I hit a major stumbling block at the end of week five that previously would have made me quit. Read on to learn what I actually did.
Planning: While looking to increase my recipes for food without flour and sugar, I was led to a Facebook group called TypeOneGrit. This is a group of people who have Type One Diabetes (T1D) and follow Dr. Bernstein’s diet to help regulate their blood sugar. The people in this group keep their blood sugar level by eating under 20 carbs a day. This group was so positive, and I was excited about the possibility of my daughter, who is T1D, having better blood sugar control through diet vs. insulin. I decided I would give it a try myself because it wasn’t that much different from what I was already doing.
As I started looking for recipes, I was brought to websites that promoted a Low Carb High Fat Diet or LCHF. People get amazing weight loss results eating this way, and I was intrigued. I already ate a high fat diet, so I figured this would be a good for me. I started collecting recipes and trying all sorts of new dishes. Since cheese has low carbs, a lot of recipes relied heavily on cheese to make them filling. The food was heavy, but it was good and everyone enjoyed the meals.
Vitality: Week 5 was my third week eating LCHF, and I started to breakout. This was disheartening because throughout this process my skin had cleared from the original breakout and was looking good.
Weight Loss: When I weighed myself at the beginning of Week 6, I discovered that I had gained back all the weight I had lost. This was majorly disappointing, and I really wanted to quit. I hadn’t had sugar or flour in five weeks, and I had nothing to show for it. Where to go from here?
Good Choice: I felt like dairy was the culprit, so I started limiting the dairy and eating more carbs. However, the carbs I ate continued to be whole carbs like rice and potatoes. I also started making dandelion root iced tea, which really helped me detoxify. By midweek, the weight gain was gone, and the acne was in recession.
Bad Choice: I was encouraged by this progress, and I decided I was going to have some chocolate. A student of mine had given me a box of Godiva chocolates right at the beginning of this journey, and they had been sitting on the counter for weeks. I had planned to pass them on, but I kept forgetting. I made a conscious decision to eat chocolate and savored and enjoyed every bite. They were delicious, but I certainly wasn’t blown away by the experience. That night I didn’t sleep as well, but other than that I didn’t feel like I had any adverse reactions.
More Bad Choices: The next day we were celebrating my husband’s birthday. I had a couple bites of frosting as I made his cake. We enjoyed some lovely cheese and crackers before dinner, and then I ate ice-cream. I felt uncomfortably full and was kept awake for hours while my poor body tried to process all the sugar and flour. Then the next day that same box of chocolates that had sat quietly on the counter for weeks was so tempting. I kept swooping in and grabbing just one more chocolate. Then the justification chatter returned. Once these chocolates are gone, then I will be able to eat moderately. As I really thought about it, I knew this was not true. For me, being an abstainer really is the easier road. The sleepless nights and return of the cravings are enough for me to comprehend that a life without flour and sugar is better for me. Sometimes when we are trying to break a bad habit, it is not until we add it back into our life that we see clearly how well we were doing without it.
Weight Loss: Even with this digression, my weight loss is now seven pounds.
Good Choice: At the beginning of my Week 7, I recommit to a sweet life without flour or sugar with small amounts of dairy. This is the right decision for me.