So, I have been doing this lifestyle change since the first week in January. I lost 6 pounds the first three days and after that dropped another 5 over the next two weeks. By the end of the month I had officially lost 11 pounds but I was "stuck." Plateau. What an ugly word. I know it is a common thing that happens to virtually everyone who is ever on a diet(or not), but it really sucks. You become obsessed and negative to an extent. For example, by day four I was the biggest supporter of this diet that there ever was. I told EVERYONE about it. In fact, almost everyone I know is now doing this diet to some extent and they are all having similar results as I did. But, by week 4 when I had denied myself every indulgence possible, was maintaining a certain carb count/day and working out consistently yet the number on my scale was not budging I became, well, negative. Isn't it amazing how quickly your mindset can change?
So, I started researching why people plateau, what to do to "break" the plateau and then I considered my options. Option 1: Fast. Hell to the no! I am sorry, but I love food. I cannot go an entire day without eating. That to me is plain stupid. Option 2: Eat straight meat. Really? Option 3: Figure out if there is anything else that you can cut out. I already cut everything minus my coffee creamer out so technically this is not really even an option for me since I will NOT give up coffee or creamer. Option 4: Shut the hell up and be happy that you lost 11 pounds. Not likely. So, I decided to go for option 2. I ate bacon and eggs for breakfast, Tuna from a can for lunch, rotisserie chicken for dinner and repeated the only meat for another day until by dinner time on day 2. I was such a freak from being in ketosis that I was craving veggies like it was no body's business, felt dizzy/nauseous/unfocused and irritable. As lovely as the only meat thing sounded, it sucked. I wasn't hungry, but I was unable to function properly. I did lose 2 pounds in 2 days but the way I felt doing it was not worth the two pounds. Another nasty side effect was that my craving for unhealthy carbs and sweets skyrocketed after doing this and for three weeks I ate like CRAP(cookies, cupcakes, 1/2 a Costco sheet cake)bad,bad,bad Amber(I gained 3 pounds over 3 weeks)! Perhaps I needed to do the only meat thing for longer than two days. I am sure that I read somewhere that going into ketosis makes you feel like I described at first, but after a few days it should level off. I will have to look into that more...but, for now I am sticking to the diet as I did when I first started it.
I truly believe in this lifestyle. I am going to maintain it because I feel great doing it. I sleep wonderfully, I have been less sick over these last two months, I am learning to cook new delicious meals and I see results. I have learned some amazing things about my body and how certain foods will make me feel. The first time I cheated on this diet, I could not sleep that night because my body was literally buzzing. It was so weird. I love having a wonderful network of people(friends/family)who are doing the diet as well because we can all talk about these things, swap recipes and share in each others success. Support is critical in any diet and I am thankful to have a ton of it!
If you haven't heard about this lifestyle and want to learn more about it, go to www.marksdailyapple.com and get your Grok on!
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