Always Learning Something New

I've been eating low-carb for about a week and a half now, and I am still doing well with it and it's working well for me, too. I'm not really questioning why and just going with the flow for once!

I've heard it so many times over the years, and read about others' experiences, and hearing directly from friends how great either cutting out sugar and/or eating low-carb makes you feel so much better. One of my very best friends, in fact, cut out sugar completely, even fruit, and LOVES it. Ever since she told me that it's been in the back of my mind and festering, but I tended to be dismissive of it because HOW COULD I EVER GIVE UP SUGAR??? Seriously.

But, in just a short time I have gotten more and more used to living without it, or without as much as I'd gotten myself used to, at least.

The study I am participating in says that I can have, say one fruit a day and one whole grain a day. I've been more or less following that, though my grains aren't always whole (like when I had stuffed shells, or pizza – both were so delicious but stupid, but hey! I needed to feed my partner and that is still the kind of stuff we have in the house), I try to have much smaller portions than I used to. I mean, really – when I made pizza the other day, I had TWO pieces of my 12-inch pie. That is practically unheard of for me. Usually I would count on eating at least half the pizza. This time, though, I had a nice, big salad (also very yummy!) first, and savored the slices about halfway in and alternating between the two things. The result was that I felt satisfied and full, enjoyed the pizza immensely, but did so in a healthier way. It really worked!

For a few meals, I have had one small piece of very dark chocolate as dessert, but last night, for instance, I decided to try not to do that every day like I was starting to because I realize it is not conducive to abandoning sugar. Once I get further into this and feel more secure about my new mindset and habits, I'll have some once in a while, but for now I need to watch it. I'm also thinking about fruit, too – I'm just doing one or even zero per day but maybe I should quit them completely during the transition.

It's making those adjustments as I go along doing this thing that I am most proud of so far. I'm just really surprising myself. I'm not getting cocky about it, though. We'll see where I am in another week or two with my feelings. I am hoping it will get easier as I complete each day.

The weather has been so... ugh. Wintery. Cold and snow and ice... I get out for walks when I can, but honestly I am not doing it as often as I would like, unless you count grocery shopping in a big store (I kind of do, sometimes I come home sweaty, LOL). That said, I am very excited to get back out on a regular basis as the weather improves, and I am not going to worry too much about that aspect of things right now and focus on dealing with food.

Are you interested in the results so far?

I am down 12 pounds in about 10 days. I am not starving, I am not suffering at all, so don't worry! Needless to say I am very happy with that and already feeling more comfortable in my body, win!

I am taking one day at a time and figuring out what things are best to eat and building meals around them. I was at a local co-op grocery store last night and walking through, I realized... I can't eat anything! OK, not really. But what they say about shopping the perimeter of the store for most of your food? Spot on. Veggies, (some dairy), meats (and fish). There are no crackers that aren't carby, even at the health food store. I was disappointed but also know that the foods I can/want to eat are also delicious and much better for my overall health, so... it is getting easier to just walk by.

I'm just really glad I can eat cheese with relative abandon.