Going Low Carb

"All normal people love meat. If I went to a barbeque and there was no meat, I would say 'Yo Goober! Where's the meat?'. I'm trying to impress people here... You don't win friends with salad.” ~ Homer Simpson


OK, maybe Homer was taking it a little too far.  Salad is great - but the fact remains that most Americans don't eat nearly as much protein as they need.  (Or fat, either, but that's another post.)  American women are the worst of the lot!  A few strips of grilled chicken on a salad is not enough protein for a 130 pound woman.  And salad is not very filling.


I have decided to go rogue on the HCG.  For one thing, I've been gaining weight, and that is not acceptable to me.  Remember, for my height and frame, I should weigh about 135.  I'm at 170 - I've gained back 20 pounds.  Yes, it was emotional eating.  Yes, I kept the weight off for over a year.  I'm not knocking HCG.  But I'm also looking at other options.  Low carb seems to be the way to go.

I've noticed that cookies and chips will pack on pounds rapidly, but ice cream (high protein and fat) does not.  When I did low-carb for a few days, I saw a 5 pound weight loss in just a few days.  When on HCG, I would lose weight faster if I skipped the apple and the Melba toast and ate a ribeye steak (more fat) instead of lean meat. 

So I'm going to begin following a very low carb diet for a couple of weeks.  I'm interested to see how I react to it.  I'm loading up on saturated fats - bacon drippings to cook my eggs in, butter (real butter, not margarine!), whole milk, a tablespoon of coconut oil in my protein shakes, and meat with lots of fat on it. 

Yum.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress!

Still struggling - working out helps!

You know, the first round I did was so easy.  I was able to stick to the protocol with grace and ease and quickly and effectively take the weight off.  This round has been a grind!  I'm sure a great deal of the challenge has to do with being put through the wringer emotionally.  When you're emotionally struggling, it's much harder to remove an emotional crutch, such comfort food. 

I am finding that a solid workout does a great deal to help with the depression and emotional challenges.  It doesn't have to be a huge, strenuous workout (and if you're in Phase 2 - VLCD, don't start a strenuous workout), even a walk around the block can help release endorphins and raise a low mood.

Before children, I'd use walking as a way to raise my mood.  There's nothing like a long, brisk walk to help you process a down mood or negative emotions.  (Once I had children, it was a bit more challenging, but I still work out in some way regularly.)

Currently, I'm in P2, and going to boot camp three days a week (my goal is to not lose muscle, always a concern on low calories).   I'm also starting to add more cardio to my workouts.  The more I can get my body moving, the better.  Keep in mind, however, that I'm fairly athletic to begin with, even with the extra weight I'm carrying around.  If you're not working out to begin with, try adding a 15 minute walk around the block at an easy stroll to begin with, and work up from there.  It'll help with cravings!

Protein for Alertness.

Yup, I'm going to tackle some interesting things over the next few days. 

Did you know (I didn't) that the nutrients in your food play a huge role in how well you are able to function at work?  I mean, I knew this *some*, but I just came across some information that really brought it home.

I am a night owl by nature.  My perfect workday starts at noon, with a leisurely morning.  Getting up at 8:30 is early for me.  And I tend to go to bed sometime after the wee hours of the morning.  Because of that, evidently, it is vitally important for me to have a protein rich breakfast - protein helps increase alertness.  Wow - I knew I liked my protein bar after my workout, and I prefer protein to carbs all day long (my body holds carbs right around my middle).  Morning people need their protein later in the day. 

Maybe that's why Tim can function on only 4 hours of sleep a day.  For such a calm person, he's almost frenetic with energy.  He follows a high-protein, carnivorous diet, with no potatoes (he prefers yams anyway), and very little rice or pasta. 

I need lots of sleep - 8 to 10 hours to function well - but I also tend to eat carbs if I'm not thoughtfully eating protein....