Do I think about it too much?

[timetoride5150]

Hi,
Well, one big accomplishment is that this past week i've decided to increase my carb intake by ten because I was still losing weight and i'm actually under my goal weight now (i weigh 10. So I eat around 40-50 carbs a day now.
I was concerned for awhile because i'de have to take a laxitive to ever go to the bathroom but this past week i've gone twice since adding in the ten extra carbs and obviously have no need for the laxitive this week! (first week this has happened in a very long time )
So obviously the 10 extra carbs thing was a good thing. I don't even mind that I gained two pounds doing it because like i said, despite gaining those two pounds, i'm still two pounds under my original goal weight.

Now the only thing i'm concerned about is how much i think about food. I wake up thinking "okay, today i'm going to eat this for breakfast, this for lunch, this for dinner". I also mentally schedule times of when i'll be eating etc.

I was a little concerned about how much I think about it and was wondering if it was normal or if anyone else did these kind of things?

Thanks!

[pamelainaustin]

Re: Do I think about it too much?

Hi Emily,

First of all, congrats on reaching your goal. That is awesome. I think once you are at goal and in the maintenance phase you probably have to experiment with different amounts/types of carbs to determine what level you need to keep your weight where you want it. If you keep gaining on 40-50 for a couple of weeks maybe drop down to 35-45 and see how that is. Also, it seems that most on here who are long term successes in maintenance get a substantial portion of their carbs from veggies so I would also take that into consideration. I am assuming you have worked your way up the rungs (except, of course, for the alcohol rung ) and have no problems with any of those food groups. Keeping the veggie and fiber counts up should also help with constipation. Pumpkin and spinach keep me "moving"

Emily, it is normal and truly a positive sign that you plan to stay committed to this WOE that you plan your meals in advance and know ahead of time what and when you will be eating. Planning is key to success--for example, if I do not plan ahead and take my lunch food to work with me then I would probably wind up not eating on plan or eating a bunch of fast food carbage. Ya gotta have a plan!! I constantly keep my refrigerator inventory in mind so that I always have a variety of Atkins legal foods to pick from. The longer you do Atkins the more automatic it will become--now I mostly shop in the produce, deli and meat/dairy cases at the store and don't need to go down a lot of the aisles.

You are doing great!

Pam

[shari_dawn]

Re: Do I think about it too much?

Emily how tall are you? You've done good losing weight but I worry about young girls being too thin. Depending on your height you seem to be right on track!

[timetoride5150]

Re: Do I think about it too much?

I'm 5'3" just about.

Thanks for the kind words and helpful insight everyone!

[Kansas Deb]

Re: Do I think about it too much?


Congrats on your success Emily!

I don't know if it is noraml to think about what we are going to eat for the day or not. I know I do. I consider it planning so I will eat the right things and not mess this up. My husband says I am obsessed with food. How do you plan your meals and know what you are going to buy if you don't think about what you are going to eat? Especially if you are doing Atkins right it seems to me to be quite a balancing act and does take considerable thought.

It seems to be working for you.