Living the BANTING/LCHF lifestyle

(Rita Fernandes Venter) #1

Life as a Banter

You’ve been living the Banting lifestyle for a while. You look great, your skin has cleared up and you have practically thrown the diabetes meds away so you feel that you have to share this “Road to Damascus” decision in your life with everyone you know. The one unexpected flaw in your plan is that you open yourself up to a barrage of annoying thoughts and opinions from all the “well meaning” people in your life.

  1. "Why would you do that?”

This is the first question anyone Banting gets asked, and its intention is all over the place. Best case scenario, you’re being asked this question by some spacey new-age hippie who believes that nobody has to lose weight. “God made us all beautiful creatures, and it’s what’s inside that counts. Nameste, peace out and groovy baby.” Yeah Right! Unfortunately for you what’s inside is a heart that is failing miserably trying to carry the extra person you’ve become since that Insulin Resistance kicked in. So yes, inner beauty is great, but most of the fat you’re trying to lose is also on the inside strangling your vital organs.

  1. “You can eat whatever you like, it’s a matter of balance”

Honestly, in a perfect world this would work for me like a charm. My idea of Eutopia is imagining that I can eat everything and anything I like and not gain weight. The problem is that given the choice, I’d rather eat crap and junk food. I can’t manage a diet where I’m allowed doughnuts as long as I exhibit self-control. I have no self-control. I got to where I was by being able to eat whatever I want, my only downfall was that I didn’t get the memo on the balance part.

  1. “Banting is…. Dangerous”

Oh if I had a buck for every time I’ve heard this…. There would be many many pairs of Jimmy Choos in my possession that I could stroke and call “my precioussss”. The “dangerous” statement is normally followed by dire warnings about high cholesterol from all the fat you’re eating, not to mention your kidneys that are destined to fail in the not too distant future because banting is a high protein diet. (Screaming “it’s a MEDIUM protein lifestyle” falls on deaf ears by the way). Isn’t it weird how if you were standing in line at McDonalds or KFC those very people who are so worried about your health would never warn you of the dangers of fast food? But eat fresh veggies, meat, nuts, full cream milk, butter and olive oil and suddenly they treat you like you have a terminal illness and with mere weeks to live. This is one of those unexplainable mysteries of life like “how does Teflon stick to the pan?” The wonderful thing is that we banters are healthier, thinner and have more energy than ever. Yes, life is good and I will continue living dangerously and on the edge thank you very much.

  1. “I tried it… Banting doesn’t work

This normally comes from the pseudo-banters. Like most things in life, they jumped into this new “diet” without doing much research. So despite the fact that they know nothing about banting, they had to try it because some hot guy at the gym mentioned it. My personal favourite is “I’m sort of banting. Not completely, of course, because I can’t give up my occasional slice of bread or the coffee mornings with the girls.” Uhmmmm you’re either banting or you’re not. I know that this is heart-wrenching news, but that’s just the way it works. Follow the rules, avoid the sugars, carbs and junk and you will be surprised at how well it works. Hey, think about it – thousands and thousands of people cannot be wrong. If you are following all the rules and you are still not losing the weight, then seriously consider portion control. What have you got to lose? Oh yeah… weight.

  1. Deal with the negative

Ok, let’s get real here. I am really over people giving me a hard time because of my lifestyle choices. I make a point to never say anything to anyone about their diet unless they specifically ask for my opinion. To have people rashly judge me or even worse, make fun of me, for a choice that I’ve put so much thought and effort into, and that I’ve had so much success with, is overwhelming and frustrating. I have become pretty thick skinned. My stock standard answer is “I am no worse off than I would have been had I stayed eating the way I was. My life expectancy wasn’t that great anyway with my fatty liver disease. I’m doing this for my pallbearers, they’ll be happy carrying a lighter coffin.”

Happy Banting all.

#2

Sorry, but what’s banting? How is it different than keto way of eating?
Sue

(Rita Fernandes Venter) #3

Banting is a low carb ketogenic lifestyle. Very big in South Africa. Originally conceptualized by Professor Tim Noakes in his book The Real Meal Revolution.

(Ross) #4
(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #5

William Banting was a Victorian undertaker in London, who tried everything to lose weight and couldn’t, until he went to the famous Dr. William Harvey, because he was losing his hearing. Dr. Harvey observed that fat deposits were obstructing Banting’s hearing. Having just come back from a medical conference in Paris where a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet had been recommended as an aid to weight loss, Harvey suggested the diet to Banting, and it worked.

In his Letter on Corpulence, which quickly became a best-seller and went through several editions and numerous printings, Banting describes the diet and his weight loss. In one memorable passage, he talks about how much better and more youthful he feels at age 72 than he did when he was 50. This diet, by the way, was for a century afterward the standard treatment for obesity in many hospitals in Europe and North America, until doctors stopped believing in their clinical experience and started trusting Ancel Keys’ research.

Naturally, Banting’s name, once attached to the diet, became a verb, “to bant.” Professor Noakes revived the name and the verb in honor of William Banting when he started promoting LCHF in a big way in South Africa. My sister, who lived in Pretoria until recently, says banting is catching on big in S.A. and has gotten a lot of publicity.

#6

So basically the terms Keto and Banting are interchangeable? Or are there any key differences in the two? Sorry if that’s explained in the podcast, I have a hard time listening to those while at the office. :roll_eyes:
Sue

(Ross) #7

Sort of? My perception is that most of the differences are cultural or in practice habits.

“Keto” (per our host’s podcast open) defines carbs under 20 g / day.

“Banting” has a larger range of carb intake (25 to 200 g/day) depending on degree of insulin resistance & lifestyle of the practitioner (if very IR then less than 25 g/day). (lots of Banting-fueled amateur and professional athletes out there!)

Both groups (“Keto” and “Banting”) tend to be in ketosis. (Per Phinney less than 100 g/day is likely ketosis)

Banting foods are based on the Paleo foods plus dairy products and are divided roughly by glycemic load onto color coded lists. Banters eat off these lists driven mainly by the reset appestat post keto adaptation. Banters don’t tend to measure ketones. They just trust they are doing well if they are eating off the lists.

Keto people tend to me much more concerned about being in ketosis and are more likely to pee on sticks or use breath meters (my perception from comments on this forum at least).

Keto people are perhaps more likely to IF and to also to be concerned with caloric intake.

(Ross) #8

image

(Ross) #9

image

#10

OK, so I guess the ways of eating are close enough that I don’t need to re-learn anything or start studying up on banting… pick one and go with it. I’ll stick with calling it “keto”. :slight_smile:
Sue

(Rita Fernandes Venter) #11

Pretty close. :heart::kissing_heart:

(Empress of the Unexpected) #12

Yeah, my neighbor says “everything in moderation.” So that means a small sandwich, small fries, small pieces of toast???