A Real Plan

So, I've been doing a LOT of reading, investigating...my step mom gave me the Atkins book and I read it cover to cover. Very interesting stuff. I do feel like those books try to manipulate you a bit, but I could imagine Dr. Atkins discovering this stuff and feeling like he had to get the message out. Because I do really believe that it could work--it's already sort of more or less what I'm doing--and my step mom is certainly proof that it does!

But like most diet plans, Atkins wants you to do a first (two week or more) pretty restrictive phase. And I'm just not in the mood to count how many cups of lettuce I eat. I like that he doesn't make you count calories, but there are kind of a lot of rules and I think I've been doing pretty well without them!

One big mistake I made: last night I had a dinner party, and it was great. I made a delicious Chicken Tarragon dish from the NYT; it's not touted as Paleo or Grain Free but just was (except for a little bit of dusting flour, which I could just omit next time), but is and is amazingly delicious. I have to say, that when I was cooking "regular" food, I felt like new recipes I would try would come out well maybe 50% of the time, and the rest of the time they were just meh. But EVERYTHING I've made lately has been awesome! I don't know if I've just been lucky...or grain free food is just amazing. :)

Chicken with shallots, tarragon and cherry tomatoes. Yum! 

(Not the most flattering picture, but it was truly delicious.)

So anyway, back to the mistake: I didn't monitor my drinking. I had bought bread for friends and didn't even feel like eating it, but I wasn't able to resist glasses and glasses of wine being poured for me. Well, turns out without all the bread in my stomach to soak up some of it, I simply cannot drink like I used to. Which is a great thing! But I am suffering a lot from that lesson today. Even a jog and tons of water and Ibuprofen has not fixed it...sigh. I must remember this for next time!

But after all this reading, and experimenting, I have come up with some new guidelines.

Here's what I said a few entries back, pasted again. I want to reread, and make some updates.

My goals for the next few months:
- To lose 30 lbs following these guidelines.
- Make healthy choices for food, don't buy lunch (unless it's from Whole Foods); cook lots of vegetables and responsible meat, grass-fed dairy when possible. No grains, or refined sugar; continue to try new recipes. Occasional treats like popcorn and tabouli are OK.
- Indulge only once in a (great) while in things like takeout and pizza, and eat those things with extra awareness.
- Drink plenty of water all day long, especially when I first wake up.
- Get some exercise. at least one brisk walk every day; remember that I'm exercising not to lose weight (although that will certainly not hurt), but to relieve anxiety and oxygenate my system, etc.
- Try some Pilates again, love the way it made my body look. (Try the 15-min workout every other day.)
- IMPORTANT: Cutting down on alcohol calories. I'm never going to quit drinking, but not allowed to drink alone, and try to stick to a 2-drink max. Going to be tough! BUT I MUST DO IT OR I FEEL LIKE CRAP ON TOAST THE NEXT DAY.

I am not going to follow Atkins, but be a bit more strict than I originally planned with the grain restriction. When I get close to my weight goal, and plateau, I will do a few weeks of Atkins Induction phase. At that point, going back to my "diet" will feel like a treat! But I don't want to go through all the phases right now. I hope I can lose these pounds quickly enough (but not too quickly) with what I've been doing. I think Atkins Induction would make it happen too quickly, and my wise sister Zoe says that will make me more likely to gain it back. It's better to lose slowly.

I'm tempted to write a book with recipes, as searching for recipes I find SO many substitution things. It's kind of nuts. (Hamburger buns made out of cashews! Seriously!) Like Atkins claims that you'll lose all these cravings and temptations as you go on, but then he offers all kinds of "low-carb" substitute products, like tortillas, cookies etc. I guess that helps but I feel like the point is to not want those kinds of foods anymore. Everything I've been eating lately tastes delicious, is filling to the point where it's easy not to overeat, and make me feel great (except for some persistent slight nausea, sigh). I wonder...oh I wonder...if it's really possible that I will not eat pasta all the time again for the rest of my life. Crazy thought!

This was my brunch this morning:

Chef-style salad: lettuce topped with chopped turkey, cheese, hard-boiled egg and avocado, with homemade ranch dressing.

This is the best "diet" I've ever been on! I can eat all the deviled eggs I want this summer!