I Read a Book to See If It Could Stop Me From Being Hungry All The Time

 All calories are not created equal​.

I am always hungry. Okay, maybe not always, but the idea of food always sounds good—and it's hard to differentiate the two. Meanwhile, my dresses are increasingly strained across my hips. So when I encountered the textbook-size (and, in that it's packed with charts, history, and recipes, the textbook-like) Always Hungry?, by Harvard endocrinologist, nutritionist, and pediatrician David Ludwig, MD, PhD, well, that damn book stared me right in the thighs.

Ludwig's philosophy is that by "ignoring calories and targeting fat tissue directly"—with a low-carb diet based on "good fats," legumes, nonstarchy vegetables, and a wide array of proteins (which, as a lactose-intolerant vegetarian, is right up my alley)—you can reprogram "fat cells to release their stored calories…shifting metabolism into weight-loss mode" and eventually find your healthy set point, i.e., the weight your body "wants" to be.

Much of his argument is familiar: All calories are not created equal—processed foods are hell on insulin levels, making fat cells hold on for dear life. But Ludwig's studies struck me as exceptionally convincing. Try this one: When two groups were fed the same number of calories—one from a low-carb menu, the other low-fat—the low-carbers burned 325 more calories per day than those on the low-fat diet. Or this: A group of obese teenage boys ate three different breakfasts: instant oatmeal, steel-cut oatmeal, and an omelet and fruit. On the days they ate the (heavily processed) instant oats, the boys not only had low blood glucose an hour after the meal—hunger alert!—but they also consumed roughly 650 more calories throughout the day.

In phase one of Always Hungry?—goal: "conquer cravings"—50 percent of calories come from avocado, oils, nuts, and heavy cream; 25 percent from nonstarchy vegetables and legumes; and 25 percent from lean protein (there are recipes for lamb shank! sloppy joes! turkey bacon! But in my case, that meant eggs and tofu—lots of eggs and tofu). In phase two—"retrain your fat cells"—which can last from weeks to months, the percentages are similar, but grains such as millet and quinoa are now on the table.

Given the two-week constraint, I never reached phase three, long-term maintenance (40 percent fat, 40 percent carbs, 20 percent protein). And throughout, something weighed on my mind, so to speak: Like so many diets, this one seems designed for junk-food hounds who have the Domino's app at the ready. What about those of us who eat whole grains and tons of veggies, but also the odd peanut butter cookie and, okay, wine, wine, and wine? Is losing a few inches worth life sans veggie tahini soba? On the other hand, while I didn't lose weight on Always Hungry?, I did feel great: not tired or cranky or, um, hungry, not to mention fitting better in my clothes, feeling less bloated, and, as I steadily refused the afternoon snack bar, triumphantly—if temporarily—smug.

source: elle.com