KikiKitty
Sun, Jun-17-12, 15:41
A few years ago, I hit my highest weight due to a sedentary life. I broke two vertebrae in my lower back many years ago, and over the years the discs in my lumbar region herniated, tore, and caused a lot of nerve pain. This made exercise, or even going up stairs, difficult, and I gained about 56 pounds. Being that I was already about 40 pounds overweight, I was really uncomfortable.
A friend suggested I give Atkin's a try, and I was surprised to find that I lost 40 pounds in about 2 months with diet alone. I stayed on extended induction for 4 weeks, and then added only 5 carbs a month. I maintained this loss without counting carbs (but avoiding obvious carbs) for about a year. This was great because the loss of that extra weight took some of the strain off of my back, and I was able to be more active.
Then I started carb binging. For some reason, once I start eating carby foods, my brain thinks I have to make the most of it and eat all those things I once loved while I'm out of ketosis, and then be "good" again. In the following year, I gained back 30 of the 40 pounds I had lost. I came back last year, and tried again, and lost the thirty, and then went back to carbs yet again.
This time, something needs to change in my thinking. In part, that may be not "settling" for my higher weight goal. I may need to really shoot for my medically ideal range, and somehow change my thinking about food so that I can eat birthday cake on my birthday without going on a 2 month carb bender. I need to do things differently this time, because it's not just my body, but my mind that needs a new WOL.
I may be the only person who starts this diet by stocking my fridge with dessert, but that is just what I have done. If I have a craving or a sweet tooth or am just feeling sorry for myself while I go through the initial carb withdrawal misery that I always endure while trying to get back into ketosis, I have sugar free jello, sugarfree cheesecake, and coconut bark to nibble on. I planned out a menu for the next month, made my grocery list, and will go shopping tomorrow. The next day I will bulk cook and take as much guesswork out of induction as I can, to increase my odds of success.
I appreciate any advice from those who have been around the bend a few times, as I have, and what kind of things have helped you change for good!
A friend suggested I give Atkin's a try, and I was surprised to find that I lost 40 pounds in about 2 months with diet alone. I stayed on extended induction for 4 weeks, and then added only 5 carbs a month. I maintained this loss without counting carbs (but avoiding obvious carbs) for about a year. This was great because the loss of that extra weight took some of the strain off of my back, and I was able to be more active.
Then I started carb binging. For some reason, once I start eating carby foods, my brain thinks I have to make the most of it and eat all those things I once loved while I'm out of ketosis, and then be "good" again. In the following year, I gained back 30 of the 40 pounds I had lost. I came back last year, and tried again, and lost the thirty, and then went back to carbs yet again.
This time, something needs to change in my thinking. In part, that may be not "settling" for my higher weight goal. I may need to really shoot for my medically ideal range, and somehow change my thinking about food so that I can eat birthday cake on my birthday without going on a 2 month carb bender. I need to do things differently this time, because it's not just my body, but my mind that needs a new WOL.
I may be the only person who starts this diet by stocking my fridge with dessert, but that is just what I have done. If I have a craving or a sweet tooth or am just feeling sorry for myself while I go through the initial carb withdrawal misery that I always endure while trying to get back into ketosis, I have sugar free jello, sugarfree cheesecake, and coconut bark to nibble on. I planned out a menu for the next month, made my grocery list, and will go shopping tomorrow. The next day I will bulk cook and take as much guesswork out of induction as I can, to increase my odds of success.
I appreciate any advice from those who have been around the bend a few times, as I have, and what kind of things have helped you change for good!