YEARS ago, a friend told me that her triglyceride levels were high and that her doctor had advised her to stop eating cake. I was still fat and clueless about low-carb then, so I asked, “Why cake? Aren’t you supposed to avoid red meat?”
Oh, how misinformed I was. I don’t even know if she followed her doctor’s advice.
The low-carb diet became popular after many people realized that the old Food Pyramid wasn’t very effective. It allowed plenty of carbs, leaving it up to the dieter to reduce food intake through a calorie deficit. Only a few people can truly moderate when told to “eat everything in moderation,” a phrase that can be interpreted in many ways.
Try opening a big bag of potato chips with regular soda on the side while watching Netflix. Before you even notice it, both the chips and the soda have disappeared into your tummy, which wasn’t even hungry to begin with—and now you’re craving more. So you pause the Netflix series and check the snack cupboard for popcorn, peanuts, cashew nuts, pistachios, cookies, biscuits, and so on.
These used to be my favorite things. Those were the days.
Binging on carbs is easy. But try doing the same with beef patties—you’ll likely be full after one or two.
I, for one, gained weight and became fat, and it was blamed on my supposed lack of willpower. That blame game continues for many people, making their lives miserable as they struggle with health and weight issues.
The low-carb lifestyle gives its practitioners a sense of control over their health, especially with the guidance of low-carb doctors and coaches. There’s no blame game here. If “nadapa” with high-carb food in one meal, you can always return to low-carb in the next.
Fingers crossed that the next meal will be low-carb.
It was only when I started learning about the low-carb lifestyle through Dr. Josephine Grace Rojo-Tan’s YouTube videos, Facebook posts, and Low-Carb and Fasting Masterclass that I remembered my friend telling me about her doctor’s advice to stop eating cake to reduce her triglycerides. I hope her doctor is now a low-carb practitioner.
Just as professionals need continuing education before renewing their licenses, the low-carb lifestyle also involves continuous learning, as its doctors, mentors, and dieters keep discovering more about its potential health benefits. It’s simply a matter of continuing the journey for further healing. Even if the current progress feels enough, it’s still best to continue, because stopping may turn that progress into regression—and regrets.
I regretted that my first carnivore attempt in October 2024 lasted only 21 days; my goal had been one year. Subsequent attempts lasted just a week or two. I guess I’ll have to take this one month at a time—after the first month, aim for two, then three, and so on.
The US released its new dietary guidelines for 2025–2030, presenting a Food Pyramid that inverted the old one: the carbs at the bottom are now the narrowest section. Of course, once a new president takes office in the future, the guidelines could be revised again.
As Marie Antoinette said once upon a time, “Let them eat cake.”
