As I begin week 3 of my new low carb lifestyle (because the word 'diet' implies a temporary state) I've started this blog.
I really wanted a platform to keep all my new low carb recipes. I tried emailing them to myself and then my inbox is annoyingly full ALL THE TIME. I can't stand that. So I turned to Pinterest which is fine, cute, but I get tired of clicking through, like all the way through to what I actually want to see - the recipe. At first I turned to WordPress because I've used it quite unsuccessfully in the past, it's been hanging around as an open account since like 2007 and I feel guilty taking up a wedge of cyber-space for nothing.
One afternoon of trying and failing to revamp, reorganize and reshape WordPress had me moving on. I do get the navigation of it however. It would work just fine.
I stumbled onto Blogger because I host my domain pamshaner.com with Google. I don't know what happened next but BOOM - there's a blog all ready to go with this domain, just fill in the words. Easier said than done.
I've found Blogger less intuitive or maybe I'm just not real smart. I don't know, either way I like WordPress better (see Post 1). I'm foraging ahead, trying not to over think the whole thing and accomplish my goal of having one location for my recipes.
To say I'm in week 3 of my new lifestyle is true and untrue. We planned a trip to Disney World in December 2016. The ENTIRE year, actually since December 2015, I told myself I was going to get myself together and lose at least 40 pounds before this vacation. So November arrived, I'd lost NOTHING to date and I turned to low carb.
In spite of my last minute lifestyle change I did manage to lose 16 pounds before we headed off for vacation. Imagine where I would have been had I started earlier... While on vacation I was not "low carb conscious" but we moved. We moved a lot. Walking around Disney World every day for 7 days with two 13 year olds was quite a workout.
After the Disney part of vacation I had another week off work until January 2, 2017. During that week I managed to consume my body weight in carbs knowing I was going back at it soon. The entire time I was off I gained about 5 pounds eating every carb-laden thing I could put my hands on.
Support is a huge thing. I have the unwavering support of my wife which is undeniably the reason for any success I have and will have with this lifestyle. She's right there doing everything with me. Many times she's the champion of the lifestyle cooking and preparing meals for us to get through the week while I'm over to the side making sweet treats :) Yin and Yang right??
I search, as noted above, Pinterest for ideas and I'm also a part of a Facebook group "Low Carb and Losing It Original Group". This is a closed group, just ask to join if you're interested. It's closed to allow members to have a safe place. There are many "before and after" pictures, members post their weights and weight lost. There's also a huge exchange of recipes and ideas for living this lifestyle long term. The whole group is supportive and positive so don't join to poke fun at people - you'll be booted!
Some time in December we invested in Fitbits. I like to see what I do. I know it's childish but I wanted the Fitbits before we went to Disney so I could actually see how many steps per day we walked over what we typically walk. It was a lot. But it was and continues to be a motivator. I have it set to remind me to walk at least 250 steps per hour while I'm at work. That is not a lot of steps until you're tethered to a 300' wireless range telephone headset and responsible for answering every incoming call for the business. I've walked in a circle in the lobby around the coffee table in a crunch.
The thing I like most about this lifestyle is that it's not difficult. I don't have to make complicated recipes, weigh food, count points or even really count calories. I've made the baseline of my lifestyle "eat when hungry, stop eating when full". I don't beat myself up if I eat more one day than another. I've read basic guidelines for the lifestyle and I know I could (always) eat more vegetables. I try not to OD on protein and I add in healthy fats consciously. I don't track every bite that I eat. I will track a few days every week to keep myself in check calorie-wise. I usually pick the day before and enter what I ate, that way I don't go into the day thinking "I'm going to track this - eat light!".
Please feel free to be my Fitbit friend: pamshaner@gmail.com or send me your favorite low carb recipe!
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