One Month of Low-Carb

Well today wraps up one month following a carbohydrate restricted diet. This past week involved adding a few more carbohydrate foods and "swapping" out some of the higher fat selections (half & half swapped for heavy cream) to accommodate the carbohydrate increase.

What I've learned in this month as I've followed the diet carefully, and assisted some others behind the scenes, is that planning makes a big difference in success or failure. At the end of the day, you have to plan for success.

What planning involves is forward-thinking - what you're meals and snacks will look like in the coming week, what you need to buy when grocery shopping to prepare those meals, and what you'll have that week in your "toolbox" for emergencies.

The last item is the one many forget, including myself, to think about and prepare for. No matter which diet you decide to use for weight loss, a toolbox provides you with foods when you're in a situation where nothing available "fits" with your diet.

An example this past week from my experience: I took my son to a local indoor playground. It's an awesome place on a rainy day to let him run, explore, climb and burn off energy! It was the first time we'd been to this establishment, so I had no idea what the place was like, let alone what they offered on their menu. Before we left, I didn't prepare for the possibility there would be nothing appropriate on the menu board!

So, an hour after arriving, my son is thirsty and it's around the time he normally has a small snack. I head over to the snack bar and am blown away by the menu - goldfish, a huge assortment of candy including a big display of different color M&M's, cookies, soda, fruit drinks, pizza, nachos, and bottled water.

One item on the snack board intrigued me as a possible snack for my son - a cup of cheese! I asked what it was and was told that it was the hot liquid cheese for the nachos - if someone wanted more cheese than the nachos came with, they could order another cup of it. Blech!

So, I purchased a bottle of water. We stayed another 20-minutes and left to go have lunch since both of us by that time were ready to eat something and there was nothing I would eat or serve to my child on the menu!

The experience once again reminded me of the importance of having something with us to eat while we're out - a "toolbox" if you will. After lunch, when we'd arrived home, I immediately added some items to the bag I take with us when we're out and about so next time we're faced with a menu that has nothing healthful on it, we can reach into the bag and grab something yummy!

Now onto how I did this week....I lost one more pound! Three more pounds until goal!

Target Weight Loss Week Four: Undefined
Actual Weight Loss Week Four: 1-pound
Total Weight Loss to date: 17-pounds
Remaining Weight to Lose: 3-pounds