Six months of low carb eating
It’s July, so I’ve officially passed the six month mark. Time for a status report.
Weight loss I’ve dropped 44 lbs this year and am currently averaging a pound lost per week. That may not sound impressive, but consider this — I never feel deprived, I eat foods I love in significant quantities, I never go hungry, and I don’t crave (or even desire) foods I shouldn’t have. This doesn’t feel like a diet. It feels like I’m just living my life, comfortably, and losing weight. If I keep going at my current rate of weight loss, I could be down another 26 pounds this year. I’ll take that. (Sidenote: I’ve lost a total of 84 pounds from my highest doctor-recorded weight,so far.)
Health I’m not an energetic person by nature, but I have had more energy this year than ever before. Little annoyances like getting up in the middle of the night for bathroom trips and menstrual irregularities have disappeared. I can do significantly more physical activity without getting winded or my pulse racing. My skin looks better and my nails and hair are stronger. The only medication I take is Synthroid, which is required for the rest of my life due to thyroid disease. My blood pressure is 110/70 (in 2003, I was on three prescriptions and it was still a struggle to get it down to 120/80). My blood sugar levels used to be borderline, even while taking Metformin for PCOS. Now, they’re perfectly normal without medication. I’m due for another cholesterol test this month because my LDL is high, but when last measured, my HDL was 52 and my triglycerides were 72; both very good numbers. I might have a struggle with my doctor if my LDL remains elevated, but I strongly believe that — when considered with those HDL and triglycerides levels and the fact that I’m a woman — there is no reason to be alarmed.
Emotions The mere fact that I’m able to write about this “in public” is a big emotional shift for me. The first couple of months were a strange rollercoaster. The realization that I was losing weight without struggle or unhappiness was astonishing to a lifelong dieter, and I found myself racing ahead to the possibilities of being “normal” size. I had to work through some self-image issues. Consider: the last time I was this weight, I was 22 years old. My body is shaped differently now, my face has aged, and when I see a photo of myself, I don’t always recognize it. Really. It’s fucked up. Also, for the first time in years, I can buy clothes by choosing things I like instead of just taking whatever will fit. I’m still in plus sizes, but now I can find clothes in the Women’s department of almost any department store. I used to have to go to specialty stores and start trying on items from the largest end of the rack.
Practicalities Now that this is simply my way of eating, it’s not a struggle to restrict carbs. At first, I tried to make low carb substitutes for mainstream foods, but I don’t bother anymore. Lunch doesn’t have to be a sandwich - it can be tuna and raw veggies or nuts and berries. Sometimes I eat something that I know is unhealthy and has more carbs than I should have, but that’s a rare occasion. I don’t call that cheating - it’s just real life. I weigh myself daily and track what I eat using FitDay. I might stop recording all of my meals; my confidence level is high, I’m aware of the carb count of the foods I eat regularly, and if my weight stagnates or starts to increase, I can start tracking again.
What’s next? I’m just getting back into my gym routine after a break and I need to step that up. I’ve been lazy about eating vegetables and need to work more into my meals now that produce is plentiful. The serving of chocolate “bark” that I like to make as a snack most nights has gotten bigger; I have to measure that and bring it back down. I’ve been delaying the purchase of new clothes, but the capris I wear to the gym only stay up through the grace of very strong drawstrings and I’ll need new things for Fall.
So far so good.
