Okay, okay, let's knock out all the disclaimers first. I am not a doctor; this is not medical advice, blu blah blah, etc. Furthermore, you might say, "But Lonny, you are still fat!" 😬 "Sure," I would reply, "but I'm working on it and taint as fat as I once was." So, why, after all these disclaimers, would I write such a thing as the contraption below? What madness is this? Well, currently, it seems like a good idea to me to record this and lob it out into the wild West known as the internet in case it helps one person who is where I was and is also weary of the dizzying array of expensive diet plans that stop working as soon as you quit them due to the cost. Perhaps I will wake up from this state, realize this is a terrible idea, and then file this with Hilary's emails. If you are reading this, then that probably didn't happen. (FYI to anyone interested, I don't know where the emails are either, relax.) I'm not a doctor; what follows is simply what I have learned and believed to be accurate. At the end of this article, I have named all the experts I have learned from who know this and can hold an intelligent, detailed debate about these sweeping statements.
The Backstory: It was 2020, and I was in the emergency room. Earlier that morning, my blood pressure had registered very high, partially due to a faulty monitor and partly because it was high. I had borrowed a lisinopril and gone to work, but I was anxious over the issue and started feeling pressure on the chest and dizziness, so we went in. When we were there, I prayed and began to relax. The lisinopril kicked in, and everything went back to normal. The doctor said he didn't want to put me on a drug; he would rather see me change my lifestyle. Looking back, I was at a crossroads: to the right, lifestyle, and to the left, big medicine. That doctor did me a favor back then, and I should thank him for it. Unfortunately, I did not see it; I was scared and wanted medication. So, I got a prescription. I also tried the DASH diet the doctors recommended. Soon, I got fatter and needed a stronger medication. I weighed 260lbs and had a 43" stomach. Fat percentage, as measured by a free internet checker, was 23%. I am nearly six feet tall and built more like a football player than a runner, so I wore it relatively well, but still, the stats weren't good, especially for someone who was only 30.
The Direction Change: I really was struggling with energy on the DASH. I was only allowed to have 6oz of meat per day, and I couldn't seem to get enough bread and vegetables to make up the difference; I soon started to cheat on it and ate whatever I wanted on weekends. One day, I came across a 30-day reset challenge by Frank Viola. He advocated abstinence from several things for 30 days as an exercise for spiritual discipline. One of those things was to only eat one meal a day, which I was already trying, and another was to only eat meat and vegetables; this was intended to break a sugar addiction. Little did I know how much of a game-changer this would be! At the end of 30 days, I felt better than I had for a long time. This started a long process of floundering about in the controversial world of paleo, whole foods, makers diet, keto, and even carnivore until I finally settled onto something that has worked for me. My current record is 215 lbs, stomach down to 35.5", and the current record according to the free internet checker on fat percentage is now 14%. My goals are 190 lbs, 32", and 10%, so I'm not done! Here is a small list of other side benefits I see when I stick with it: 1. No heartburn. 2. My migraines, which I seem susceptible to due to weather changes, allergies, and certain foods, have gone from debilitating to painful nuisances. Also, the frequency has tapered off. 3. My taste buds now like the foods that are good for me, like broccoli, and find foods like ice cream that used to be an addiction to be overrated. 4. I am experiencing some of the benefits of working out: increased energy, testosterone, and better muscle tone without actually having to work out. With all that said, I'm doing what you are about to read; feel free to use whatever you find helpful.
Restrictions: There are two things that the human body is not good at self-regulating in a modern world with fridges and pantries full of junk food. When I say self-regulate, I am referring to the idea of overeating. I have yet to see someone get too fat from eating a diet of nothing but bacon or steak. The body self-regulates these foods, and at some point, you simply cannot find room for the 6th pork chop! These foods are a mixture of protein and fat. Your body is made of protein and fat, so whether or not you want to admit it, you need to inhale those two for as long as you intend to keep your body. The two things the body cannot self-regulate are carbohydrates and time spent eating.
You do not actually need carbs to live. This may be controversial, but let's think about it. Carbohydrates will raise your blood sugar, and you need some blood sugar. Carbohydrates beyond that will be used as energy. Either to go do something or horrors, to be stored for later. (Honey, my britches shrunk!) If you don't eat carbs, your body will use fat for energy and make blood sugar from protein through gluconeogenesis. So, what foods contain carbohydrates? Ice Cream! Cookies! Bread, milk, potatoes, carrots, bananas, broccoli, apples, etc. So, a mix of healthy and unhealthy. We want to eat some carbs to get the beneficial vitamins and fibers from fruits and veggies, but we don't want to eat too many carbs; well, we do because of ice cream, but we will control ourselves. By the way, the non-digestable fiber counts as a healthy carb for the sake of this exercise. We will not take chances when looking at food labels, so we'll count total carbs, NOT net. In nature, other things control our carb consumption. Vegetables and fruits tend to have a lot of fiber; this slows down how fast the carbohydrates raise our blood sugar. In nature, honey is surrounded by angry, stingy things that make us run really fast for a bit.
In our modern, convenient age, we should intentionally regulate our carbohydrates. So this brings us to our first restriction: control your carb consumption. 0 grams of carbs or 5,000 grams per day? What's your ideal amount? I'm not sure because it varies from person to person, but mine seems to be around 20 grams daily; it lets me have a nice salad's worth of vegetables every day without causing any problems. So, maybe start at 100 grams for 30 days; if you don't like the results, try 50; if you still don't like the results, try 20.
Did you know that a person can graze like a cow on a green pasture, but it's not necessarily the brightest idea in the world? Do you want to look like a cow? 😏I didn't think so. Furthermore, the things we graze on are not usually the best. Did you know there is a surefire way to lose weight that will not cost you anything in time or money with food prep? This thing is more powerful than any diet and will kill you if you stay on it too long. Of course, we are talking about fasting. When you fast, your insulin levels gradually drop to the point where you start using the fat from your body for energy. Surprisingly, with practice and drinking the right things, many people have learned to feel energetic, clear-headed, and even normal during a fast. So this is the second restriction: how much time per week do you need to eat? One way to control this is intermittent fasting; for example, All meals are between 6-10 P.m. This means the person will eat a large supper and possibly some snacks but then fast for 20 hours. Other ways are eating in 12 hours, fasting for 12, or eating 8, fasting for 12; you can slice it up however you want! I used to practice intermittent fasting but no longer do; I now prefer longer than a day fasts periodically. Why don't you start with the knowledge that you already fast overnight? Eat supper a little earlier or breakfast a little later, and see if you can get to a 20-hour daily fast. If your progress stalls with this, switch it up and don't do intermittent; try doing a 1-day fast every week, and keep adding fasting days as needed to keep the progress happening.
Fasting and Carbohydrate control go hand in hand. The stricter you are willing to be with your carbs, the less severe you'll need to be with your fast to achieve the same results, and vice versa.
5 Laws of Abstinence: The following are my laws of abstinence; as a general practice, this is what I live by, and this is the summary of how I personally and practically apply everything I have discussed.
1. Avoid all grains. Modern processes and changes in the grains lead me to the belief that I am better off never eating any more corn, wheat, etc. I see no beneficial value in humans eating them; processes like sprouted wheat and sourdough probably make them less harmful, but I still don't see them as good.
2. Avoid all seed oils. These can cause inflammation; we are better off using oils from fruits like olives, avocados, and coconuts and animal fats like lard, tallow, and butter. With all those choices, there is no need for seed oils.
3. Avoid isolated sugar. What I mean by this is don't take sugar without fiber. Eat a whole apple, but don't drink apple juice, and no, don't eat honey. I drink a shake called HLTH code, but I do so because it has a lot of fiber with its minuscule amount of sugar.
4. Track the carb, and stay under your control number of 20 grams in my case. In conjunction with the rules about grains and sugars, all my carbs are he ones, like broccoli, green beans, etc. Always go by the total carbs number, not the net carbs number, because we cannot trust big food, and it's "keto ice cream." Products like that will advertise a meager (net) carb count, but when studying the label, the total number is astonishingly high!
5. Establish a weekly fasting schedule. For me, it is a 36-hour fast 3x per week. Establish what liquids you will allow yourself during your fast and stick to it. In my case, electrolyte water, regular water, coffee with cream, bone broth, and certain zero-calorie beverages like Zevia or, occasionally, a diet soda, even though those are not good for me.
Cheat With a Plan: What about birthdays? Travel? Life marches on, and we lose focus, no matter how special we think we are. So, how to navigate it? Decide in advance what you will do. Here's what I do: I drop all the rules except one: to keep total carbs under 100 per day. I allow myself so much room because my fasting schedule will get me back on track. If I did not have a weekly fasting schedule, I might try to do a fast the day after. So, when cheating, make sure to fast when the cheating is over and keep counting the carbs. You can eat a little cake and ice cream for Amelia Bedalia's birthday, but you only need part of the bucket or pan, not the entire thing. Then, when the party is over, ensure you have a fast so the fat gets burned and not just stored indefinitely.
Conclusion: Once upon a time, before the backstory I shared with you, I was healed from my high blood pressure in a way that I believe was miraculous, but the second time around, God chose to not use a miracle. Instead, he led me down this path, and I thank him for that because my physical and spiritual health improved so much more this time. What you have read has sounded like instructions on how you should eat, but really, it's not; it's a testimony. These instructions are my instructions to myself. You may borrow some of them if you would like, but you certainly don't have to. Finally, as promised, here are the experts I've learned from.
Nina Teicholz is a journalist who wrote a book called The Big Fat Surprise; it's a fascinating history lesson about how fat was vilified and why it shouldn't be.
Gary Taubes: He is a journalist who wrote several books about low-carb living and why some of us need to do it no matter what the rest of the world thinks.
Jason Fung MD: He is the best resource for information about fasting. If you plateau, are not feeling good during your fasts, or are afraid that fasting will kill you, anything along that line, his YouTube channel is a tremendous source of information with short clips and long lectures alike.
Eric Westman MD: He is the one who taught me about total carb counts. His advice is convenient and easy to follow. It's beautiful in its simplicity. He is probably the Robert Atkins of this generation. The best way to get his information is to purchase his book, "End Your Carb Confusion."
Ben Bikman is a scientist at BYU University. He formulated the HLTH shake I mentioned earlier, and his book "Why We Get Sick" is probably the best science book on low-carb living.
Ben Azadi: He has a program and a book called "Keto, Flex," but I primarily listed him for his talks on seed oils. Search "oil" in his "keto kamp" YouTube channel, then strap in.
Ken Berry MD: He is a Tennessee boy, like me! Search his name on YouTube; his channel has a huge wealth of information, live Q&A's, questionable humor, and a great southern accent. This is the doctor you want to have a drink with; the problem is, when he's finished with you, you'll only be drinking water. 😏
William Davis is a cardiologist who explains the "grain problem" better than anyone else I've listened to, with 1 caveat: I disagree with his theories on evolution. That said, the science he presents is very fascinating to me, and his book "Wheat Belly" clarifies many things; I can't explain it, but you should start there if the grain angle interests you.
Tim Noakes: He is a South African scientist and didn't teach me anything that I hadn't already learned from the American doctors, but he is on this list because I respect a scientist who is willing to endure the character besmirching he suffered from the South African authorities simply because he refused to back down from the truth. His story is told in the "Real Food on Trial" book.
Phillip Ovadia: He is a cardiologist. I have added him to this list because in his book, "Stay Off My Operating Table," He does a great job of assuring you that meat won't raise your risk of needing heart surgery; instead, avoiding processed foods will lower your risk.
