“You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.”

-Unknown Author

 

When I read this quote I just thought to myself how many times in my life have I been drowning because I wasn’t willing to move and fix the problem?  This quote hit me hard.  I have failed at every diet in my life because I could never stick to one.  I was a Dietaholic.  I loved diets too much.  All I would think about all of the time was food.  I would focus so much on what I couldn’t eat instead of what I could that I would get discouraged and quit.  I don’t know if you have ever felt this way, but if you have than know you are not alone.  It’s hard to talk about this because it’s hard to put your own weaknesses out there but than I read this quote from an unknown author that states: “You don't realize how strong a person really is until you see them at their weakest moment.”  It really inspired me.  I want to win this weight loss battle for once and for all and I can only do that by putting my weaknesses out there.  I don’t want you to just think that this whole process of me losing weight is so easy because it’s not.  Don’t get me wrong I love the food I get to eat with lowcarb but I’m still presented with challenges.  I take it one day at a time and with each day it gets easier and easier to continue eating healthy.  Change in life can be scary, but I love noticing changes in my weight, measurements, and size.  This kind of change is great and it keeps me motivated.  As David Viscott said, “You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.”  The best advice I can give is to focus on getting to your goal weight and before you know it, you will be the person you were always trying to become.

 

It is so hard to get back into the swing of things when you get home from a vacation.  I have to accept it, my vacation is over and I’m back to reality.  Today was my first day back at work and it was crazy.  It’s amazing how much catch up work there is to do when you are away.  Despite the craziness, I’ve learned that being prepared in life helps keep everything in order.  One thing I do every night before I go to bed is prepare for my next day at work.  How could I tackle tomorrow if I didn’t prepare for it?  I think that preparation applies to every part of life.  Without preparation and planning, nothing would ever get accomplished and life would be crazy.

 

Have you ever had to prepare for a presentation at school or work?  Dieting is just like a presentation.  First, you have to do the research on what you are going to talk about.  Second, you have to outline everything.  Third, you write the presentation.  Fourth, you present the presentation.  Last, you celebrate because you got through it and it’s over.  I know that before I started eating lowcarb I did lots of research on lowcarb diets.  First, I read Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Protein Power, and South Beach Diet and I found that the Atkin’s Diet would be the easiest for me to stick with to accomplish my weight loss goals.  Second, I outlined and highlighted important points in Dr. Atkin’s book to help me know what to eat and why.  Third, I got rid of any kind of food that was not lowcarb.  Fourth, I went out and bought the food I needed to start my new way of eating.  Fifth, I start eating lowcarb.  Last, I accomplish my weight loss goal and celebrate.  I haven’t gotten to the last step of achieving my goal, but I know I will get there someday soon. :-)

 

In order to accomplish your weight loss goal you must be prepared.  Don’t start a new way of eating without being ready.  I know in the past when I just started dieting without being emotionally and physically prepared I always fell off of it and quit.  I finally decided that preparation was the most important part of getting me ready, emotionally and physically to win, and now I'm focused on accomplishing my goal more than ever before.  Be prepared and you will succeed!     

I’m back home in Dallas from my vacation with my co-workers in Key Biscayne, Florida.  It was absolutely wonderful!  It is always nice to get away and just relax and enjoy life.  Although the trip was perfect I’ll have to admit it was very hard sticking to lowcarb.  I felt like everywhere I looked there was bread, crackers, dessert, ect.  Even though it was tough, I still stuck to my lowcarb lifestyle.  I think it’s so hard to step away from the mentality of: “well I’m on a vacation so I can eat whatever I want.”  The problem is if you take a vacation from your diet for a vacation in life than you will only come home disappointed.  I feel great.  I know that in the past this is another time in my life that I would typically fall off of a diet, because who really diets on a vacation anyway.  Even though I know it would have been fun to eat whatever I want, I know that I would’ve been very sad stepping on the scale when I got home.  It’s not worth it!  Sometimes in life you have to make sacrifices to achieve the goals you want to achieve.  Do you struggle following your diet for special occasions?

Today I want to send out a Tuesday Thanks to three very respected Low Carb Industry Experts: Jimmy Moore, T.J. Freeman, and Ryan Robitaille.  I am thrilled to have been featured in Jimmy Moore's Article in the Examiner on 39 new low-carb diet and health web sites for August 2009, T.J. Freeman's Article in the Examiner on Untraditional diet foods that are encouraged on a low carb lifestyle , and Ryan Robitaille's lowcarb blog A Wet Fun Friday afternoon – Odds and Ends.

Jimmy Moore is from Livin la Vida LowCarb http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/ and Houston's Low-Carb Lifestyle Examiner and T.J. Freeman is from The Low Carb Loser http://thelowcarbloser.blogspot.com/ and Houston's Low Carb Examiner
and Ryan Robitaille is from the http://lowcarbfightclub.com/

 

If you want great Low Carb advice, encouragement, and tips please check out all of their websites.  One of my favorite things to do along my journey of eating low carb is finding great resources and success stories to keep me well educated and motivated.  Enjoy!

 

I can't believe I've been eating lowcarb for 2 months.  Time flies by when you are having fun, and believe me losing weight is fun!  I was gone over the weekend visiting my family and I didn't have my scale to weigh myself every morning.  I just continued eating like I always do and was hoping to come home with a weigh in surprise.  I weighed myself this morning and I'm happy to tell you that I've lost another pound.  I've lost 18lbs in 2 months!!!  I'm so excited!  If you are reading this right now and you are contemplating starting a diet than please listen to what I'm about to say.  Don't hold off any longer!  You can do it!  The toughest part about following any lifestyle change is starting it.  Find something that will motivate you to start and keep on going.  My before picture is what motivated me to start eating lowcarb.  It all started for me 2 months ago when my husband took a picture of me and I looked at the photo right after he shot the dreadful picture and started crying.  I couldn't believe that was how I looked.  I couldn't bear to look like that any longer and so I made up my mind to change my health.  Starting the change was so tough, but now I can tell you it is so worth it.  Another thing I can tell you, if I'm being completely honest with you, is that most of the weight loss I've accomplished is almost with diet alone.  I've been trying to fit exercise in when I can, but I have not been very consistent at all.  I just read an interesting article in TIME MAGAZINE called Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin and to sum it all up: exercise alone won't make you thin.  You have to change the way you eat in order to lose weight.  I want you to know that I completely believe that everyone should exercise.  Exercise will help keep you thin, but you must change the way you eat first.  You can do it, you just have to start.  What keeps you from starting your diet?  

When life gives you lemons, make lowcarb lemonade.  :-)

My mom sent this poem to me and it really encouraged me in my weight loss journey.  I don't have a lot to say about this one because it speaks for itself.  I hope it encourages you too.  Enjoy!

Beginning Today...

I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
Only I can change by choosing to do so.

I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there,
waiting for me to make the most of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.

I will look in the mirror and
I will see a person worthy of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me
is someone I enjoy spending time with
and someone I would like to get to know better.

I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world
and I will unselfishly share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

I will take a moment to step off the beaten path
and to revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which
hinder my quest for growth and self-improvement.

I will take life one day at a time,
one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image,
my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before,
I believe there is hope for a brighter and better future.

I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences.
I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else:
perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

I am responsible for my own happiness
and I will do things that make me happy. . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature,
listen to my favorite music,
pet a kitten or a puppy,
soak in a bubble bath . . .
pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.

I will learn something new;
I will try something different;
I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

..... and every day.

by
Penny White, copyright 1990

I’m into my 9^th week of eating lowcarb and physically feeling great but emotionally feeling overwhelmed.  I’m realizing something I used to do in the past.  It was never eating healthy that got me in trouble it was eating when situations in life got tough.  Why do we eat to cover up pain and fear or to reward ourselves?  I know that when life is tough it sure makes me feel better to have ice cream or brownies at the end of the day or celebrate happy occasions with cake or cookies.  Food does make you feel better temporarily, but we don’t live to eat, we eat to live.  I’m saying all of this because I got some tough news today.  I found out that my company will be having layoffs in a couple of months and I am nervous about losing my job.  It’s very scary to think of not having all the income we need to pay our mortgage, pay bills, buy food, ect.  It makes me feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it!  It would be so easy for me to blow off lowcarb and have just one cheat day but I know that would turn into another cheat day that would turn into another cheat day.  It’s not worth it to me!  I’ve worked too hard to lose 16lbs.  I’m not going to say it’s easy because I’m freaking out right now.  But in the end I know I can’t control whether or not I keep my job, but I can control how I take care of my body.  It’s so easy to let life’s stressors mess up life’s successes.  How do you stay on track with eating healthy when you are completely stressed out?