Goals are supposed to be a good thing. They give you something to strive for and when followed- a sense of accomplishment. However, like my past diet, exercise, budget, gardening, sewing, knitting, cooking and home organizational goals, my writing goal has already been shot to hell. To prevent discouragement and to help me attain my goal, I made a slight change. Instead of everyday it will be to write no less then three times a week.
Speaking of diets, Assman is starting the low carb diet today and asked if I would like to join him. This would be a very tough commitment for me. What feels like forever ago (pre-kids) I very successfully followed the Atkins diet. I lost weight, exercised and most importantly felt great. I had a ton of energy and felt ambitious enough to get up just about every morning and go for a walk/jog.
However, here are a few major food pitfalls that I see right away and probably some of the reasons why that lifestyle changing diet didn't stick with me:
(1) Popcorn. I can't give this up - it's just not going to happen. Last night I had some of Trader Joe's Organic Popcorn with Olive Oil. Even though it was not smothered in tasty, artery clogging butter - it was still delicious and I'm not ashamed to admit I finished off more than half of a pretty big sized bag.
(2) Pilaf. I'm Armenian and I like my pilaf. Mine never comes out as good as my grandma's or nana's, but it's still good and it seems to be a staple in the summer when we bbq.
(3) Ice cream. I love ice cream almost as much as I love popcorn. In fact, I would skip the cookies and cake for a big bowl of cookie dough ice cream. Yes, I know they have low carb ice-cream, but it's just not the same as Edys, Gurnseys or Coldstone.
I just don't think I can, scratch that, I don't want to deprive myself of my favorite foods. Instead, in order for me to lose enough weight so it doesn't look like I'm four months pregnant while I'm in my bathing suit this summer, my diet will consist of portion control and exercising.
Against my better judgment, I've come up with the 30 day challenge. Assman can diet using low/no carbs and I will use portion control and we will see who does better. Now, I say against my better judgment because at the end of this challenge I'm screwed either way. Assman is extremely competitive. So much so he will not even let the kids win an occasional tic-tac-toe game. He rarely loses against me and when he does he is a very sore loser. He's also a sore winner, which is why like in NFL I'm going to institute some sort of penalty for excessive cheering!
Until next time, set an attainable goal and live, laugh, love :)
1 comment:
Men will ALWAYS lose weight & burn MANY more calories at a much faster rate than women in general because men have a much higher muscle to fat ratio in comparison to women who have a higher fat & water to muscle ratio so this 30 day 'competition' is anything but evenly matched. Muscle weighs more than fat & because of that fact, men will without a doubt burn more fat & calories at nearly double the rate of women. While Assman chooses the Adkins plan (or a varied low-carb version) he will inevitably drop pounds at a much quicker rate but the longterm health risks of using a high protein/low carb diet can be counterproductive & come w/its own set of health risks mainly on the heart & cholesterol levels. Not to mention, once he decides he's done w/the plan, his chances of gaining the weight back will be much greater. Researchers have proven that just as fast as the weight comes off on a low-carb plan, it's sure to be put back on at nearly double the rate (or higher). It is a much healthier choice & approach on your part choosing a "lifestyle change" that includes portion control combined with exercise. Overall, your plan will be more effective LONGTERM because you're apt to stick w/this because you'll only be LIMITING your amount of food intake while still enjoying the foods that you like which therefore is a much safer & easier way to keep up w/this change & enjoy it along the way but try not to get too discouraged when the pounds aren't going to drop as quickly as Assmans. Another avenue you both may want to explore in this "30 day challenge" is to include not only the amount of weight lost at the end of the 30 days but the overall health benefits to both of you. I'm sure Assman thinks that this will be a "shoe in" because it's a proven fact that men can lose more than double the weight that a woman can BUT if you were to throw a wrench/challenge into the mix by getting some baseline bloodwork drawn up to truly compare the results of each other's bloodwork results both before & after the 30 days (which will inevitably paint a much broader picture on which plan has made a significant benefit to your OVERALL health), things will definitely be matched up on a more even keel. Just food for thought (no pun intended!) Assman sounds WAY too eager to "invite" you into this "challenge" when for him, it really won't be too much of a challenge to drop those pounds faster and gloat in the process. Yes, the truth of the matter sucks, plain & simple, women do get the shit end of the stick w/this but if you take the challenge to the next level, you may just find yourself kicking Assman's ass! lol Good luck on your endeavor!
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