Fall Leaves

You Are Changing Leaves

Pretty, but soon dead.

What Part of Fall Are You?

Well, I'm not too sure what I think of "pretty, but soon dead." Maybe the soon dead part strikes a little too close to home for me. I know I've got to get some weight off.

Ok, so here I am setting a goal....75 lbs by the next trip for fall break....which I'm anticipating will be to Disney World. That will have me in Onederland with a little room to spare. I would feel so much better about myself if I know the first digit is 1. I know that I will still have a long way to go, and that part will be disappointing, but all I can do is my best. So, there it is 11 months to lose 75 lbs. That's about 1.5 per week. I know that's pushing for me, but you'll never get anywhere if you don't have a goal, right?

So, that has put me in the mindset of what things have worked for me in the past. Well, a big one is breakfast. I need to eat breakfast. Another thing is low carb. I know that low carb is difficult, and in a lot of ways it makes me sad because it makes me think about my dad, because that was something we did together. I have to get past that though and do what's best. In my reading about PCOS I have found that low carb is an effective way to lose weight with that problem because of the insulin resistance that goes along with it. Some people say it's good for thyroid too. I'm going to start low carb, and eventually increase up to a more balanced, NS style approach.

To help me in this, I went to Sam's Club last night and got a case of Atkins shakes. I think that will work well for me for breakfasts. I've never been much of a breakfast eater. The convenient "grab and go" shake will work well for me I think. Even the NS cereal was always an issue because I never had the milk handy, and if I bought milk, I then had 1/2 carton of milk I didn't quite know what to do with.

Atkins will also take the "too much vs. too little" problem away. With all the categories of food to eat on NS, I was always coming up short. This way, I can take the focus away from that. I've stocked the house with good protein like chicken, eggs, and fish. I've got my good carbs, like lettuce and broccoli. I have the occasional fat like mayo in the house for tuna or chicken salad. The major difference is the lack of bread, and to be honest, I think breads are something I have difficulty controlling.

Desserts are a little more difficult. South Beach has a recipe for "ricotta creme" which would work well for a low carb diet. I also picked up a few Atkins brand bars. I don't "need" dessert anyway. I just like it and I got used to it with NS.

Ok, so here was yesterday....I had a grilled chicken taco salad without the shell. I snacked on a few peanuts, and for dinner I made grilled tilapia with steamed broccoli w/cheese.

Today I'm having an Atkins shake right now. I brought sausage and peppers for lunch, no roll of course. For dinner I will either get some lemon pepper chicken or have leftover fish from last night, and I think either way I'll have it with a salad.

Just to share a recipe idea for anyone who wants it: Mix mayo with parmesan cheese and spread it over the fish and broil it. I've also seen it with spicy mustard and mayo. I usually add some seasoning such as Mrs. Dash. My dad always liked it with both the mustard and the cheese. So, it's not so much as a recipe as perhaps some ideas you can throw together in the kitchen.

I got my flu shot today! Go get yours, it's good for you! Trust me, sickness is not the best way to lose weight.