So I've been on this journey to obtain a healthier me for a month now. Well I am certainly on my way. I am 23lbs down in 31 days. If you are want to know what I am doing to loose weight so quickly then click here. One of the biggest things has been the help from Melissa La Fleur from EllaBardo.com click the name to learn more about EMS.
That is not what this blog is about. It is about the struggle.
Yes the struggle is real. 23lbs in 31 days is not easy. Loosing a pound a month is easier but even that is not a cake walk.
So I am doing straight Atkins which is a great way to drop weight quickly. It has 3 stages. Stage 1 is where you reduce your carb intake to 18-22 grams of carbs per day.
Below was taken from Healthy Eating.com:
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans released in 2010 recommend that Americans get most of their calories, or between 45 and 65 percent, from carbohydrates. This corresponds to a daily intake between 170 and 244 grams if you eat 1,500 calories a day, and between 281 and 406 grams if you eat 2,500 calories a day. Want to read the rest of the article click here
HOLY COW!!! Going from 170+ to 18 carbs a day? That is a shock to anyone's system. The first challenge is... You have to stay below 22 net carbs per day for 14 days to starve your body of sugar. What happens is when this happens your body switches to burning stored fat for energy. That is why people loose so much weight quickly.
The bigger challenge is if you screw up and take in over 22 grams of carbs then your body switches back and it can take even more time for your body to starve enough to switch back. So you have to stay focused.
Stage 1 you stay on until you get to 15lbs of your goal weight. So I am in this mode until I have lost 80lbs! How long do I want that to last? As short of a time as possible.
So choices! Yes it all comes down to choices. Do I eat this? Do I eat that?
Here were a selection of challenges from the past couple of weeks
You can see above the great lunch I had today. Lean deli meat with no carbs, rolled up with a slice of cheese in the middle. Celery sticks with ranch along with water and hot tea! Green tea is something that helps but all tea is a diuretic. Just be sure not to add honey or sugar as that has carbs!
These choices seem easy. I was at a birthday party and everyone was so encouraging while the birthday cake was subconsciously screaming eat me fat man you know you wanna eat me! Everyone was saying you've been so good you can have a bite. The answer is now I cannot. Do I want to ostracize myself from the public? Heck no I would go crazy. I am an extrovert and we crave human interaction.
I went to Logan's steakhouse with friend this week and those rolls were looking so damn good. Before the rolls were delivered I asked everyone at the table if they really wanted the rolls and some did. I was hoping they would say no so I could ask the nice server not to bring any. So the rolls came to the table and that nice serve put them straight in front of me. How nice of her right? OMG I picked the basket up and passed them to a friend across the table asking them to keep them out of arms reach.
The same with ice cream and chocolate. Oh my do I miss it. But I will say after a month now when I walked through the grocery every carb wasn't chanting my name!! So there is progress.
One of my absolute favorite finds came from my good friend Mallorie Parish the low carb genius. I swear I am going to help her publish a cook book with all her brilliant ideas and finds. YES that is right this is real. zero carb BBQ sauce! I personally love the thick and spicy version. I have not tried the honey yet but I bought it last night so I will be trying it soon. Apparently this company Walden Farms has a ton of products. Their tag line is "Save 10,000 calories the Walden way!" Well I for one will be trying more of their products. If you want to see more of them click here to check out their website.
I firmly believe that the biggest reason I am successful because of the volume of people I have in my life and that I am being transparent and vulnerable with them in my struggle. I host a monthly show called Sparks. Sparks gathers over 120 professionals from all over the city who want to meet, connect, and grow both personally and professionally. Want to know more about Sparks click here. I stood on stage and showed the side by side pics of my 21 lbs of weight loss in 30 days. When I did I told them the same as I will tell you. If you see me with a cheeseburger in my hand smack it out of my hand!! Because it shouldn't have a bun on it. I should be eating it with a knife and fork. There won't be french fries on my plate either. I did the same thing at a chamber of commerce meeting where I was the speaker! I want the world to know that I am struggling. I want them to know I need their help, that I need their support!
What is happening is that I have 20-30 people that are leaving encouraging comments on my posts. The last blog post has been viewed by over 350 people to date. The picture of me with my Jared pants has gotten over 370 likes and 60 comments so far. WHEW!!! Thank you all! I greatly appreciate that.
I hope that these blog post entries help others to get focused on their health, to make better choices and as always get up off the couch!! If I can encourage you on your journey just make sure you tag me in your posts so I can be sure to start tracking your posts. Stay tuned as I continue to become a #SmallerMe a #StrongerMe and #GetFit