Location: NW New Jersey But, My Heart's In Pittsburgh!! GO STEELERS & PENGUINS!!!
Posts: 3,060
S/C/G: 245/143/145
My advice when it comes to low carb (particularly Atkins) is to educate yourself
The 4 books I'd highly recommend are:
Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution (Atkins 72)
Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution (2002 or prior versions)
Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
The Protein Power Lifeplan by Dr's Michael & Mary Dan Eades
READ! READ! READ!
Hearsay does not replace education!
Okey Dokey! Going to the bookstore this weekend in fact!
You know, I had the weirdest experience today at the grocery store. (I like to get out of the house so I go to the grocery store a couple times a week usually.)
I thought I would be tempted by all the stuff I used to eat - pop tarts, potato chips, white bread, white rice, etc. Instead, when I saw all that stuff, I actually felt as if I were looking at something like poison. I felt repelled by them, the way I would feel repelled by food that I know to be contaminated, food that will give me food poisoning. It was a really strong feeling of, No Way am I touching that stuff, not now, not ever, I want to keep feeling good instead! And I didn't have any cravings at all!
And the other thing that struck me as I went through the various aisles, is just how many items offered for sale are high-carbohydrate. I'd say about 75% of the store is stuff like chips, candy, cookies, sugary sodas, fruit juices, jams, sugar, white flour, tortillas, etc.
I mean some of the carbs, I will add back into my life. Some of the beans (no sugar), maybe whole wheat products, maybe brown rice.
But the bags of sugar, bags of cookies, bags of candy, bags of potato chips....I don't see any good reason to ever add those back into my diet. If I ever do, I will immediately go back to feeling depressed, having no energy, and having cravings and hunger so strong I feel I can't resist them. It's just not worth it, it really isn't.
I never noticed before how many items in the grocery store were carb-rich, and particularly rich in high-glycemic carbs (sugar and flour, potatoes, etc.)
I avoid wheat these days no matter the carb count. 92% of the population is gluten intolerant and most don't even know it. There are many websites with great info on gluten and what symptoms you can have from having a gluten allergy or being gluten intolerant. I think that is another reason low-carb works for me. I'm now down 12 pounds since 01/04 and I feel great! I don't measure myself but boy can I tell a difference in how my pants are fitting!
I'll have to really watch, when the time comes, when I try whole-wheat pasta. I'll have to see how I feel. I might be gluten-intolerant too, for all I know!
Plus I have to be careful not to turn into a carb-addict again like I was. So it's going to be a tricky process once I get close to my goal weight and start adding things back. I know the books have good guides for which foods to start eating during which phases, so I'll read the book and use that as a guide.
I think Ashley hit it on the head - most people criticize anyone's diet -- because it's easier to do that instead of facing your own diet & making your own changes.
While I really like low carb eating, I also know it's not for everyone, nor do I think it's the only way to be healthy and/or lose weight. Low fat / Low calorie worked for me in the past, and I know it works for some people. But we're all different, and things that worked in the past might not work in the future.
Live and let live is my approach -- same way I feel about what goes on in someone else's bedroom & spiritual life. You live your way, let me live mine. You enjoy the sugar, I'll enjoy the cream!
I am amazed the people that think a nice steak is horrible for you but think their doughnuts, sugary drink and chips are healthier! CRAZY!!!
I had a recent meal with friends. I had a 14oz(raw weight) new york strip, a few hot pickled peppers, a small cabbage salad and a bit of iceberg with ranch. Was that a big steak? You bet it was. I had missed lunch and was really hungry. It was an awesome meal! Gee my fellow diners looks were odd. First they couldn't believe I ate the whole steak. Well of course I did. I had to just laugh about the jokes about my half a cow!!! I didn't fill up on margaritas, grasshoppers, pepsi, buns , crackers and cheese before the food came. I also didn't have deep fried potatoes, deep fried fish etc. That batter and grease fill one right up.~ bleech! Oh and no dessert for me. I was still eating my dinner.
I'm still amazed anyone can think my steak and veggies are bad but all the man made or altered foods are good! Oh well each to his own!!!
I am also amazed as a diabetic how many try to tell me crap food is ok for me grrrr!
On a side note. What is it about some women??? Why on earth do women try to monitor the amount they eat in front of each other? If I'm sitting with 10 women in a professional setting and 75% are overweight why does everyone pretend to be full after just a few bites? I mean we all know people eat!! This happens often!
You know, all I can think is that they are really threatened by our way of eating, because if it works for us - if we get closer to our healthy BMI (or achieve it) and if our medical statistics (BP, etc.) look better than they did before - they can't help but think maybe they should eat that way too. And that's a really terrifying thought for most people I think, because if you look at the average diet Americans have been eating for a long time, it seems carb-heavy. And not only that, but there seems to be a lot of high-glycemic carbs in there, like refined grain products and sugar and HFCS. That's a lot of "no no" food that people grew up eating and maybe they feel like you are, in a way, without words, saying that they have to give up what has until now been something like 75% of their diet (just guessing a number.) That has to feel pretty threatening, I would think.
At least that's what I'm thinking now, now that I've mulled on it for awhile.
But sometimes it does get annoying. I have a MIL who just loves to attack me for every single thing I eat. Last Xmas, we went out to dinner, and I ordered escargot. Not everyone likes that, but I do. And she spent the whole time while I was eating, telling me how repulsive it was, how gross, what was wrong with me for eating it, etc. My husband finally defended me by asking for one of the snails to eat, and when he did that, MIL shut up because she didn't want to put down her son, only me. But then that's a pattern with her, everything I do is wrong. And everything her other DIL does is always wrong too. Shrug. Some MIL's are just like that I guess.
LOL - I know what you mean about pretending not to eat. I hate that. I refuse to conform to social norms that I think are harmful, so I go ahead and eat what I want.
Last edited by HealthierLori; 01-25-2010 at 10:36 AM.
Reason: PS
Oh, that's okay, I'm nuts anyhow I'll be proudly defiant of the social norms when it comes to eating low-carb - and in daring to eat my regular amount in front of other people! If they want to think I'm a pig, more power to 'em.
Oh, that's okay, I'm nuts anyhow I'll be proudly defiant of the social norms when it comes to eating low-carb - and in daring to eat my regular amount in front of other people! If they want to think I'm a pig, more power to 'em.
Me too! I almost feel like I should be raising a wine glass and toasting
Perhaps I am lucky since I don't deal with many people. I work from home and pretty much keep to myself.
I come from a diabetic family so I know I am predisposed.. I am also 53 years young so between the diabeties and going through menopause (yuck though peri was much worse) I want to lose the weight.
My 84 year old Mom has questioned me about how healthy Atkins is and I explained to her as much as I could. My Mom is simply concerned so I calm her fears. I told her I won't be on Induction forever and I am actually eating heathier now compared to before. Oh, the the amount of bread I consumed, I am almost embarrassed to say how much bread I ate! Not to mention those Tostito Chips, Trail mix from Costco that was so high in carbs, my life consisted of all carbs! Talk about being a carb addict! I am one!
I think people just tend to be critical in nature.. I don't know.
I am a recovering alcoholic for 25 years now and that threatens some people I know as they tell me "oh, you can have 1 drink, you are recovered" and I answer "no, I can't and I am NOT recovered, I am recovering". And I explain why but they just don't get it.. So that's all I can do, is give the facts. Maybe these people want a drinking buddy, I don't know but I won't be that buddy.
Same goes with carbs I guess.. I'm really happy that I don't crave any carbs, especially bread (my biggest weakness)!
Hi, Toby, thanks for posting, and a big congratulations to you on your recovery! That's amazing, and I really admire you for choosing a path in life that takes you away from the nightmare of active alcoholism.
I grew up in an alcoholic family, and because my father only feels comfortable around others who center their lives around drinking, I got a front row seat as a child to all the unfortunate things that can happen with the booze. I am in recovery as an adult child of an alcoholic. Although drinking was never my downfall, I have problems of my own that I have to continue to work on for the rest of my life, because it's a family illness (I know you know that already, I'm just sort of thinking out loud...) and growing up in that environment led me to be sick as well.
I even wonder now if my ACOA stuff was part of what fed into my being a carb addict and obese. It's amazing how a person can get out of balance on something and not even really be aware of it until a certain point is reached or until the bottom is hit. I hit my bottom with the carb addiction and obesity this holiday season, when I felt so lousy all the time, physically and mentally. I realized, I can either change and get healthier, or else I can continue down that path and get even more obese and more uncomfortable in my own body.
Isn't it wonderful that this WOE helps us to not have the overwhelming cravings for carbs that we used to have?
Thanks for your kind words! I really had to hit bottom and when I did I said to myself "do I want to live or die?" and decided on living as if I were to continue boozing, who knows? The constant hangovers were killing me as well as shaking, anxiety, etc. Yes, it's a disease and in my family it skipped a generation (which is quite normal). My grandparents were alcoholics.
I really feel for you being the child of an alcoholic and having to watch your Dad.. That must have been so hard for you! I know how my drinking affected my parents and siblings and it was not good. I'm happy you are in recovery for this...
I realize that I have and always will have an addictive personality and I try to be aware of this. Thus I became addicted to carbs! And here I am at 53 where my body starting getting fatter because I am going through the changes plus the bad eating habits I had (past tense) developed.
You are so right when you said life is all about choices! You can lose this weight just like I can. I am tired of being a carb addict! I want to be healthy and slimmer.
By the way, I feel stupid, what does WOE stand for? Duh!!
Oh, I'm 48 and I can tell I'm getting close to menopause. I'm happy about it though because I really hated having periods,
I always had such painful, awful periods that I felt sick once a month.
WOE is a lazy way of saying way of eating!
It's so funny, when I read books about alcoholic families, I could see my family so clearly in them! My sister, the first-born, was super-responsible and a real achiever. My brother, the second-born, was always a rebel and getting into trouble. I spent most of my time trying to hide and being alone, and became extremely detached from the family as soon as I could. As in, not contacting anyone for years at a time, etc. But all of that is such a classic pattern for alcoholic families!
) 
I almost feel like I should be raising a wine glass and toasting
