Do you eat to live or do you live to eat? The answer to this question could quite possibly define the type of health and happiness you are experiencing right now.
I used to think that I ate to live because I was always hungry. It didn’t matter where I was, what I was doing or when I last ate….all I could think about was putting food in my mouth. I used to work with race horses and instead of bringing my lunch I would always walk to the restaurant and have a large meal. By the time I walked back I was already hungry. Whenever my friend and I went out shopping I was always looking for a good place to eat that was nearby and it didn’t matter what it would cost, I just wanted to eat.
This “wanting to eat” all the time was definately noticed by family and friends because over time I started to gain weight. My mom would say things like: “You’re eating again?” or “Be careful, losing weight is harder than gaining it”. After high school my activity became less and then I went to college. Many of us know what happens then. More study, more stress, more food.
Dieting and I never went well together. I would start out with a bang and fizzle out. No matter what diet I tried I always felt hungry. Then I picked up a book by Dr. Atkins about twenty years ago and actually read it cover to cover. Everything that he had written described me. So I decided to give it a try. Believe me when I say that the first two weeks were hell. It is said that getting off of sugar is like getting off of drugs. I really think that this is partially true. I started having severe headaches, I felt agitated and cranky, and I couldn’t sleep.
It takes about 72 hours to use up the glucose reserves in your body before you switch to fat burning. Once this happened I felt clear headed, had more energy, and best of all………NO HUNGER. When I stayed on track I lost weight and that’s when I started to exercise a bit. There were even times when I forgot to eat (not a good idea) and my glucose level went a bit low. The only real problem I had was constipation and that was an easy fix with the use of more fiber in my diet.
I will not tell you that the road to eating low carb was easy. I’ve been on and off the low carb lifestyle for years and I started to notice a trend where I would see a food that I knew was high in carbs and say to myself……”self….just one won’t hurt. You can get right back to eating right in the morning”. For some that would not be a problem, but for me it was like being an alcoholic and falling off the wagon. I would binge, kick myself, binge some more and become depressed because I would have to start all over again with the sugar withdrawal. I can’t tell you how many times I would start that two weeks of induction and give up half way through because of my “need” for sugar. Now, at the age of 59, I can finally say that I’ve been low carb for 3 years straight and have finally reached a point where I really don’t need the things that I used to crave.
For those of you who can absolutely not do without sweets, more and more companies are coming out with keto friendly candies and desserts. Hershey’s has delicious chocolate and dark chocolate mini candy bars. There are also low carb ice creams as well that taste so good. Other foods include low carb cakes that you can bake along with low carb icing, frozen low carb cheese cake and an assortment of other sugar free sweet foods. My advice to you is to go real easy because some of these foods have sugar alcohols that can cause cramping and diarrhea and also raise your blood sugar if you are a diabetic. Moderation is the key. Trust me….I know these things from first hand experience. , So does my husband Michael, who is a diabetic.
Today I read all labels and am constantly searching for new recipes to try. I’ve even tried my hand at making desserts. Some turned out good….some, not so good but I will keep trying till I get it right. Overall I really love how I feel. I’m still overweight but a pound or two comes off each month. I don’t exercise every day but I do take care of our home (we have seven dogs and two cats) and our little farm and enjoy doing it.
I love living, therefore I have truly decided that I want to eat to live and if that means cutting carbs from my diet then that’s what I want to do. I have a lot to live for like Michael, my husband of seven months, my two beautiful daughters and their husbands that I love, my one and only grandson (that I adore) who will be three in November, and all my family who love and support me in my endeavers. Even my mom is happy for me and the fact that she does not have to lecture me about food anymore (she’s 90 and in great shape).
What about you? Do you want to eat to live or live to eat? Think about it.
Carb Controlled Cuisine 