From the time I was a little girl, to the glorious 20’s (thankfully behind me, no pun intended) and early 30’s (before I had my son), maintaining my weight was never an issue. I always relied on the fact that by watching what I ate, if my weight went up, a little non-stressful exercise would be all I needed to get back to my goal weight.
meta things change
After the birth of my son (and gaining 60 pounds during pregnancy), my thyroid, which had always been difficult, decided to more or less give up the ghost. Actually, when I was about 21 years old, it was discovered that I had a problem with hypothyroidism (which is where you gain weight more easily and other unpleasant symptoms). I had been religiously getting my annual blood tests and taking the little pill every day. However, even that changed after giving birth. A normal thyroid ranges between 0.4 and 0.6, mine was 10.0, a sure indication that it had sunk and no longer regulates my body effectively.
So get into the diet cycle
Even at the age of 16, obsessed with maintaining a slim figure, I would “invent” my own diets. I remember that one was nothing more than boiled eggs, toast and something to drink. And I lost 18 pounds in two weeks doing it (eggs are the secret).
Later in life, I followed the Scarsdale Diet. I can tell you that it really works, but over time you start to really hate tomatoes. Meat is definitely on the Scarsdale menu, along with plenty of vegetables and even fruit. It really is balanced. You just don’t get a lick of anything that smells “candy”. Oh, and I can’t stand black coffee.
He then moved on to “diet in a box” variations. Sure they work, but after a week or so, the cardboard box smell along with the food dampens your appetite anyway…maybe that’s why it works. And yes, combining the right amounts of carbs, protein, and fat is the real secret.
Which led me to… the Atkins diet.
I didn’t jump on Atkins. I read the book cover to cover and did some research on my own. Good, solid science, along with an eye-opening look at the lobbyist who tells us what’s good to eat and what’s not (read the makers of high-sugar cereals who threaten us that eggs aren’t good for us, just that their products are the best).
Okay, with the research behind me and my robust Atkins diet in hand, I purged my kitchen of all the nasty (but wonderful) goodies and started on the 14-day portion of the diet.
Sure enough, the scale moved (and still does), but more importantly and almost immediately, my clothes start to “feel good” again.
You stay on the 14 day induction diet for (duh) 14 days. However, if you are really overweight, you can continue with less than 20 grams of carbohydrates longer. And yes, if you are seriously overweight, you are still healthy.
I’m not going to go into detail about the various stages of this “lifetime eating” diet. It’s all in the book, and I suggest you read it. A lot of people I know say to me, “Oh, but that’s not a good diet. You eat too much ___ or ____. And that’s not healthy.”
My first question to people who make negative comments is, “Have you read the book?”
The answer, when something truly ridiculous is thrown at me, is a resounding… no. However, they maintain with an air of dodgy authority that they are right. I just smile and keep moving. I’m skinny, most of the time (and I don’t mean this harshly), they need some serious weight maintenance.
To give you a hint about Atkins, I started all over again (yes, I know it’s supposed to be a way of eating for life, but when have we, the American people, ever done anything completely committed?) late last year (around August 2005) I had an unfortunate 30lbs sitting on my butt that needed to be shed before they became 50+. Pretzels and high carb snacks (where you just grab a quick handful) are my downfall.
As of February 2006, I had (and still haven’t) lost 33 pounds. That’s seven months of eating the right combinations of protein, fat, and carbohydrates as outlined in the Atkins diet plan. At an average of just under 5 pounds a month or 1.25 pounds a week (give or take), this is a healthy approach to losing weight while keeping it off.
I even invented my own smoothie which works wonders. Ice, Carb Hood Chocolate drink (chocolate of course), some Splenda and/or Torani Sugar Free Hazelnut, and a can of Atkin’s Chocolate Royale. It fills you up, is loaded with vitamins and minerals, and best of all works wonders as you lose weight.
So now you know my story about weight loss and slimming down. But before I go, I’d also like to bring your mind to this lovely reality.
Why are tons of “order our diet in a box” commercials popping up all of a sudden? What is the first thing they tell you? It’s all about the glycemic ratio, of course, and, if done in the right proportions for you, “the pounds melt right away!”
Yes, they are right. But these same people, along with all the wonder pill makers and the “health conscious” community, were until recently the very ones yelling at you that the Atkins diet was unhealthy.
Duh… Atkins wrote and implemented the correct combined carbohydrate diet decades ago. He at least has decades of research and true stories to back up what he’s said all along.
Combine the right foods for any individual and anyone can lose weight. Add a little walking to get your butt off the couch and moving, and you have a surefire recipe for losing weight and keeping it off for the rest of your life.
Find out what works for you, do it, stick with it, and you can be healthy and as fit as comes naturally to YOU.
(c) Theresa Cahill 2006 – All Rights Reserved