Hi friends,
I've been pretty honest with you all about my struggles with my weight, so I just wanted to share what I've been trying this week. I went low-carb this week. I can't believe I finally found the courage to at least try it. I didn't completely cut out carbs, or even go as low as some of the low-carb diets push for. But I did cut out white sugar and flour, most fruits, and chocolate. After a week, I am noticing a weight loss. Not as much as I had hoped for, but four pounds nonetheless. I am noticing less hunger between meals. Fewer cravings.
But I'm kind of worried about it too. First of all, I know that diets don't work in the long run. It has to be a lifestyle thing. So, could I eat like this forever? I don't think so. It's hard work to plan for and execute meals like this. So what happens when I start adding carbs back in my diet? Do I gain it all back?
Secondly, I'm afraid it won't really work. With hormone problems, weight loss has always been difficult for me. Sure, I lost some the first week, but will the hard work continue to pay off now that the water weight is off?
Third, I'm not sleeping good this week. I'm not sure if it's related, but nonetheless, it worries me.
Fourth, I know enough to know that the food is not really the issue for me. It is my addiction to the food. Food is my comfort, my reward, my hiding place. So if I lose weight being really rigid about a food plan, aren't I just substituting one addiction for another? Will it stay off if I don't address the stuff behind it? I've read a lot of diet books. (That's what we readers do when we have a problem. Buy a book about it!) I've read a bunch of the kind that promote not dieting, but instead learning to eat like a "skinny person." How do I know that this approach wouldn't be better for me? It would allow me to eat "normal" within the constraints of hunger and fullness and learn to address the emotional eating.
Any thoughts?
You know the law of diminishing return? That's what I struggle with in the world of diets. How much effort will intersect with the reality of the payoff? And will it be worth it?
Please keep praying for me in this area.
