If you are in the Vancouver area, pick up a Georgia Straight. I wrote a little ditty about LC for this week's issue.

I checked the web page but they don't have the entire paper.

Can't wait for the flack about kidneys to start!

Karen

hi Karen,

Took a few reads through for my brain to digest that comment. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why would anyone give you flack over a recipe for kidneys?? DUH ...

Ok, be prepared. First, tell them there is absolutely no documented, double-blind, peer-reviewed study proving that a low-carb, hi-protein diet is harmful to healthy kidneys. None. However, damaged kidneys can be made worse by large protein molecules. Second, one of the leading causes of kidney failure is DIABETES. And there IS proof that insulin-resistance and high-carb diets lead to Type 2 Diabetes. That might shut 'em up long enough for you to add that there is infinitely more pleasure to be had from eating a wedge of triple creme Brie than a dry rice cake. Touche.

Doreen

Kidneys and flack go well with a nicely aged Barolo as well as a big chunk of Brie.

Try it!

Karen

Well done Karen! Too bad they stuck the article in the middle of another about a Chilean restaurant!!!! Took me a while to find it.

Here's a scan of it, and thanks for the plug!

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Nixing pasta and pushing protein helped this chef battle the bulge

I started packing on the pounds in my mid20s after discovering the joys of Italian food. All that pasta, risotto, polenta, and Amarone got me started on the road to ruin. Being a chef and cookbook author sent me even further down that road.

At the end of 1998, I was through with low energy, late-afternoon mood swings, and being fat. Like many others,I jumped on the low-fat bandwagon and ate lots of Scottish oatmeal with skim milk, and bowls of brown rice with tuna, vegetables, and lemon juice. And, horror of gakky horrors, nonfat lattes! After the bowls of complex carbohydrates, I would be literally banging my head against the wall with insane cravings for dessert, so I ate loads of chocolate sorbet before falling into bed in a sugar coma. What was going on? After 10 months I had lost 10 pounds and figuratively wanted to kill myself out of frustration. My mood had not improved either. Little did I realize that I was eating more carbohydrates than I ever had before, and that was a big clue to solving the problem.

Miraculously, the book Protein Power by Michael and Mary Eades fell into my hands. I had the answer. I was a sugar junkie. Briefly, this is the way it works. Insulin carries glucose to your cells to be used as fuel. Some of it gets converted to glycogen and is stored in the muscles and liver. What is left over gets turned into fat. The fatter you get, the less responsive to insulin your cells become. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more insulin is produced, creating insulin resistance. Lots of glucose remains in your blood, turning into more fat. This is where sugar addiction sets in: your cells aren't getting the fuel they need and the excess insulin drives your blood sugar below normal range, so you eat more carbohydrates.

The Protein Power plan was one I could live with for the rest of my life. I could eat all of my favourite things and eat them until satisfied. Bread, potatoes, and pasta were the easiest to let go of. But sweets? For a sugar junkie like me, one cookie is too many and a thousand are never enough. Now I feel so good without sugar that the short-term pleasure it provides is never worth it.

Oh my God, give up bread and pasta! What on earth do you eat? Well, I eat the same way I ate before, except I keep my carbohydrates way low. I can eat asparagus with truffledgoat-cheese sabayOfl and roasted lamb, or a grilled portobello mushroom on a heap 0' romaine lettuce with chunky Gorgonzola dressing and a nice, juicy rib-eye steak. Last week I had salmon cooked in goose fat. Oh bliss! Of course, I don't eat this way every day. It's usually salad, meat, water, water, fish, vegetables, eggs, spinach, meat, water.

My blood pressure is down and my cholesterol levels are coming into balance. I've also lost 60 pounds of fat. Cool, eh? My new regimen has had great side benefits. Two weeks after I started, the pain in my knees went away, my skin cleared up, my nasal passages opened, and my energy level soared. I was not hungry and my sugar cravings subsided.

If you want to switch to this way of eating, you must absolutely buy a book to know how to do it properly. Protein Power and Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution are excellent places to start. If you're not willing to put in the time to arm yourself with information, you will fail and be miserable. Believe me. This is not a diet, it's a way of life. The first couple of days will be the worst as you decarb yourself. You will have intense cravings and you may develop flulike symptoms: headache, nausea, and low energy. These clear up quickly and will be replaced by a burst of energy.

Join a news group. I recommend lowcarb.ca/. The Web site has loads of information besides " the discussion forum. I even have my own little recipe corner there. Some of us Vancouver members like to get together for coffee or dinner occasionally where we can talk of low-carb matters with other lowcarbers.

Be creative in cooking and food choices. Lowcarbing does not equal boring, If you like East Indian, Japanese, or Chinese, you will still have great things to cook, eat, and enjoy. There are naysayers to this way of eating, but I'm so happy to have kicked the sugar demon that I don't care if my kidneys fall out (an urban legend anyway). And besides, I can eat all the foie gras I want.

KAREN BARNABY

I know! It took me a while to find it too. I wasn't to happy with the title they gave it, I preferred "How I Got My Chin Back", which was my original title.

Anyway, whining aside, I'm thrilled to have been given the opportunity to give a real L-Cer's side of the story. More power to Low-Carb and long live lowcarb.ca. Yeah!

Karen

WOW, what a wonderful way of describing all of this ordeal. I've started on low carb (CAD) diet on january 2nd and already lost 10lbs. However, another nice person in here explained to me that it may not be the best diet because of the high carbs at "reward" meal and that it hikes up the insulin.

How about the liver and other organs? Does it get affected by low carbing? When I saw a dietitian the other day (Dr's orders) she told me "low carbing affects your internal organs, and it can get very serious"...

I've already been speaking to Doreen about this and she's been a wonderful help.

I'd sure like to know (because now I'm confused), which one of these diets is best for us? And does the Atkins diet still want you to go into a state of ketosis? It's just so confusing to me. There's so much to learn!

BTW guys, my Brother-in-law is an executive chef in Vancouver & Whistler. I can't remember the new restaurant's name in Vancouver, but the one in whistler is called Araxi's right in the village. The owner of the restaurant also owns chin chin (sp)? Anyhoo... just thought I'd pass that along. We're so very proud of him! James Walt is his name.

Thanks for all your help.

Josee

Great article! Yes, it should be interesting to see the responses. I like the way you mixed in medical background with your personal story (I also like your original title - "Battle of the Bulge," how cliche) but you can't have everything, I guess.

Good on you!

Rachel

Hi Josee,

That all depends on what works for you. Some low-carb followers poo-poo CAD, especially if they are sugar addicts. Having a reward meal would put them over the edge and cause them to want more sugar/carbs. From what I’ve read, when carbs are eaten, your body switches into glucose burning mode. Any excess glucose is stored as fat. Your progress may be faster without carbs.

LC diets work if you follow them properly and then do some fine tuning as you go along. Some people can’t handle Atkins Bars, dairy products, processed meats, nuts, sugar substitutes or diet drinks. You find this out when you examine why you have stalled.

I can’t comment on damaging internal organs but did the nurse say why or how it causes damage?

Congratulations on the 10 pound loss. What a great feeling! If you find that CAD works for you and doesn’t give you uncontrollable cravings and you continue to lose weight, stick with it. If you want to switch to a more LC plan, you can always do CAD once a week and have a reward meal, though some LCer’s would frown upon this too. Again, it’s what works for YOU. There is no one-size-fits-all plan.

Read Dr. Atkin’s New Diet Revolution or Protein Power. These are great starting points, references and essential for success. No matter what, remember to drink lots of water.

I believe your BIL is the chef at Bluewater. I haven’t been yet, but I plan to go in the near future. I went to Ouest, which is owned by the same company this past Monday, and though it was great. My dining companion ate both his dessert and mine. I must confess though, I did have a bite or two. Raspberry souffle!

Karen

Yes you are right it is called blue water. He just switched to that restaurant not too long ago. He was the executive chef at Araxi's right before that. (same owner).

Thank you so much for those words of encouragement. It's hard to find what's best for us, without spending so much time seeing what fits. And since I'm such an impatient person... well lets just say I need to relax, and take my time. Last week I started exercising as well. I'm starting with walking 1/2 hour increments 3 times a week. This week I only did it once but hey, at least I'm still trying.

If you go to bluewater, say hi to James for me and tell him that his sister-in-law Josee raves about him all the time!!!

BFN,

Josee

Hey, this is a life time project so take your time. I know it's hard not to be impatient but you will make yourself crazy. Information is your friend. Get as much of it as you can. It's your body and your life. What could be more important to take care of ourselves in the right way? We usually don't realize how badly we were treating ourselves until we stop. ;o

I'm thinking of going to Blue Water next Monday and I'll say hi to James for you.

Karen

Well done on the article, Karen! I'm sorry I couldn't read it in "the raw" so to speak, but I haven't seen a copy of the Georgia Straight over here in Victoria since the seventies !8-]

(and Tamarian, THANK YOU for going to the trouble of scanning it in for us out of towners).

Great Karen!!!

Let me know how everything was. I haven't been to the new restaurant since it opened. Last summer we went to Araxi's in Wistler, and of course I was impressed!!! (of course being as James works there helps, however everthing was fabulous!!!) He's a sweetie ;o)...

How is everything going with your WOE? I'm doing good. So far I've lost 17-18lbs... I'm going back home on Thursday and hope to be at the 20lbs mark. (partly for the wrong reason that I want to impress my family and especially my hubby's) But hey... I'm 99% doing it for me, my health and to get my dream baby.