Is anyone else tired of carb-restricted diets? Or just restrictive diets in general? 

Following the media, the latest celebrity diets, and fitness professionals, all I hear about lately is the Keto Diet. The Paleo Diet. Whole30. Net carbs. Don’t eat this. Bake cheese and call it healthy. 

Raise your hand if you’re confused. 

Okay, I can’t see you rn but I’m willing to bet your hand is up. 

Maybe you’ve been following one of these diets for awhile and haven’t seen the results you want. 

Or maybe you’re like me, and tried one of these diets out…… only to find out that your quality of life went down the toilet. 

Ugh.

Here’s the story: 

About a year ago, Tommy and I tried Whole30. I had read about how it was an elimination diet, and that it was supposed to give you more energy, and help you lose a little weight. Tommy was up for it because he had been wanting to lose a little weight, and I had wanted to try it out so I could educate my patients at work about it when they asked.

Tommy and I had just got married, and we figured, “let’s give it a shot, nothing to lose”. 

Whole30, for anyone who doesn’t know, is a 30-day elimination diet. Tommy and I eliminated sweetener, added sugars, legumes, grains, dairy, and soy. The diet also doesn’t allow any “fake” treats, like cauliflower crust pizza, dairy-free ice cream, banana chips, notta. Essentially the diet is just protein, veggies, and fruit. 

They say that you feel terrible for the first 2 weeks, then there’s a shift. You’re supposed to feel AMAZING after day 14 or 15.

Tommy and I made it to day 22 of the diet and couldn’t do it anymore. Although we were eating really well, lots of veggies and protein, we felt terrible.

We were tired. We were hangry. And our monthly grocery bill had DOUBLED. We spent over a grand that month on a diet that made us fight more than we ever had (I’m having flashbacks writing this, btw). LOL

We flushed our money and our quality of life down the toilet for an unnecessarily restrictive diet.

I don’t want you to have to do that.

Life is too short to give up entire food groups just because someone says you should. 

If you take anything away from this blog post, I want you to know that EATING CARBS IS OKAY. 

Carbs can be a perfectly healthy part of your diet, and actually should be. Whole grains are full of fiber, B vitamins, folate (if they’re fortified) and other minerals. 

The media and fat diets have programmed us to believe that grains and carbs are bad for us. That they cause high blood sugars and weight gain. And that eliminating them altogether is the only way to avoid negative health affects.

I gotta get real with you. That is bull$#@!. 

Carbs alone do not cause those issues. What causes the weight gain and the high blood sugars is the type of carbohydrates you’re eating, and what you eat (or what you don’t eat) along with them. 

Yes, your carbs need buddies. LOL 

If you are going to eat carbohydrates, you need to be eating them with protein, fat, and fiber in order to avoid the blood sugar spikes. 

Avoiding blood sugar spikes is the key to preventing weight gain. 

• Let’s say you are trying to be healthy and you decide you’ll make fruit smoothies in the morning for breakfast.
• You drink your smoothie and your blood sugar spikes up. Yes, fruit is healthy, but it’s mostly sugar regardless. 
• Your body produces insulin to lower your blood sugar and it’s released into your blood. In mass quantities. 
• And insulin is your FAT STORING HORMONE. 
• Then, because insulin is floating around everywhere in your blood, storing all your blood sugars, your blood sugar gets low. 
• Queue the sugar crash. 
• Then you’re starving, and quickly eat anything you can find. Donuts, candy, chips, whatever. 
• You crave sugary things when your blood sugar is low because your body wants to get your blood sugar back up. 
• The sugar cycle repeats itself. Sugar high, sugar low. Over and over again. And you feel like absolute $#@!. 

I’m not saying that you can’t ever have a muffin, a banana, or a fruit juice smoothie ever again, but I am saying you need to eat it with protein, fat, and fiber. 

Cook up a couple eggs in some coconut oil and have those along with your muffin. 

Have a salad with chicken next to your plate of spaghetti. 

Add protein powder, spinach, and Greek yogurt to your smoothie, not juice. 

Order extra veggies on top of your pizza. 

Do what you have to do to add protein, fiber, and healthy fats when you’re going to eat carbohydrates. 

Doing this will help your blood sugars stay level throughout the day. It will prevent sugar highs and sugar lows. And that is the key to weight loss. 

****Bonus**** If you choose more whole grains and complex carbs instead of the processed junk, you’ll be getting that fiber right along with your carbohydrates. #likeaboss

Plus, adding protein, fiber, and fats to every meal will help you feel fuller longer. You’ll be more satisfied eating what you want then you would be by restricting yourself on some fad diet. 

Examples of good carbohydrate sources: 

• Sweet potatoes
• 100% whole wheat bread
• Oatmeal
• Quinoa
• Beans
• Lentils
• Brown rice 
• Chia seeds
• Whole wheat pasta or pasta made from beans/lentils

Check out my other weight loss resources:

Healthy Fats For Weight Loss

9 “Healthy” Foods That Are Terrible For You

5 Reasons You Need More Fiber

How To Drink Alcohol and Still Lose Weight

Have you tried any fad diets? Let me know about your experience in the comments below!

Don’t forget to pin me for later!

xoxo Megan