So, 28 days ago, after not being able to put on two different aticles of beloved clothing, I said to myself, “okay-now that just won’t do. Time to try something radical”. Mr. Singular has been on Atkins since mid-January and lost 50 pounds, and I was avoiding it because I just had too much else on my plate-or so I thought, until the contents of that plate finally forced me out of my jeans. So I did it, on my own terms. That means I will not keep a tiny little notebook with everything that passes my lips diligently recorded, and I will not measure every vegetable I eat. Mr. Singular, AKA the Carb Nazi, does this, but he also works at home and has the luxury of time and minimal distractions and deadlines. I do an 11 hour day at work, with a 45 commute either way, and I just wasn’t willing to add another dimension of responsibility to my schedule.
So, Atkins: this means for the last 4 weeks I have had no pasta, potatos, fruit, juice, caffeine, milk, bread, chips, beans, corn, crackers, sweets or alcohol in any form. I have not weighed myself in 2 weeks, due to a sudden overtime push at work that has kept me from the gym and the scale, but in the first 2 weeks I lost 8 pounds, and I now fit back into the clothes that started this whole thing. Mr. Singular mentioned last night that my face and torso are noticably smaller, so I’m hoping today’s preswim weigh-in will be a pleasant experience.
So here’s my not-quite-a-dilemma: for the past god-knows-how-many years, it has been my habit to have a bourbon and soda or two at the conclusion of my long day. This is a small luxury I thoroughly enjoy. I also usually have wine with dinner or in the evening on weekends (I don’t ususally eat dinner during the week). I have always wondered if I would have any trouble stopping-occasionally I told myself I would do it, only to be confronted with some traumatic crisis at work that prompted the Leslie Neilson “guess I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue” reaction-I decided that day was too lousy a day to quit drinking. But for some reason giving up everything seemed to take the pressure off giving up drinking, and I never had a moment of discomfort or overwhelming urges, no trouble getting to sleep, no shakes, nothing. My father is a recovering alcoholic on a grand scale, so I know all the dirt about what to look for.
So here’s the dilemma. I wanted to celebrate this accomplishment with a drink. I don’t think this is self-defeating-I didn’t really set out to sober up, it was just a by-product of the diet. However, bourbon and soda has no carbohydrates-the only drawback is that my body will work on burning up the alcohol before it gets back to burning the stored fat. But I feel like I’m doing something wrong. Is it just making myself feel unnecessarily guilty? There are many people who drink on Atkins and still lose or maintain, they just don’t do it on induction. The induction phase was supposed to last 2 weeks, but I’m fairly comfortable on it, and the only thing I want to add is the bourbon (until berries are in season-then our walk through the park always end with purple tongues and baggies full of purple treasures-thank Og berries are relatively lo-carb).
So since this isn’t such a big deal, why does this feel like a big deal to me?
If it’s a big deal that might be a sign. Maybe there’s some non-food or drink way you could reward yourself?
Probably from the inner fear of alcoholism that stems from your father’s problems, same source for the feeling that you felt when you stopped drinking a month ago, looking for signs of withdrawal.
I’m not an alcoholic, but I was a problem drinker. I decided to stop, because, as I told friends this week, zero is an easy number to keep track of. (I lost 20 pounds)
If you feel comfortable with a bourbon, have at it. But don’t until you ARE comfortable with it.
Thank you, ShibbOleth and UncleBill!
Well, it has come and gone, with no fanfare. Saturday night I had 2, and Sunday night I had one, and I don’t anticipate having another one till next weekend. I found I get a little bit more accomplished on weeknights without it, and actually it was just force of habit that sent me directly to the cabinet when I got home. So I guess I just finally cut back! Yay me!
Interestingly enough, I went into a higher level of ketosis this morning than I was at all week, so apparently it didn’t do any damage to the diet, either.
Singular1 - I am about to go full boar atkins to loose the 25 pounds I gained this year. I am very excited. Like you, I have a Drink - Vodka Soda and a lime when I get home, usually to take the edge off. Force of habit takes me to the cabinet when i get home, and with dinner. I’m not an alcoholic by any means, but I would like to find some other reward, or way to dull the edge when I get home. I have never been a beer drinker, and I stopped smoking pot when I was in College, 92’. I guess fitting back into jeans that haven’t fit for a year, is reward enough.
What do you think? How are you feeling?
I just started feeling better-I think it took so long to start feeling better because for during that 4 weeks I was plagued by an abcessed tooth and a 2-hour root canal, followed by a week on antibiotics, which I think left me pretty worn down. I was pretty pleased to find out I didn’t need that drink! I didn’t come up with an alternative, though, I just went about my evening without the cocktail. But I think you and I are fortunate in our choices of drinks-bourbon and soda and vodka and soda are both 0 carbs, so after you get off induction, you should be able to indulge without a lot of damage.
I do fit into the pants I couldn’t fit into a month ago, and I really feel totally different about how I eat now-I don’t even really crave carbs like I thought I would. Be sure and check out the Atkins web site -there are a lot more foods available to you while on induction than you realize, which is why I’m pretty much sticking with induction until more fruits are in season! Never woulda thought I wouldn’t mind not eating pasta, rice, crackers and bread, but I’m actually doing okay! Good luck-your loss should be much quicker than mine, since you’re so much younger and your metabolism is undoubtably much better than mine! I think you’ll be surprised at how easy it is!