Sometimes I get a great question from a frustrated friend. “Is low-carbing worth it? Should I try again?”
It is definitely worth it to try again! Anything worthwhile in your life is worth fighting for, no matter how many times you have to begin anew.
Low-carbing is a lifestyle, and like any lifestyle, it is difficult to change old perceptions and ways of doing things. Our brains have been programmed to behave certain ways. Changing to new ways of thinking and doing things takes time.
You remember how wonderful the healthy lifestyle of low-carbing made you feel, so my advice? Give this extra effort the next two weeks of your life.
Remember that Atkins and low-carb shouldn’t be any more of an event in your day than caring for braces.
You take time initially getting used to the braces and the fact that you can’t have caramel or huge mouthfuls of crunchy apple, and you move forward to taking the extra effort to care for your mouth appliance.
And when accidents happen do you rip the braces from your straightening teeth? No. You work through it.
A low-carb lifestyle becomes natural eventually, with some practice. And anything you do for health should feel as normal as caring for your teeth on a daily basis. You need your teeth and you need your health.
So go care for those braces!
“So go care for those braces!”
Uh. Okay.
You make some great points, as usual. I enjoy reading your blog.
It’s always worth keeping on trying! I know folks have looked at me over the years and wondered why I kept trying over and over to lose weight. It was simply because I knew I had to keep trying until I found something that would work. That’s when I found low-carb. It’s worked when I worked it. Did I win the first time? No. I drifted off plan the first time. Not because low-carb didn’t work, because I didn’t work it.
Here I am the second time around. I’ve been at it this second round for 15 months and it is really becoming a lifestyle, no longer just a diet. My advice to anyone is to “hit that reset button” and get going again. Why? Because you always pass failure on the way to success!
You know, the more I read, the more convinced I am that low carb is just the way people should eat. Period. Sure, when you’re trying to maintain rather than lose you can probably eat more fruit, or carrots, or whatever. More Paleo-ish than Atkins-ish. While some people can “get away with” eating them, I don’t think sugar and flour and pasta and the like are good for anybody. Remembering that makes it a lot easier for me to stick with it in the long run. Or to get back on track. Like Former Donut Junkie says, it works when you work it.
Oh, and your cheerful posts and AMAZING recipes help more than I can tell you. And you have a regular job? And four kids? And a hunky hubbo? How do you do it?
OK. So maybe braces isn’t very sexy.
I was thinking of it this way: Braces are a means to an end, like healthful eating. Both also require some sacrifice and potential social awkwardness.
Jim– you are very sweet! Thanks for making my morning. I appreciate your feedback and you have me cracking up.
Hey, Ron!
You so rawk! And you’re so right. Anything worth doing right is worth doing 2-3 times to get it right. If we all got everything right the first time, I wouldn’t have have flunked my driver’s test the first time.
Though I maintain I was framed.
You are right on, Ron. Right as rain on. And I am so proud of you and appreciate your voice more than you know.
Willie- I think the biggest issue is that people feel that weight loss has to be this big, sexy, exciting event. So when all of a sudden someone stops losing, it ceases being fun and ends up like having to read the worst novel you were ever forced through in high school.
I like to think of low-carbing as every much a part of my day as taking vitamins or brushing my teeth. You don’t think about it. You just do it. Once you make it non-sexy and a non-event, then it becomes maintainable and weight loss rolled into the same, adorable concept.
Most folks who can’t keep the weight off never looked at everything as a singular package.
Live it, and stop trying to LOVE it. It is what it is.
Thanks so much for your kind words. I drink a lot of caffeine. LOL! It keeps me going. And so do friends like you who are so supportive.
As a born and bred, dyed-in-the-wool bread and tater decimator (with butter!), I was actually surprised to realize at some point that low-carbing had become second-nature to me.
At my last job, I got teased a LOT because I’d taken to sniffing the incoming Friday donuts and the receptionist’s Doritos. Hey, it worked for me. And a lot of things smell better than they taste.
Granted, I still fall off the wagon, mostly because doing so sometimes jump-starts my weight loss, but sometimes it goes on for longer than just a couple of days. Bread I can totally live without now, but taters?!!? The Irish in me cannot resist their siren call for long. But still, I do eventually get back on track. It also helps that when I’m in full swing, anything carb-y that gets past my teeth tends to shut down my digestive functions and I have awesome PAIN for three days. I guess it’s my body’s way of keeping me in line.
Having supportive people around helps too. The same people who teased me for being a “sniffer” would start bringing me yummy stuff to smell, becasue they saw how much it helped me (and because they thought it was funny and weird).
I know it sucks to have to fib to people, but if someone is not taking your low-carb lifestyle seriously, tell them that eating carbs makes you sick. It generally stops them from trying to do the ol’ “oh, just a little bit won’t hurt!” I mean, who wants to be responsible for making you sick?
Oh my, I’m blathering. Time for more caffeine! Thanks for letting me prattle on.
Good morning, s! From one sniffer to another, you couldn’t prattle on if you tried!
My weakness has always been starchy things, so I spend a lot of time in the kitchen replacing the verboten make-me-feel-sick ones with the ones which require more effort. And on days like today when I am going to be swamped, I have to plan ahead… and that’s the hardest part!
You are awesome, and it is so nice that you are sharing your experience!
Hey Jamie,
Thanks for the ego boost!
I find that when I get lazy in my planning (when I thought I was Celiac, if I didn’t plan, I didn’t eat!), a bento of scrambled eggs and some kind of veg like spinach or green beans for lunch is a great pinch-hitter. I usually hate cold scrambled eggs, but when they are cooked with cream as an emulsifier, they’re actually pretty yummy. And it only takes a sec in the morning to cook them up.
Rotisserie chicken is pretty awesome too; just toss in lemon or lime juice with chile powder and garlic powder and a lil’ salt, zap it in the micro and let it cool, and you’re good to go!
And of course, there’s always bacon. I can make a meal out of just bacon. Ohh man.
I’m with you about the braces… but I might have gone with potty training so see how much better the braces sound….giggle
I’ve found the quicker I forgive myself for “messing up” the sooner I can stop feeling sorry for my self and as Ron said get over the pity party, and get on with life. My life just happens to be a low carb one. And yes planning can definitely be the hardest, but the most worthwhile too.
Keep ’em coming girl, I just love the way your mind works.
Vikki
What a great comparison…braces and low carbing. How true! Thanks for such great insight and keep those recipes coming!!!
dang. that reminds me, I need to brush my teeth today.
OMG… you posted this on my birthday..”Its a sign” lol…I have to tell you I have asked this question so many times. I think I have clawed my way out of the pit of dispair over and over with regards to my weight struggle and going on and off of atkins and having the scale go up and down…only to find myself back in it…..the cycle of binging, the sugar addiction the weight gain and then the self loathing..I have to do something about this and conquer this problem or I dont know if I will make it to 40 (just turned 37 BTW) I have had health problems and severe depression. I dont want to live my life this way….I feel like one foot is nailed to the floor because I keep running in the same circles…..SOmething has to give here….
OMG… you posted this on my birthday..”Its a sign” lol…I have to tell you I have asked this question so many times. I think I have clawed my way out of the pit of dispair over and over with regards to my weight struggle and going on and off of atkins and having the scale go up and down…only to find myself back in it…..the cycle of binging, the sugar addiction the weight gain and then the self loathing..I have to do something about this and conquer this problem or I dont know if I will make it to 40 (just turned 37 BTW) I have had health problems and severe depression. I dont want to live my life this way….I feel like one foot is nailed to the floor because I keep running in the same circles…..SOmething has to give here….