There it is...my starting weight. It is a little higher than I expected, I must admit. I am through the first day, and I must admit that I am starving. I have had plenty of water to drink and plenty of non carbohydrate food, but still I want more. Food, glorious food, what a mess you have gotten me into.
So, the Atkins diet is a low carb approach to weight loss. According the the Atkins website there are 4 phases, with the first phase focusing on eating less than 20 grams of carbs per day. The website has a great list of foods you can eat including cheese, meats and veggies. If you know how to read a food label you will be fine staying away from the unwanted carbs.
For me today was a lot of chicken and eggs. I also had some bacon and cheese with some lettuce and celery throughout the day as well. I know that I am under the 20 grams, but as I said before I am STARVING. In the days to come, I will look more at the Atkins diets. What is good, what is bad, and what else do we need to know. Stay tuned for that.
I am looking forward to hearing from folks following the blog. Email me at 12diets@gmail.com with any comments, questions or suggestions. You can also post them here.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Let's begin this experiment.
Ok, the weekend is over. I am officially 35 and as I have stated before, the gut has to go. Beginning tomorrow I will be starting my 12 diets experiment. Throughout the next 28 days, I will be on the Atkin's diet. This is one of the most popular diets in America, and we are going to learn a great deal about the pros and cons of this "lifestyle change." Remember, I am attempting to do the diets as most people probably would. I believe most people skim through books, look up info on the internet and then do their best. That is what I will do with each diet.
Tomorrow morning you can look for my first post dealing with my starting weight. I will weigh in each Monday morning before I do anything else. I will blog at least 3 times per week with facts about the diet and how I am doing on them. Some of the topics I plan to cover are costs, pros, cons, and my own emotions, if I can be successful at conveying them.
Once again, if you have any ideas how I can make this experiment better, or if you have any questions please comment here or email me at 12diets@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
Tomorrow morning you can look for my first post dealing with my starting weight. I will weigh in each Monday morning before I do anything else. I will blog at least 3 times per week with facts about the diet and how I am doing on them. Some of the topics I plan to cover are costs, pros, cons, and my own emotions, if I can be successful at conveying them.
Once again, if you have any ideas how I can make this experiment better, or if you have any questions please comment here or email me at 12diets@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Life is Complicated Enough...
Going through life every day is hard. There is so much going on in most of our lives, that the thought of sticking to a strict lifestyle change program (remember that is the new "in" term for a diet) just doesn't appeal to many of us. Yes, we know we should lose weight. Yes, we know we want to look better and feel healthier. But because life is complicated enough, we are only interested in something that can give us the best results with the smallest amount of effort. We don't want another program or institution in our lives that will interrupt the lives we are already living.
Now, in this 12 diets experiment I am going to let my life become totally involved. If the gut really is to go, then I have to be committed to seeing every aspect of each of the 12 lifestyle changes. To that end, this will be the blog you will want to follow if you have ever wondered about the cost of a certain diet. If you want to know how a diet will affect not only your physical health, but also the emotional and mental aspects of your life. I know this can't be quantified, but through my experiences I am hoping we can all learn something.
Beginning March 9th I will be starting the first diet. This will be the Atkins diet. While I have participated in this diet before, it was mainly to lose weight quickly. The little I actually know about the diet is that it cuts Carbs from your diet. I know, no bread, potatoes and pasta will be hard, but hey it is only 28 days. 28 days is the length of time I will participate in each diet. Because I am trying to participate in each diet much the same way most people would, I am refraining from learning more about it, until I actually begin it on March 9th.
Exercise programs will be based on the recommendations of the writers or founders of the diets. Exercise is a big part of getting heathier, and each lifestyle change recommends changes in activity levels as well. This will be another aspect to the diet.
I am anxious to see what type of suggestions others have to help me on this journey. If you would like to leave a comment or idea it is most certainly welcome. There are other aspects to this program I am still working on, but I wanted to give a brief overview. You can email me at 12diets@gmail.com as well.
Now, in this 12 diets experiment I am going to let my life become totally involved. If the gut really is to go, then I have to be committed to seeing every aspect of each of the 12 lifestyle changes. To that end, this will be the blog you will want to follow if you have ever wondered about the cost of a certain diet. If you want to know how a diet will affect not only your physical health, but also the emotional and mental aspects of your life. I know this can't be quantified, but through my experiences I am hoping we can all learn something.
Beginning March 9th I will be starting the first diet. This will be the Atkins diet. While I have participated in this diet before, it was mainly to lose weight quickly. The little I actually know about the diet is that it cuts Carbs from your diet. I know, no bread, potatoes and pasta will be hard, but hey it is only 28 days. 28 days is the length of time I will participate in each diet. Because I am trying to participate in each diet much the same way most people would, I am refraining from learning more about it, until I actually begin it on March 9th.
Exercise programs will be based on the recommendations of the writers or founders of the diets. Exercise is a big part of getting heathier, and each lifestyle change recommends changes in activity levels as well. This will be another aspect to the diet.
I am anxious to see what type of suggestions others have to help me on this journey. If you would like to leave a comment or idea it is most certainly welcome. There are other aspects to this program I am still working on, but I wanted to give a brief overview. You can email me at 12diets@gmail.com as well.
Monday, February 23, 2009
The Gut Has To Go!
That is what I have been telling myself for years. Ever since I was in grade school I have had a gut. It has gotten bigger over the years and smaller once or twice, but mostly it has grown and grown as I have given up on lifestyle change after lifestyle change. (In case you didn't know "lifestyle change" is the new term for diet.) I have tried them all, Atkins, Biggest Loser, and Body for Life. I have tried the Maker's Diet, Body by God, and Slimfast. I have Walked Away the Weight and felt zen take over with Namaste Yoga. Infomercials for 6 minute abs, and the 10 minute trainer have no better friend than I. Still, here I am less than two weeks from my 35th birthday, and I once again stand in front of the mirror disgusted with where I am and how I look. THE GUT HAS GOT TO GO!!!
But, the question remains, how do I lose the weight successfully? Obviously, going into my local bookstore and picking up the first diet book I see, or ordering the Nutrasystem meals is not going to work for me. I don't want to make a lifestyle change. I am willing to make food changes. I am willing to make fitness changes. But I don't want to give up my nights out, my buttered movie popcorn or my lazy days sitting in front of the television watching baseball games, sitcoms and Law and Order marathons. I am an individual, and I want to remain that way. The problem with making a dietary lifestyle change is that you are living someone elses lifestyle. These diets weren't made to fit your lifestyle, the authors want you to change to fit their lifestyle.
So, if I can't follow one lifestyle diet, how do I lose the weight? How do I become more healthy? How can all of the good information from all of the diet plans fit into my life? The answer...don't choose just one diet lifestyle change plan. Test them all, and that is what I plan to do. Stick with me over the next two weeks as I outline my plan to test 12 of the most popular diets in America today. With 100 pounds to lose, and 1 year to do it, I will go from Atkins to the Zone. I will examine what works and what doesn't for my lifestyle and maybe show us all how to implement the good and ignore the bad.
Stay tuned over the next two weeks as I outline how the program will work. Suggestions are welcome. If there is a certain diet you would like me to try, let me know. If you would like to see something specific covered, comment. I look forward to hearing from you. And I look forward to being able to say, THE GUT IS GONE!!!
But, the question remains, how do I lose the weight successfully? Obviously, going into my local bookstore and picking up the first diet book I see, or ordering the Nutrasystem meals is not going to work for me. I don't want to make a lifestyle change. I am willing to make food changes. I am willing to make fitness changes. But I don't want to give up my nights out, my buttered movie popcorn or my lazy days sitting in front of the television watching baseball games, sitcoms and Law and Order marathons. I am an individual, and I want to remain that way. The problem with making a dietary lifestyle change is that you are living someone elses lifestyle. These diets weren't made to fit your lifestyle, the authors want you to change to fit their lifestyle.
So, if I can't follow one lifestyle diet, how do I lose the weight? How do I become more healthy? How can all of the good information from all of the diet plans fit into my life? The answer...don't choose just one diet lifestyle change plan. Test them all, and that is what I plan to do. Stick with me over the next two weeks as I outline my plan to test 12 of the most popular diets in America today. With 100 pounds to lose, and 1 year to do it, I will go from Atkins to the Zone. I will examine what works and what doesn't for my lifestyle and maybe show us all how to implement the good and ignore the bad.
Stay tuned over the next two weeks as I outline how the program will work. Suggestions are welcome. If there is a certain diet you would like me to try, let me know. If you would like to see something specific covered, comment. I look forward to hearing from you. And I look forward to being able to say, THE GUT IS GONE!!!
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