True life: I'm a carb addict

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So after researching the Atkins diet and trying to implement its "20 carb a day" rule since last week, I have realized something. All I eat are carbs.

It is time for an intervention. When I look back on how I have eaten for the past year or two, aka, when I put on the 50+ pounds, two things stand out in my diet: carbs & sweets... the two worst things to eat when you don't want to gain weight. :(

Yesterday I went through all of the food in my cabinets and refrigerator and threw away or donated everything that didn't fit into my new diet plan. It was actually quite refreshing and it feels great to be able to donate two full boxes worth of items to those who many not have as much.

Speaking of new diet, I have tried two of the Atkins frozen meals and OH EM GEE they are so good. I was completely shocked because the first one I tried was chicken broccoli alfredo (without pasta), which was surprisingly satisfying.

The next one I tried was the crustless chicken pot pie. It was literally as good as the regular! They added cauliflower to the dish which really set it apart. It honestly shocked me that not only did I enjoy the cauliflower in the meal, but I actually loved it as a replacement for pasta. I didn't find myself missing the pasta aka carbs in either dish.

Starting: The 30 Day Shred

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So today I looked at myself in the mirror and decided today was the day. I drank my morning cup of coffee, took my b12 shot (which hurt like a MOTHER), and pulled out my dusty 30 Day Shred DVD.

Now I started this about four years ago and really enjoyed the workouts, but I never finished the 30 days because I moved on to the treadmill and Zumba classes. I also have acquired the Beach Body10 minute trainer DVD set from my set a couple of years ago, so I may also mix it up a bit with those as well as I get bored with DVD's easily.

I took some "before" photos before starting the workout today and I was absolutely disgusted with myself. Every day when I look in the mirror, I know that I have gained a lot of weight, and I know I don't look great, but I always justified that with the right outfit I didn't look "that" bad. Overall, I really have maintained an hourglass shape, which is nice, but the pictures really showed how awful things have gotten.

I always promised myself that I would never get over 200 pounds. The first time I gained weight, I got up to 198.6 and almost cried. That day I started working out and instantly dropped 10 pounds in about a week. This time, I knew I was approaching 200 so I stayed away from the scale, too scared to look. I was terrified the number would start with a two. When I finally did weight myself, I was shocked to see not only 200, but an extra 12 on top of that.

I hated myself instantly. I got down and depressed for about 8 months before I finally realized that I am still a beautiful person no matter what the scale says or what size jeans I wear. After that, I was at a state of body acceptance, defying what everyone else said or thought, for about 2 or 3 months. That was until a couple of weeks ago when I realized that even though I do love myself at this size, I am not happy. I am not comfortable in my clothes, I get out of breath walking to class and my blood pressure is slowly starting to creep up.

I need to lose weight for me. Not because I think I am ugly, or fat, but because I know how much better I feel when I'm 50 lbs lighter.

This is so hard for me to do, but I am going to list my measurements from today. I is really painful to type these numbers, but I know I need to do it to keep motivation.

So here goes...

Day 1:

Chest: 45
R. Arm: 12.5
L. Arm: 13
Waist: 39
Hips: 48.5
R. Thigh: 29.5
L. Thigh: 29
Weight: 210.2

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So here goes nothing!

Jumping on the Bandwagon

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So, I am finally feeling better. I cannot believe that I was sick for three weeks! Now that I'm feeling better I'm ready to get back on track. I'm pretty upset that I have only lost three pounds sense the new year started, but I'm not going to let it bring me down.

Last night I was watching TV when an Atkins commercial came on. I have never been one to jump on the fad diet bandwagon, but I had already done a lot of research on low carb diets. Having a structured meal plan is something that I think will be very helpful for me.

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I'm really excited to get started! I'm planning on going shopping for groceries tomorrow, so I will let you know what I end up with.