Low Carb Warrior
First off, I have not joined the cult of mayo and bacon (love you Atkins devotees tho - you go get that bacon!) The eating plan my nutritionist put me on is a blend of low carb/low glycemic diets that the clinic calls Metabolic II. I am allowed some carbs. The list is pretty short and specific and includes a lot of what I like to call bark and twigs. I don't dig bark or twigs. ;)
Because the clinic is SO popular, I wasn't able to get an appointment with the doctor or do the assessment testing until December. They offered to have me see one of the staff nutritionists right away to kinda get me moving in the right direction. I decided I didn't want to just sit around for 4 months until a "doctor" could look me over and tell me I was fat and just HOW fat I am. Duh. I have mirrors. I just wanted to DO something.
The nutritionist was reluctant to put me into a specific eating plan without those tests and numbers in front of her. I get that. There is a science to it. But I'm glad she took a chance and gave me some guidelines to get me started. She told me not to worry about doing the math right now. Forget counting calories. Just eat what's on the sheet of paper, try to keep carbs to less than 10g per serving and see how it goes. Read my labels! Lots of good lean protein would help keep me satisfied.
Have I counted any calories, so far? Nope. Have I strayed from the rules? Twice now. That so called sugar-free ice cream was still 18g of carbs per serving. Eeep! But damn, it was so so good. I finished the container and didn't buy it again. Today I got 2 sausage mcmuffins with egg...the plan was to toss the muffins and just eat the 2 eggs, cheese and meat. The cheese melted totally into one side of the muffin! So I tossed the top half and just ate half the muffin with the rest. And I feel guilty as hell! Will one english muffin derail me? No. I just see this as a lesson learned and I will buy some more low fat cheese slices for those times when the damn buns steal my cheese.
Are the changes working? You bet your sweet bippy they are! I've lost 20 lbs in 5 weeks. I got into the van to drive the boys to school this morning and my stomach is no longer touching the steering wheel. It's been years that I've had to have the seat all the way back and the wheel up high so I could fit. Good thing I am tall! I was also able to climb the half flight of stairs in my split level without stopping half way to catch my breath. That hasn't happened in a long long time.
Exercise is a critical component that is currently missing from this lifestyle change of mine. I still struggle with pain and arthritis, back issues and bad knees. I am still using a cane for short walks and my walker for longer jaunts, but I have hope now that maybe being lighter will allow me to move more easily. I see physical therapy in my future if we can work things out with our insurance plan. They are so damn picky about where you can go and I don't want to be driving all over the state just so a therapist can hurt me.
So do I miss sugar and starch in my diet? Hell yes! All those people who told me the cravings would stop after 2 weeks or so...well, they totally lied. Heh. But I understand why they do it. I dream about cake. I dream about buttery croissants and chocolate chip muffins and mashed potatoes and rice. I want CANDY! Thank goodness for diet soda and sugar free jello. I never would have lasted this long without it.
The clinic has a staff shrink that I saw a week or so ago. The nutritionist thought I had "issues" with food. Ya think? When eating is all you can do for fun, you eat. I was eating my pain. Eating to get some enjoyment out of life. Eating away my depression. Eating because I was bored and there are so so many tasty things to eat out there. Eating became the focus of my days. I just finished breakfast...hmm. What should I have for lunch? It's sad, but true. When you can't go anywhere or do anything, eating fills the time. But like illegal drugs or alcohol it doesn't make anything BETTER. Just worse. So the doc is going to help me move past all those things that make me want to eat to feel better. The jury is still out on that one.
Over all, I am in a good place, mentally. I still feel motivated. The cardiac issues were a set-back, I must admit. Finding out I have 50% blockages in both major blood vessels leading into and out of my head is a scary thing. My heart has a little damage too, but the doc says none of those things caused my problems. These things are manageable with good diet. I have that covered! It's just good to know about these things so I can be careful and having them monitored going forward. The vasovagal syncope is still a mystery. One trigger seems to be the sound of loud yelling, I discovered. So...no fighting around me! M'kay? Unless you want to help scoop me off the floor. I plan to continue my usual conflict avoidance tactics. The shrink tells me that's normal. Nice to know there is something normal about me. Ha!
Time to pick up the boys. I see a salad in my future. Extra spinach.
Because the clinic is SO popular, I wasn't able to get an appointment with the doctor or do the assessment testing until December. They offered to have me see one of the staff nutritionists right away to kinda get me moving in the right direction. I decided I didn't want to just sit around for 4 months until a "doctor" could look me over and tell me I was fat and just HOW fat I am. Duh. I have mirrors. I just wanted to DO something.
The nutritionist was reluctant to put me into a specific eating plan without those tests and numbers in front of her. I get that. There is a science to it. But I'm glad she took a chance and gave me some guidelines to get me started. She told me not to worry about doing the math right now. Forget counting calories. Just eat what's on the sheet of paper, try to keep carbs to less than 10g per serving and see how it goes. Read my labels! Lots of good lean protein would help keep me satisfied.
Have I counted any calories, so far? Nope. Have I strayed from the rules? Twice now. That so called sugar-free ice cream was still 18g of carbs per serving. Eeep! But damn, it was so so good. I finished the container and didn't buy it again. Today I got 2 sausage mcmuffins with egg...the plan was to toss the muffins and just eat the 2 eggs, cheese and meat. The cheese melted totally into one side of the muffin! So I tossed the top half and just ate half the muffin with the rest. And I feel guilty as hell! Will one english muffin derail me? No. I just see this as a lesson learned and I will buy some more low fat cheese slices for those times when the damn buns steal my cheese.
Are the changes working? You bet your sweet bippy they are! I've lost 20 lbs in 5 weeks. I got into the van to drive the boys to school this morning and my stomach is no longer touching the steering wheel. It's been years that I've had to have the seat all the way back and the wheel up high so I could fit. Good thing I am tall! I was also able to climb the half flight of stairs in my split level without stopping half way to catch my breath. That hasn't happened in a long long time.
Exercise is a critical component that is currently missing from this lifestyle change of mine. I still struggle with pain and arthritis, back issues and bad knees. I am still using a cane for short walks and my walker for longer jaunts, but I have hope now that maybe being lighter will allow me to move more easily. I see physical therapy in my future if we can work things out with our insurance plan. They are so damn picky about where you can go and I don't want to be driving all over the state just so a therapist can hurt me.
So do I miss sugar and starch in my diet? Hell yes! All those people who told me the cravings would stop after 2 weeks or so...well, they totally lied. Heh. But I understand why they do it. I dream about cake. I dream about buttery croissants and chocolate chip muffins and mashed potatoes and rice. I want CANDY! Thank goodness for diet soda and sugar free jello. I never would have lasted this long without it.
The clinic has a staff shrink that I saw a week or so ago. The nutritionist thought I had "issues" with food. Ya think? When eating is all you can do for fun, you eat. I was eating my pain. Eating to get some enjoyment out of life. Eating away my depression. Eating because I was bored and there are so so many tasty things to eat out there. Eating became the focus of my days. I just finished breakfast...hmm. What should I have for lunch? It's sad, but true. When you can't go anywhere or do anything, eating fills the time. But like illegal drugs or alcohol it doesn't make anything BETTER. Just worse. So the doc is going to help me move past all those things that make me want to eat to feel better. The jury is still out on that one.
Over all, I am in a good place, mentally. I still feel motivated. The cardiac issues were a set-back, I must admit. Finding out I have 50% blockages in both major blood vessels leading into and out of my head is a scary thing. My heart has a little damage too, but the doc says none of those things caused my problems. These things are manageable with good diet. I have that covered! It's just good to know about these things so I can be careful and having them monitored going forward. The vasovagal syncope is still a mystery. One trigger seems to be the sound of loud yelling, I discovered. So...no fighting around me! M'kay? Unless you want to help scoop me off the floor. I plan to continue my usual conflict avoidance tactics. The shrink tells me that's normal. Nice to know there is something normal about me. Ha!
Time to pick up the boys. I see a salad in my future. Extra spinach.
Comments
As for the carb/sugar craving thing...it really does go away if you completely eliminate them. Teasers will make the craving stick around a bit longer :-/ I too am a carb addict.
If you can squeeze in a water aerobics class, that can get you going in the exercise direction with little strain on your joints.
I'm cheering for you! <3