Low Carb Living in Maine

The idea of exercising your way to a slimmer you is the mixed message brought about from the "Eat Less-Move More" (ELMM) proponents. Yes, we should eat less of the bad foods we've grown accustomed to, and yes, we should not be lazy, but let's take a reality check on the ELMM theory. Show of hands, how many of you can run a whole mile? Not me... Running a mile burns about 3/4 of a calorie per pound of body weight. So, a 200lb person running a mile would burn about 150 calories -- that's 1/3 of an Egg McMuffin from McDonalds or a 1/4 of a Wendy's Single.   Looking at it that way, it's hard to imagine exercising your way to weight loss. If you follow the calorie burning model, you need to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound...let's see, that means you'd only need to run 23 miles! No thanks. I'll just go eat fat and protein. So then why exercise at all if it's not helpful for losing weight? Well, at first, I say don't bother. If y

Getting started with Keto is hard enough. What happens when you do everything right and end up feeling like crap? You might have Keto Flu...  What is Keto Flu?  While it's not contagious like a normal, viral flu, the symptoms can feel rather similar and very flu-like. Not everyone gets Keto flu, but it is a common side effect of switching your body to fat burning mode. It is temporary and if you know what to look for, it's effects can be minimalized. Some of the effects of Keto Flu are stomach pain, brain fog, dizziness, nausea, muscle cramping, and sleeplessness. The symptoms can start as early as the first 2-3 days on Keto and can last a week to 10 days, just like a cold.  The typical factors which cause Keto flu are things such as dehydration and electrolyte depletion, loss of micronutrients, and carb withdrawal. Naturally, any abrupt change in diet has the potential for causing some physical symptoms. Once you get thru the Keto flu, your body will be a le

Often, getting started on Keto feels like learning to walk.  Everything you thought you knew about eating is now different, and because of that, we sometimes trip up, slip up, or fall off the wagon completely.  This is especially true at first, when you're still learning to read and trust your body's signals.  So, you're "going Keto" and you're doing your best but you still don't seem to be losing as much as you think you should.  What's wrong?  Well, there are several pitfalls where newbies and veterans of the diet alike can stall their progress.  You have to remember that even though the mechanics of Keto can work for anyone, the details can vary according to your own physical makeup.  So look through the following potential trouble spots and see where you might need to tweak your own day to day Keto life. Protein There is no one formula that fits every situation to say how much protein you need, but all factors considered, the consensus is t

One of my favorite subject matter experts on healthy dieting is Dr. Jason Fung.  While he isn't a direct proponent of the Keto diet, he does highly stress the need to cut carbs and sugars out of your diet, and focus on proteins and healthy fats for your basic nutritional needs.  Dr. Fung has written two books, one of which I've read more than once and it was the catalyst for getting me started on a new way of eating.  The book that started it all for me was called The Obesity Code .  I was looking for someone to tell me exactly what to do to fix my failing health in a way that I could understand.  You see, I've lost weight in the past -- not significant quantities like I have now -- but I never really understood "why".  If I don't know why a diet works, then when it stalls, I don't know what else to do or how to move forward.  That was usually when I gave up. When I first started listening to Dr. Fung's book (I'm an audiobook fan), it was ha

Keto is a very scientific, very well documented and studied way of eating.  The sheer volume of information available about how and why Keto works is phenomenal and I could spend all day just reading the web and watching videos.  It it not a fad and not likely to go away because, bottom line, it works. However, for the simple individual who just wants to restore their health, lose a little (or a lot) weight and gain new energy, it can be overwhelming.  Keto should be approached almost like elementary school.  Basics first, then we can grow the knowledge base from there. So what do you need to know, from a fundamental point?  How can you just jump in? In order to get started with Simple Keto, there are three basic elements to adjust in your diet.  Conquer these three, and you're more than halfway there:   ONE - SUGAR Sugar. Yes, that's the obvious one.  Get the unnecessary sugar out of your diet, out of your home, and out of your life.  As you know, sugar itself i