Restart....
I haven't posted here in years, since Facebook became an easier outlet for me (short sentences are more user-friendly to my ADD brain). But, with a new path in life (hopefully), I am back. I am going to use LJ as a journal for my attempt at living a low-carb lifestyle.
I am going to start eating low-carb. This will be a lifestyle change, not a simple quicky diet. After looking at my carb intake over the past few weeks, I have realized that I am not eating quite as many carbs as I thought, but it does vary widely. What I haven't done is include fats in my diet. Reading all the things I've been reading has led me to realize that my incredible feelings of lethargy are mostly due to the lack of fat in my diet, though I was eating just enough carbs to gain fat.
So, C and I decided to rid the house of as many carbs as we could over the past week and go low-carb. Obviously, he can handle carbs better than I can, so our plan is to allow him more carbs than me, mostly to be eaten while he is at work and away from the house. There are still lots of carbs in the house, mostly in the form of rice and such, but they will keep for a while until I can start adding a few things in here and there. And since they are not already cooked, I tend to forget they are there, and leave them alone.
Today I went to the market and picked up several items for 'snacks.' Unfortunately, I should have read the book "The New Atkins" first, since most of what I bought is not allowed during their 'Induction' phase. And, since I have some cherries and berries left that I don't want to go bad, I will not be doing the Induction phase quite yet. I will start with Phase II (Ongoing Weight Loss), and when the blueberries, cherries, and nuts are out of the house (probably by next week), I will start the Induction phase. THat will be the hardest part. No fruits, no nuts, no dairy (all 3 things that I tend to live off of during 'dieting.') But it will only be a few weeks, so I should be able to hack it. I will admit, eating like I did today, I had much more energy than normal. Still tired at the end of the day, but I didn't have that loggy feeling I usually have during the day.
Thankfully, C is embarking on this journey with me, as I know I don't have the willpower to do this when he is eating all manner of carb-y foods. I hope that it will help in keeping his blood sugar level since he won't be relying so much on carbs for fuel. That should negate his tendency to forget to eat during the day cause he gets so busy. We are keeping some carbs in the house for the baby (Cheerios and the like), but I think he'll be ok.
My ultimate plan is to eventually lose about 100 lbs, if not more. I am not putting a time frame on this large goal, because that is how I get discouraged. By the end of September I hope to be down below 220lbs, which seems to be the plateau I am always stuck on. Another shorter term goal is that I would like to be able to fit in 'regular' (read: easier to find) sports bras by the time I am done breastfeeding N. That should be around Christmas or so, I hope.
I have heard of people loosing up to 100 lbs or more in 6 months doing low-carb. Most of them were men, so I'm not sure how I'll respond. But other times I've restricted carbs, even a small amount, I've had better luck in weight loss, so I'm hopeful.
I am going to start eating low-carb. This will be a lifestyle change, not a simple quicky diet. After looking at my carb intake over the past few weeks, I have realized that I am not eating quite as many carbs as I thought, but it does vary widely. What I haven't done is include fats in my diet. Reading all the things I've been reading has led me to realize that my incredible feelings of lethargy are mostly due to the lack of fat in my diet, though I was eating just enough carbs to gain fat.
So, C and I decided to rid the house of as many carbs as we could over the past week and go low-carb. Obviously, he can handle carbs better than I can, so our plan is to allow him more carbs than me, mostly to be eaten while he is at work and away from the house. There are still lots of carbs in the house, mostly in the form of rice and such, but they will keep for a while until I can start adding a few things in here and there. And since they are not already cooked, I tend to forget they are there, and leave them alone.
Today I went to the market and picked up several items for 'snacks.' Unfortunately, I should have read the book "The New Atkins" first, since most of what I bought is not allowed during their 'Induction' phase. And, since I have some cherries and berries left that I don't want to go bad, I will not be doing the Induction phase quite yet. I will start with Phase II (Ongoing Weight Loss), and when the blueberries, cherries, and nuts are out of the house (probably by next week), I will start the Induction phase. THat will be the hardest part. No fruits, no nuts, no dairy (all 3 things that I tend to live off of during 'dieting.') But it will only be a few weeks, so I should be able to hack it. I will admit, eating like I did today, I had much more energy than normal. Still tired at the end of the day, but I didn't have that loggy feeling I usually have during the day.
Thankfully, C is embarking on this journey with me, as I know I don't have the willpower to do this when he is eating all manner of carb-y foods. I hope that it will help in keeping his blood sugar level since he won't be relying so much on carbs for fuel. That should negate his tendency to forget to eat during the day cause he gets so busy. We are keeping some carbs in the house for the baby (Cheerios and the like), but I think he'll be ok.
My ultimate plan is to eventually lose about 100 lbs, if not more. I am not putting a time frame on this large goal, because that is how I get discouraged. By the end of September I hope to be down below 220lbs, which seems to be the plateau I am always stuck on. Another shorter term goal is that I would like to be able to fit in 'regular' (read: easier to find) sports bras by the time I am done breastfeeding N. That should be around Christmas or so, I hope.
I have heard of people loosing up to 100 lbs or more in 6 months doing low-carb. Most of them were men, so I'm not sure how I'll respond. But other times I've restricted carbs, even a small amount, I've had better luck in weight loss, so I'm hopeful.