I'm a Fat Head

No, really, I am. And so far, I'm lovin' it (McDonald's allusion intentional).

I recently watched the documentary "Fat Head" by Tom Naughton. A friend of mine mentioned it on Facebook, saying it had changed the way he thought about nutrition and how he had been shedding weight ever since. If you've followed my blog, you know that February saw me struggling to lose weight, despite working out 3-4 days a week and eating a low-fat, low calorie diet. Towards the end of the month and into the beginning of March, I had increased my workouts to 5 days a week, and continued to see no significant change. So, I was intrigued and open to some new ideas, because I was tired of trying to work my ass off and getting nowhere.

In the beginning, it seems he is just attempting to disprove the conclusions of "Supersize Me" by seeing if he can actually lose weight eating nothing but fast food for a month. As I was watching, I was skeptical. It was funny, sarcastic, and interesting but I thought, "Where is he going with this? Is he trying to say that fast food is good for us?" About halfway through, everything he's saying is making sense. The pieces started to click. If what he's saying is true, then I'm doing everything wrong! Not only am I doing everything wrong, but most of America has their understanding of nutrition backwards. He's not saying that fast food is good for us. He's saying fast food isn't the issue. Animal fats and cholesterol are not the enemy. They are not the cause of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. In fact, they are good and necessary parts of a healthy diet.

So, what is the issue? Carbohydrates, especially grains and processed sugars. What is at the base of our food pyramid? Grains. What do we feed our live stock to fatten them up and give them that tasty marbling and layers of fat? Grains. What are grains? A carbohydrate. What is a carbohydrate? Sugar. What causes diabetes? The inability of your body to produce enough insulin to process the sugar in your blood, or the inability of your body to use that insulin. How does your body lower your blood sugar? By converting it to fat and storing it in your fat cells. Light bulb! Lots of grains and sugars in the diet = increased stored fat and higher blood sugar. When you see the science of it broken down, it all starts to make sense. You combine that with exposing some of the faulty science on which our nutritional standards are based and you start to believe that we really have been fed a load of bologna.

I could say so much more about "Fat Head" itself, but instead, I encourage you to watch it. You can get it through Netflix or stream it online through Hulu. Here is a trailer to whet your whistle...



After watching "Fat Head", I was overwhelmed. But, my roommate and I decided the only way to make a judgement of the information presented was to give it a try. We would reduce the carbohydrates in our diet, thereby increasing our fat and protein intake. I also realized that I am probably taking in too few calories. I was probably consuming between 1200 and 1500 calories a day, and eating 200-250 grams of carbs a day. So, I decided to increase my calories to between 1500 and 1800 a day and limit my carbohydrates to 100-150 grams (in the movie, he limits himself to about 100 grams a day). If after a week or two I was gaining weight, I would say the movie was bogus, and go back to my low-fat and low calorie ways. Just an aside...most foods that have been made low-fat or non-fat are actually higher in carbs, because they have to add something to make the texture and flavor of those foods similar to their full fat versions. So, by definition, a low-fat diet is generally a high carb diet. If the fat head premise is true, I was seriously shooting myself in the foot eating low fat, and missing out on some great tasting food in the process.

So, we stocked up on meats, including red meat, sausage and bacon, eggs, cheese (REAL, delicious cheese) fruits and vegetables and began our experiment. We both had weighed that morning and I decided to log my weight daily through the experimental phase of this change. Starting weight 224.6, two days later 222.7, a week later 220.6. Yes folks, this girl, who had been yo-yo-ing between the same 2 pounds, just lost 4 pounds in a week...eating MORE calories, MORE fat,and lots of delicious food all while missing 4 days at the gym. Hmmm... I was unable to get an official weight this week, as I have been house-sitting, so I've been using a different scale, but I think it's safe to say that I'm down at least another 2 pounds. My roommate has lost at least 5 pounds to-date, and she is toward the end of her weight loss journey, making it harder to lose those last few pounds.

So far, I'm a believer. I'm eating food that I love (Steak, cheese, and even some dark chocolate, can I get an AMEN!) and finally seeing results on the scale. My size 18's are getting baggy and I can comfortably wear an old pair of Neila's size 16's. My goal of being under 200lbs by my 30th birthday is starting to look attainable. I also did great this month at the gym, making it 21 out of 31 days.


It was also easier to be motivated to keep going to the gym when I was seeing results on the scale. However, I am not as afraid to miss a work out, because I know that I won't lose momentum if I do. I feel good, and despite an increase in sodium intake, I haven't bloated or puffy, even when aunt flo came for a visit. I am not seeing 2-3 pound variations in weight from day to day, which before this change was common. This leads me to believe, I was retaining extra water weight as well, depending on my carb intake.

So, Imma keep doin' what I'm doin'. I'm also reading "Good calories, Bad calories", which was a huge source of information for Naughton's documentary. I want to know as much as I can. I'm still trying to figure out the role of fiber (considered a carb) and sodium in this diet. But, my primary sources of carbs now are fruits and vegetables, nuts and dairy. Things that nature produces. (Grains are "natural" but have to be manipulated and processed to be consumed, they were not available in huge quantities to our hunter/gatherer ancestors, who lived primary on animal products, nuts and fruits and vegetables in season). I think in the end my body will thank me. I have so much more I could say, but I will save those thoughts for another post, since I've already borrowed so much of your brains. I encourage you to watch Fat Head, and consider the information with an open mind.