Atkins Diary — Five Weeks Down!
Well, I’ve made it to the five-week mark on Atkins, and I am starting to notice significant improvement. No, I haven’t stepped on the scale (yet), but I have slipped into clothing that was formerly either too tight to put on or simply too uncomfortable to wear. I am not quite into the suit Maris left me for Christmas — at least not the slacks — but I am definitely moving in the right direction and hope to post a photo of me wearing it soon.
Recently I reinvigorated my walking game too, having temporarily sacrificed my exercise routine to the demands of other responsibilities. So now it’s back to my daily workouts with Leslie, accompanied by the Grooveshark dance music playlist I created for Annie’s Surprise Party!
Now that I’ve got some momentum, I’ve decided to move out of Phase One and into Phase Two – the Ongoing Weight Loss portion of the program. So I’m looking forward to incorporating my favorite plain Greek yogurt — Chobani — along with nuts and berries into my eating plan. I must confess, as much as I do love eggs and have concocted some creative ways to eat them for breakfast, including sauteing red onions, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs in a frying pan for a savory entree, I definitely need a change of pace.
Today’s morning meal will consist of Chobani plain yogurt (with a packet of Truvia blended in) complemented by raspberries and almonds. YUM!
I also discovered a great resource on the Atkins site that debunks every pervasive myth that still causes some of my friends and relatives to freak out whenever I sing the praises of my favorite diet. If you’ve always wanted to try Atkins but were scared off by misinformation about its safety and effectiveness, I highly recommended visiting the site to get the facts. Here are a few:
#1 Myth: The Atkins Diet™ doesn’t work.
Fact: The Atkins Diet does work. Atkins is backed by over 50 studies validating the diet’s principals and its
success rate for weight loss and weight management. One recent example is the result of a two-year study released on July 17, 2008 by The New England Journal of Medicine, comparing a low-carbohydrate diet like the Atkins Nutritional Approach™ with Mediterranean and low-fat diets. It found that low-carbohydrate diets are more effective in achieving weight loss than the other diets, and supported cardiovascular health with favorable cholesterol and cholesterol profile results. Also, NIH funded a Stanford University Diet Study published March 7, 2007 in the Journal of American Medical Association. This study found that the Atkins Diet delivered the strongest weight loss results with the most beneficial metabolic effects among four top diet regimens. (The study compares Atkins against the Zone, LEARN and Ornish diets). Unlike other diets, Atkins is not based on limiting calories and deprivation, but rather choosing the right nutrient-dense foods that allow the body to feel fuller while burning more fat and working more efficiently.#2 Myth: The Atkins Diet is unhealthy.
Fact: Atkins is a natural and effective approach to weight loss and weight management. The Atkins Diet encourages consumption of a healthy balance of nutrient dense foods: lean protein, a full array of fiberous vegetables and fruits and good fats while limiting refined carbohydrates, refined sugar and trans fats. Choosing foods in this manner allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently while helping individuals to feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic. An ever-growing body of research demonstrates the health benefits of a controlled-carbohydrate approach in the face of the standard American diet of white flour, sugar and other junk foods. Simply put, the Atkins Nutritional Approach (ANA) is indeed a healthier, more balanced way of eating and living.
Whatever your weight-loss goals, here’s to your success!
Category: Blog, Health and Wellness, Healthy Living
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