Previously, I wrote an article about the importance of keeping a weight loss journal. In it, one is supposed to keep all pertinent information so it would be easier to see that indeed progress towards ones goal weight is being made despite the lack of visual progress. I mean really, who can tell if they've lost .2 lbs? Or how anyone really tell if their BMI has gone down by .1?
As fortune and overeating would have it, I too have seen the ugly results of not watching my diet. In the midst of lemon sorbet with champagne to celebrate summer, waaaaay too much fried chicken when my boyfriend and I broke up, and the impulsive demon which possessed me to buy (and eat) Zingers.....sigh. Yes, it seems that even those of us who know better can succumb to the evils of a bad diet. My punishment? 38 lbs of bra fat, tummy rolls, muffin top and that ever disgusting underarm wave. While I saw the numbers on the scale steadily creep upwards, I simply told myself that all I had to do was to starve myself for a couple weeks (a horrible tactic I was accustomed to in my early 30's) and all would be well in the world. Ok at least MY world.
Yet regardless of my lack of caloric intake, the scale kept saying the same thing. And I became increasingly convinced that someone had played a cruel joke and painted that fat number on my scale.
Being in my mid 40's, I came to the quick realization that this weight, (the equivalent to a 40lbs bag of dog food) would require a more disciplined and structured plan to allow for my now slower metabolism. Gasp! I really AM middle aged! And it was then that my realization turned to panic and I knew that I HAD to do something before any more time slipped by.
The consequences of my lack of discipline caused my health to deteriorate at an alarming speed. I noticed that my heels hurt very badly and after seeing a doctor, he said that I could stretch to help with the pain and that steroid shots were also a possibility, but that they only offered temporary relief and was not to be considered a cure. He said that he too suffered from this chronic illness. He was also obese. Since I am a proponent of not allowing insurance to pay for illnesses that are preventable, I got to thinking. Had my weight gain caused my plantar fascitis? In addition to extreme heel pain, I would become breathless when I climbed my stairs. I busted my ass to be able to get a large home with two stories and now it was becoming a bother? Awww hell no! My skin was dull and the wrinkles in my face seemed to deepen. Something had to be done. I also developed and increasingly difficult ability to focus, I became very forgetful and I simply felt unattractive.
Knowing my body the way I do I knew that a strict keto diet or carbohydrate controlled diet was in order. And so began my weight loss journey.
First let me say that a keto diet may not be the best solution for you. You have to be smart dear reader! PLEASE be smart and understand what works for one person may not work for another. This is what I did and if you decide to follow suit, don't be sending me any hate emails about how sick you got. There are a lot of weight loss programs out there so do your research and maybe check with your doctor to find the best one for you.
Okay with that said, I was and as of this writing am still on a keto diet. That's health lingo for a “ketosis” diet. Simply put, it's a diet that restricts carbohydrates to the point of forcing your body to use it's fat supply to live. It's a state called ketosis. There are strips you can buy at the pharmacy to test your level of ketosis, but I'm such a cheap ass, I just have a scale that measures my weight to the .20lbs. If I continue to lose even .2lb, I know I'm still in ketosis. If I don't lose or even gain, then I know something's off. Oh yeah, I also bought one of those scales that measure body fat, water content, bone density and BMI. K it was 45 bucks but it was one of the best investments in my health.
So I began by cutting out nearly ALL carbs. That's right. Extreme Atkins, South Beach or whatever trendy carb diet you can think of. I eat only meats, cheeses, eggs and fish. THAT'S IT. Is it tough? Hell yeah at first, I thought I should just settle into being flubbery forever. But after the first 2 days I lost 3 lbs....yeah yeah it was water but who cares? Then by the 5th day, my body was settling into ketosis and I saw steady loss. I weighed myself (and still do) at the same time every morning. On an empty stomach, before anything by mouth and after visiting the restroom.
Ok so are there any tricks to this extreme keto diet? YES YES YES.
1)Sugars of any kind are forbidden. They're the devil. And if you decide to do this diet, make sure you pay attention to the ingredients for hidden sugars. The labels may say “0 carbs, 0 sugars, but in the ingredients, you may notice sugar waaaaay down on the ingredient list. Also check for and avoid dextrose, sucrose and even sucralose....basically anything that ends in “ose”.
2)When it comes to meats, sweet Italian sausage, honey ham (or any other honey meat) are forbidden. I buy those cheap packages of loose lunch meat...specifically plain ham. Boring? Yes. Effective? Yes! I try to avoid red meat but it is allowed. I just have trouble digesting it so I stick to tuna in water, boiled or broiled chicken and the occasional pork or lamb steak. You can also have just about any cut of meat. Fats are allowed although keep in mind that if you're looking get lean, then lean meats are preferred. Read the labels especially when seasoning your food!! I can't stress it enough. Lowry's seasoning salt is one of those sneaky products that has sugar in it. I've learned to just eat the meat plain, or with mustard (plain yellow mustard, not honey flavored!) and good ole mayo. Those packages of pepperoni that you put on pizza are good for nibbling. Again, read the label. I found that Hormel has an acceptable pepperoni.
3)Eggs are fine and you can have as many as you want. I like them with sugar free bacon or sausage (a little tough to find but well worth the hunt!) I also like making deviled eggs for a snack. Yum! Hard boiled are good too with a teeny bit of salt.
4)Cheeses are okay too which I'm glad. Again, I can't stress the importance of reading the label. There are a few cheeses that have some kind of sugar and it will depend entirely on the brand. Some jack will have sugar, some won't. I've found the brands in my store that work for me and I suggest taking the time to find yours. I like little cubes of cheese with the pepperoni.
5)What to drink? Water! Lots of it! The more the better, up to a gallon a day. Your skin will thank you for it. It also really does help keep that hungry feeling away. What else? Any unsweetened tea. I've noticed that ANY drink with aspartame just throws me out of ketosis and backfires so no diet sodas that have Nutrasweet/aspartame. Splenda is not very good for you either and there are reports of people having allergic reactions to it. Stevia also seems to halt progress although I don't know why. So I have flavored brewed teas (Celestial Seasonings has a good line) and I do have on occasional Lipton diet green tea. Maybe once a week but it does tend to slow down the rate of my loss so I don't want to know what would happen if I drank it every day.
So there's my personal secret to losing my weight. Will it work for you? I have no idea. I only know what works for me. Please be smart if you decide to try it. If you do, let me know how you did! I'll address exercise in the near future. You didn't really think you could escape it did you?
I've added a few pics of what I eat and added a bit of humor too.
Namaste & God Bless,
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