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Your weight and/or health is in dire need of help, so you decide to start livin' la vida low-carb on the advice of a medical professional or even on your own. The first couple of weeks are going along well for you helping you lose weight and feel better than you have in a long time, but then WHAMMO BAMMO--SCREEEEECH!!!--the weight loss just suddenly stops on you.
At this point, you decide to throw your hands up in the air and say to yourself, "Why the heck should I keep doing this crappy diet if I can't even lose weight?" Frustrated and discouraged, you stop this diet and start stuffing your mouth with carbs, carbs, and more carbs which puts the weight you lost back on your body and then some.
Stupid diets!
If that story is funny because it reminds you of yourself, then welcome to the club. We've all been there allowing mind games to take over where rationality has been thrown completely out the window. We know livin' la vida low-carb is healthy for us and yet somehow we think the scale has to constantly show a loss or we think we've failed.
Rather than asking whether low-carb is working or if there is anything inherently "wrong" with us, the better question we should ask is, "What's the alternative?" Think about it...if you weren't eating a low-carb nutritional approach, then how would you be eating?
Low-fat? HA! Not on your life--I don't like being hungry and irritable.
Vegan? Riiiiiiight! NOT!
Slim-Fast? Couldn't stop pooping!
Lots of fruits and veggies? What makes THAT healthy? Don't they fatten up pigs by feeding them that most prevalent of all vegetables known as corn? EWWWWW!
One of my readers presented this exact dilemma regarding her low-carb experience in an e-mail this week. Here's what she wrote:
Jimmy,
Okay, here is my deal--I have put on 50 pounds in less than a year!!! This weight gain is crazy so I had my chiropractor who is also a good friend run blood tests on me. Well, he found out that my thyroid is not very good and suggested that I try the Atkins diet because I don't process sugars very well.
I said okay this sucks because I am not a big meat eater. Am I right that a low-carb diet mostly consists of MEAT?!?! So I went through the Induction phase of Atkins and lost 10 pounds. Now, well over 2 months into it I haven't lost any more weight. HOW DO I LOSE MY 50 POUNDS?!?!
Also I get very emotional and cranky on the Atkins diet. Is there a way of fixing that?!?! Let me know if you can help me!
THANKS so much for writing and sharing openly and honestly about your struggles. Let me assure you that livin' la vida low-carb can and will change your life forever if you stay focused on the big picture--50 pounds will soon be gone forever! Conceive it, believe it, then achieve it! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
If you're not a big fan of meat, that's okay. There are lots of vegetarian low-carbers out there. Just find the non-starchy veggies you can enjoy: cauliflower, broccoli, spinach leaves, green leafy veggies, green beans, and so much more. A full list of the approved veggies on your low-carb plan can be found in any major low-carb book, including Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution.
As for your Induction experience, CONGRATULATIONS on losing 10 pounds But the fact that you STOPPED losing after Induction leads me to believe you increased your carb intake too much. How about sticking with Atkins induction for a little longer to see if the weight loss continues? This is arguably the most important time in your weight loss journey.
Finally, those feelings you claim are caused by your low-carb diet are only temporary during the first week or so (sometimes referred to as Induction flu). But the longer you stay on low-carb, the better you feel and look. The anger and rage you are experiencing is likely withdrawal symptoms from the sugar addiction. It will quickly pass and you'll never deal with it again.
I hope this helps! I'm proud of you for giving this another go. Start today on day one of your low-carb plan and MAKE IT HAPPEN! I'm always here to help anytime! THANKS again for writing!
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