The Wakeup Call

Back in September I had my annual physical, something everyone should do.   My biggest surprise this year was that I had gained 11 lbs.   What was even more shocking was that I had experienced  a weight gain the year before of 10 lbs.   I had sworn the year before that I would lose those 10 lbs.  Which were now 21 lbs.   I quickly realized that I weighed as much as I did the day I delivered my daughter who is now 9.

These are not HUGE numbers.  I wasn't gaining 20 lbs or 30 lbs a year, but I think I was gaining what people normally do as they age and do not change their eating habits.   I certainly couldn't afford to get much bigger, I'd need a new wardrobe.  I asked my doctor what should I do.  What diet did she recommend?  She said the low carb diet always worked for her.  I asked which one and she said, just look it up, there isn't any one over the other, just watch your carbs.

I did a search online and I found that if you LIMIT yourself to 30 - 50 carbs a day, you lose weight.  I lost all 21 lbs + 6 more by Thanksgiving. I combined my diet with walking everyday, at least 40 minutes and drinking 6 - 8 glasses of water.   I'm not a big workout fan, I go for the endurance of a long leisurely, hilly walk.  It's now March and I've kept the weight off.  I haven't been able to exercise as much because of the weather, but I'm getting ready to get started and I've decided I want to go for my IDEAL bodyweight.   For me, that's 125 lbs.   Another  20 lbs.

I want everyone to know I'm NOT doing a HIGH PROTEIN, HIGH FAT diet.   You can DO a low CARB diet without overloading on the protein or fat.  I'm not counting calories, I'm just counting carbs.

I certainly don't expect this next 20 lbs  to come off as easily and may take from now till next Thanksgiving, but it was EASY enough before. I'm confident I can be successful.

I'm starting this blog, because I want to share with others just how easy this is.  Just how simple and not painful, though it does get boring sometimes with what I eat, just because I'm not creative enough.

The really big benefits for me so far are:

1. More energy
2. Less cravings
3. No more swelling (my ankles had started to swell)
4. I can wear everything in my closet now!
5. Saving MONEY - I'm not buying prepackaged meals, or supplements and I don't eat out a lot
6. Eating fresher
7. I drink more wine

The real downers:

1. I miss fruit
2. I'm not fun to go out to eat with
3. I miss beer margaritas
4. When I do splurge, the foods I remembered as my favorites, TASTE AWFUL and I usually get a bad stomachache and things which come with that (gas, bloating...ect.....a LONG night)

Sometimes, I wonder, if this low carb diet, isn't really my natural diet, the one I need to be on forever.  I certainly feel soo much better and once I do hit my IDEAL weight I can add back in the foods which don't bother me, like the fruit, but I do know in order to maintain my weight I need to stay between 50 and 100 carbs a day.

The first exercise in successful carb metering is understanding what has really high carbs and avoiding those foods.  Both of my parents, who have adult onset diabetes told me to not eat anything white.   That actually isn't such a bad rule.

White bread, white rice, white potatoes ect.   If you do, do it with moderation.   Have an OPEN faced sandwich, measure out the rice you give yourself, pay attention to quantities.

With the blog, I'll share what I do, pictures of sample meals, how much time I exercised.  I hope it helps someone else lose the weight they want to, easily and healthily.

My big hint for the day...if you like coffee drinks...coffee alone has scant carbs, add milk and sugar and you are up to 7 carbs at least.  Like a speciality drink, like a whipped frappa with some caramel sauce and chocolate sprinkles every morning and you've blown your carbs for the day.

Brew your own coffee and use whipped cream, just a quick swirl, mind you, and your at 1 carb, and if you are a specialty coffee drinker....I just saved you $5.50 AT LEAST.

This is the website I visited to get myself started: http://www.dietdoctor.com/how-to-lose-weight

The experience above is my own and I am not a medical doctor.  You should consult a medical doctor before you start any type of diet to ensure it's safe for you.