Dieting Again

Every so often I feel a bit old and fat and decide to get my diet on and trim down a bit. Getting started is always a little tough. Frankly I love good food and especially sharing it with friends, including my best friend and wife Anne. The worst difficulty of dieting for me is the awkwardness of eating out or with friends while dieting.

Mind you the diet that works best for me is especially challenging at times. I go for a low carb diet with lots of meat approach. Think Atkins but a bit more free form on the carb counting so long as its whole food and not predominantly starch or sugar. I always have a lot of success with it and find it easy to maintain except for the social eating challenge.

My first attempt at Atkins was wildly successful and I lost some 50lb over a year’s time. Not only do I get smaller, but I always feel all around healthier. You have to watch out for dehydration and the first week is kind of tough as your body basically goes through a fasting like experience as it moves from burning easy carbs to fiber and protein. Once you get through that appetite really slacks off and I get a very steady level of energy at all times. It is quite pleasant.

The first go round I got myself checked out by my doctor to make sure no damage was being done. Aside from dehydration (easily solved by simply drinking more water) my vitals were all greatly improved on the diet. Plus I think that if I feel better chances are I am better.

The real down side is its not as much fun to eat since the repertuar is greatly reduced. Most of my favorite foods are still on the menu mind you, but its a lot more work to make tasty meat than meals primarily based on grains. Being handy in the spice cabinet and on the grill is a must if you want to go at it long haul. One trap that’s easy to fall into is all the sugar free this and that but its a road that tends to lead to leaving the diet as you get a taste for the sweet and grainy foods they simulate.

Starting morning weight as of 02/03/2015:  325.4lb  (note that you almost always weigh a few pounds less in the morning which interestingly is lost primarily through breathing)