Category: Keto Weight Loss Guide

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Why is it almost impossible to overcome carbohydrate addiction?

Carbohydrate addiction specialist, Dr. Joan Ifland.

Joan Ifland, PhD, MBA, FACN, is an expert in carbohydrate addiction. She has this to say:

The problem of carbohydrate addiction as I see it, is that no one out there is effectively trained to help people recover from processed food addiction.

Food addiction is very much at the forefront of the thinking of health coaches like myself, as we learn more about this devastating condition and the insidious means that big food uses to keep us locked in to our addictions. 

Please understand that your food cravings, carbohydrate addiction and resulting poor health are not your fault.

Previously the correct support has simply not been provided. Here is a list of the resources that have been offered to us, and the reasons why they simply do not work.

Have you tried any of the following? Did the outcomes dissappoint you?

  • Physicians are prescribing pharmaceuticals and diets. As a result, they’re blaming clients for failing to adhere to a plan.
  • Personal trainers offer extreme food and exercise plans. In fact, they’re missing the problem and setting their clients up for harmful self-comparison in gym environments.
  • Drug-like foods are recommended by dieticians who are trained by the processed food industry.
  • Nutritionists are trained in food plans and supplements but not in addictions.
  • Eating disorder specialists vehemently oppose food addiction. Surprisingly, they fight for their stance on the issue.
  • Therapists mistreat processed food addiction. They believe that the problems lie in past traumas. Therapists propose that the answer will be found in mindful eating. They miss the addicted brain.
  • Bariatric surgery leaves processed foods in the system. The procedure can result in replacing food addiction with addiction to alcohol or drugs. Sadly its often a temporary fix with weight regain or no weight lost.
  • Weight loss programs humiliate people about their weight. They blame the client and the shame can lead to eating disorders.
  • Residential programs miss the role of triggers in the home. Upon returning home the person reactivates the old triggers.
  • Support groups have addictive foods in their food plans. They have stressful and irrelevant requirements and a narrow focus. They also blame their members. 
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Low-carb, healthy-fat adoption in low socioeconomic communities

Jayne Bullen of Eat Better South Africa supports low socioeconomic communities.

Eat Better South Africa NPC is a community-driven non-profit organization in low socioeconomic communities. It is dedicated to supporting our local public healthcare systems and fostering sustainable food systems. It’s mission is to empower low socioeconomic communities by providing nutrition education programs that help individuals make informed dietary choices, ultimately improving their overall health and well-being.

Jayne Bullen of The Noakes Foundation

Jayne Bullen believes that research in healthcare needs better funding and strong minds. Since joining The Noakes Foundation in 2015 Jayne has grown it into one of the key research funders in South Africa. It is an entity that changes the way the nation eats. As the COO of The Noakes Foundation she established Eat Better South Africa alongside inspiring colleagues and Professor Tim Noakes.

Most recently she was appointed as managing director of the Nutrition Network, where she has taken the lead in the process and creation of this educational and networking platform. The Nutrition Network was founded by the Noakes Foundation in partnership with an esteemed team of doctors and scientists.

If there is one thing I know for sure is that we are all connected and what happens here, happens everywhere else too in our global families. We are doing work that is not only for us here on the tip of Africa, but for all humanity and for future generations.

What we do and what we eat, and choose to buy to eat everyday, is something profound and that matters a great deal.

Jayne Bullen,

COO The Noakes Foundation

Euodia Samson supports low socioeconomic communities.
Euodia Samson supports low socioeconomic communities.

Euodia Samson supports low-carb healthy-fat adoption in low socioeconomic communities

As a well-known South African actress and TV personality, Euodia Samson has gained recognition for her roles in various shows. These include SOS, Arendsvlei, Big Okes, Madam & Eve, and Fishy Feshuns.

Euodia holds a Diploma in Speech and Drama from the University of Cape Town and a Diploma in Communication and Counseling from the College of Applied Psychology (SACAP).

Euodia’s struggle

After years of struggling with weight gain and trying every possible diet intervention, Euodia finally found out that she is insulin resistant. After a few months and experiencing great success in cutting out processed foods that are high in sugar and carbohydrates, she contacted The Noakes Foundation to help extend the low-carb intervention to communities that are struggling with metabolic health issues. As a result, the ripple effects of this contact contributed to the innovative program we all know and love, Eat Better South Africa!

Adding to her list of achievements, she recently released her second self-help book, “Know Thyself,” in early February. The book is semi-autobiographical, detailing her journey to rediscover herself through a more holistic approach to mental health. This release follows the success of her first book, which she self-published in 2022. Titled “Heal Your Gut,” this book promotes a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits.

Euodia on Facebook Live

Euodia hosts regular Facebook Live shows every afternoon at 4 PM. Here she prepares low-carb meals and engages her audience in discussions on a range of topics. She focuses on Health & Wellness on Mondays. Additionally, the subject of self-help is covered on Tuesdays. On Wednesdays Euodia covers Family, Relationships, and Raising Children. Thursdays are reserved for Q&A sessions. Finally, on Fridays, she invites a guest to join her.

As a certified health coach and counsellor, Euodia is well-versed in offering self-help advice. She is looking forward to continuing to heal others and improve community health at large through her work with Eat Better South Africa.

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5 Secrets of successful keto adaptation

A diverse group of eight people stand side by side with their arms around each other’s backs, facing a chalkboard. United and supportive, they embody the spirit often seen in keto weight loss communities, with their backs to the camera.

What have I learned in 14 years?

Fourteen years ago I began coaching clients in how to achieve successful keto adaptation. This after I changed my own life in 2012 , losing weight and centimeters and getting off anti-depressant medication.

Some people have achieved positive life enhancing results during their 90 day course with me. Others have not, and sadly have taken steps back to their former habits and self-defeating lifestyle rituals.

What are some of the foundational elements that successful people have embraced to achieve successful keto adaptation?

5 Success tips from the real achievers

They know what they are consuming

Top achievers are diligent with tracking everything that they eat and drink. This is about taking back the power. It’s about being painfully honest about your relationship with food. We know that living an awesome life is about addressing the social, movement, sleep , relaxation and enjoyment factors of life and that diet is not everything. But it is the backbone to awesome health I believe.

They weigh and measure themselves regularly

Having a weekly hop onto the scale first thing in the morning after sitting on the toilet, as well as measuring the abdomen, lets us know how your body is responding to being deprived of the glucose energy that comes from consuming carbohydrates and sugar. A wise habit is to measure other parts of the body as well, such as the wrist, upper arm, bust, hips and upper thighs. Sometimes the scale will not show a change but a drop in centimeters around the abdomen or elsewhere on the body tells us that changes are happening. This is very motivating.

Using the scale and the tape measure gives important information about the effects that your food choices are having on your body. If weight loss stalls after a weekend, it could be due to that extra meal you had. If weight loss speeds up is it because you are skipping meals sometimes because of not being hungry? (Tip: This could be a good time to introduce intermittent fasting as a weight loss hack.)

They get stuck into keto theory

Successful keto adaptors embrace the learning side by listening to podcasts, watching YouTube teachings and reading books and articles by the thought leaders in this food revolution. They own their knowledge so that if they are challenged by someone who declares that “all that fat is going to give you high cholesterol and you will have a heart attack”, they will already understand how Professor Tim Noakes puts this into perspective in his powerful talk, The Dietary Lies around Heart Disease, and are able to sensibly defend their choices.

They do the difficult bits

No one is pretending that this process is easy and without challenges. Far from it. The successful people bravely face up to what they need to do in order to rescue their health and have a better life going forwards. Things like going without alcohol for a period, in somes cases forever. Or abandoning snacking habits. They have an unshakeable belief that the pain will be worth it.

They learn how to handle social settings

Social pressure in my opinion, is the biggest hurdle to overcome when changing from eating processed, high carbohydrate-based foods that are ubiquitous in Western culture. There is need to limit social events that are essential to our well-being as humans. However, successful people develop strategies to use when they are going to be eating and drinking away from home. They plan ahead. They know the difference and drawbacks between a floating canape reception and a bring-and-share get together with friends. Or a formal sit down event or a family meal where dessert is the norm. They always know what they are in for. Further more they are prepared. They know that they will excuse themselves from some of what is offered, by using kind words.

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9 Lower-carb alternatives to grains

A bowl of mixed vegetable couscous, featuring carrots, peas, and corn, garnished with fresh basil leaves—a colorful dish perfect for anyone exploring keto weight loss options—served on a folded grey napkin and white speckled plate.

Reproduced from a Business Insider article, here are plenty of lower-carb grain alternatives to add to your plate. Not all of these will be available in your local food market, but some surely will be.

“The good news is that if you’re looking to limit your carb intake, there’s plenty of options for you — especially when it comes to replacing grains.” – Business Insider

So start experimenting.

Broccoli and cauliflower as lower-carb grain alternatives

Cauliflower rice is enjoyed on a LCHF Banting ketogenic diet.
Cauliflower rice is enjoyed on a LCHF Banting ketogenic diet.
Finely chopped green broccoli pieces, closely packed together, showing a fresh and vibrant texture—perfect for keto weight loss meals.
Broccoli is similar to cauliflower rice. Make riced broccoli easily using a box grater or a food processor.
A close-up of cooked quinoa mixed with sautéed mushrooms and leafy green kale. The ingredients are well combined, creating a healthy and colorful dish perfect for keto weight loss meals.
Quinoa is a nutritious alternative to rice and contains fifteen times less carbohydrate content. Avoid quinoa during your LCHF Banting Transformation weight loss phase but enjoy it in moderation when you have achieved Preservation.
Two baked sweet potato halves on a wooden surface, scored in a crosshatch pattern and sprinkled with herbs and spices—a delicious side that fits well into balanced keto weight loss meal plans.
Delicious sweet potatoes are prebiotic vegetables and can be prepared in a myriad of different ways.
A pile of kohlrabi, some with purple skin and others light green, with leafy stems still attached—perfect for keto weight loss diets thanks to their low-carb, nutrient-rich profile and slightly rough, patchy surface.
If you’re lucky enough to get this cabbage turnip fusion at your vegetable market, then enjoy it as part of your Banting, low carb healthy fat diet for it’s anti-oxidant and extremely low carb, 9 grams of net carbs, benefits.
Ripe butternut cut into two halves is enjoyed as part of a LCHF Banting ketogenic diet.
The Japanese konjac plant is used to make Shirataki rice and noodles that have zero carbohydrates and calories, and zero gluten and soy. It is flavoured by the other ingredients in the meal.
Get your konjac products at Wellness Warehouse.
A butternut squash cut in half lengthwise sits on a white cutting board, revealing its bright orange flesh and seeds—an eye-catching option for keto weight loss meals. A knife and its handle are partially visible in the background.
Butternut squash is another delicious side vegetable although I personally opt for pumpkin instead because it has half the number of carbohydrates that butternut has and is equally delicious. A South African favourite barbecue side is made with butternut. The pips are removed from butternut halves. Then fill the space with fried onions, garlic, chopped peppers and mozzarella cheese. These are then enclosed with aluminium foil and cooked on the barbecue grid.
A white bowl filled with yellow rice, perfect for a keto weight loss meal, garnished with chopped green herbs and placed on a striped mat with pastel colors.
Super affordable, prebiotic vegetable cabbage rice only has five grams of carbohydrate per cup and can be used for anything as a lower-carb grain alternative.
Close-up of freshly spiralized zucchini noodles, or zoodles—perfect for keto weight loss—showing thin, curly strands in light green and white shades.
Delicious zucchini noodles have only six grams of carbohydrate per cup.

Reference:

Business Insider

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Prepare for weight loss

Illustration of a human stomach and intestines filled with clusters of variously colored bacteria, representing the gut microbiome and its connection to keto weight loss against a soft, abstract background.

As you prepare for weight loss recall what Hippocrates said in 400 BC: “All diseases begin in the gut.”

Gut problems as you prepare for weight loss

Hippocrates may not have been entirely right.  Current medical thinking is increasingly emphasising the importance of the intestines. There are links between digestion, mood and health. According to the Real Meal Revolution, many Banters who are heavier and insulin resistant appear to have poor gut health.

In my own case, I know this to be true as I had digestive problems for decades. Then I began to prepare for weight loss. I began to feed my gut biome and eliminate harmful substances. As a result, my depression and anxiety disappeared.  Stable, upbeat moods replaced depression and anxiety.

Here’s what we know for sure about this enormous organ:

  • It is considered to be “the second brain”
  • The small intestine is responsible for around 95% of the digestion and absorption of the food we eat.
  • The total surface area exposed to both the nutritious and harmful things we consume has been calculated to be anywhere from the size of  a badminton court to the size of a tennis court!
  • Key to the effective and healthy functioning of the small intestine is the symbiotic relationship it enjoys with our gut flora. These trillions of microorganisms line the intestinal wall. They form a vital living interface between the partially digested food on the inside and the intestinal wall on the outside.
  • Gut flora manufacture vitamins B and K, and act as an organ of the body by releasing hormones into the bloodstream. (As we have seen, hormones interact with the brain and signal the body to change its behaviour in response to a change in its environment. Irritable bowel syndrome, IBS and other bowel problems such as constipation and bloating are now thought to directly affect our mood, contributing to emotional shifts and even anxiety and depression.)
  • Our gut flora also plays an important hand in managing the body’s metabolism and it forms part of the body’s immune system by making antigens from potentially harmful bacteria that the immune system can use to ward off disease.

It is critical that it should take into account the healthy development and maintenance of your gut flora.

Avoid abrupt changes

Avoid abrupt changes, such as a wildly fluctuating diet.

The excessive use of antibiotics or the infestation of harmful bacteria, can seriously compromise this vital organ. Rebuilding and supporting the gut flora should be regarded as a foundational step to metabolic health.

For more on gut health read…….

Gluten Freedom by Alessio Fasano (Wiley, 2013) or find his videos on YouTube.

References:

Real Meal Revolution Banting 2.0 by Jonno Proudfoot and the Real Meal Revolution Team, (Burnet Media, 2016)