Dieting

When I got back from Indiana I wanted to go on a little diet to get back on track. Andy and I are going on a beach vacation in 8 weeks so I thought it would be a great thing to get my body back. I eat very healthy and workout but the weight just does not fall off like it used too. I am in no way making an excuse but it is very frustrating. I have always had a slow metabolism but now it is very tough to lose weight. The older I get the more secure and confident I am though which is nice because I never want to obsess about weight. As long as I am healthy and working out that is all that matters. Sure I would like to lose 10 pounds but what girl wouldn't?

I never knew how much I loved the thought of food until I started this diet. I am not taking like fish and chips, I am just saying any food. Yogurt, bananas, apples always sounds amazing to me. I started Atkins last Monday. Mostly because it is a diet where you see the results the quickest. After about 2 weeks a person should lose 10 pounds. Whew, that would be nice. The problem is keeping it off after that and the 2 weeks are pretty much hell, especially in carb-beer heaven Europe. I had zero idea that it would be this hard here. America has so many options when it comes to all kinds of diets. Atkins food overloads the shelves in the grocery stores. Not here at all. People in Europe don't do diets. They portion and walk everywhere. Another very hard thing about being on a diet is when you are married and your significant other loves you the way you are it is very hard to stay motivated. I did not add the line for jealousy from people I am just being honest. My husband doesn't want me to be a skinny mini. He loves me for how I look so it makes it very tough to stay on track. I am a very confident woman too so when it comes to obsessing about being 10 pounds you have the wrong girl. I just want to feel good.

I have to say last week was one of the longest weeks of my entire life. Every second of everyday ticked by me as I longed for something other than babybel cheese or eggs. That is the other thing here meat is super expensive so it isn't like I can just stock up my fridge with all the meat I would like. I literally would see a food commercial on television and my mouth would water so much it would start to hurt. Yeah, don't tell me it has never happened to you before. Wendys? Taco Bell, late night commericials AHH? In the first 2 weeks of Atkins you are allowed no fruit. This is very hard for me to comprehend because fruit is so good for you. Not to mention I am obsessed with it. I could eat it all day everyday. Each hour seemed to be a struggle for me. This is also a result of not working. When you are on a diet and not working it is a recipe for disaster. Diet consumes everything. When I was teaching it was so easy for me to not even think about food. I also would never want to look back on my Europe experience and remember dieting. UGH. I threw in the towel this week and got fruit. Yes it will take longer to lose weight, but you know what it is so worth it. The most valuable lesson I learned from dieting and still am learning is how much we actually do put in our bodies. When we diet we consider every single calorie down to a piece of gum. It has made me very aware of those extra calories I do not need everyday. I will try to go low carb-portion control my whole life because it really isn't that hard. Instead of 2 pieces of bread, have 1. My biggest issue when I get fries is I want them all. I have to think to myself I can have 4 or 5 and then give the rest back to the waitress. This is a sensible way of living, not holding yourself from most everything good in life.