Things change as you age – your friend groups, family structure, routines, habits, and life perspective. All of the intricate parts of our lives often evolve long before we notice it. Unfortunately, the same happens with our bodies, diets, metabolism, and weight too.
As if life isn’t demanding enough, having kids can be a tiring full-time job. After mine were born, there either wasn’t enough time in the day or motivation in me to maintain a healthy diet. I was able to hide the weight gain for a while. Then the day came when my clothes would barely squeeze over me, and I knew it was time to take control.
I tried low-carb and ketogenic diets to no avail. There was still too much fat in these diets for me to lose weight.
And Now for Something Completely Different…
Sticking to a diet of only veggies and protein is definitely not something I’m willing to do long-term. However, if I could stick with it for just 7 days, I could hit a theoretical “reset” button in my brain and body. Essentially, it was going to be a quick-start to make healthy dieting easier to accomplish.
For these 7 days, my diet was only made up of high-quality protein like chicken breasts and lean turkey with vegetables. At the end of that week, the scale had some good news for me – I had lost 10 pounds!
Debunking the Myths
Our body uses fat and carbs for energy, but these macro-nutrients act as speed bumps on the journey to weight loss. The idea was if I didn’t eat any fat or carbs, my body wouldn’t store any fat.
While some myths claim that excess protein will eventually be stored as body fat as well, this is simply not true. If it were, I wouldn’t be telling you how I lost 10 pounds in 1 week eating only protein and veggies.
Part of this myth is that the body cannot absorb any amount of protein per meal over 30g. However, if the body cannot absorb that “extra” protein, then how can it store it as fat? In reality, our bodies do an amazing job of absorbing, digesting, and utilizing protein.
These myths also claim that your body turns the protein into glucose. The idea is that when the “excess” protein transforms to glucose, it inhibits ketosis and consequently slows fat burning.
Although some trustworthy sources convincingly cite these baseless claims, that does not make the misguided information any more reliable.
So How Does It Actually Work?
Once I broke through the haze of misinformation, my plan was ready. So without any fat or carbs, where did I get my energy from? What did my body use for fuel?
My 7-day adventure convinced my body to use pre-existing body fat for fuel. Since lean muscle is more necessary for survival, your body prefers to burn fat first. The only stipulation here is to not completely starve yourself. If you do this, you will notice muscle loss along with fat loss.
As a result dropping the body fat, I was also successful in increasing my insulin sensitivity. This means that my body is fighting harder to preserve mass. Although that sounds counter-intuitive, it actually helps me recover properly from exercise and stress.
What’s Next?
Now you know how I lost 10 pounds in 1 week eating only protein and veggies. Although this isn’t a diet I’ll depend on permanently; it’s a huge first step towards a healthier lifestyle and more weight loss.
So where do I go from here?
Now that my insulin sensitivity is stronger, I’ll be adding high-quality carbs to my regular diet. It’s easy to consume simple carbs like fried foods, sugar, and white bread. On the contrary, I’ll be eating complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and brown rice.
In addition to this, I’m planning an intense exercise routine to burn more fat and build more muscle. The intensity of an exercise varies from person to person and evolves within an individual as you progress. Basically, the more you push yourself, the more you’re capable of. I’m ready to burn and sweat my way into discovering my potential.
Do You Need Inspiration for Your Own Journey?
It’s easy to get discouraged from healthy dieting and exercise. Maintaining this lifestyle requires a lot of determination and self-discipline. One of the most important things you can have to keep you on track is support!
While you find your own way, you can follow my journey for ideas and inspiration. Sharing my experience with you definitely motivates me to stick to it. I want to prove that anything is possible. If I can do it while balancing family and work, you can too!