Day 164

About a week or so ago I got a message over Facebook from a lady wanting to know more about banting. She found me through one of the many articles I commented on. After I sent her some info, I decided to post my message to her here on my blog so other newcomers can easily find it as well.

First rule, get rid of ALL carb foods. Rice, potatoes, flour, sugar, bread, margarine, breakfast cereals, every thing that is carb or sugar based. This will make staying on the diet so much easier. No temptations!

Why does this diet work, and others don't? Well, other diets work as well (maybe not as good as banting, but they do). So, why banting? Because other diets are starvation diets. You starve yourself to lose weight. Simple maths. If you eat less calories than you burn, you will lose weight. But nobody likes to starve, and that is why all of those diets eventually fail.

Due to the fact that you feel sated from the high fat content, you tend to nibble and snack less, and eat smaller portions, so your calories goes down by itself. So, as long as you don't eat while not hungry, and only eat until full (while eating real food - no processed stuff) you will lose weight.

If you hit a plato, just up your fat intake. That will kick-start your metabolism.

If you keep your total carbs to below 50 grams a day, you should enter ketosis, and then fat burning will happen quicker. But, DON'T STARVE YOURSELF! If you constantly eat less than your body requires, your body will enter starvation mode, and you will burn less calories and feel tired and miserable.

Eat enough veggies (use butter when preparing it, it will up your fat, and make you feel sated). Don't eat too much protein, as that can spike your insulin as well, and make you feel hungry when your body don't really require food.

Drink lots of water, and stay away from anything "low fat" or sweetened. Have a good breakfast. Bacon, eggs, avo... Make sure you take in a lot of fat, and enjoy your food! Some people have a problem with so much fat, as they are not used to it, so drink something hot with breakfast if you don't like fatty foods.

In the end, once you have lost the weight you need to lose, your body will tell you to eat more. It will not allow itself to starve, so don't be afraid that you will waste away. However, if you ever go back to a carb-based diet again, you will once again pick up weight, simply because it is the way our bodies use and store carbs that is what is really making us fat. However, you can slowly introduce some carbs back into your diet when you reach your ideal weight, as long as you don't overdo it.

In banting we have 3 lists to make life easier. It is called the GREEN, ORANGE, & RED. Green = Eat as much as you like (but only until filled). Orange = You may eat this, but in limited portions, as they contain a slightly higher amount of carbs. Red = Stay away. This is poison to your body! Here is a link to the lists: http://realmealrevolution.com/real-food-lists

So, good luck, have fun, enjoy the ride, as well as the destination. And something else to help you start: http://realmealrevolution.com/real-thinking/the-10-commandments-of-beginner-banting

I've asked the lady in question a few questions on a previous message, and found that she personally have no problem with saturated fat. Her family, however, do. She is married for three years now, and neither her hubby nor his sons eat saturated fat. All fatty bits must be cut from the meat before preparing, no chicken skin etc.

However, her hubby (who eats no fat) weighed in at 118 kg, where she (who always enjoyed her saturated fat before her marriage) weighs only 52 kg. She did recently develop a bit of a belly, though, something she never had. She think it might be age-related, but I believe the fact that she has now been off saturated fat for three years may also have an effect. I am not sure she will be able to convince her family to change their diet, but I really hope she do.

Well, back to us. I've lost 2.5 kg over the last two weeks. This week was 1 kg round, and last week was 1.5 kg. The Wife also lost 2,5 kg, but she was only on 600 g last week, and followed it up with a very good 1.9 kg this week.

Eldest broke through her first target this week. Last week she lost 600g, and followed it up with 1.1 kg this week for a total of 1.7 kg since my last update. Her main aim is to be slim for the matric farewell dance next year, and she is well on her way!

Youngest lost a total of 1.3 kg over the last two weeks. Last week was 400 g, and she followed it up with 900 g this week. Another 5.5 kg, and she will reach her first target. My first target, 150 kg, is still far away, as I am currently on 172.8 kg, but I am closer to it than to the 200+ kg I started with!

So, happy banting, and till my next update!