I’ve been dieting. Well…I was dieting. I’ve been off my diet for about a week, but I’m trying not to regain those lost pounds. I plan to resume my diet with fervor on Friday. I’ve been doing the Atkins diet, and it seems to work for me, but it can be difficult to get through the first two weeks if there are too many temptations put in your way.
I’ve discovered some wonderful things along the way:
*I can eat a lot less and feel full, if I eat three or more meals a day, and if I choose the right foods.
*When I do without all the carbs I used to love, I feel better, and I may be sleeping better, too.
*The high-fat, salty foods that I thought I craved don’t really taste that good.
* Water is wonderful! I feel better when I drink water instead of tea.
I’m getting up earlier so that I can have breakfast. That’s great, because DH gets up at 4:30. It’s making it easier to align our days. I’m also getting more done in the morning, and my ability to attend to task is improving.
There are a few drawbacks. I can’t have the luscious summer fruit that’s out there. The peaches and nectarines and watermelon and grapes won’t be part of my diet this year. Right now, my veggies are limited, so I have to be clever in preparing meals that work in the diet so that the rest of my family won’t get bored. And, I have had to give up toast at breakfast. That might be the hardest part of the diet. No toast.
Tomorrow night I have to go to a dinner at a French restaurant. I figured there wasn’t a chance of finding a meal there that will work on the diet. So….I’ll go and enjoy myself and then resume my diet Friday morning.
Tonight, we’re having stuffed green peppers and salad. I may have a peach for dessert. Who would have thought that something as simple as a peach could bring such pleasure?
Comments (7)
good for you for the loss you have managed. I feel a bad week happening...will find out Friday morn. I haven't been so sacraficing... I take some fruit, but limited amounts... and as for carbs, I could do with less there too.
My thoughts are with you in hopes of the results you are looking for!
Posted by Desiree | July 23, 2003 11:30 PM
Posted on July 23, 2003 23:30
I want to lose a little too, but I can't do the Atkins diet, because I am against anything that leaves out fruit! I love fruit too much. But good luck with it, glad its working for you...
Posted by Mad Bull | July 24, 2003 8:52 AM
Posted on July 24, 2003 08:52
Oh good food....I have never really been on a true 'diet' apart form the time when I was only eating meat and vegetables in the evenings. I did seem to drop a few pounds.
I try not to overdo it, but damn, food is one of the few pleasures that life has to offer. Good luck to you as well.
Posted by Dr. D. | July 24, 2003 9:07 AM
Posted on July 24, 2003 09:07
Dr. D, food IS a great pleasure. I love the variety of food available to us. Almost everything we eat here is made from scratch. Occasionally I'll use a boxed potato mix or a packaged rice blend, but we put a lot of effort into fresh meals. That means I spend more time in the kitchen, and when you add to that the fact that my office is in my home, it means there is a LOT of temptation to overeat. This diet is as much about change of habit as it is about weight loss. The limitations at the start are worth it if I come out eating healthier at the end.
Mad Bull, ultimately, I hope to be eating fruit again, just not in the near future.
Desiree, don't worry about pausing on your diet. I did the same thing and have kept most of it off. You'll be able to resume the diet when things ease, and will STILL be ahead of the game. Good luck!
Posted by Buffy | July 24, 2003 10:16 AM
Posted on July 24, 2003 10:16
My mother (eighty-nine) has been told that six or more small meals per day is good...
Were I to go on a diet, it would be Atkins because I feel I could sustain it as a permanent life-style change. And remember, once you're more or less stable, the Atkins Institute encourages experimenting with adding back other foods you like and cutting down the standard foods involved (eg, chops).
I've been watching the <i>Dateline</i> story of six people on six different diets, which so far seems to bear me out - all six have lost half the weight they targeted for, but only two (Atkins and hypnosis) are actually happy with their diet.
So, I am hoping the show goes back a year after the end of the current sessions for which they are paying...
Posted by John Anderson | July 24, 2003 5:49 PM
Posted on July 24, 2003 17:49
Good luck. But be sure to watch your cholestrol. I was eating more meat lately and mine went up. Now I'm changing my eatting habits to lower get it back down.
Posted by michelle | July 25, 2003 4:06 AM
Posted on July 25, 2003 04:06
John, the Atkins diet is the only one I have ever been able to stay on for more than two days. It seems that the restrictions make the choices easier at the start. I look forward to adding raspberries in, and having an occasionally piece of toast, but, for the most part, I don't feel deprived. And, when I do it right, I don't feel hungry either.
michelle, the reason I chose Atkins is because it should help me lower the cholesterol. I know that it sounds goofy, eating eggs and a lot of protein and butter, but the research says it works, so I'm willing to give it a try. I'll probably blog about the results the next time the doc does a blood test.
Posted by Buffy | July 25, 2003 12:54 PM
Posted on July 25, 2003 12:54