eat to live

:-)  This is not a new idea.

Somehow, i've gotten the impression that some people look on dietary plans as contests, in which the winner is s/he who gets to consume the most yummy stuff while maintaining an acceptable weight.  I think this point of view is problematic.

"Ha ha!" laughs the imp sitting on my left shoulder, "You should talk!  You're constantly thinking and reading and writing about food!"

"Thinking, reading and writing -- not eating and planning to eat.  I think there's a significant difference," i retort, as i flick the little bastard off and encourage my faithful Spenser to tear it apart....

I LOVE to eat yummy stuff.  When my husband was spending so much time working in New Orleans, Spense and i frequently drove down (okay -- Spense didn't help with the driving; no opposable thumbs, you know...), and DESTROYED our diets with the best food America has to offer*.  I could sing paeons of praise to the baguettes at Croissant d'Or (but FORGET the pathetic excuse of a beignet at that touristy Cafe place...).  Sad thing, though -- the rest of my body didn't enjoy it as much as my tastebuds did.

When you're not so young anymore, and your body wants to get fatter and slower and more painful, BUT YOUR MIND DOESN'T WANT IT TO, a compromise has to be struck.  Mind and Tastebuds get together and say, "there's a lot that we both approve of -- let's work on that."  Knees, intestines, and thyroid say, "THANK YOU!!!"  The baguette is bought by somebody else, while my miscellaneous parts get to enjoy a muffaletta omelette for breakfast, oysters, turtle soup, sweetbreads, more oysters, steaks, fish, wine, veggies, MORE oysters, and that excellent coffee for dessert -- *sigh*....

The virtue i've always found in low-carb eating is, hunger is conquered.  Slow mindful enjoyment of well-chosen food satisfies appetite with moderate quantity.  Having taught my body to use fat as its primary fuel, the every-two-hour urge that (20 years ago) had me prowling to the refrigerator to find something to devour no longer exists.  Morning coffee accompanied by unconsciously-burned body fat fills me up till late morning, when a meal featuring protein and some fat with a garnish of something plant-based satisfies me till early evening, and another similar meal keeps me happy till the next morning renews the cycle -- and all the while i haven't had that haunting urge to nibble!  It's almost magical.

Low-carb paleo food has "normalized" my relationship with what i eat, i believe.  I concentrate on subjects i study without visions of snacks intruding themselves.  I go about my everyday tasks without meal-timing being an issue.  I'm not limited by frequent calls by my body and gut-bugs to energy replenishment, because my food is built in, so to speak.  And considering my genetic heritage and time of life, the chance that i'll get so thin that this will all change is small-to-none.

So when people say, "it IS possible to gain weight by eating a low-carb diet," i have to wonder WHAT and HOW MUCH they are eating!  No doubt -- yes, it is possible.  But if one isn't trying to maximize the amount they CAN eat -- not trying to eat the most elaborate dishes, comprised of things like nuts and cream -- it'll be darned hard.  If most every day, one is eating normal-sized meals of REAL FOOD, it's not likely to happen, even with an occasional FEAST.  (And when i say "feast" i'm thinking of the Commander's Palace....  OMG, how i miss N'Orleans!)
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* in my humble opinion!  ;-)