Living Low Carb (51 page)
Authors: Jonny Bowden
Though every diet-book author likes to believe his or her program is good for everyone, I think Volek and Campbell would agree with me that this is definitely a book aimed at men, particularly guys interested in maximizing their muscle growth (and fat loss). Volek and Campbell both write regularly for
Men’s Health
, and it’s easy to see why—they’re very in touch with the needs of that audience.
This book is definitely best for men who are willing to work out hard and time their meals for maximum fat-burning and muscle growth.
I’ve never been a fan of the “cheat day” philosophy, and while Volek and Campbell don’t call the “Reloading Time Zone” a “cheat day” (or two), it still allows an awful lot of foods that—for some people—can lead to addictive cravings. And for those who are really metabolically unsuited to a high intake of carbs, even the one or two days a week on this phase of the plan might upset their blood-sugar applecart. Those who are insulin-resistant, have tendencies toward carb addiction, and/or are not willing to work out hard—or not interested in it—might want to look elsewhere. Hard exercisers who are into muscle-building and fat loss will find a lot here of great value.
JONNY’S LOWDOWN
½
Solid research credentials and a sound grasp of the science behind low-carb diets and exercise informs this book. It’s a valuable counterpart to the dozens of workout books that stress high-carb, low-fat diets. Men will benefit the most, particularly younger men for whom muscle-building and looking great at the beach is a high priority.
WHAT IT IS IN A NUTSHELL
Exactly as advertised: a very simple basic program that’s relatively low-carb, easy to follow, and nutritionally sound. It’s packed with great information about two factors too infrequently covered in other weight-loss books: toxicity and inflammation.
About the UltraSimple Diet
The UltraSimple Diet
is one of a new generation of weight-loss books—others include
The Fat Resistance Diet
and
The Rosedale Diet
—that focus on lesser-known but incredibly important factors in the weight-loss equation. In the case of
The UltraSimple Diet
, the culprits are twofold: toxicity and inflammation.
“For many of you,” writes the author, Mark Hyman, MD, “toxicity in particular may be frustrating your weight-loss attempts. You may be carrying around a truckload of toxins that are disrupting your body’s natural mechanisms for health.” And getting healthy, as Hyman explains, is the key to losing weight.
I’ve long been a fan of Mark Hyman. A former yoga teacher and “country doctor” who continues to practice in New England, he’s someone with impeccable credentials who is actively affiliated with the Institute for Functional Medicine, one of the premier organizations bringing nutrition, medicine, and holistic healing together under one conceptual roof. His previous book—
UltraMetabolism
—was a best seller (deservedly so), and
The UltraSimple Diet
is a distillation of the principles of that book, applied to the task at hand—weight loss.
“Just restricting calories is a recipe for disaster and inevitably leads to failure,” Hyman says. According to Hyman, toxicity can frequently explain why people seem to reach a plateau or “hit the wall” when attempting to lose weight, where, after an initial drop in weight, further weight loss proves next to impossible. “Unless you get rid of this toxic load,” he writes, “you might find yourself continually hitting this wall.”
The UltraSimple Diet
is subtitled
Kick-Start Your Metabolism and Safely Lose Up to 10 Pounds in 7 Days
. The usual objection to this kind of promise is that when you lose weight this quickly, it’s “just water weight.” “The truth is that you want to lose water weight,” he says. “Inflammation and toxicity cause fluid retention.” By cleaning up your system with this type of detoxifying and anti-inflammatory diet, you will drop fluid (and toxins) quickly. You’ll be on your way to a healthful weight and—even more important—better health. After losing the initial toxic fluid and inflammation, you can continue to drop fat at the reasonable rate of about ½ pound to 2 pounds per week.
So how do you do it? Simple. You take away the things that make you toxic and inflamed.
The “major toxins,” according to Hyman, are not much of a surprise: coffee, sugar, alcohol, processed food, fast food, junk food, trans-fats, and high-fructose corn syrup top the list. “By eliminating [these] major sources of inflammation in your diet—food allergens, sugar and flour products, and bad fats—your body can heal,” he promises.
This book lives up to the promise of its title: it’s really “UltraSimple.” Here are the six basic steps in a nutshell:
• Get rid of bad foods (i.e., those that create toxicity and inflammation).
• Add good foods (foods that are both detoxifying and antiinflammatory).
• Detoxify (Hyman teaches you how to make a special cleansing and detoxifying “UltraBroth”).
• Reduce Inflammation (here you use his recipe for “UltraShakes”).
• Relax (“Take a fabulously relaxing and detoxifying ‘UltraBath’ every night before bed”).
• Reflect (“Read and write in your journal about what you’re doing and how you’re feeling during the program”).
That’s it. There’s a special recipe for a “liver-detoxification” cocktail to promote bile flow, some simple stress-reduction techniques, a very easy exercise prescription (30 minutes a day of walking), and a few recommended nutritional supplements. Couldn’t be easier.
Before starting, you take a Toxicity and Inflammation Quiz, designed to help you determine just how toxic and inflamed you really are. You’ll answer questions about common symptoms ranging from nausea, constipation, and bloating to mood swings, energy, and headaches. The quiz takes only about 10 minutes to complete and should give you a good idea of what you need to work on. Best of all, you can monitor your progress by seeing how you score after a week on the program. Most people score significantly better!
According to Hyman, the toxic load you’re carrying—mostly, by the way, in your fat cells, where toxins tend to get stored—can undermine weight loss in a variety of ways:
• By impairing two key metabolic organs—the thyroid and the liver
• By damaging energy-producing cellular structures called
mitochondria
• By harming brain neurotransmitter and hormone signaling that affects your appetite
• By increasing inflammation and oxidative stress, both of which promote weight gain
A central part of the program is identifying food sensitivities, which Hyman (and others, including me!) believe are a huge part of the chronic health and weight problems many people suffer with. “Though they are real and well-documented in medical literature, they are generally ignored by conventional medicine,” Hyman states. Part of the benefit you’ll see from following this plan undoubtedly has to do with giving your body a break from “the usual suspects” for food sensitivities (and allergens)—gluten, dairy, yeast, eggs, corn, and peanuts. Hyman gives an excellent and very easy-to-understand explanation of the difference between classic “allergies” and the far more common (and frequently undiagnosed) food sensitivities or delayed food reactions that can easily sabotage weight loss.
Like many of the plans in
Living Low Carb
, you’re a little stricter during the first “phase,” which in this case lasts just 7 (relatively easy) days. After that, you go into “Reintroduction” mode. There’s a list of foods to “reintroduce” during Phase One Reintroduction (which continues over 2 weeks). After that, you’re in Phase Two Reintroduction and you can begin to test your reaction to some of those “usual suspect” foods which for many people (but not all) are triggers for delayed food sensitivities. Hyman smartly suggests adding those foods one at a time so that you can really monitor your body’s reaction to them.
Some “foods” are permanently banned—high-fructose corn syrup, transfats, artificial sweeteners, and the like. Good riddance.
The UltraSimple Diet as a Lifestyle: Who It Works for, Who Should Look Elsewhere
This is a book that lives up to its name—it’s truly UltraSimple, especially if you don’t mind making a nice homemade soup/broth and whipping up a couple of rice protein shakes. Be aware that with the UltraSimple diet—like with most “detox” plans—there’s always the possibility of a short (but possibly uncomfortable) “healing crisis” where you feel a little crummy at first as your body gets rid of the stuff it shouldn’t be holding on to in the first place. So if you’re about to tackle a huge project or give an important presentation, this might not be the week to try this program—you’d be better off waiting for a less stressful week.
“Though most people can safely do the program, there are a few people who should not do it or should do it only under a doctor’s supervision,” Hyman cautions. Among those for whom it’s not recommended are anyone with cancer or a terminal illness, anyone with kidney failure or borderline kidney function, anyone who is underweight or malnourished, children under the age of 18, and pregnant or nursing women.
That said, virtually everyone could benefit from a program that stresses a reduction in toxic load and inflammation, and the book is worth reading just for what you’ll learn about the impact of those two variables on weight and overall health.
Jonny’ s Lowdown
Hyman was co-medical director for Canyon Ranch, one of the premier health spas in the United States, and the program reflects that sensibility. It’s a program that easily could serve as the basis for a week at a spa: easy exercise, whole foods, nutrient-dense broths and shakes, and a healthy dollop of relaxation and reflection. What’s not to like?