Here we are, 2 1/2 months after I read Dr. Atkins book on the plane home from my Hawaii vacation. I am so grateful that I read the book. (Thanks, Sheila!!)
I not only learned that coconut rum has 5 grams of net carbs per ounce (which explains some weight gain). I also shifted my mind away from low calorie thinking. It's very hard to live in a low carb world when you've been raised with low calorie thinking. (I now make a similar version of my vacation drink with Torani Sugar Free Coconut Syrup!)
So, how am I doing?
I'm down 14 lbs in 2 1/2 months! Starting at 168 that's not bad progress for a diet that is easy to maintain and takes very little effort.
I am happy with the progress. It could be faster, but I choose not to give up on the things that make me feel like I could do this low carb thing forever.
For example, I drink scotch every day after work. I drink two ounces and find that I am drinking less alcohol than before I got serious. I am losing 1 to 2 lbs per week now and could probably do more if I would not have any alcohol at all. The scotch seems to be more controllable than wine. I don't like scotch with dinner so I drink regular water at dinner.
The flavored Torani's sugar free syrups are also a big part of my day. The different flavors have allowed me to customize recipes to yummy low carb versions.
Something else I've noticed, though, is that cheese is really an enemy. Since I drink coffee with cream two or three cups per day, I really can't have that much cheese. If I do, my weight loss stalls. If I take a cream OR cheese approach, I continue to lose weight. It's so exciting to eat to satisfaction and still see the weight melt away.
Last night my hubby grilled hamburgers which I ate with slices of tomato, homemade pickles, sliced onions, and mustard. It was wonderfully satisfying. For dessert, I made an improvised cheesecake in a mug with an egg, an ounce of cream cheese, and some Torani's sugar free raspberry syrup that
I microwaved for a minute.
Tonight I munched on red pepper strips with my sugar free Tequila sunrise drink at happy hour (made with sugar free Torani Raspberry Syrup).
Which reminds me, the other truth to Dr. Atkins plan is eating the vegetables that he suggests. If you skip the veggies, you don't lose weight. My experience shows that when I am super busy and only snacking on protein, I just don't make the progress that I see when I have a salad or salad veggies every day.
I have a big dress shopping day coming up next weekend. I'd like to lose 4 more lbs before then. If I don't have happy hour and keep my exercise regimen, I might hit my goal. Keep your fingers crossed!
-------
Update 2018
We no longer follow a strict Atkins diet. In late 2015 I suffered some side effects that led me to believe that I suffered from adrenal fatigue based on the super low carb impacts of my four month "induction again" phase while we were working on a project in Idaho. Today we follow a SLOW CARB lifestyle a la Tim Ferriss's Four Hour Body. Some of the recipes on the site refer to 4HB.
I not only learned that coconut rum has 5 grams of net carbs per ounce (which explains some weight gain). I also shifted my mind away from low calorie thinking. It's very hard to live in a low carb world when you've been raised with low calorie thinking. (I now make a similar version of my vacation drink with Torani Sugar Free Coconut Syrup!)
So, how am I doing?
I'm down 14 lbs in 2 1/2 months! Starting at 168 that's not bad progress for a diet that is easy to maintain and takes very little effort.
I am happy with the progress. It could be faster, but I choose not to give up on the things that make me feel like I could do this low carb thing forever.
For example, I drink scotch every day after work. I drink two ounces and find that I am drinking less alcohol than before I got serious. I am losing 1 to 2 lbs per week now and could probably do more if I would not have any alcohol at all. The scotch seems to be more controllable than wine. I don't like scotch with dinner so I drink regular water at dinner.
The flavored Torani's sugar free syrups are also a big part of my day. The different flavors have allowed me to customize recipes to yummy low carb versions.
Something else I've noticed, though, is that cheese is really an enemy. Since I drink coffee with cream two or three cups per day, I really can't have that much cheese. If I do, my weight loss stalls. If I take a cream OR cheese approach, I continue to lose weight. It's so exciting to eat to satisfaction and still see the weight melt away.
Last night my hubby grilled hamburgers which I ate with slices of tomato, homemade pickles, sliced onions, and mustard. It was wonderfully satisfying. For dessert, I made an improvised cheesecake in a mug with an egg, an ounce of cream cheese, and some Torani's sugar free raspberry syrup that
I microwaved for a minute.
Tonight I munched on red pepper strips with my sugar free Tequila sunrise drink at happy hour (made with sugar free Torani Raspberry Syrup).
Which reminds me, the other truth to Dr. Atkins plan is eating the vegetables that he suggests. If you skip the veggies, you don't lose weight. My experience shows that when I am super busy and only snacking on protein, I just don't make the progress that I see when I have a salad or salad veggies every day.
I have a big dress shopping day coming up next weekend. I'd like to lose 4 more lbs before then. If I don't have happy hour and keep my exercise regimen, I might hit my goal. Keep your fingers crossed!
-------
Update 2018
We no longer follow a strict Atkins diet. In late 2015 I suffered some side effects that led me to believe that I suffered from adrenal fatigue based on the super low carb impacts of my four month "induction again" phase while we were working on a project in Idaho. Today we follow a SLOW CARB lifestyle a la Tim Ferriss's Four Hour Body. Some of the recipes on the site refer to 4HB.
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