That blasted shoulder separation incident REALLY set me back.
1) It got me out of the exercise habit.
2) It got me dependent on external sources for pleasure-center stimulation (6 weeks of Lortab)
3) I broke the Lortab dependency with comfort food…
4) My diet shifted from a nice, medium-carb maintenance diet to being heavy on starches and sugars
5) I didn’t get back into the exercise habit
The result: I’m 10 pounds heavier. I’m officially “obese” for my height, since I’m about 25 pounds heavier than I should be, and I’m about 40 pounds over the 8% body fat weight I consider “fighting trim.” My energy levels are low, and I guess it’s a good thing I’m working at home since I seem to need about 10 hours of sleep per day. That’s 8 hours each night, plus two one-hour “not-really-a-power-nap” naps.
Enough is enough.
Low-carb dieting has always worked well for me, but it’s expensive. Well, last week Sandra and I decided that we’ll go ahead and spend the extra $100 or so each month, and put me back on the low-carb wagon. Last night I fried some egg-dipped mozzerella before bed. This morning I had cold ham for breakfast. Then I went shopping.
Mid-morning I had fresh mozzerella drizzled in olive oil. Midday, while pencilling, I snacked on hot chicken broth and celery sticks. I popped a few Li’l Smokies in the afternoon, and then headed for the gym. After a nice 45-minute workout, I came home where for dinner I had a low-carb Masaman curry — grilled chicken, not-lite coconut milk, masaman curry paste, and 5 packets of Splenda.
My energy levels are already starting to pick up. And good grief… I ate CELERY. And LIKED IT. The urinalysis kit (ketostix from Bayer) shows that I’m already pissing trace amounts of ketones, which means my metabolism is shifting from “sugar-on-the-fly” to “fat-burning.” Tomorrow I’ll be far enough into ketosis that I can start digging into actual salads: romaine lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, ranch dressing, and real chunks of crumbled bacon.
I’ll really miss buttered toast with my eggs at breakfast. And grits. And Nesquik (there isn’t any in the house — it’s too tempting). But if I can get my energy levels back up and drop 15 pounds between now and Christmas (5 pounds a week, I’ve done it before), it’ll be worth it.
–Howard
(p.s. Anyone feeling compelled to post anti-low-carb diatribes may take comfort in the fact that I’ll read your post at least once before deleting it. I’ve heard it all before, and I know what works for me. You don’t.)