I need to keep reminding myself that weight loss isn't (or shouldn't be) a race to the finish line, and that goals are good, but not if you reach them and then end your journey. I don't want to compete with anyone in my weight loss or work so hard to lose weight by a certain date that I lose track of the real purpose - to get healthy. Events are great motivators, but they aren't the only thing that's important. My health & well-being is important. That is why I am telling myself it's a journey, not a race. I haven't been happy with the slow, almost non-existent weight loss the past 2 weeks, but I have to keep going forward. Plus, I got the new Atkins book for free with the Barnes & Noble gift card I earned from Swagbucks, so I have gotten some great tips:
- Measure yourself. Sometimes the scale stays the same but inches are coming off and muscle is being gained. (I do feel my clothes loosening a bit, so that is a good sign)
- Calories still count. Even if you are doing a low-carb diet, that doesn't mean you can go all out and take in more calories than you use each day. On Atkins, you don't have to keep track of calories, but also don't pig out either - seems obvious, but a good reminder.
- Don't skip meals. This is my biggest weakness since I have been so busy, but I am trying to eat consistently to keep my metabolism up. Another no-brainer but I still have problems doing it.
Aside from having a slow weight loss this week, I have noticed that I now have the "Atkins Edge" which they refer to in the book. It means that you don't get those nasty hunger pangs that you often get when you have blood sugar spikes from a diet high in carbs and sugars. I used to be terribly hungry all the time and crave carbs like mad. I was an emotional eater as well, so cutting out most carbs was not only a shock to my system at first, but it also made me a little emotional as well since I had to address my issues rather than suppress them with food.
The first 2 weeks of Atkins are hard, no question. They address this in the book and in the online support tools. Your body needs to adjust to the change in diet, but the book gives tips on how to avoid some of the symptoms - like for dizziness they say to drink clear broth for extra sodium. My body went wacko when I started - I was dizzy, tired, emotional, headaches and my cycle got all messed up. Plus my digestive system was acting totally weird. Thankfully now that I'm in the 3rd week, I am pretty much back to normal. But now I have the Atkins Edge and I no longer feel the need to eat all the time, plus my cravings for carbs is pretty much gone too. Totally worth the 2 weeks of discomfort for a lifetime of healthy eating with the Atkins Edge! The only thing I do crave right now is fruit, but I have decided to take the option of staying on the 1st phase of the program longer than 2 weeks since I have a significant amount of weight to lose. So no fruit for me yet, but sugarfree Jello & whipped cream works for a sweet treat. More foods including fruit and whole grains will be added in during the next few phases. So contrary to popular belief, Atkins isn't NO-carb, it's just LOW-carb and GOOD-carb!
