Going the Distance

I have successfully lost a modest amount of weight in the past few weeks. I notice it in how I feel, and in how my clothes fit. This weight loss has been because of focus and dedication - it didn't just happen. Never-the-less, the first few pounds are easy, relatively speaking.

I am basically following an Atkins diet - lots of (non-starchy) vegetables, a fair amount of meat and eggs, and some cheese. No grains or starches in any form. When switching to that diet from a high carbohydrate diet (which I did NOT do), it's not unusual for the scale to drop by eight pounds in a week! I eased into this Atkins induction phase from New Year's till the last week of January, but I've still seen quite a bit of success. I've successfully beat down cravings, and now am not inappropriately hungry. Only if it's been hours and it's time to eat, do I feel my stomach rumble.

So this is the moment. This is where the difference will emerge. I've shown this is something I can do. Is this something I will do? How much do I want to do this?

It's a lot of work. I am cooking a lot, because hidden sugars are everywhere. I am reading labels like a fiend, and many of my convenience foods, bottled sauces and such, have sugars or starches in them, and so have to be put aside. Weeknights are of course the worst, because I get home tired and want to offer something healthy to the kids. But I need to make sure beforehand I have all the necessary ingredients because there isn't time to make a trip to the store and then cook from scratch. But I need to make something that has meat and at least one, preferably two, vegetables in it. No take and bake pizza for me.  Eating out is difficult. Even fancy salads at restaurants are likely to have sweet dressings.  But I really have to work to try to eat what are the minimum vegetables - the Atkins book urges at least six cups of raw, or 2 cups cooked, vegetables a day. That is a lot of vegetables, which have to be bought and prepared from scratch.  Once I get the meat and vegetables sorted out, it's easy enough to make rice or pasta for the rest of the family (who are less likely to eat much of the vegetables). The plain starch side does not tempt me at all.

Since the blood sugar seems tamed, I don't have uncontrollable physical urges and cravings. Apple strudel made an appearance in the office, and I could feel the emotional tug, but it wasn't physical and it was easily suppressed. My girl made heart cookies for Valentine's Day, and I put them out of sight, mostly. Last night, the leftovers were there on the dining room table, and out of pure intellectual curiosity I tasted one. (Yeah, right.) But it was one small heart, and I walked away.

I've started doing some evening treats, because I seem to have a psychological urge to feel indulged. I'm re-discovering the joys of ricotta or mascarpone, and blueberries. This is a slippery slope, as low carb as I'm trying to go. A quarter cup of blueberries is considered about the limit. Other fruits - apples, oranges, etc., are still off the table for now.

On the other hand, there are non-sweet indulgences that really work. Olives. Guacamole. Bacon. Macadamia nuts. Today, I am going to try a recipe for creamed spinach that features mascarpone and butter. This would be a great side dish for broiled steak tonight, with asparagus on the side. Yum!

I'm doing a bunch of stuff to keep myself motivated. I'm tracking all my food. I'm sharing socially in a number of different places, including here. I'm printing out my graphs, and hanging them up. Of course, I've got another book I'm reading on the subject, of which more anon. But all of this is time. And emotional effort. Am I willing to keep putting in the time and effort?

It seems I should be able to answer this question of my own free will, but history and experience says the way to sustain a weight loss and maintain it is to find something that is not a daily struggle. I'm still questing around to see if what I am doing is sustainable, but it feels for now like I'm on the right track.

I find I am enjoying the cooking, once I get over the fact it's required. I enjoy the food. I enjoy the lack of evening struggle against the chocolate calling from the kitchen. Hopefully, life won't come roaring at me in a way that makes the time or emotional energy more difficult.

Resolutions check-in. I am 100% on my daily mile. I made my January challenge of writing every day, I signed up to do it again in February. But I had a business trip where I was off the internet for a day. I wrote my words on the plane, but I failed to upload them to the website before midnight, so was scored for a miss. Having lost my streak, I fell off the wagon and stopped writing. I miss it, but I've got a half hour back in my day now.