Week one of the diet is over. I lost nine pounds, but other than that so far this hasn’t been the most exciting time. I’m weak, for one thing. I seem to be showing signs of anemia again, sometimes. I am finding that I need more sleep; was I just masking my need for rest with more sugar, I wonder? I’m eating less, but my cravings haven’t changed a bit yet. Fellowship meal on Sunday was especially tough; there was fried chicken, chocolate brownies and cheesecake, and my favorite quick snack: Colby Jack cheese on Ritz crackers. The diet doesn’t exist that would let me eat those.
I’ve noticed that healthy people either don’t know, or have forgotten, why unhealthy people eat. They make claims like “if you crave salt, eat celery.” Well, it depends on the nature of the craving, doesn’t it? If your body actually wants sodium, then celery works well. If you like the taste, texture, and filling-ness of salted fried potatoes (chips, for example)… well, celery doesn’t help that at all. The awful truth is, nothing will help that. You have to just stop eating something that you love to eat. And that’s all there is to it.
My “need” for breads and potatoes is the biggest problem. Like I said above, there is no diet that will let you eat those, that has gained any traction, at any rate. I still find myself toying with the idea of a low-carb diet. But I just can’t reconcile the claims with any of the standard health information that’s available. I know that insulin’s important, but so are my arteries. And my liver.
Well, on to week two. I just spent a few minutes rereading the prognosis on cirrhosis, just to try to psych myself up for this. It helped a little bit.
4 Comments
Congrats on sticking to your diet! I will pray that this week goes easier for you and Tracey.
I wonder how long it takes for the body to stop craving the unhealthy things that you arent eating?
On previous all-or-nothing diets I have seen changes in a couple of weeks. You never quite get away from some things, though.
I am excited to hear that you lost 9 pounds in your first week! That is a big deal. Tracey is losing too I hear! Praise God and I will pray that He keeps you strong as you strive for a healthier diet. I bet you will feel better in the long run. God bless, Jamie
Nine pounds in one week is a fantastic start! I think you are correct to notice your need for more sleep. WebMD has a good article on the relationship between sleep and weight loss, which describes how sleep helps the body lose weight and how a lack of sleep increases cravings for sugar and high carb foods.
Also, you might consider a couple slices of low-calorie, high-fiber, whole grain bread or a serving of another whole grain (like quinoa). The fiber helps you feel fuller longer, and the whole grain provides a host of nutrients for the body, and the carbs help with the lightheadedness and weakness. I’m a fan of one particular brand of bread with only 50 calories a slice and 5 grams of fiber. Also, you might consider whole grain rice cakes - you can toast them with low fat or fat free cheese on top. Small amounts of carbs also help keep your metabolism up, which helps in losing weight.
For myself, I agree that the love of certain foods (McDonald’s Quarter Pounders with Cheese, hot fudge brownie sundaes, etc.) never entirely goes away. But I also still indulge in my favorites from time to time (perhaps every other week or so). I’ve also found passable substitutes for a number of things that I used to really enjoy (like cauliflower mashed “potatoes” or baked sweet potato fries instead of regular french fries). I suppose if the desire for such foods ever entirely disappeared, I would lose out on a great opportunity to grow in self-discipline (though I also feel that opportunities for self-discipline abound and that I don’t really need another).
For me, accountability and strict dieting and exercise helped me lose 30 pounds and several inches from my waist. Then, lifestyle changes have mostly kept it off (with some short periods of dieting every once in a while to help stay fit). I know you can do this! My prayers continue to be with you.