Meanwhile, I'm used to eating this way and I'm ready to start moving more. I belong to a nice, non-crowded gym about a tenth of a mile from my apartment-but I haven't been since September. Adam is also gearing up to start 'hitting the gym' (we are officially old) a few nights per week, and if he starts going I will follow. We both have serious goals for this summer and we're coming up on the end of January so it's time.
To get into a little more detail..I'm eating very low carb but this time around I am solidly in ketosis and have not allowed 'carb creep' via things like extra almond butter, 85% dark chocolate, red wine, Atkins snack bars, or anything else questionable. Here is a pic of a recent ketostick for proof:
Typically everything I eat with the exception of salad greens and other non-starchy veggies is either carb-free or has 1-3 grams per serving (like cheese, cream for coffee, olives, a packet of truvia). Because I'm losing and I have a long way to go, I'm not officially tracking but I would estimate my daily carb count is between 20-30 grams. On very 'snacky' days it might go to 40 but that's not often. I was getting a little bored over the weekend so I made my own coconut oil chocolate-macadamia candies- just a slightly tweaked version of this Chocolate Bark recipe. They don't taste just like the real thing but they're fatty and smooth and I added macadamia nuts.
The really crazy part is that there are still candies left over in the fridge (four days later) BECAUSE I STOP EATING WHEN I'M NO LONGER HUNGRY.
If you've eaten low carb or Paleo you know what I'm talking about, but I just want to clarify that if you have ever had any kind of binging issues or insulin resistance history, eating this way is truly different and liberating. The 'not hungry' you think you are when you have had an apple and a turkey on wheat is NOT THE SAME as the 'not hungry' you are when you eat like this. Overeating is typically not about willpower; it's about insulin flooding your system- in spite of the fact you have 'enough calories' and you 'shouldn't be hungry'. It certainly takes willpower/drive/intent/focus to plan for, prepare, and commit to eating this way but once you get past the 'low carb flu' and/or withdrawal from sugar and carbs, it is very much worth it. Here is a recent success story from the Diet Doctor. Adam and I were talking the other day about how we cannot wait to lose 100 lbs or more because we'll officially be low carb success stories and we can start evangelizing. I think we're cute enough to get into at least one magazine spread. Ha.
You are doing so awesome!!!!! When I was dropping weight and in ketosis, I remember that my weight would seem like the same for weeks, then it would seem like just overnight, I'd get a big drop in it. That's why I couldn't weigh myself everyday. It drove me nuts to not see anything on the scale for days and days on end. I just had to trust the process, which ultimately worked out for me. Congratulations my friend:)
ReplyDeleteNINE! I am so impressed! Again, also jealous, but encouraged by your success. Your last paragraph states well and concisely why eating this way is effective. People still think I'm nuts with the high fat. They just don't get it!
ReplyDeleteI, too, am considering the exercise component again. I don't belong to a gym, and I don't want to re-join, but I'd like to do something. I'll ponder that.
I look forward to your low-carb, evangelical magazine spread! Definitely cute enough!