I’ve been playing around on the computer tonight. It’s way past my bed time and I decided that I was a little hungry. I went down stairs and found a package of Bob Evans sausages and I knew what I wanted. I fried them up and shared some with my son. No more hunger.
What’s different about this from a low fat diet is that if I would have eaten anything on a low fat diet this late at night, tomorrow I would have gained weight. Now with a Low Carb diet I no longer have to fear the gain because my body can absorb it like a sponge. I’m not saying that I would weigh more tomorrow - What I am trying to say is that the only weight I will have gained is the actual weight of the sausage that I ate. As soon as my body processes the food it will be as if I had never eaten it to begin with. At least that’s my take on the subject.
Update: This morning I weighed in at 266.2 lbs. that’s 12.6 lbs lost from my highest weight.
Weight: 266.2 lbs
May 25th, 2008 at 1:30 am
Hey Barry,
Stumbled on your blog linked from Jimmy Moore’s. I was struck by the similarities in our journeys, I’m just ahead of you by a couple of years. I also did low carb, fell off the wagon, and came back to it to stay. Also have the BMI calculators tell me 200 is the beginning of overweight, so we must be the same height. I started at 265, did Protein Power (very Atkins-like). I’m here to tell you it works and you can do 199. I liked you comment about no worrys for Memorial Day but a low fat dieters nightmare.
For me, it the eating program did it all. I had no time for exercise the first 6 months and the weight came off. After about a month, it was so obvious that the low carb was working that it gave me extra confidence to stay the course. When I started exercise, it wasn’t aerobic, but weight training. I did slow lifting, using the book Power of 10 as a guide, and it accelerated the weight loss. Once a week, then the rest of the week you’re metabolism is boosted and you’re using energy even at rest rebuilding the muscle. I didn’t believe it at first, but it is possible to build muscle and lose weight training once per week. Ask serious bodybuilders, and they’ll tell you, the muscles need a weeks rest to rebuild, so they only train each body part once per week.
I hope you reach the point I did where you’re so confident in the plan that you don’t worry about the scale any more. Stay on the plan and the weight loss will just happen. Without hunger. At about a pound a week, in my case. That’s 52 pounds a year, which may sound slow, but when you don’t have to think about it, the time just goes by and the weight comes off. Without hunger and without feeling like a failure if you’re not in the gym every other day.
My advice (you knew that was coming, right) - don’t rush it. Have faith in the metabolic changes that make it happen. Try to use general health and avoiding diabetes etc. as motivation as much as the weight loss. You’ll get there. Just stick with the plan.
Oh, and where am I now? Didn’t want to put this first because when I say it even now it sounds too good to be true. 193. My college weight. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen, but my body has just found it’s own level with the low carb.
Best of luck, low-carb compatriot!
Steve
May 25th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Thanks for the comment Steve. I just hope that I don’t lose my enthusiasm as much as I have for it now. I truly am excited in watching the pounds melt off.