Isn't It Enough With the Diet Talk Already?
/Weight Loss Fluctuations (4.14.2025 to 4.20.2025)
Do you ever feel like there's more talk about what we eat than about anything else, that we as individuals spend more brain power on finding the diet that will be just right for us than we do on more impactful things like whether our relationships are thriving or if our lives are fulfilling and meaningful? If we tracked the hours spent thinking about, shopping for, preparing, eating, regretting having eaten, and then doing it all again for the next round of food, what would the number be? If we created a pie chart (you should pardon the expression), would the circle be mostly a giant wedge of "food" thoughts and minuscule slivers for everything else?
Isn't it enough with the diet talk already?
It may seem ironic that this blog, which is based on my experiences with the ketogenic diet, should also be the space where I question whether there's too much palaver about what we should eat, what we should avoid eating, when we should eat, and when to refrain from eating. It sounds like a verse from Ecclesiastes. But, at the risk of coming across as being judgy, can we all agree that the noise level of food and diet talk out there has been turned up to eleven and that we need to bring it down to, say, a seven? Do we need to be told repeatedly about something as fundamental as when to eat? Our great-great-grands just ate real food, did so when hungry, and then went about their days. They didn't know their calorie burn rate—or what a calorie was. They didn't know how much they weighed, nor what a macro is. And yet they survived long enough to beget our great-grands, who begat our grands, and so on. (Again, sounds biblical, doesn't it? I guess I'm in a rather spiritual frame of mind today …)
Back to the topic at hand ... There are so many voices, videos, social media groups—and blogs—about losing weight that it can overwhelm us, and the solution that might work for us gets lost. We flit from this message to that recipe to an app that's supposed to make it easier, or to the latest huckster, shilling supplements and 'kits' ("Look how many subscribers! The info must be good!") and, after all the fleet flitting we're no closer to getting where we want to be, no closer to being who we want to be. If only flitting could be considered a cardio workout.
Ultimately, we need to turn to ourselves and listen to our bodies. And there is a role for common sense. Do we really believe that only eating raw ground beef, water, and salt is a good choice? Can we eat with abandon so long as we do so only between 2:00 and 3:30 in the afternoon? Does swilling apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper sound right? Not only are those extremes a bit wacky, but micromanaging grams of protein, ounces of water, and doses of electrolytes can also be counterproductive. If nothing else, trolling news articles and YouTube channels keeps food at the front of mind when it is liberating when intrusive thoughts of eating recede to the background. That, plus there are so many hours we can retrieve when we keep things simple: Keep carb intake to 20g/day or fewer; if it's not on 'Page 4', don't eat it; don't eat if you're not hungry; stop eating when you've had enough.
And then we can do as our ancestors did. We can get on with our day.
As always, if I can do this, you can do this. I promise.
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical doctor, researcher, or Ph.D., but instead, I’ve been fortunate to have had the time and resources to research the ketogenic diet, also known as LCHF (low carb/high fat). The information I share is based solely on my understanding of that research. We are all responsible for our own choices, including what we put in our mouths, and there’s no substitute for each of us checking things out ourselves. And I’m not a medical professional in any way. Go Keto With Casey is not a medical site. “Duh,” you might say. But best to make it clear to all. I welcome questions, comments, and even civil criticism. I’m still learning. So, if you have something to add, go for it. Links in this post and all others may direct you to affiliate links, where I will receive a small amount of the purchase price of any items you buy through those links. Thanks!
