RE: Decided to try Atkins..any advice?
I didn't think about that when we spoke yesterday, Annette, but Susan's suggestion about the Curves diet is a good one. The low carb option of the diet is similar to Atkins, and they have a low calorie option too. There is probably a Curves near you, it's a great workout, quick and easy.
My biggest tip, once you know what you can eat, is to make sure and have good foods on hand so you can grab an easy snack when you are hungry. You should never be hungry on Atkins, when you are hungry, eat something. I find that if I let myself get hungry, I tend to eat the wrong things because they are easy to fix or easy to buy. (bag of chips)
It's a real change of mindset to go from trying to eat low calorie low fat all your life to eating low carb. Your mind will balk at the amount of fat in the things you will be eating. (steak, cheese, butter) You have to be ready to accept that what you have been told all your life is incorrect for some people and forget the "Food Pyramid" that the FDA has been teaching us for decades.
As for giving up caffeine . . . well, caffeine is not good for anyone who is trying to lose weight on any type of diet. I read once that the caffeine is like an adreneline burst to the body, which the body usually experiences as a result of a "fight or flight" instinct so it is the body gearing up to use the muscles. But then when you drink caffeine and don't need that burst of energy, it somehow gets stored as fat instead of being burned as energy.
Low carb does not work for everyone. In the Curves book, they have a questionaire that helps you determine if low carb will work for you or if low calorie is better.
...Karen
Jacob Nathaniel Feb 91
Logan Elizabeth Mar 03
...Karen
ds 1991
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dd 2008 now home from Taiwan!