It was my friend Pascha’s picture that stopped my scrolling finger, that eventually led me to the vida low carb. Not only was she toned and trim, she possessed a sleek felinity. I want that, I thought.
Beneath Pascha’s photo, she’d written, “This is what I used to look like and now I know why—because back then I ate like this book recommends.” She provided a link to a book, and because I wanted that ribbony, cat-like grace, I clicked on the link and bought the book. Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog.*
When I explain the basic premise of the book to someone, they usually roll their eyes and say, “Yeah, yeah. The Atkins Diet revisited.” But it isn’t. Not really. I could offer a list of reasons why you should give the EBDJ-way a try. Instead I’m going to suggest you:
Take one simple step. Not forever, but just for 30 days.
That step is eating gluten-free. Don’t panic. Hear me out. Believe me, I was just like you. Actually I may have been more stubborn than you. For years, I scorned the ban-bread movement, telling anyone who raised the subject:
If bread was good enough for Jesus at the Last Supper, it’s good enough for me.
It wasn’t until reading what Grant Petersen, the author of EBDJ, had to say on the subject that I was willing to go against the grain. His compelling arguments, paired with the recollection of Pascha’s sleekness, prompted me to decide:
I can try anything for a month, even eating gluten-free.
I will not tell you it was easy to do. For nearly a week, I longed for my daily, toasted Ezekiel Bread slathered with salted Amish butter and raspberry jam. And then I didn’t. The craving simply went away. For a bread-lover as devout as I’d been, it was nothing short of a miracle.
What also disappeared was the approximately every 90-minute stirring of my entrails, demanding sustenance. In between breakfast and lunch, then again mid-afternoon, I would insist I felt woozy, that I must have low blood sugar, and I’d inhale seven Rosemary-Olive Oil Triscuits or a granola bar. Or eight baby carrots.
Assured by various magazine articles that “grazing” is good for you, I constantly fueled my body.
Following the EBDJ-way, I now aim to eat three times a day—hearty meals that include quality protein, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats. No more snacking for me. Unless it’s the 10-12 macadamia nuts I munch while preparing supper.
With these changes, a funny thing happened. I became less hungry. Finally, Starvin’ Marvin was vanquished.
For the first time in my life I felt like I controlled my appetite, not vice versa.
Not only that, my energy slumps stopped. For years, sleep like a warm fuzzy bear snuck up on me every day, right after lunch. I’d set a timer for 17 minutes (supposedly the optimal nap time) and lay my head on the nearest surface. Sometimes I’d need a nap after supper too. These days I can’t tell you the last time I took a nap.
One day my clothes were roomier—in the belly, in the butt, and in the thighs.
Curious, I stepped on the scale. I was five pounds down. Glory! I remembered the part in EBDJ where Petersen explained that once you stop frequently fueling your body with carbohydrates, it remembers how to burn its own fat for energy. This may be my favorite part about low-carb living.
I should recommend the Bible as often as I recommend EBDJ.
I started telling friends about my passion for EBDJ and some of them took the 30-day challenge. Most had the same experience as me. Pounds dropping off. Dress sizes decreasing. Energy levels increasing.
Of course, these are merely anecdotal observations. However, other people, medical professionals even, are saying similar things.
In his book Grain Brain, Dr. David Perlmutter offers more reasons to break up with bread. Perlmutter makes a case for a connection between carbohydrate consumption—simple and complex—and a number of debilitating conditions, including dementia. He says,
“The biggest issue by far is that carbohydrates are absolutely at the cornerstone of all our major degenerative conditions.”
The book Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD, explains why my stomach became flatter when I decreased my grain consumption. “A wheat belly represents the accumulation of fat that results from years of consuming foods that trigger insulin, the hormone of fat storage.”
Davis specifically identifies wheat-based carbohydrates as the culprits.
“…wheat products elevate blood sugar levels more than virtually any other carbohydrates, from beans to candy bars.”
For the record, I have not given up grains forever. I now view items made from grains as an occasional treat. Pizza once a month. Same with pasta. Wedding cake? It’s my appetite’s Achilles’ heel. I’ll gladly suffer the subsequent carbohydrate coma for a perfect piece of white bakery cake with fluffy white icing.
Not only that, from time to time, I still bake. In fact, this week I made a Pecan and Peach coffee cake. If I can modify a recipe to use less wheat I will. In baked goods, I typically substitute at least a half cup of buckwheat flour and/or almond flour for wheat flour.
Zucchini noodles—aka “zoodles—” make an interesting vehicle for tomato sauce and meatballs. Grated cauliflower, lightly sautéed, can stand in for rice. Tony Bear agrees. Junior-Man does not.
Honestly, it took me less than a month to get over grains.
And now, the benefits are too enjoyable for me to go back. Which is why I’m suggesting you try it too. An excellent time to attempt it would be when you have a special occasion coming up—a wedding or high school reunion maybe. One gal I know ate the EBDJ-way in order to trim down for a television appearance.
Let me know if you decide to try my EBDJ Challenge. Or if you’re already loving low-carb, let me and everyone else know what you think down below in the comments. One random commenter will receive their own free copy of Eat Bacon, Don’t Jog.
FYI, I’m working on a PDF document of EBDJ-friendly recipes—tested, tasted, and Tarantini-approved. The document won’t be free, but it won’t cost a million dollars. When it’s ready, I’ll announce it in my monthly e-newsletter.
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Suggested blog pairing: To read more about the low-carb, high-fat way of life, check out this post.
*This post includes affiliate links.
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Never have been much of a bread eater but I find your comments informative and sensical (I know not a word). Thanks.
Thanks, Cathy. I aim to inform for sure! And entertain. And inspire. As always, I appreciate you stopping by!
When the Tarantini tested recipes are available, let me know. I know they’ll be delicious!
How about I add you to my secret email group for foodies, Lori?
YES!!!
You got it! Adding you now:)
The Whites too please! Aaron esp loves recipes!
Yay! I can do that!!
Quit eating gluten about three years ago for a medical reason. I haven’t given up other grains, but have recently thought seriously about it, after seeing how fantastic a friend looked who’s done it!
I’m thankful I haven’t needed to go “strict” gluten-free. I’ve heard that can be rough. Do you have to avoid it at all costs, Terry, reading ingredient labels and such?
I KNOW I. Need to do this!! But breaking a 63 year habit is tough! I will buy the recipes!!
Just try it for a month, Cath. Use my supper formula. 1 protein + 1 veggie + 1 fruit = dinner. And if possible, don’t eat anything made from wheat either. From what I understand, if you are a HUGE wheat-product-consumer, it can feel a little like withdrawal.
I’m looking forward to the recipes! I gave up gluten a while back but didn’t notice an iota of difference in how I felt. I DID, however, feel better when I did the Daniel fast in January which was no carbs other than from fruits and veggies. So maybe…
I was watching your posts on Facebook as you were going through the Daniel fast, Jen. I was sad for you. I’ve done the Daniel fast before. That was the way I ate for a couple of years actually.
Very good article Diane. You make a compelling argument for getting on the carbs wagon.
It’s a MAN stopping by! Yay! Thanks a bunch, Scott. Let me know if you give it a try:)
I did an elimination diet in May and reintroduced in June. It turns out my body doesn’t care for grains and gets especially angry with dairy. Sad day. So now I’m in the figuring out stage of when and how often is it worth it to feel less than fantastic. By the end of those 30 days, I felt like I could do anything. But I also don’t want to live without cookies forever.
That’s what I do too, Ashley–“figure out when it’s worth it to feel less than fantastic.” And you are the queen of chocolate chip cookies too. I will say, often baking something (for others) is almost as satisfying as eating it. A nibble of dough and one cookie and that’s all I need.
I, too, experience this when we started down the road of eating less grains. I have noticed that my hunger level is much lower and I only need 3 meals a day… no snacks. Not just for me, but for the whole family. But, unfortunately, this past year we’ve kinda fallen off the wagon. Jon and I have talked about doing the Whole 30 to get ourselves back on track, but I am very interested in reading the EBDJ book too!! Thank you Diane for sharing your experience. A good reminder to get back on track!
I “fall off the wagon” every week, if not every day. I am SO not legalistic about this. I read a super article in Time magazine recently. They followed people who successfully kept weight off over a long period of time (NOT that this is about weight loss for me!). And one of the success factors was being kind to yourself when you stumble and cheerfully starting over. Actually, that’s good advice for a lot of things, isn’t it?
You certainly make this a tempting bargain, although I have the bacon book. Why is it that I always think, “I’ve never been a bread person?” Well, because it’s true, but a potato can basically have its way with me at any turn. And, though that may not be the worst culprit, there are many others. If I decide to go the lower carb way, I will definitely let you know. In the past, it has been kind of horrible, but I probably wasn’t doing it right.
I always enjoy your writing, Diane.
Hey Liat: I’m with you regarding potatoes, I’m a big fan too. So I have them once a week. I haven’t really eliminated anything. What works for me is GREATLY reducing my intake of a lot of stuff.
I hope you’ll read the book someday. I LOVE what Petersen writes in the introduction. THAT was my life!
I’ve been eating like this for over 2 years, and I have the same experience -improved energy, no more gnawing hunger, no more after-meal crashes, no more constant effort to keep my weight from creeping up, and best of all, my blood sugar, which was in the “pre-diabetic” range, is now normal. I know how good your food is from that cooking class you did at the Co-op years ago, and I eagerly look forward to the publication of your recipes!
Hey Karen: Yay you!! So glad you are experiencing the benefits of low-carb also! I remember the first time I had blood work done after EBDJ. I was pretty anxious about it. I was thinking with all the coconut oil, grass-fed butter, and full-fat yogurt, the Brie and Havarti cheeses, that I eat, that my numbers would tank, but LDL stayed the same and my HDL rose to an even more glorious high and the one number that always concerned my doc (Iron levels for Tony Bear and I have always been high and that can be a cardiac concern, especially in men.) fell into normal range. Whew!
Lovely article about how our food choices influence our physical health. I am not grain-free, but I use a lot of alternatives (like buckwheat flour, as you mention) and rotate foods. Helped me get over a cycle of migraines, and I would do anything to avoid a migraine!
Migraines? Oh, man! I have had a few of those in my lifetime. One of the worst was after I competed in an almost-vicious dodge ball tournament! I am fortunate in that I get the warning of ocular disturbances–the twinkling, fractured look of my field of vision. That’s my cue to pop 4 ibuprofen and drink a cup of coffee or pop (a rarity these days!). Too bad that doesn’t work for everyone. I know a couple people who have weakened though not eradicated their migraines by piercing the cartilage of the ear. Have you heard about that? Edgy with benefits:)
That sounds extreme. Luckily, I control my migraines through diet. Giving up caffeine was another help, and staying hydrated.
You know, I think I could ditch bread and pasta fairly easily. For me, giving up rice would be the crisis. But I remember the reassuring words of Healthy Dave at Mother Earth Foods: “Just do the best you can. You’ll improve over time.”
Hey Cole: We still eat rice. Maybe not every week, but a couple times a month. According to my research, wheat is the true problem. And Healthy Dave is 100% correct! “Just do the best you can.” I try my best to eat well at home. Out in the world though, I’ve been known to go a little loco:)
I’m totally ordering that book!!!
Yay!!! Let me know how it goes, Becki! I’ve been eating this way for two years and LOVE it!! I know a couple of guys who have dropped 40 pounds but they went CRAZY low carb. That’s no fun:( I lost one dress size but one of my friends lost four!! And then there are folks everywhere in between.
Hey everyone, everyone that comes back to read comments that is, if you give the EBDJ-way a try, please come back here and let us know what happened!!
I’m going to wait until next Friday to draw a name to win a free copy. Folks are still coming across this post.
After I read your article in the newspaper, I added my name to the EBDJ wait list at the Kanawha County Library. I already knew that carbs / processed foods were evil, but I needed the jump start I got from your article and the EBDJ book. Since then, I have read other books such as Eat Fat, Get Thin by Dr. Mark Hyman and watched as many online videos on the subject as I could find including Fat Head free on Hoopla via Kanawha County Public Library’s website. Fat Head started out iffy, but was extremely educational by midway.
I’m also an advocate of Intermittent Fasting which, in a nutshell, means eating all your meals during a window of time each day. For example, you could eat from noon to 6 pm and then fast until noon the next day. It gives the liver time to do its job and heal naturally. The major benefit I felt was that I had more willpower to turn down snacks before or after my eating window.
So, thank you for your article. I’ve lost 20 pounds so far. Please add me to your email list.
Cindy!! You are awesome! There is really a waitlist for “Eat Bacon; Don’t Jog” in Kanawaha County since I wrote this blog post/newspaper column? I LOVE it! Thank you so much for telling me that.
I LOVE that a) you feel better since applying these principles and b) you’ve lost 20 pounds so far. That is FANTASTIC!! Yay, you!!!
I too, try to do the Intermittent Fasting thing, limiting my eating to noon-6. Thanks for the reminder though. I got away from that a bit with the holidays.
I will absolutely add you to my email newsletter list!! I’ll send you the one that went out yesterday:)
Thanks again for leaving this comment! It really encourages me.
Remember when we had dinner together in Ripley? Since then I’ve lost 20 pounds and the craving for grains. I haven’t eaten pasta, bread, rice or potatoes in months, and I don’t miss them. I even baked during the holidays and didn’t eat any of what I fixed. Lost another pound during that period, too. I think we’re both on the right track.
I do remember that night, Carter. We both ate steak and veggies. I love that you’ve had success with this. A 20 pound weight loss if amazing! I still eat bread every now and then. Like, on pizza. And I had a few cookies over the holidays. But for the most part, I plan to always eat this way. The benefits are too compelling to go back to what I used to do.
My daughter and I are doing the Daniel fast this month and plan to try your 30-day challenge next. Thank you for the book recommendation!
You’re welcome, Carla! Please, please, please let us know how it goes for you two:)
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