She Loves Me

I stepped out of the shower, and she wasn’t there. Still dripping wet, I grabbed my robe, and went searching. The house was silent and still—I knew we must be alone. I found her in the kitchen. She had been waiting for me.  I rushed to her, picked her up in my arms, and wiped the slightest smudge of jam from her beautiful face.

She was cold to the touch, but soon, I would remedy that. I thought about doing it right there in the kitchen, but I knew a better place, a  private place, one in which we wouldn’t be disturbed. I carried her gingerly through the house, past the dining room, where we had done it once or twice before;  past the living room, where the sofa was in the way the last time, and I even thought about stopping in the hallway, just for a quickie, but it was in the bedroom where we have had the most fun.

She didn’t speak, she didn’t have to, I could see it in her eye—she wanted this as much as I did. I gave her a gentle kiss, and placed her body, ever so delicate, on the floor. My body shivered in anticipation at what was about to happen. I dropped my robe and mounted her, and I could feel the warmth from my body enter hers. I waited for a moment before I looked at her, and before I knew it—it was over.

As she spoke to me with lust still in her eye I let out a scream of ecstasy and delight. “Yes, yes, yes!” I knew then that things between us would never be the same. I knew  that she loved me. On this day, she proved that love by telling me what I had longed to hear—you are you now 220 lbs.

I love my scale.

Terry Elkins (whyguy)

Update: I’ve now down to 168  lbs, and only 8 lbs from my goal.  She still loves me. And I’m still loving Atkins.

Atkins: The Short Version

I am not going to reinvent the wheel by telling you all about the Atkins diet, but I will give you the short version.  Atkins is a lifestyle plan that will help you shed pounds, become healthier, and help you reach your weight loss goals in an easy to learn easy to follow eating plan.  I have been on this plan since January 2, 2009 and in two and one half months I have dropped 35 lbs, lost several inches off every area of my body, and went from a size 42 pants to a  size 38.  I also went from wearing X-large shirts to large shirts.  In addition, my energy is up, and my blood pressure is under control without medications.

But more importantly, I get to eat great food, and am never hungry.

Atkins is a low carbohydrate diet based on the principle of burning fat for fuel as you limit your intake of bad carbs, and increase your intake of good carbs, protein, and fat.  By limiting carb in-take the body goes in a state of ketosis, which is the optimal state for low-carb dieters to be in, when in ketosis your appetite becomes suppressed, and your craving for starches and sugars  are drastically reduced.

I no longer have cravings for any of the foods that made me fat in the first place.  ie, pizza rolls, fast food, chocolate, ice cream, Doritos, etc…

Atkins is flexible, but  it’s  not a one size fits all program.  You will learn what works for you and what doesn’t as you move through the four phases of Atkins…

The four phases:

Phase 1: Induction

This first phase of Atkins is meant to eliminate or drastically reduce your food cravings, and put your body into Ketosis where you will start burning fat for fuel.  This phase will last a minimum of two weeks, but some people choose to stay on this phase longer.  This is the hardest phase of Atkins, but it will jump start your success. This is what you will do on Induction:

• Limit carbohydrate consumption to 20 grams of net carbs.  (Carbs minus fiber equals net carb).
• Satisfy your appetite with foods that combine lean protein and fat, such as fish, poultry, eggs, lamb, pork and beef. While eating limited amounts of hard cheeses .
• You will get eat 12-15 grams of net carbs from veggies.
• Drink at least eight glasses of water daily.
• Take multivitamin/mineral and fish-oil nutritional supplements.
• It is also recommended that you exercise .  ( I don’t do much of this, but don’t tell anybody)

After at least two weeks, you will move on to OWL.  This is the phase I am currently on.  This  is the phase that you will lose most of your weight and learn the most about your food, and how your body reacts to certain food.  Feel free to experiment on this phase of Atkins.  You will stay on this phase until you are within 10 lbs of your goal weight.

Phase 2: Ongoing Weight Loss (OWL)

The first week you’ll increase your daily carb intake from 20 to 25 grams.  The following week you’ll move to 30 grams of Net Carbs per day, and so on.  You will increase your carb intake until your weight loss  slows to one to two pounds per week.  This is purely an individual choice.

During OWL, you’ll find out how many grams of  net carbs you can eat and still lose weight.  You’ll also discover your own Critical Carbohydrate Level for Losing (CCLL).

During OWL, you begin to add a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods back into your diet-such as more non-starchy veggies (e.g., asparagus and broccoli); berries, including raspberries and strawberries; nuts and seeds, such as hazelnuts and almonds; and soft cheeses (e.g., cottage cheese

Phase 3: Pre-Maintenance

When you’re within 10 pounds of your target weight, it’s time to move to Pre-Maintenance.  You’ll stay on Phase 3 until you hit your target weight and maintain that weight for one month.

Each week during Pre-Maintenance, you’ll add 10 grams of Net Carbs back into your diet until you’ve reached your goal weight.  Once you’ve reached your goal weight and have maintained it for at least one month, you will have found your ACE, or Atkins Carbohydrate Equilibrium. This will be the place that you neither gain nor lose weight.

Phase 4: Lifetime Maintenance

Once you’ve maintained your goal weight for one month, you will move on to Lifetime Maintenance.  In this phase, your average Net Carbs will range from 40 to 120 per day.  This number will depend on how your body reacts to food.

I’ve met people on the Atkins forum who eat 120 net carbs a day.  That’s a whole lot of food. I don’t know how they do it. But you gotta love a diet that let’s you eat like a pig.

Now that  you’re  ready to begin, if you want more information I suggest getting Dr. Atkins book Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, 2002 edition or newer, also referred to as DANDR.  Also, check out the Atkins website at http://www.atkins.com/Program.aspx.  This is where I have found most of this information and it is a great place to learn and get support.  I also suggest you join the forum and seek support from those who are going through the same thing you will be.

I use the forum for support, to gain invaluable insights from those who are sharing my experiences, as well as from those who have been doing Atkins successfully for many years.  There are great people on this forum who are more than willing to help you, answer your questions,  and cheer you on.  I am honored to call them my friends.

When you stop by make  sure you tell them Whyguy sent you and that I said hello .  http://community.atkins.com/index.jsp

While my blog will mostly deal with my writing, I will devote a portion of this site to Atkins.  I am not affiliated with the Atkins Company, but I believe in it so much that I am willing to endorse it and give it my support.  As with any diet program, you should consult your physician.

If you have any question for me about Atkins feel free to leave a comment and I will share my experiences with you.

Yeah, I know, I said I would give you the short version, but as you get to know me, you will discover that brevity is not my strong suit.  So sue me.  LOL

Terry Elkins (whyguy)

P.S.  I will be adding tips and strategies that you can use for to help your increase your success on Atkins.  I am currently working on gathering 100 tips to help you succeed on Atkins. Also, I will be posting Atkins succes stories in a section called Snap Shots.  If you would like to be a part of this contact me on this blog page or at telkins7@comcast.net.

I will be posting this soon so make sure you subscribe to my blog and book mark this page.

 

I almost forgot, are you ready to change your life? Come on, what do you have to lose besides those extra pounds.