Banting for Beginners

Before we get into WHAT, I need to start with the WHO. It's 1861 and Harley Street surgeon William Harvey met and, successfully treated, an obese undertaker named William Banting. And so the HARVEY-BANTING DIET was born.

Eventually, the term to bant was introduced into the English language. It referred to the use of this low carbohydrate diet for weight loss. 

Banting became the standard treatment for weight loss in all major European and North American medical schools until it suddenly went out of fashion after 1959 when it was written out of all the major medical and nutritional textbooks. It was replaced with its polar opposite, the currently popular low fat, high carbohydrate, 'heart healthy' diet.

Dr Robert Atkins re-discovered banting in 1974 and his name is now incorrectly used as if he was the first to describe this eating plan. 

Like many woman of recent years, I have struggled - it seems CONSTANTLY - with my weight. I grew up on a diet of natural food where processed items like ice cream and crisps were considered treats. I was fortunate enough to enjoy fruit, vegetables, meat & dairy products that weren't contaminated (to a lesser extent than in the Western world anyway) with growth hormones, chemicals and anything on the ingredients list that shouldn't be there. Running barefoot with my siblings, riding my bicycle and playing imaginary games with my friends was the norm. Needless to say, I had a healthy idea of what the human needed in order to function at its optimum. The joys of an idyllic, African childhood! 

So why, oh why, did I have problems losing weight. I have tried almost every FAD DIET out there: the cabbage soup diet, atkins diet, dukan diet, weight watchers, juicing, fasting, cambridge diet... and many, many more! Having always been an active child, remaining active through gym memberships, social squash, tennis and even swim training all played a part at some stage of my adult life. I EVEN attempted running! I have subsequently learnt that his body is built for comfort and NOT speed!

Earlier in May 2014, I was scheduled for an annual checkup with my GP. I jumped at the chance to offload and share my frustrations (as you do)! My GP suggested a full barrage of tests to appease me - this meant 2 vials of blood were sent off for testing. Turns out I am INSULIN RESISTANT. Put simply, my body turns the carbohydrates (no matter how healthy they are) I eat into fat rather than using it for energy to power itself.

As frustrating as that diagnosis was, I finally felt that there was a light at the end of the tunnel! And so I feverishly researched everything I could about IR. As part of my research, my mum mentioned a meal plan that she'd been told about - drum roll please.... The Real Meal Revolution. I downloaded the ebook and devoured every page. What Professor Tim Noakes had to say about his personal experience of banting left me speechless! HOW COULD ADDING FAT TO MY DIET POSSIBLY LEAD TO A DECREASE IN MY WEIGHT?!

Needless to say, I've just completed my first week of banting, and am pleased to see that the scale as FINALLY DROPPED 2kgs! 

I'd like to use this blog to document my journey as I discover more about the banting way of life. I don't know it all (yet!), but what I do find out about, I'll blog about here. In the next posts, I'll upload the recipes I've tried, tested & tweaked. 

In the meantime, if you're interested in finding out more for yourself, check out Tim Noakes & THE REAL MEAL REVOLUTION team here:

http://realmealrevolution.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjQDFVE5exI
https://www.facebook.com/timnoakesrevolution
http://www.kalahari.com/Digital-Downloads/The-Real-Meal-Revolution-eBook_p_48195236