Today is Friday January 3rd and I'm a little under the weather. Woke up with a cold and sore throat. Waaaah. But that's okay, I won't let it derail me. I started a diet last Sunday and I've stuck to it all week. So far I've lost 5.4 lbs! My sister joined a program called JumpStartMD up in the Bay Area and seeing her at Christmas inspired me. She has already lost 7.2 lbs in 3 weeks. She has shared all her diet materials with me and it makes so much sense! It's basically a very low to almost zero carb diet. The idea is that if you starve your body of carbs, then it will only have fat stores to use for energy. This is called reaching "ketosis" and it happens after about 48 hours of not eating carbs. This means no pasta, bread or grains.  It's all about proteins and veggies.  And it's also largely about leveling out your blood sugar levels so that you stop the vicious cycle of hunger and sugar cravings.

The Plan says you have to eat breakfast within 30 mins of waking up and then you have to eat every 3 hours thereafter for a total of 3 meals and 2 snacks. You are allowed to have unlimited amounts of lighter lettuce (romaine, iceberg, red leaf), 1 cup of darker lettuces (spinach and kale), eight one-ounce servings of lean proteins, 2 servings of fruit, and 2 whole cups of other veggies (measured raw and not including carrots!). You must drink 8 twelve-ounce beverages (preferably water or zero cal only). Only one caffeinated drink allowed. You should also drink one 8 ounce glass of non-fat milk and take a multivitamin everyday. Moderate exercise only is recommended for the first 6-8 weeks so as to not make you too hungry and derail your diet.

If you stick to the plan, you can lose 10 lbs a month! I'm aiming for 35 lbs. I'm 1/7 the way there 😊 I have to say that so far it hasn't been that hard to stick to the plan and I believe it's because right away my blood sugar leveled out and my cravings stopped.  Crazy! Between hitting a bad number on the scale and being inspired by my sister, this has turned out to be a goo time for me to change my eating habits. Eventually, once I've hit my goal weight, I plan to reintroduce a few carbs back into my diet, but only a few per day. Any more than that and the weight will creep back on.

I can't wait to feel lighter and better.  I'm tired of my pants not fitting. I'm tired of feeling lethargic. I'm tired of having achy legs at the end of the day. I'm tired of going to bed feeling full.  I'm tired of craving sweets and chips and crackers all the time. I'm tired of overheating. I'm just too heavy for my frame.

If you're in a similar boat as me, then feel free to join me on getting healthy and fit once again. It's a lifetime struggle and it's time to get focused. We've done it before and we can do it again.

Are you in?

Cheers! Kathy