Jersey Girl Shake It For Me: Part Deux

I haven't written in a little over a week because I have been focusing on my health. Since I was 11 years old, I have been struggling with my weight. I was never an overweight child, I just had some extra that could go, maybe 10 or 15 pounds. By age 12, I hit my goal weight of 120. I should also mention that I am 5'5'' so 120 is ideal for me. I was extremely active, I rode my bike everywhere, walked, ran, and many other things. The weight kept coming off until I was at an unhealthy weight of  108. My body was shutting down. I was eating and all that. I never once starved myself or threw up. I just didn't understand how to maintain. I was told to put weight on.

By the time I was in high school I was about 130, which is perfectly fine, but that 130 turned into 140, that 140 turned into 150, and I was HUGE! It was bad. By my sophomore year I maintained 135, and then by  my junior year I was 127 and I stayed there until my junior year of college, that's when I blew up to 145, and then 150 again. 

At 21 years old I weighed 165 pounds. None of my clothes fit. I was drinking heavily, I ate nothing but crap, and I was in a bad place in my life. I ate and drank my feelings. I let another person get so deeply under my skin that it became detrimental to my health. My senior year of college, I went on Nutrisystem. It worked wonders. I went from 165 to 140 in about three months. I felt fantastic. Unfortunately,  I couldn't afford Nutrisystem anymore, so I had to cancel it. I maintained my weight, but I wanted to lose 15 more pounds. I was stuck at 140. When summertime came, I gained about 10 pounds from going out every weekend and not hitting the gym like I should have been. Once I changed my habits in late July, I got back down to 140. Again, I was stuck.

My weight has fluctuated since September, and finally I had enough, I broke down to my mother. I wanted to know why I still carried this extra weight, She told me it seems like I was eating an over abundance of carbs. She suggested I try Atkins. It worked for my uncle and he has maintained his health and weight for over 10 years. I decided to do my research. I read Dr. Atkins book, googled different blogs, different reviews, and finally I decided this was for me. I do not use Atkins products other than the book Dr. Atkins wrote himself. Everything I do is clean. I make all my own food, and I follow Atkins strictly.

I have officially been on Atkins two weeks. I feel wonderful. I'm never starving, always satisfied, never stuffed, and I have already lost 13 pounds and three inches from my waist. A typical day for me is this:

Breakfast:
3 Eggs scrambled with either Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese
2 slices of bacon

Snack:
Half an Avocado or full fat String Cheese

Lunch:
I always have spinach and arugala with the occasional cucumber
Steak, shrimp, tuna salad with mayo, or Tilapia
Caesar dressing or Buffalo Bleu Cheese dressing

Snack:
2 hard boiled eggs

Dinner:
Spinach
Steak, Tilapia, or Flounder with drawn butter

I never feel starved or deprived. The first three days were hard because I was going on a sugar crash. I was addicted to carbs and sugar. Sugar turns into fat, so I'm sure a bulk of this weight loss is because of no sugar. I ate A LOT of candy. I love Bottle caps, lollipops, and chewy sweet tarts. It wasn't rough, but I was getting a sugar crash headache. Eventually I got over it, and I began feeling immaculate every day. 

The reason I feel Atkins is the best choice for myself is because it gives you the tools to maintain your weight and health for the rest of your life. I need that maintenance  I need it because I'm tired of the yo-yo. I'm done. I will be successful in this and I will be able to sit here and say I DID IT.   I plan on documenting how this goes for me. So far I am on cloud nine. I would like to stay that way for the rest of my life.

Ask, Believe, Receive,
Julie Catherine