My week of loosened discipline left me with significantly more joint and muscular pain than i was feeling three weeks ago. It's been a revealing lesson!
A comment in one of the blogs i've begun reading recently led me to a VERY interesting book called "Strong Medicine" -- a revelation by a doctor who practiced in the early- to mid-twentieth-century, and did a lot of work with weight loss (among many other things, notably allergy). Significantly, he talks of the many practitioners of his era who used a low-carbohydrate diet to treat many ills, which these days we would call the diseases of civilization. It clearly shows that Lindlahr was in step with his colleagues, and Atkins wasn't really proposing anything new!
I didn't see any reason why this Dr. Donaldson's suggestions should be modified, so decided to plunge right in and try him out. This morning, after about 7 hours of sleep, i hopped out of bed and got ready for my half-hour walk before breakfast (my husband and Spenser were delighted). Afterward, we went out for our usual Saturday morning breakfast at the City Diner, where i ordered an espresso and the steak-and-eggs breakfast, with sliced tomatoes instead of potatoes (to keep the omega-6s down), hold the toast -- and then i put the eggs in a container to take home to Spense. The six-ounce sirloin didn't fill me up because it was low on fat, so when i got home i took a shot of coconut oil (yuk -- shooting oil makes me shudder like shooting whiskey!). I put three cups of my doubly filtered water into a pitcher, and it's sitting at my elbow; i have to drink it before lunch, and an identical one between lunch and 5:00pm.
Meat and a demitasse three times a day! I can do this for a week -- then we'll see. ;-) It's radical, but not unheard-of, by any means. In fact, Donaldson mentions meeting Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the twentieth-century poster-boy of the all-meat diet.... One reason i'm particularly game to try it is that i had indications that i STILL had allergens in my diet, even on the comparatively strict Personal Paleo Code regimen. My most suspicious item of consumption was eggs -- this will help me to find out for sure.
I believe that an occasional "carb reload" is called for when doing something of this nature. A daily multivitamin may also be a good idea, though in general i suspect they're pretty worthless. I expect this will at least end a plateau -- i'll keep you posted!
Good luck with this, Tess! What will your carb reload consist of? Starches?
ReplyDeleteRegarding the doctor, was his plan low carb generally, or more low grain?
depending on the health issues of each particular patient, he would add items to the basic diet of beef or lamb. he spoke out specifically against wheat and oats, but made favorable reference to rice. some he would encourage to eat potatoes, fruit (except raw oranges, apples, peaches, tomatoes and strawberries) and "yellow vegetables," but mentioned negative experiences he'd seen with green ones -- that was new to me! asparagus causing high blood pressure....
ReplyDeleteyes, to starches for a carb refeed; potatoes, plantains or rice, i think. :-) the Jaminets mention other good choices, but darned if i can find them here!
Asparagus and blood pressure! Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling so great on starches these days, my breakfast is not complete without some potato. Yum!
I hope this all procedes well!
lol -- you and me both! :-) me, i LOVE starches: trouble is, all i have to do is look at them and i gain weight. i guess i'm WAY TOO insulin-sensitive!
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