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Well, I've done it. Fourteen days of induction...no cheats. Except for the coffee that I didn't give up, but I did reduce it to just one cup per day. (I knew I could not do Atkins flu and caffeine withdrawal at the same time.)
I lost 7.5 pounds in the first week and was very impressed. Everyone I talked to (people who have never done Atkins or read the book) said my first week's loss was all water, and that I was bound to gain it back when my electrolytes balanced out. After my gain in the second week, I wonder if they're not correct. I keep trying to watch the progress of the people on this board...people who know, love, and accurately do Atkins and take inspiration from them. I know you guys haven't lost 100s of pounds of WATER!
On the other hand, the one pound gain hasn't made me give up.
Here are my "pros"...reasons to keep at it:
1. You guys are right...my appetite is way suppressed; my cravings for junk are gone;
2. My skin--normally dry and flaky (like an 80 year old's)--is almost "supple";
3. Though the tape measure doesn't show it yet...I'm SURE my love handles are melting away;
4. I'm feeling very much in control of what I'm eating...rather than what I'm eating in control of me!
5. Ah...the joys of butter and heavy cream.
6. Avocados are my friend again...not the secret lover that I had to keep hidden from my low-fat friends.
7. No measuring portions, no counting calories or points. Yes, I count carbs, but mostly I just stick to the legal foods (meat, cheese, greens) and so I don't worry too much about it.
8. Eating only when I'm hungry...and NOT being hungry ALL THE TIME!
9. Water...love it! Saving money on diet sodas.
Here are my "cons"...but not yet reasons to give up:
1. My grocery bill is up. Dang if "real" food isn't way more costly than junk food! (Who would have thought that?)
2. Dry mouth, thirst, getting up at night to wee.
3. Highly self-conscious of my cheese-breath.
4. Drive-through fast food is nearly impossible to do, so road trips take a lot more planning!
5. I may be experiencing some ketosis-related neuropathy. Not bad, just some sciatica-like pain/tingling down my legs when I flex my neck down. I have only ever experienced this while trying to low carb. Weird, I know...but I expected it from my past experiences.
6. Paranoia about the amount of fat in the new WOE. ("If this doesn't work, I'm killing myself!")
Reflections on the past week:
I lost 7.5 pounds in the first week and was very impressed. Everyone I talked to (people who have never done Atkins or read the book) said my first week's loss was all water, and that I was bound to gain it back when my electrolytes balanced out. After my gain in the second week, I wonder if they're not correct. I keep trying to watch the progress of the people on this board...people who know, love, and accurately do Atkins and take inspiration from them. I know you guys haven't lost 100s of pounds of WATER!
On the other hand, the one pound gain hasn't made me give up.
Here are my "pros"...reasons to keep at it:
1. You guys are right...my appetite is way suppressed; my cravings for junk are gone;
2. My skin--normally dry and flaky (like an 80 year old's)--is almost "supple";
3. Though the tape measure doesn't show it yet...I'm SURE my love handles are melting away;
4. I'm feeling very much in control of what I'm eating...rather than what I'm eating in control of me!
5. Ah...the joys of butter and heavy cream.
6. Avocados are my friend again...not the secret lover that I had to keep hidden from my low-fat friends.
7. No measuring portions, no counting calories or points. Yes, I count carbs, but mostly I just stick to the legal foods (meat, cheese, greens) and so I don't worry too much about it.
8. Eating only when I'm hungry...and NOT being hungry ALL THE TIME!
9. Water...love it! Saving money on diet sodas.
Here are my "cons"...but not yet reasons to give up:
1. My grocery bill is up. Dang if "real" food isn't way more costly than junk food! (Who would have thought that?)
2. Dry mouth, thirst, getting up at night to wee.
3. Highly self-conscious of my cheese-breath.
4. Drive-through fast food is nearly impossible to do, so road trips take a lot more planning!
5. I may be experiencing some ketosis-related neuropathy. Not bad, just some sciatica-like pain/tingling down my legs when I flex my neck down. I have only ever experienced this while trying to low carb. Weird, I know...but I expected it from my past experiences.
6. Paranoia about the amount of fat in the new WOE. ("If this doesn't work, I'm killing myself!")
Reflections on the past week:
- Gained one pound.
- Might be hitting the avocados too hard...they're higher in carbs than I thought.
- I'm still in ketosis, which should be a good sign.
- I need to maintain my water intake...somedays I drink a gallon, the next day only one or two glasses (but I'm not drinking anything else, either, which might be a problem).
- Summer schedule has me eating at 9:30 or 10:00 at night; maybe I should try to eat earlier in case that myth about eating before bed is true.
- No exercise: that will change today with the ADBB 20/24 challenge!
- Exercise! Specifically: 30 minutes on the treadmill every day.
- Maintain consistent water intake of 96 oz/day
- Cut back on those avocados!
- Move to OWL Veggies
- Try at least one new vegetable. This week: spaghetti squash.
- Dig out those size 12 jeans and display them for incentive!
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