday.  It's news because it's my first headache since mid-July, and here it is mid-September.

This is a good reminder that there is no 'cure' for migraines.  There are only strategies for coping with them.

I believe I got the headache for two reasons:  I had my period.  This is the first cycle I've experienced on only 50 mg of Nortriptyline, so it's not surprising I had a little headache pain.  Also, I just wasn't hungry from late Thursday to early Saturday, so naturally I got a headache for eating so light.

What kind of headache was it?  I'd say it was about a 2 or 3 on the pain scale.  It was so slight that I ignored all the early signs, "treating" it with caffiene and snacks.  By nightfall I needed to Excedrin Migraine and in the middle of the night I took two more (with a Mylanta tablet).

Lesson learned.

Barometric Pressure

I don't know the exact relationship, but when the clouds roll in and it begins to rain, I've typically gotten a migraine.

For a while we had one of those hang-on-the-wall weather information plaques that told me whether the barometer was rising or falling, but I never quite determined which weather bothered me.  Was is the lowered pressure?  Was it the change to the pressure?  Was it something else entirely?  I don't know.

Well, the clouds have rolled in and my magical lo-carb diet continues to protect me. 

I should be clear about something, though.

I'm still taking 50 mg of Nortriptyline each night.  And a handful of vitamins and supplements.  The diet isn't my only weapon here.  I intend to experiment a bit by adding in a few carbs (I want some fruit juice!) to see if I notice a change in the headaches.  I also need to spend some time working to see if I can successfully pack a lo-carb lunch.

But I've cut my Nortriptyline in half.  And I've got the energy of a normal person.  I like it.

Energy--Passion--Vigor--Gusto--Zest

I've made three changes recently.  I've stopped eating sugar.  I've stopped eating gluten.  I've cut my dose of Nortriptyline in half.

And been rewarded with a gratifying dose of energy.

Ever since starting on Topamax in 2009, I've experienced lethargy in one form or another.  On Topamax, nicknamed Dopamax, I was just plain tired.  If I sat in a chair, I'd fall asleep.  The fatigue was so bad that I slowly dropped my dosage down to 25 mg, the lowest possible dose. 

After deciding Topamax wasn't for me, I switched to Nortriptyline.  I wasn't tired, but I became listless.  I spent days on end in my recliner.  If I felt any stray energy, I channelled it into my work.

But yesterday I felt the way I used to feel.  I felt like making the bed.  I felt like reorganizing the shelves in my closet.  I felt like dusting them.  I felt like putting away clean laundry.  I felt like running to the store for more storage bins.  I felt like organizing the hall closet.  I felt the same way again today!!  I took apart our bed and washed the dust ruffle.  I vacuumed under the bed and even behind it.  When my husband gets home, we'll flip the mattress.  I ran an errand.  I organized all my knitting yarn.  I started a load of laundry.

Was it the sugar?  Was it the gluten?  Was it the drugs?

I don't know.  But I do know this:  I like it.

Six Pounds

I got on the scale this morning, something I try not to do each day, and discovered I've lost six pounds.  This is amazing.

When I devoted my life to fitness and low-fat, high-fiber eating, I lost nine pounds in six months, or a pound and a quarter each month.  And I was exhausted.

I've now lost three pounds per month and I feel pretty good.

Oh, and I cut my nightly dose of nortriptyline in half.

Regular Headaches

I had some headaches this week that weren't migraines.  This is extremely unusual for me. I had them because my head hurt.  But to explain this, I'll have to back up a bit.

I have sensitivities.  I tried for years to pretend these sensitivities didn't exist, but learned eventually to treat them with care.

I have sensitive skin.  "Medicated" lotions hurt my skin.  I need extra emolient lotions, such as those with shea butter, to soothe my skin.  Jojoba oil also works well.

I have sensitive teeth.  I brush daily with Sensodyne and occasionally use the prescription toothpase my dentist gives me.  After any procedure, such as a cap or a filling, the affected tooth is extra-sensitive for weeks.

I have a sensitive scalp.  Many shampoos make my head itch.  I use Sebulex occasionally to fight the weepy rash that forms at the crown.  Enough about that.

And my food-processing system is also sensitive. I'm lactose-intolerant. I've got seasonal allergies and some food allergies. I'm allergic to Midol. I've got exercise-induced asthma.  I am big fun on vacation, where I can't walk too far and have to quiz waiters on the contents of my food.

But worst of all is my sensitive skin.  It's virtually translucent except for the freckles.  And when my immigrant parents, who survived World War II, found themselves living in Charleston, South Carolina in the early Sixties, they spent ages at the beach soaking up the sun and the surf.  Me, I burned to a crisp.  I remember burns that gave me fevers, chills, and shivers.  At the time, the only treatment was to apply cold cream and wait it out.

I was eleven when I noticed the first strange bump:  a pearlized patch of skin with a slight depression in the center.  It sat there, to the right of my nose, neither changing nor healing, until I was nineteen and living in a college dorm.  I'd exit the shower to the sounds of other girls crying "Ewww..."  My spot had bled in the shower.  And it wasn't standard facial bleeding.  Instead of a trickle of red blood, a single dark droplet hung from the depressed center of my bump.  I appeared to be leaking motor oil.

That was my first basal cell carcinoma.  It's very unusual to notice a bump at age eleven.  BCC is common among Senior Citizens, not sixth-graders.  The BCC is the most benign of the skin cancers, and when it's not a pearly bump it's a sore that won't heal.  I've now had a total of five of these, and two required follow-up surgery.  This past week, I had the second of the two follow-up surgeries.  Also, I turned fifty-two, so I'm finally the 'right' age to get these things.

Most spots are no big deal, but this BCC sat between the bridge of my nose and my right eye, where there's very little extra skin to work with.  Removal required the expertise of a dermatologist AND an opthamologist.

On day one, I went to Group Health to have the cancer removed and examined by the dermatologist.  First, they gave me lidocaine.  I have a love/hate relationship with lidocaine.  It's significantly better than the novocaine that made me cry and made my teeth chatter.  But it still burns, and I still need more shots than the average person.  (Irony:  I'm apparently not "sensitive" where lidocaine is concerned.)  The doctor took one layer out, examined it, and found cancer cells at one edge.  So she went in again for another layer, and examined that one.  It was clear on all sides.  They bandaged me up and sent me home.

On day two, I went to Virginia Mason for the stitches from the opthamologist.  More lidocaine, but this time the nurse massaged me a bit during the shots.  Also, when the doctor began "undermining," he hit a spot that wasn't numbed.  Eeek!!  More lidocaine!  Undermining is just what it sounds like:  the doctor separates the skin around the wound from the layer underneath it, which allows him to pull the sparse skin together.  This is what causes the eventual swelling.  Fortune smiled on us that day:  he thought he would need to grab a skin patch from my eyelid, but was instead able to simply close the wound.

The following day was a bit of a blur.  My right eye swelled completely shut and the skin of my eyelid and its environs turned a lovely shade of fuschia.  I spent most of the day with a cloth-covered ice cube on my eyelid, though when I removed it my eyelid and the bridge of my nose still felt hot to the touch.  I took a Percocet, and took a nap.

Today, the swelling is down, but the color remains.  I'm still pressing an ice cube on the area, but it's no longer hot to the touch.  I was told to avoid reading and the computer and television (leaving what, I wondered) and noticed that if I tried to do any of the three it hurt, like a "regular headache."

So there you go.  Now I know what it's like to get a regular headache.

So what do you eat??

My biggest worry about eating no carbs (and let's clear one thing up right away:  I have been eating some low-carb fruit.  I'm eating *virtually* no carbs.  But it's extremely difficult to eat *no* carbs.)

Where was I?

Right--my biggest worry about this eating plan was that I didn't know what I'd eat for my meals.

Breakfast was a challenge.  I had been eating natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast for ages, and was reluctant to give it up.  A friend happened to mention that she ate frozen blueberries on cottage cheese, so I tried it.  I love it!  And eating it each morning is no more or less boring than eating peanut butter on whole wheat toast.  While they are in season, I'm adding fresh raspberries and strawberries.

I usually eat some leftovers for lunch, but worried I wouldn't have enough leftovers.  We keep frozen hamburger patties on hand, and these make the perfect lunch.  I cook mine in my Cuisinart grill (I love this thing), top it with cheddar cheese, and eat it with a sliced tomato or a packet of edamame.  This is so filling and satisfying that I often don't want dinner.

For our dinners, my husband and I are eating many of the same things night after night.  But that's OK for now.  We'll grill some steaks or some salmon (thank you, Costco) with sauteed onions.  Some nights, we throw chicken breasts in the Cuisinart and eat them with peanut sauce.  We are glad we can continue to eat my home-made Caesar salads (my dressing is lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper).  We keep field greens and tomatoes on hand to make salads with our leftover meat.  Recently I made Beef Stroganoff and served it without the noodles.  Wonderful!  There are other meals that we normally eat over rice or mashed potatoes or pasta that we can still eat:  Chicken Marsala.  Garlic Chicken.  The possibilities are endless, and I expect we will eat them when the weather cools.

If we're not particularly hungry at mealtime, we often make up a batch of tuna salad and eat it with celery.  Of course, celery and peanut butter makes a fine snack.  We eat beef jerky or cheese or nuts.  These snacks are so filling that we seldom find ourselves wanting more.

I still miss juice.  I haven't had soda in ages, and had turned to lemonade and apple juice (cut with half water) to quench my thirst.  Right now it's water, herbal tea, or coffee.  Once I've lost some weight, I will try to add this particular carb back in.

But that's really all I miss.  And I don't miss the headaches.

Can you really live without carbs?

I think many people avoid this diet because it's so hard to imagine life without that familiar bowl of cereal for breakfast.  It's hard to think of a lunch sans sandwich.  And so many wonderful dinner entrees sit on a bed of pasta or rice.  Finally, there's that dessert.  We love our desserts.  Giving all this up sounds hard.

But you know what's hard?  Giving up alcohol was hard.  It's a social activity.  Whenever I got together with co-workers after work, they sneered when I didn't order wine.  They'd ask why I was drinking water or juice.  It feels weird.  But I learned to be brief.  "I have migraines," I'd say.  Then, they'd ask about the headaches instead of my weird beverage choices.

When I confirmed that soy sauce and processed meats really do give me headaches, I thought it would be hard to give them up.  I live in the Pacific Northwest, where we love our teriyaki chicken.  Our family probably got some form of teriyaki take-out three times a month.  Or more.  And giving up processed meats meant giving up those healthy Subway sandwiches that my children loved.  Well, guess what?  Not having headaches is pretty fun, too.

Having my period without the associated migraine is also fun.  And that's what I get from eating no-carb.  Virtually no headaches.

Sure, I miss sugar.  I mainlined hot tea with sugar for years.  But I can drink it without.  I miss my square of dark chocolate after meals.  But I can live without it.  And I really miss fruit juice.  That's going to be the first thing I add back in once I have lost some weight.  But I'm full after each meal.  And if I'm not, I eat a piece of cheese.

I'm not getting headaches.  I can live without the carbs.

Happy Birthday to me!

Today was my birthday but as it's a Thursday the full celebration is still to come.

On Monday two dear friends made me a lovely dinner.  I ate a piece of delicious artisan bread and had some three-bean salad but otherwise stayed carb free.  I happily ate a serving of strawberry shortcake, knowing one treat wouldn't destroy a whole eating plan.

Today I had lunch with my mother-in-law and daughter at a local Thai restaurant.  No Thai iced tea or coffee; the sugar can't be removed.  But my Swimming Rama was pretty carb free:  spinach, chicken, peanut sauce.  Though that sauce tasted pretty sweet.

The birthday meal will be served on Saturday when my son is home.  He's bringing my mom over and I'm hoping he'll smoke some ribs I got at Costco earlier this week.  And there may be a delicious dessert.

Otherwise, this eating plan suits me.  I'm not craving anything (except for fruit juice) and I don't seem to be getting any headaches.

Yippee!

Olympics Headaches

I woke up Sunday and Monday mornings with headaches and finally figured out why.

When I woke Sunday, I felt sure the barometer must have dropped.  This diet has kept headaches at bay so well; why would I have one on a weekend morning?

Then this morning, I woke up with an even worse headache.

And then it hit me:  both nights I had failed to go to bed at the same time as usual, and both mornings I woke up many hours after normal.

That going to bed and rising at the same time trigger really affects me.  I need to remember it before I stay up later, even if it's to watch the Olympics.

Weight loss? Uh, not really.

I remain frustrated with the needle on my scale.

But that's the only problem I have with this carb-free diet.

I've been virtually headache-free since starting it.

I haven't wanted a nap since I started eating this way.

And I feel thinner.  I feel as if clothes are not as tight.  Am I hallucinating?  I don't know.

Two Pounds!

I got a nice surprise this morning on the scale:  244.  I've lost two pounds.

That's about a pound a week, and I'm happy with that.  Remember that in my most recent 'diet' or weight loss attempt I lost nine pounds in six months.  That wasn't even two pounds per month.

And I'm not hungry.  I feel satisfied.  Enjoying celery sticks and peanut butter for lunch.

I did wake with a headache this morning, however.  Clouds had rolled in and the barometer dropped.  Grrr...

The Menstrual Report

My period ended today.  During the entire period, I needed Excedrin Migraine just three times.  And all three times I had a headache I'd rate as a 3 or 4.  All three times, the pain went away quickly.

If that was a benefit of not eating carbs, then I'm in.

Typically during a menstrual period I have a 7-8 headache from the day before it begins until the day after it ends.  Excedrin Migraine does no good.  Aleve is slightly better, as it reduces the cramping.  I usually need Axert.  I'm fatigued and uncomfortable for the entire period, no matter which drugs I use.

But this last one...wow.

Why would anyone believe that eating fat makes you thinner?

You may be wondering why I'm so willing to believe Gary Taubes.  Why I'm so eager to abandon sugar and Nutella and breakfast cereal and cinnamon toast.  And pancakes.

I began 'dieting' (which I'll use as 'trying to lose weight') when I was in high school.  My clothes were getting tighter, and I didn't want to buy bigger clothes.  A friend had an eating plan from her doctor, so I copied it and followed along.  I believe the goal was to eat about 1400 calories per day.  It was an easy 'diet' because I wasn't really overeating.  I'd essentially give up fat and sugar for a few weeks and lose five to ten pounds.

Of course, I gained weight in college.  I gained weight after college.  So after I was married, I decided to get into shape once and for all.  I joined a gym with my sister-in-law.  I abolished fat from our home.  I ate more fresh fruit, more yogurt, more vegetables.  I started at about 150 lbs and got as low as 137.  At 137, my hip bones protruded in a most unattractive way.

But at 137, Dave and I decided to have a child.  I didn't know a person could be so hungry or so tired.  Pregnancy took over every moment of my life.  I drank gallons of milk, ate everything in sight, and gained weight until I weighed about 180 when Kirsten was born.  So I started my weight-loss effort again.  Only this time, nothing happened.

I walked hundreds of miles with Kirsten in her stroller.  I joined a new gym, and worked out in the mornings before going to work.  I think I got down to 165 before deciding I'd just eat healthy--low-fat and high carbs healthy--and try not to gain any weight.

I weighed at least 180 when I got pregnant with Graham four years later.  Oddly, I lost weight early in that pregnancy.  People didn't believe I was pregnant because I appeared to be shrinking.  When Graham was born, I weighed over 200 pounds.

After his birth, however, I lost weight without even trying.  I could eat anything and lose weight.  Graham was a much more vigorous nurser than Kirsten, and I got to breastfeed him for much longer.  And once he was bottle-fed, the pounds came back.

I observed many things during these efforts to lose weight.  First of all, except for during pregnancy, I seldom ate any more than anyone else in the room.  I'd be at lunch with two or three significantly slimmer colleagues, and we'd have the exact same entree.  Yet they were thin and I was fat.  I also thought it was strange that in my childhood, when I was underweight, I ate a steady diet of roasted meats, gravy, whole milk, and lots of butter.  Why was I skinny then, but heavy now?

In 1996 I quit my job at Microsoft and became a stay-at-home-mom.  My first priority was to join a gym and lose all that extra weight.  For six months, I wrote down every morsel of food that passed my lips.  For six months, I went to the gym five times each week, and then walked three miles on the weekend.  After six months, I had lost nine pounds.

I took my steno pad to my doctor, who agreed I should have lost more.  She gave me a prescription to Phentermine for two years.  Phentermine worked *great* and I got down to about 170.  But once I went off the Phentermine, the weight came roaring back...and then some.  I weighed 230 and wore a size 1X.

For the next several years, I just ate what I felt like eating.  And to my surprise, I remained the same size for fifteen years.  I lost a little weight taking Topamax and gained it all back when I switched to Nortriptyline.

So there I was, convinced that low-fat, high carb diets don't work.  I knew that I wasn't overeating, or lying about what I ate.  My mom would come visit and insist I had to do something about my weight.  I'd ask her what I should give up.  I'd eaten exactly what she'd eaten during her stay, and in fact, I'd eaten much more than usual because she always either buys or makes us a luscious dessert during her stays.  She also likes to sit down at 3:30 or 4 for a cup of coffee and something sweet.

So when I read in "Why We Get Fat" that I've been overeating *because* I'm heavy, I'm interested.

No weight loss yet.  Stay tuned.

After a week...

After one week of not eating carbs, I've gained a pound.

But that's not all bad.  I also started my period.

Here's what's good:  I haven't had a migraine during my period.  I felt minimal pain in the night once, got up and popped a couple of Excedrin, and went back to sleep.  That's it.

If eating no carbs means I can have headache-free periods, I'm all for it.

Another good thing:  typically, when I have my period, I'm tired and have awful cramps.  I'm not having any trouble with fatigue this time, and I've had really minor cramps.

Finally, one more good thing.  I've had more energy.  This could be a sort of psychosomatic thing, that I'm doing household chores to keep my mind off of food, or to prove to myself the diet is helping.  But I definitely feel like jumping out of the recliner more often.

No more carbs for me

Today marks this blog's re-birth.  Formerly it was simply an accounting of one migraine-related incident:  my NSAID ulcer.  Now, it will chronicle anything and everything related to my headaches.

The big story today is that I've decided to avoid not just sugar, not just gluten, but all carbs.

I came to this decision after reading the book "Why We Get Fat," by Gary Taubes.  In this remarkable book, he cites study after study after study clearly showing that we must eat fat to burn fat.

What?

For eons, we've been told to eat high fiber carbs and low-fat foods.  Turns out that's exactly the wrong thing to eat.

And it may be why I gained so much weight eating high fiber and low-fat.

Guess what else he disproves?  That notion that we must eat fewer calories than we use up each day.  Bad science.

I'm willing to give it a try. 

Starting weight:  246 lbs.  I am obese.