By Ekaterina Marenkov (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: January 14, 2015
After all the leftover turkey and stuffing had been devoured, and every last drop of egg nog had been consumed, I decided it was time to lose that extra holiday pound (fine, three and a half) I had accumulated over the course of winter break.
I was desperate to lose weight before anybody could notice its unwanted and very sudden appearance. Needless to say, a Google search was in order. Along the way, I came across an article on Vox.com by Gregory Ferenstein called “I lost weight by eating lots of bacon and cream. Here’s a scientific explanation for why.”
Wait, so this guy is telling me I can lose fat by eating more fat?
Precisely.
Here’s how it worked: over the course of one month, Ferenstein wolfed down as much bacon and heavy cream that he could stomach. He aimed for 70 per cent of his caloric intake to come from fat. This included drowning his steaks in butter, eating coconut oil by the spoonful, and consuming at least a third of a pound of extra fatty bacon a week. During this month he also cut out as many carbohydrates as possible, ate few fruits or vegetables, and completely eliminated grains from his diet.
Ultimately, Ferenstein lost seven pounds, one per cent body fat, 10 cholesterol points, and stated that overall he felt more energized.
Yet, fat is deemed as the source of all evil in the dieting world, so how is he even still alive from all that gluttony? Ferenstein concludes that America’s anti-fat craze is based on pure myth and lacks any scientific evidence other than there being an observational correlation between heart disease and trans fat. However, fat was unjustly deemed to be the cause of cardiovascular disease and obesity, consequently turning the masses straight to devouring carbs — which has turned out to be an even bigger factor in causing obesity.
In reality, fats are loaded with vitamins such as E, K2, and D, and numerous other nutrients, whereas sugars and carbs are not only addictive, but awaken the appetite, leaving you hungrier than before.
Now I’m not saying it’s a good idea to bathe yourself in bacon grease and whipped cream in order to lose weight, because a “one-size-fits-all” model doesn’t exist (nor do I want to be responsible for your potential heart attack). Each individual’s metabolism is different. So while for some, like Ferenstein, this diet may do wonders, for others it could make being overweight the least of their health issues.
