As I’ve mentioned before, we’re doing the whole “low-carb thing” again.
Also, as I’ve mentioned before, we don’t do it “by the book”. (Far from it.)
We are entering what I call the “comfortable phase” of the Low-Carb Diet Plan, and I’m here to tell you, you can eat low-carb for 3 weeks and counting and STILL…
…want to stay on the plan
…fit into your clothes better (even enjoy the “baggy factor” again!)
…not feel deprived
…feel GREAT about being having more energy ALL throughout the day
How Much Weight We’ve Lost:
Jim has lost 11 pounds so far — most of it came of that first week.
He says he wants to double that.
I don’t do scales, though I will be forced to step on a scale again when I visit the doctor at the end of the month for a check-up.
I look forward to comparing that number with the number they told me at the same doctor’s office the day before we started this “diet”. (That will be an accurate reading of how I’ve done over a total of 7 weeks.)
Why Low-Carb?
Wondering why we always turn to the Low-Carb Diet Plan whenever we want to lose a few pounds? (…especially since we’ve stated that we’re not 100% convinced that Low-Carb dieting is the end-all be-all that so many other people proclaim — especially for the long-haul)
The reason we typically turn to lower-carb eating is twofold:
1. It’s a cinch for Jim. He’s had success with it in the past, and those memories are hard to shake. Eating Low-Carb seems to be the simplest way for him to drop a boatload of pounds… quick!
And everyone knows, losing weight is easier when you’re in it “as a team” — with someone else. Since Low-Carb is the only thing he’s willing to try, I jump on board and reap the rewards too.
I don’t mind it for a minute. Though I do get bored with the foods quicker than Jim does. He could just eat cheese and eggs for days straight — 5 times a day! I like a little variety. And the only thing that keeps me going is the Carb-Smart varieties of products available on the market today.
2. We don’t feel like we’re dieting. Since we do a modified Low-Carb Plan, we just try to eat FEWER carbs, period.
To me, that’s the best part. We don’t count carbs, though by now we kind of have an idea of what the carb counts are in most foods — generally speaking.
We don’t get fussy about carb counts in sauces, spices, and other condiments.
And when we feel the need to splurge, we don’t go all out with an all-u-can-eat buffet anymore, or a loaded pizza followed by an Angel Food Smoothie King drink for dessert, or candy bars & ice cream… we just snack on a few more nuts than we “should” (according to the low-carb diet plan), or we sneak in some fruit. Or even a baked potato or a rice dish once in awhile. (Thai food is really hard for us to give up altogether.)
Plus, since we’re trying to consciously pick lower FAT foods at all times, we feel confident that we could only be improving our health… overall! Especially compared to what we used to eat when we weren’t watching our carbs, or our fat intake.
In reality, dieting is such a sophisticated process of counting carbs, calories, different types of fat, and about a dozen other things… that it often seems like more trouble than it’s worth.
Face it, that’s why most people don’t stick to diets. And why people lose a bunch of weight early in the process, then plateau weight-wise, then give up on the diet altogether & go back to eating poorly.
But for us… by eating lower-carb and lower-fat foods, we can’t help but come out a winner — in the end.
Because lower-carb has got to be better than higher-carb. And lower-fat has got to be better than higher fat… So, compared to how we were eating, we’re much healthier now. And we’re feeling much better, as a result!
“The basic science behind the low carb diet philosophy is this: Reduce your carbohydrate (carb) intake — white flour and sugar — and increase your intake of high quality protein sources (such as meat, fish and beans).”
—Low-Carb Diet Health Benefits
The Best Low-Carb Resources
The following low-carb resources are helping to get me through this “dieting” thing. In reality, they’re helping to shape my way of thinking about carbs in general and how I can get by on eating fewer carbs overall. It’s all about making a conscious decision to eat less carbs… and less fat. Period.
- South Beach Diet
- How To Live Low Carb With Pleasure & Freedom
- Carb-Smart Low-Carb Food Choices
- What Is The Glycemic Index?
- Recipes For The Atkins Diet
- Dr. Atkins’ Carb Counter
- The Best Calorie Counter On The Web
- Starving? Try The “Two Gram Cure”
- Livin’ La Vida Low Carb Blog
- South Beach Diet Plan
Professionally, I pursued my Masters Degree in Family Therapy at Texas Tech — where I obtained invaluable expertise and experience helping people with a wide variety of physical and emotional health issues. Personally, I think it's useful when people realize that they're not the only one going through a difficult time. So any time that I think my personal health experiences would be helpful to someone else going through the same thing, I will share my story here. With health issues that I've personally experienced (like Endometriosis, Lyme Disease, Hysterectomy, Skin Cancer, Ganglion Cysts, Autism, and other topics that very few people enjoy talking about) and health products that I've found beneficial (like sleep aids, essential oils, and medications)… I do my best to provide my own raw and honest firsthand experiences that I think others would appreciate hearing about and (hopefully) find helpful. I'm grateful that I have a number of friends who have also been willing to share their very personal stories here — regarding their own physical and emotional health. When I'm not writing about health topics, you will find me sharing Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
