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Deciding to go carb-free

After an indulgent holiday season and a ton of international traveling, I knew it was time to detox my overfed body. In order to erase some damage caused by hearty comfort food and daily charcuterie boards, I decided to live entirely without refined carbs—that is, all sugars and starches that don’t exist on their own in nature. So all forms of breads, pastas, chips, fries, etc., were completely off limits, but natural carbs like those found in fruits and lima beans were OK. Cutting these refined carbohydrates not only helped reset my digestion, but also fulfilled my lifelong dream of being able to say “Sorry, I don’t do carbs.” I can proudly announce that I have nearly reached one month sans carbohydrates, but the effects haven’t been entirely rosy (in fact, they’ve been far from it). Here are the good and bad side effects I’ve experienced since starting this strict diet. Follow these nine steps to a low-carb diet.