Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Journey to Skinny: A Chubby Girl's Story (Atkins style)

Okay...well it's more like a continuing saga. Because this chubby girl is still, well, still chubby. But now that I am properly medicated and the kids are going to school its time to do something about the pregnancy fat I gained while adopting.

My dear friend Linette has had enourmous success with a ketogenic diet. And my friend Heather is watching her carbs too. So, follower that I am, I decided to give it a shot. Truth is I'm a smidge skeptical, but desperate enough to give her a whirl anyhoo.

The idea is that you send your body into benign ketosis by severely limiting the amount of carbohydrates you consume. When your body doesn't have enough carbs to burn for fuel it has to burn fat. That's is ketosis. And I say bring it on, because I've got some fat to donate to the cause.

The down side is that you have to live on salad and meat. The upside is that, hopefully, it works. Yesterday was day 1. I missed sugar, fruit and bread. I felt a little lightheaded (like when fasting) but I'd been eating all day long. I think that's a good sign. I think.

I'll keep you posted. Has anyone out there done this before. Does it work?

5 comments:

Kari said...

I have done diets like that before...and yes, they are effective and you will lose weight. Tough part is if you cheat, even a little, you have to restart the program and get your body back to keotosis (sp?). Unlike calories counting programs where you can rely on success throughout the week as total, carb counting requires 100% commitment. The only tricky part of the diet (at least for me) is it's not realistic for long term success because who can really limit that many things for so long? I also found that when I stopped the diet I gained back everything I lost. Diets where I count points or calories tend to be more successful for me personally because I'm not depriving myself of anything, but I just have to watch portions.

OK...enough of my thoughts!

Good luck...dieting sucks and I sympathize with your battle because I'm in the same boat. Man, I can't seem to lose these pesky 10-15lbs!!

Jennifer McHam said...

Be very skeptical - I had several friends in college try the Atkins diet only to gain more than they had lost when they stopped. Basically, your body grabs the carbs (even if you only start eating a few carbs when you're done with your diet) but your body grabs them and stores them as fat in case you try to go into keotosis again. Try 5 small meals a day, each with some protein and some natural sugar like fruit. This will keep you full & keep your blood sugar levels normal and you will lose weight I promise!

Elizabeth said...

A more realistic "version" of the ketogenic diet is the South Beach. And, you could even modify that to fit you. The basic idea is Lean proteins, fruit and vegetables. Eventually, adding back in some "good" carbs. Higher fiber options. It's a little more well rounded and a more realistic way to eat. Dieting DOES SUCK SUCK SUCK! ugh...Good luck!

stephaniejwood said...

Thanks for your collective insight...I feel like I need to set the record straight. Neither Heather, or Linette have gone of the deep end with me. Linette's working with a doctor on a super well balanced diet. Heather's just making some smarter choices. I, on the other hand, was planning to launch myself headlong into a world that included only 20 net carbs a day.

Thanks to your wonderful advice I cheated already. I had a bowl or strawberries and sugar free jello. It was fab. Honestly, it's a better choice than the halloweeen candy I had been snacking on in the afternoons. I'll keep you posted.

Sarah said...

Having recently done the Atkins thing, and definitely seen success, I am now on South Beach. Similar idea, but a little more balanced, and not so "measured".

Good luck!