Going NSNG
Wed, 1/11/17: ⬇2.5 lbs this week, ⬇2.5 lbs this year, ⬇ 8.8 lbs overall.
So as I say, Vinnie Tortorich's No Sugar, No Grains program appealed to me. Not only because I was the heaviest I'd been since I started rowing three years ago, and not only because the foul-mouthed antics on his podcast had me in stitches every morning, but because his program was:
A. Simple. Avoid sugars, avoid grains. If you can't cut them out completely, at least try to get away from a diet in which most of your calories come from sugars and grains (i.e., cereal for breakfast, hoagie for lunch, chips for a snack, pasta for dinner, ice cream for dessert...). Replace those carb-heavy, processed foods with real-food alternatives (i.e., eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, cheese or nuts for snack, meat and veg for dinner). No calories, no points, no tracking, and (most important for me) no portion control. Easy peasy!
B. Evidence-based. Okay, time to admit it: I've been on a lot of diets, and read countless other books and articles on the subject. In other words, I've failed. Like, a lot. In another post, I'll do a whole taxonomy of diet programs. But for now, we'll just say I've been around. NSNG, based as it is in one man's experience, is not exactly scientific, but at least it's not based in mythology or philosophy or spiritual voodoo-ery.
C. Free. There was nothing to buy. No shakes, no formulas, potions, powders or pills. No "memberships" or apps or "exclusive online content." All of the information is contained on a single page of his website, and it's available for free (in fact, the FAQ on the website is even more comprehensive than the explanation in his book). Having spent a lot of money over the years on programs that ultimately didn't work, this was the best argument of all -- what could I lose!?
I figured that it at least warranted further study. I downloaded a bunch of podcast episodes, listened, laughed and learned, and a funny thing happened: I, an English prof, became really interested in science. The authors that Vinnie interviewed on his podcast were knowledgeable and thoughtful, and had some mind-blowing things to say. I would listen to an episode, immediately download the person's book, and devour it in the next week. The first one I discovered was Gary Taubes. And Gary Taubes changed my life.
So as I say, Vinnie Tortorich's No Sugar, No Grains program appealed to me. Not only because I was the heaviest I'd been since I started rowing three years ago, and not only because the foul-mouthed antics on his podcast had me in stitches every morning, but because his program was:
A. Simple. Avoid sugars, avoid grains. If you can't cut them out completely, at least try to get away from a diet in which most of your calories come from sugars and grains (i.e., cereal for breakfast, hoagie for lunch, chips for a snack, pasta for dinner, ice cream for dessert...). Replace those carb-heavy, processed foods with real-food alternatives (i.e., eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, cheese or nuts for snack, meat and veg for dinner). No calories, no points, no tracking, and (most important for me) no portion control. Easy peasy!
B. Evidence-based. Okay, time to admit it: I've been on a lot of diets, and read countless other books and articles on the subject. In other words, I've failed. Like, a lot. In another post, I'll do a whole taxonomy of diet programs. But for now, we'll just say I've been around. NSNG, based as it is in one man's experience, is not exactly scientific, but at least it's not based in mythology or philosophy or spiritual voodoo-ery.
I figured that it at least warranted further study. I downloaded a bunch of podcast episodes, listened, laughed and learned, and a funny thing happened: I, an English prof, became really interested in science. The authors that Vinnie interviewed on his podcast were knowledgeable and thoughtful, and had some mind-blowing things to say. I would listen to an episode, immediately download the person's book, and devour it in the next week. The first one I discovered was Gary Taubes. And Gary Taubes changed my life.
A great summary of the #NSNG lifestyle!
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