For the past four weeks, I've been enduring a lifestyle change of sorts. I don't like to call them "diets" because that suggests their temporary. "I'm going on a diet" will eventually lead to, "I'm going off a diet." The first pregnancy, Nikki was sick for virtually all of the pregnancy, leaving piles of uneaten food behind. After all, the last thing you probably want to do after vomiting is finish the other half of what just came up. The solution? My gullet. While she only gained about 30 pounds throughout the entire pregnancy (10 of which were Hayden), I gained 25.
The men in my family weren't what you would consider the healthiest specimens in the world. High-blood pressure, diabetes, the list goes on. I don't want to be another statistic. I had just turned 30 and was heading down a bad path healthwise. I saw a friend who wanted a "diet" partner, someone to motivate and be motivated by. I threw my name in because I had been thinking about it for awhile and decided why not now? We gave ourselves the weekend to finish up eating whatever we wanted and decided on a Monday morning start. I decided to go the low-carb route which I have done before and had success with. It doesn't involve counting calories, which can be a huge deterrent for most people.
I cut out sugar and starch. Plain and simple. Sounds easy, right? Wrong. You don't realize what types of food you surround yourself with until you start this di- err....lifestyle change. The thing is, every aisle is packed full of cereal, chips, pasta, bread, cookies, flour, sugar, etc. I started out by reading most of a book by Dana Carpenter. She has been through the diet and knows the ins and outs of what you should and should not eat. I don't want to bore you with the details of it or how it works (you can call me or google the facts) but once you're on it for two to three weeks, it becomes easier and easier. If you go off of "the diet" the weight does come back...and then some. But it boils down to your self-control and where you really want your body to be.
The last month has been filled with family gatherings, birthday parties, dinners out, and other opportunities to hop back on the carb wagon. I have resisted. I feel stronger this time around than the previous time. I lost about 30 pounds the last time I went low carb. Then...I ate whatever I wanted again. This time, there is no turning back. The stakes are higher now.
My diet for a typical day would look something like this: Breakfast consists of 4 eggs, scrambled and topped with sour cream and salsa. Lunch would be a salad topped with chicken and a light dressing. It could also be chicken salad made with canned chicken, mayo, mustard, pickles, salt and pepper. Dinner is some kind of meat in various forms. Sometimes a plain hamburger with cheese, sometimes chicken seasoned with lemon pepper. Snacks like pickles and lunch meat or a stick of string cheese keep me on track.
It definitely limits what you can eat, but the benefits are that I have more energy. I ran 4 miles this weekend. Also I don't get hungry as often. Eating carbs is like eating gas for energy. It burns off quick and then you crash (sugar crash anyone?) and your brain says you need more. The protein I take in acts as a slow burning fuel and keeps me going.
Now it's well-known that men lose their weight at a much more rapid rate than their female counterparts. It relates to our biology and basically, women keep weight on better because they are wired to grow other humans in their body. They need nutrients and body fat for that. That can frustrate women to no end. It can be the main deterrent for women who want to lose weight. My advice is to stay vigilant. Keep at it. You will get there!
This post doesn't seem like it relates to the pregnancy at all, but it does. I want to be able to be around for my kids and be able to do things with them for a very long time. My health and well-being is key to that goal. I started my journey at 245 pounds on May 26th (28 days ago) I'm about halfway to my goal at about 225 pounds now. My goal is to be about 195-200 pounds when it's all said and done. Then I start maintenance. No more pigging out at all hours of the day. I need to do this not only for me, but for my wife, Hayden and the new baby. They will be able to count on daddy being around for a long time to come.
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