|

News & Product of the Month Living An Apology Meet The Merchant Jo Cordi's Lifestyle Series Brenda's Low Carb Good Life Texas Hill Country Dining The Attraction Myth Meeting The Challenge
Defense Against the Dark Arts
SIGN UP TO SUBSCRIBE
ISSUE ARCHIVES


|
| |

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer...
it sings because it has a song."
Maya Angelou
We're proud to feature "The Low Carb Good Life" by regular columnist Brenda Crump, who's also
one of our smart and resourceful moderators at Talking Low Carb (our Low Carb Luxury Discussion Forums.) Brenda has found the keys to making low carb a true lifestyle, with proper
nutrition at the heart of it all!

[ If you missed it, click
here to read Part One. ]
In the last issue, we discussed the definition of a stall and some possible
causes of stalls, such as too many carbs, too many calories, too few carbs,
and too few calories. We also examined the importance of drinking plenty of
plain water, not only for good health but for weight loss as well.
There are other possible explanations for a lack of progress in your weight
loss efforts. Lets take a closer look and see if any of these issues might
be a problem for you.
"Treat or Trick?"
The popularity of low carbing has brought with it the blessing of commercially
prepared and easily obtainable low carb desserts, breads, muffins, pizza crusts,
candies and ice creams. There is probably a low carb substitute available for
almost every high carb food that you used to enjoy. This can make sticking to a
low carb plan much easier because the feeling of deprivation that frequently goes
along with "dieting" is eased by these foods.
However, enjoying all of these goodies
can actually make losing weight much more difficult. Why? Because these treats
are so similar to the very foods that caused us to lose control, overindulge and
gain weight in the first place. Part of making low carb eating a way of life,
instead of just a weight loss plan, is breaking our old, unhealthy eating habits.
If, prior to low carbing, you binged on ice cream and candy and it contributed to
your weight problem, you cant continue the binge behavior with a low carb
substitute and expect to lose. Again, these foods may be lower in carbohydrates,
but they are not calorie free or additive free and they dont make a healthy
substitution for protein and vegetables.
Perhaps you are not in the habit of binge eating and you can stop with just one
serving of these treats. But just how frequently are you enjoying them?
Take another look at your daily menu. If it includes a serving of sugar free gummy
worms as a mid-morning snack, a sugar free chocolate bar as a mid-afternoon
snack and a bowl of "no sugar added" ice cream as an after dinner dessert, you
have just found the key to ending your stall. Its time to eliminate those treats.
If you are saying to yourself, "But I cant do this unless I have my chocolate
every day!" then you may be resigning yourself to weeks or months of frustration.
What is your goal? To attain a healthy weight and a healthy body or to stay at a
weight youre unhappy with while enjoying chocolate every day? Go back to eating
the simple foods that helped you get this far in your weight loss journey meats,
vegetables, eggs, healthy fats and maybe some seeds, nuts and berries. Enjoy the
low carb "treats" only very occasionally.
"Move it and lose it"
Because the initial stages of a low carb diet often work very quickly and very well
without exercise, some may conclude that exercise is unnecessary. Those of us whove
experienced a true stall will reach a different conclusion. Exercise isnt optional
on a low carb plan. Its a "must".
Low carbing has the wonderful advantage of
allowing us to eat full-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings and juicy steaks but
it cannot negate the basic principle that you must burn more calories than you
consume in order to lose weight. If you have not been exercising regularly, you
may find that starting an exercise program at this point in your weight loss journey
will break your stall within a few weeks.
If you have been exercising regularly, you
may find that adding an additional workout session to your week, adding intensity to
your current workout or changing up your normal routine will be an effective
stall-breaker. Its important to include strength training in your routine because
a body with more lean muscle mass will burn calories at a higher rate, even at rest,
than a body of the same weight but with a higher percentage of fat. So pump some
iron and build up those muscles!
Im sure that some of you are thinking, "But I dont have time to exercise!"
I have said this myself many times over the years. The truth is that we make time
for the things that are important to us. Learning to love exercise takes time and
practice. Once you start and you begin to see the number on the scale moving downward
again, and the incredible changes in your body and you realize that you are
breathing better and walking taller and you feel great... youll be hooked. Youll
wonder why you waited so long to get moving.
"I Did It My Way"
Most low carb plans allow for some flexibility in your food choices, especially as
you move past the initial stages. Experimentation is a wonderful tool because it
allows you to discover new foods and it prevents you from becoming bored.
However, if you arent careful, experimentation can turn into total deviation from whatever
plan youre following. Over time you can even convince yourself that you are the
exception to the rules of your plan. Because youre the exception, you can eat
unlimited quantities of fruit or have "free" weekends when you dont even try to
eat low carb foods. But if youve stalled in your weight loss you arent an
exception. Refresh your memory and renew your commitment by rereading the book
that got you started on your low carb journey in the first place. You may be
surprised to find that each time you read the material, you learn something
new and feel energized and ready to get back on track.
Stalling can be very discouraging I know from personal experience. After
successfully losing 33 pounds, I remained at the same weight for five long months.
Im embarrassed to say now that it took me THAT LONG to realize that I could not
enjoy a slice (or two) of sugar free cheesecake with whipped heavy cream every
single night after dinner, and still lose weight. I felt quite perturbed when I
realized that despite the fact that cheesecake is not only low carb, its also
allowed on my plan I couldnt have it daily and still lose weight.
Looking back, it certainly wasnt very realistic of me to think that I could have
dessert every single day and continue to lose. During this same period of
time, I came to the reluctant realization that exercise was going to have
to be part of my weight loss plan. I knew that the best type of exercise
for me was something in a class environment I am not really self-motivated
when it comes to workouts. So, I joined a gym and chose classes at times that
worked well with my schedule and I showed up faithfully for every class. Now
I cant imagine a life that doesnt include regular workouts.
After making these two rather momentous changes (giving up that cheesecake was really,
really hard) I not only broke my weight loss stall but I went on to lose the
23 pounds necessary to reach my goal in a matter of three months.
As frustrated as you may feel when you arent losing, you need to remember
to never give up. Giving up and going back to a high carb way of life is the
best way to ensure that you will never see your goal weight. You can make a
low carb plan work for you. It may require some changes that are difficult
to make, but they will not be impossible to live with.
Once youve made a change, be patient and give it a couple of weeks to make a difference. Please
dont assume that because you didnt have your sugar free gummy worms on
Tuesday that the scale will reflect your sacrifice with a three pound loss
Wednesday morning. Each of the changes that you make are steps on the path
to turning your "diet" into a way of life. The longer it takes, the more
deeply ingrained your new, healthier habits will be. And the more likely
it will be that youll not only achieve your weight loss goal, but youll
maintain that loss for the rest of your life. And thats way better than
cheesecake!
Copyright © September 2003 Brenda Crump and Low Carb Luxury

|
Fried chicken was one of the most requested products in our "Chef's Challenge" so The Low Carb
Chef responded with Rib Stick'n Fried Chicken Mix and it is a real winner! Each piece of fried
chicken has less than 3g of carbohydrate when using Rib Stick'n mix - compare that to the carb
count at your local KFC, and this is REAL fried chicken! Now available in both original and
cajun flavors.
The introduction of The Low Carb Chef's Rib Stick'n Fried Chicken Mix was met by such demand that
our first three runs were sold out just as soon as we could put them on our site! Due to repeated
requests for larger quantities of the mix from those who were lucky enough to get it before it was
sold out, it is now available in a new 1 pound tub!
In the larger 1 lb. tubs, there is enough mix for you to batter about 6 pounds of chicken strips
or about 3 whole chickens, cut up! You won't find anything else like this in the low carb world!
With the flavor that this mix imparts to your chicken, even your high carbing friends won't
believe that fantastic tasting fried chicken is actually good for you!
The Low Carb Chef's "Aunt" Paula has worked hard to perfect the taste and texture of her Gourmet
Buttermilk or Buckwheat Pancake and Waffle Mix!
With only 1g of effective carb per pancake, you
can't go wrong. If you have tried the others on the market, you owe it to yourself to try these
pancakes. With this mix, The Chef has succeeded in a perfect balance that spells a heretofore
unparalleled quality from the very first bite!
Click to order The Low Carb Chef Pancake Mix now!
As with any product from The Low Carb Chef, if you don't like it you get your money back!
|
Only at The Low Carb Dieter's Page:
Designed with the PRACTICAL low carb dieter in mind!
|
|
|
|