i climbed a mountain and i turned around.

04/09/2011

straight off, i don't intend to turn this into a "diet blog" or anything like that.
that said, tomorrow begins "operation: unchunk". this will be made possible by two components. one is plenty more walking. now that i'm done work at 4, i have plenty of time to hit the treadmill and shower without feeling like i need to rush to make dinner, or do whatever other evening chores need doing. it's also getting way nicer out, so that's a huge incentive to just get out and go places/do things, on foot.
second, and perhaps a little more challenging, but entirely worth it [i hope], is that as of tomorrow morning, joshua and i are following the south beach diet. for those of you unfamiliar with the plan [and i do prefer "plan" to "diet"], it's based on the gylcemic index of foods, and in simple terms encourages you to eat "good carbs" and "good fats" over "bad carbs" and "bad fats".
what does that mean for my belly? in a nut shell, it means that for the next 2 weeks, in "phase one", i will be eating hardly any carbs at all. i'm allowed to eat most vegetables [yes, veggies are carbs], lean meats and fish, low fat dairy, eggs, and nuts. i'm not allowed to touch bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, baked goods, fruit, or alcohol.
that goes on for 2 weeks, maybe 3 if i can push it, but i'm playing that by ear. after that "phase two" of the plan kicks in and i start adding back some "good carbs" [those low on the glycemic index]. this includes bringing back fruit, whole grain bread, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and so on, in moderation. this continues until i reach a weight/look i'm happy with, and i move on to "phase three" of the plan, which essentially lasts forever, to keep things in check. if ever i backslide, i can return to phase one, and get things back under control.
the south beach diet was developed by a cardiologist, and the weight loss is actually secondary to his goal of improved blood chemistry [lower cholesterol, lower triglycerides, treatment of insulin resistance]. it all seems legit -- trust me, i am VERY skeptical/suspicious of any diet and its claims. my mom has lost a bunch of weight [50 lbs?], and kept it off, over the last few years, and it started with the south beach diet. i wouldn't go so far as to say she's still following it, exactly, but i know that it jump started her weight loss, and i think that its principles stuck with her and taught her a different way to look at food, whether she'd say she's in phase three of the diet or not.
the book suggests that you'll loose 8-13 lbs in phase one [first 2 weeks] and continue to lose at a rate of 1-2 lbs/week in phase two. while my big picture goal is to look good, and feel healthier, i am planning to set short-term weight loss goals for myself. i have never done this before, and i'm going to try not to get down on myself if the numbers don't move as quickly as i'd like. that said, i'm going to make things easy, and less intimidating, by doing this in stages. my first milestone will be 20 lbs. if i say "i'm going to lose 100 lbs", i will give up. i know i will. if i say "i'm going to lose 20 lbs", and i do, and then say "i'm going to lose 20 more", i think that will work better for me. all that said, i'm going to the store today to - eep! - buy a scale. i have not owned a scale since i moved away from home. it's crazy the psychological shit that comes with a dinky little instrument.
to anyone who read all that, thank you. to anyone that didn't, totally fine too. i just needed to write it all down, and make myself accountable. tomorrow morning, i'm a new woman -- after a "so long carbs!" all you can eat sushi feast tonight, of course.