Low carbing starts next time I eat!

Low Carb starts now.

I am a failed dieter. In fact, I feel like I have been on a diet every single day since I turned 12. As a result, over time, I have just given up. I lost the will to fight with food every meal of every single day. People really annoy me when they harp on and on about my weight. Every one from work colleagues to schoolyard bullies to doctors and family members, everyone has something to say about what I'm eating. To be frank, they can shove it up their date! What I eat is none of their freakin' business.

That said, I need to lose weight. We all know that. I have PCOS and obesity, diabetes and heart related illnesses are all complications of this condition. If Grace is ever going to have a brother or sister, I'm going to need to lose around twenty kilos (preferably thirty). My endocrinologist told me not to go back to him until I've lost twenty.

Knowing I need to lose weight and the real importance of it, I've been reflecting, thinking, researching, wondering for months. I've looked into Weight Watchers, gastric bands, Jenny Craig, Mass Attack,... After months of thinking, I have decided to do low carb. It makes sense given my PCOS. Any diet that focuses on low fat and allows a lot of carbs in a day just disregards my PCOS and insulin resistance.

So, tomorrow morning I will be having a low carb breakfast and then trying to avoid the yummy morning tea treats at playgroup. I'm working from The Carbohydrate Addicts Healthy Heart book. Their eating plan allows you one meal a day where you can eat some carbs, whatever carbs you like, provided they're balanced with meat and vegetables. As far as I'm concerned, it is a concept I could live with. It takes my keenly developed sense of deprivation and addresses it in a reasonable way by allowing me one treat each day.

I know I can stick to it because I HAVE to. It will require me to give up diet soft drinks (because artificial sweeteners cause an insulin response just like sugar does!). That's going to be hard but I'm sure I'll get used to it. If I really want them, I can have them at my daily reward meal. That's quite reasonable, don't you think? We shouldn't be drinking crap like soft drink all day long anyway. I think this diet just makes sense. It just takes my out of control eating and brings it back to a reasonable level.

Here are some useful links for my benefit. If they help you, then we both win.

• Glycemic Index
• Sugar Science Diet Archive This is the old name for John Ratcliffe's Low Carb diet, one I'm using recipes and taking advice from.
• Empower Foods have a whole lot of low carb versions of yummy treats like muffins and biscuits and even tortillas. I'll suss it out some time soon.
  

I wanted to link to a cool online weight tracker but, so far, I haven't found one. They're all either crappy or they cost cash. Perhaps I'll just set up an Excel spreadsheet to keep track on my PC.

If you get a chance, please say a prayer for my success. This is not weight loss for vanity. It is for life and health and a future,... mine and my children's.