12 Changes For 2012 - #3 - Avoid Carbs

I knew all kinds of faddish folks who ate burgers without bread. Or wrapped their sandwiches in a great big lettuce leaf. Same folks would scream like a vampire in Holy Water if a french fry touched their plate. Unfortunately, none of these trendy hipsters could articulate in simple sentences WHY they went all OCD on the carb thingy. Always seemed like bread was some kind of tasty Kryptonite that robbed them of their super powers.

So here's the tip, followed by a simple explanation of why you should try it: Avoid carbs! (Especially white bread, pasta, and the various forms of potatoes.) You should avoid them because carbohydrates (especially refined carbohydrates)  disrupt your insulin levels and cause increased fat storage in your fat cells. Want an example? Ever notice that "I need a nap" crash you feel after lunch? Usually carbohydrates goofing with your insulin levels. Multiple that feeling times a couple of years and think about the steady, glacial growth of your waistline. That, my friend, was a result of excess carbohydrate intake

Notice that today's tip is to AVOID carbohydrates? That means to make a personal choice to eat something else, if at all possible. It does NOT mean go all creepy obsessive or freak out about micro-managing carbs. Eliminating carbohydrates completely is no easier than eliminating sugar completely. But do what you can to avoid the biggest sources of carbohydrates. You'll still get plenty of them in everything else you're eating. Don't take my word for it, check the ingredients and you'll see it for yourself. But trust me, it's ugly. Let me know when you pick your jaw off the floor.

How to avoid them? Here's my usual plan: don't eat french fries or chips, don't eat pizza, don't eat pasta, and only eat whole wheat bread with sandwiches. First week I started to aggressively avoid carbs, I dropped 5lbs right off my pale white belly. I still crave pizza. I still eyeball pasta. I eat homemade lasagna because it is impossible to resist. But whenever I can, I avoid carbohydrates. The transition was much easier than I would have thought. And those 5lbs never crawled back on my belly.