Loving the Low-Carb Lifestyle

suggestions, recipes, and ideas for staying low-carb

Monday, January 7, 2008

Getting Started

The best way to get started on the low-carb lifestyle is to decide how many carbs you want to attempt to stay under each day. When doing this, try not to get out of control. The biggest mistake in this diet is setting unrealistic goals. This is true in your weight loss goals, as well as the amount of carbs you plan to consume. If you are someone who lives on carbs, you don't want to cut back as much as someone who really doesn't eat many carb to begin with.

Once you have established your low-carb goals, it is time to implement them. Begin by going very low-carb, almost extreme, for the first three days. During this time, your body will cleanse itself of all of the carbs that have been building up over years. After those three days, stick to your guns. Do not decide that one order of pasta, or one dessert will be okay. This is simply not true. If you choose that slice of chocolate cake, you will be back to day one again. You will start all over, and need to do the three day extreme low-carb routine once more.

If you choose to stick with the low-carb lifestyle, you will see results. Once you have gotten started, it will come easy to you. It will be second nature for you to read labels, and even when you don't want to, you will find yourself deciding whether or not it is worth it to eat a piece of YOUR OWN birthday cake. Try, however, not to become the low-carb Nazi. Don't push your beliefs on others. Instead, just let them know how well low-carb is working for you.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Monica said...

Could you tell me what a typical day of eating looks like for you?

When did you start your low carb life and what changes did you see?

January 14, 2008 at 9:49 AM  
Blogger Tiffany said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

January 14, 2008 at 8:09 PM  
Blogger Tiffany said...

I did low-carb a few years back and lost about 40 pounds. Since then, I had a lot of personal battles that I won, but they took a toll on my body and weight. I started back on low carb again about a month ago, and am already seeing "the shift." If you don't know about the shift, it's when you lose a few pounds, but can't see it in your appearance. Then all of a sudden, your weight shifts, and you see those results. The scale tells you one day, but your body tells a week or so later. I don't really weigh very often, because that can get discouraging. Instead, I measure my weight loss by the way my clothes fit.
To really see the kind of results that I am hoping for, I limit my vegetable intake. I love salads, but I end up putting too many carbs, and not enough protein on them. For this reason, I do a salad every other day, and a vegetable like broccoli or green beans on the remaining days. I try to eat tuna 3 to 4 times per week. Sometimes, I have a slice of light (8 carbs or less) toast with peanut butter in the morning. Mid morning, I have cottage cheese. For lunch, albacore tuna with mayonaise on sliced tomatoes. Afternoon snacks include cheese (sliced, or string cheese), peanuts, cashews, almonds, celery (with tuna, peanut butter, cheese, cottage cheese, whatever you like to dip it in), and olives. Dinner is usually chicken breast, pork tenderloin, or if I have the time, a steak on the grill. To satisfy my sweet tooth, I like a spoonful of peanut butter (crunchy), and sometimes I make a cool whip concoction that I will post the recipe for tomorrow. I hope this helps you, and feel free to email me anytime with more questions @ winningthecarbwar@yahoo.com.

January 14, 2008 at 8:13 PM  

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