# Ep 6. Why Low Carb Works So Well
One of the hardest things about a weight loss journey is accepting and
realizing that what worked in our 20s simply does not work quite as well
once we hit 35 and beyond. And it's all about hormones.
Hormones have such a big impact on your fat-burning engine, and when
your hormones are changing, everything starts to change with your weight
as well. In today's podcast, I'm going to share with you the five main
reasons why low carb works, why this is such an effective way of eating
as you hit 35 and beyond.
Welcome to the Why Wade podcast. I'm your host, Cheryl Takayama, a
qualified nutritionist, emotional eater, and weight loss coach who walks
the talk. I've maintained my 30-kilo weight loss for the past 23 years
following a low-carb plan, and now I coach other women online so they
can do the same. It's my mission to help women get off this crazy diet
wagon and find a way of eating and a way of thinking that works so you
too can lose your weight for life.
Join me each week for lots of practical advice, tips, and motivation so
you can start now. Welcome to the Why Wait podcast. I'm so grateful that
you are here, and I can't wait to share even more information about the
low-carb way of eating with you today.
It's all very well for someone to say, "Well, you need to eat this way
because it really works well and it's really yummy." But I want to go a
bit deeper today to share with you exactly why it works. The five main
reasons that I see that make it so effective, and that have really
helped my clients to get going, enjoy it, and keep going. Because the
way that you're going to achieve your goal is by finding something and
sticking to it.
## Energy
I want to start by talking about one of the most important reasons of
all: energy. Remember back in the good old days when you could get
through the day without having to resort to 3 or 4 cups of coffee? Well,
part of the reason that low carb works so well is that you are changing
how your body fuels itself, and as a result of that, it makes a massive
difference to your energy levels.
One of the things I hear clients say all of the time is that since
they've started eating in a low-carb way, they just feel better
throughout the day, especially when it comes to that afternoon energy
slump. And what it comes down to is the fuel source of protein and
healthy fats instead of carbohydrates.
When you're eating high-carbohydrate foods, they give you instant
energy. That's why they feel so good when we first eat them. Our body
takes this energy and turns it quickly into fuel to use. Just imagine
you eat an apple. It has about 20g of sugar in it. Your body takes that
energy, burns it quickly, and we get an instant rush. It's fantastic.
However, it doesn't last very long.
What happens is we get a nice high from that energy. But then things
slump again. And then what happens is we get hungry within a few hours
of eating. Carbohydrates are like an instant energy source that while it
gives our body great fuel to use quickly, it puts us on the cycle of
energy highs and energy lows.
When you change your nutrition and you're getting good protein and
healthy fats with every meal, instead of this high and low of the energy
rollercoaster, you're getting a much more constant source of energy
throughout the day. And it makes a huge difference. This is when you can
start to go longer between meals, when you don't get these highs and
lows and you're tapping into an amazing source of fuel.
You see, when you start burning fat as fuel instead of constantly being
on this glucose cycle when you're eating carbohydrates, all of a sudden
your body has opened up this amazing source of energy from within your
fat cells, and it gives you energy that's constant and can last right
throughout the day.
I think if you're struggling with those energy slumps, if you're feeling
tired after eating, it's well worth giving low carb a try because it
might just help you feel so much more stable in your energy levels.
## Insulin Regulation
The second reason low carb works so well for women over 35 is because of
insulin regulation. I know that sounds technical, but stay with me
because understanding this is absolutely crucial to your success.
As we age, our bodies naturally become more insulin resistant. Insulin
is the hormone that moves glucose from your bloodstream into your cells.
So if we eat a meal that's really high in carbs, which turn to sugar in
your blood---for example, a sandwich or maybe a piece of fruit---your
body will increase insulin in order to deal with that sugar in your
bloodstream.
But when you constantly flood your system with carbs, your body has to
keep pumping out more and more insulin to deal with this glucose.
Eventually, our cells just stop responding as well. They become
resistant to insulin's effects.
Now, this creates a perfect storm for weight gain, especially around
your midsection. That stubborn belly fat that seems to come overnight
once we hit our 40s is often directly related to insulin resistance.
When you reduce your carbs, you are going to naturally lower your
insulin levels. Lower insulin allows your body to access fat stores more
easily. Dropping your insulin is a bit like unlocking a door that's been
jammed shut. Once that door is open, your body can start releasing fat
from the fat cells and burning that for energy.
You see, we can control that completely by what we eat and lowering the
amount of carbs in our meals. Of course, this is also really important
if you are worried about your blood sugar levels or perhaps at risk of
type 2 diabetes. Rather than thinking the only option is to be taking
medication, you can significantly balance your insulin just by lowering
the amount of carbs that you eat. It really is very powerful.
## Increased Satiety
Now, the other major benefit of low carb and why it works so well,
especially in the long term, is it increases satiety, which means that
you feel satisfied and full after eating. What a difference this makes,
especially if you've been on that dieting roller coaster, eating low-fat
foods and feeling hungry all the time.
Once you include healthy fats with your meal and a good level of
protein, fat actually sends a signal to your brain that says, "I'm full,
I've eaten." When you eat a meal that's higher in fat, you feel
satiated. You feel full. It's very different from eating a low-fat meal
where you're not getting that response, which means that even if you've
had quite a good volume of food, you still feel hungry.
One of the most common comments I hear from clients is just how happy
they are that they can now go longer between meals, that they don't feel
hungry, they feel more stable between meals, and that just makes such a
big difference.
When I started low carb, I think this was probably the greatest benefit
of all---that I felt so full after meals, really happy, and then I could
go a much longer time between meals. When you're busy, when you're out
and about, that's important because you don't want to be having to stop
every three hours to eat, or feeling hypoglycemic and feeling a bit
shaky because your blood sugar levels have plummeted.
I've always loved the fact that with low carb, I feel so sustained from
one meal to the next, and never really do I ever get that hungry. It
just makes such a difference.
## Delicious Food
The fourth reason why low carb works so well can be a bit surprising to
people in the beginning. It is absolutely delicious. You can forget
about the idea that healthy eating means you have to eat chicken and
broccoli with a fat-free sauce. Absolutely not.
When you start eating low carb, you get to eat cheese, avocados, eggs
cooked in butter, vegetables roasted in olive oil. The food has so much
flavor. It's rich. It's satisfying. For many people, this is one of the
main reasons that we can keep eating this way, because it is delicious.
When you enjoy what you're eating, you are so much more likely to stick
with it in the long term. One of my clients said to me, "It feels like
I'm cheating. Like every day is a cheat day, and yet I'm getting on the
scales and I'm seeing these amazing results." It really is fantastic.
I also remember another client who was really hesitant about adding
cream to her coffee. Now, she loved cream in her coffee, but she was
worried that cream is high in fat and it's going to be bad for us. Well,
you should have seen the look of absolute joy on her face when she
started adding more cream to her coffee, and her weight loss completely
kickstarted.
It's like being able to really enjoy some of these foods that we've been
told are bad and realizing, "You know what? They're not. They're real
foods and they're yummy foods."
## Sustainability
Which brings me to the final, and perhaps the most important point of
why low carb works: sustainability. The best diet in the world is
useless if you can't stick with it.
Low carb eating works because it doesn't feel like a diet, and it
addresses the root causes of weight gain, especially for women over 35:
those hormone changes, insulin resistance, decreased metabolic rate.
Rather than just treating the symptoms, low carb is changing at the very
core of how you fuel yourself.
You don't need special foods. You don't need expensive supplements. You
don't have to count complicated points. It doesn't require a whole lot
of meal prep. It can be incredibly simple. You can use this approach at
a restaurant, if you're out with your family, and you don't feel like
you're on some crappy diet because you're getting to enjoy delicious
foods while not feeling hungry.
Many clients have said to me that this way of eating actually feels like
the Holy Grail, because they're eating yummy foods. It's fitting in with
other people, and yet they're losing weight. It truly is a brilliant way
of eating.
## Recap
So let's quickly recap why low carb works so well for weight loss:
1. It stabilizes your energy because it trains your body to burn fat,
rather than this instant energy of glucose coming in through your
mouth all the time.
2. It regulates your insulin, which is going to address a really root
cause of why you are gaining weight.
3. It increases satiety so you feel full and satisfied and you can eat
really enjoyable meals without feeling deprived.
4. It's delicious so you don't feel like you're on a diet. You're
actually enjoying meals rather than feeling like you're being
punished.
5. Lastly, it's sustainable in the long term, which means that you can
keep doing it, which means you are not going to gain the weight
back.
I know it's sustainable because I've done it for 23 years, and there's
no way I'm going to stop now.
## Final Tip
In finishing today, I want to give you a simple tip that you can start
doing now to just experiment a little bit with a low-carb approach. I
want you to replace one high-carb meal with a meal that's high in
protein, and see the difference that it makes for you.
For example, instead of having cereal or toast for breakfast, try some
eggs, maybe some avocado or some lovely berries with high-fat yogurt.
See what a difference this makes to your body and your energy levels
throughout the day.
That's all for today. I look forward to hearing your feedback. If you've
got any questions, please write them in the comments below. I would love
to help you get started on your low-carb journey today.
Thanks so much for listening, and if you want support on your weight
loss journey, I would love to help. You'll see the links in the show
notes for my socials, as well as my fab freebie---a five-day low-carb
meal plan and five delicious dinner recipes. You'll also see the link
for my four-week Foundations of Fat Loss program. This is the program
I've designed specifically for the fat-burning needs of women over 35.
Remember, the only thing that's going to stop you from reaching your
goal is if you quit. Never, ever give up.
