Ninafel
Fri, Nov-05-04, 13:50
I first tried Atkins in 1972 when I was college, and several times after that, but it always left me with the feeling that I would kill for an orange! Even though I adore meat and cheese and fat, I also love many healthy foods, and I missed fruit the most! I just couldn't stay on Atkins without feeling miserable.
So I decided to allow myself unlimited fruit. And now, following a low-carb (if you can call it that) diet on a long term basis--maybe forever--is a breeze!
I guess the secret, for me, to staying on an eating plan and not giving up, is not to have to limit fat or count calories, like on other diets that have made me feel deprived. I can drink wine. I can eat cheese and meat and butter and sour cream. I just skip the flour, grains, potatoes, and sweets. They weren't my favorites, anyway. As an adult, I've always liked cheese and fruit (or cheese and wine) better than cookies, anyway!
I don't weigh myself often, because I used to be too obsessed with my weight and it was unhealthy mentally to concentrate too much on dieting and the scale. But I could tell that my clothes fit better, and recently (November 1st) had to weigh myself at a doctor's appointment. It turns out that since April 20th I've lost 10 pounds, even eating fruit and not counting carbs!
Yes, that's right, I don't count carbs. That, like counting calories, made it too hard to stick to this thing on a long-term basis. I just don't have the time or energy to sweat the small stuff. But I after all this time I generally know what's low carb, and other than fruits and veggies, that's what I eat.
I guess it's that the low-carb foods that make up most of my diet are so filling--plus it's harder to eat as much butter if you don't have rice, potatoes, or bread or crackers to put it on--but whatever it is, I think I must be eating fewer calories, even though I feel I indulge in as much luxurious food as I want (avocados, olives, roast beef, hollandaise sauce...). I've heard that the real reason low-carb diets work is that you automatically cut a few calories every day by limiting yourself to only certain types of foods, and that's fine with me--especially knowing I only have to limit a couple of categories.
Is anyone else doing anything like this? It seems like it's a bit like _Atkins for Life_.
Nina
So I decided to allow myself unlimited fruit. And now, following a low-carb (if you can call it that) diet on a long term basis--maybe forever--is a breeze!
I guess the secret, for me, to staying on an eating plan and not giving up, is not to have to limit fat or count calories, like on other diets that have made me feel deprived. I can drink wine. I can eat cheese and meat and butter and sour cream. I just skip the flour, grains, potatoes, and sweets. They weren't my favorites, anyway. As an adult, I've always liked cheese and fruit (or cheese and wine) better than cookies, anyway!
I don't weigh myself often, because I used to be too obsessed with my weight and it was unhealthy mentally to concentrate too much on dieting and the scale. But I could tell that my clothes fit better, and recently (November 1st) had to weigh myself at a doctor's appointment. It turns out that since April 20th I've lost 10 pounds, even eating fruit and not counting carbs!
Yes, that's right, I don't count carbs. That, like counting calories, made it too hard to stick to this thing on a long-term basis. I just don't have the time or energy to sweat the small stuff. But I after all this time I generally know what's low carb, and other than fruits and veggies, that's what I eat.
I guess it's that the low-carb foods that make up most of my diet are so filling--plus it's harder to eat as much butter if you don't have rice, potatoes, or bread or crackers to put it on--but whatever it is, I think I must be eating fewer calories, even though I feel I indulge in as much luxurious food as I want (avocados, olives, roast beef, hollandaise sauce...). I've heard that the real reason low-carb diets work is that you automatically cut a few calories every day by limiting yourself to only certain types of foods, and that's fine with me--especially knowing I only have to limit a couple of categories.
Is anyone else doing anything like this? It seems like it's a bit like _Atkins for Life_.
Nina