I disappeared for a while again. This time, though, I even quit logging my food on FitDay — and ate whatever I wanted. And yes, I gained eight pounds. Considering how much WORK went into losing those eight pounds, this is a big deal. Huge. Which is the source of my overall difficulty here.
I was not losing fast enough. Period. Fourteen pounds in six months is NOT ENOUGH. After SIX months of being on a diet, I should have lost like FIFTY pounds, not fourteen. I blamed it on my Graves Disease. I blamed it on my thyroid. I blamed it on my pills which cause my metabolism to slow down. Well — all that was true BUT it was still unacceptable. If I was going to diet, then I wanted to LOSE. LOSE A LOT!!!!
Then a week ago, I had a revelation. My mom handed me a little pile of pictures… they were my school pictures all the way from 2nd grade to 11th grade. I saw myself thin at age seven, then chubby at age nine, and then obese by age fourteen. Then I saw my 10th grade picture — there I was at age 15 - thinner than I had been for years. And I remembered…
This was 1976, way before anyone ever heard of Atkins or any other carbohydrate diet. My dad had read about this revolutionary diet plan and he sent off for it in the mail, for me — because he loved me and wanted to see me fit and healthy. It was an early carb plan, very similar to what’s out there now. I loved my dad and would do anything for him — so I tried the diet plan. In a short period of time, I lost thirty pounds! People were saying stuff to me, “Wow! How did you lose so much so fast?” I remember telling the mom of one of my girlfriends about it and she went out and bought a carb-counter book right away and I was so proud that I had taught an adult how to do anything.
Then I got tired of eating the same old thing all the time, and went off the diet. The pounds I gained back show clearly in my face in my 11th grade photo.
Since then, I have gone on many diets, and none lasted more than a week or two. UNTIL THIS YEAR. I kept up on this calorie-counting diet for six months! And I didn’t hate it! I wasn’t hungry and I wasn’t limited to just a few foods (I’m a picky eater) and I learned to just eat that way and it came easy to me. Only problem with it was that I didn’t lose weight - but - I realized the most important thing about it was:
I DIDN’T GAIN WEIGHT EITHER!
So here’s my Big-light-bulb-OMG-why-didn’t-I-think-of-this-before-idea:
I will use the one and only plan that has ever worked for me to lose weight.
and then
I will use the one and only plan that I can stick to, to maintain that loss.
Woooohoooo!!!! I can do this! I CAN DO THIS!!!!
So starting today, I am counting carbohydrates. For the first 2 weeks I will stay as close to ZERO-PER-DAY as I can, then I will slowly reintroduce carbs, just a few to keep life interesting.
I’M SO EXCITED!!
