Carb Curfew

per my fitness buddy, Chiara's request, i am posting Joanna Hall's Carb Curfew strategy.

the Carb Curfew is one of the principles she introduced to help us reach our weight loss destination. let me just quote verbatim what she wrote in the book about it: 

"Carb Curfew means no starchy carbs -- bread, pasta, rice, potatoes or cereal -- after 5:00 PM. Don't panic -- you won't feel as if you're about to starve, since there are still plenty of filling foods to eat. You can incorporate a whole variety of nutritious foods in your evening meal, including lean meat and fish,fruits, vegetables, pulses and dairy products and come up with something absolutely delicious! Many of my clients consider the Carb Curfew to be the single most important tool in their weight management success and I know it can help you, too. The Carb Curfew helps you control your insulin levels, which means it's easier to stabilise your energy levels -- important for weight loss. " 

here are the reasons why:

1. it's an easy way to create an Energy Gap! you will be cutting down on calories and filling up slow-releasing, energy-providing pulses, so you'll feel less hungry  and more energetic.

2. substituting fruits and vegetables instead of rice or pasta will increase your vitamin and mineral intake, which is important for the breakdown of macronutrients.

3. it reduces bloating. 

4. it prevents food hangovers. if you stuff your face at night, you will wake up with a 'food hangover' and won't want breakfast. by the evening, you'll be starving again. 

the author also wrote that people who've got to their weight loss destination and stayed there do not continually count calories but they are calorie aware. we should not develop a phobia for a food, food group or component of food. avoiding carbohydrates, fruits, sugars, protein or fat --- whatever the fad diet of the moment may be --- is a bad idea. instead, moderation is the key.