Hello. I'm new here. I hope I can join and get some information and support.
About me: I have two littles, a girl who's 5 and a boy who's 3. They keep me busy, as does my work. I'm an analytically-oriented psychotherapist. I only work PT, but in combo with raising kids, it's quite a handful. DH is a kind, supportive hubby and dad.
After DC #2, I lost a ton of weight doing low-carb. But, as life becomes complicated, it all crept back on, and I've packed an extra bit on in the past year. Some months ago, I did another round of low-carb, and beyond the first 10 lbs, nothing was moving, nomatter how strict or restrictive I was. Needless to say, I abandoned that right quick 'cause truth be told, I am just not very happy eating eggs and mayo and meat and more meat and a bit of vegetables here and there. I get very sad when I can't eat my fruits.
I have the book E2L, have had it for some time now. I made one attempt at doing 6 weeks a while back, but didn't have success sticking with it. I'm hoping I will have success this time because, frankly, the idea of doing low-carb ever again just doesn't sit well with me. It's not that I think it's particularly unhealthy, but rather I don't like the idea of eating all those meat products all the time.
I've been thinking about what went awry last time I attempted E2L, and here's what I've come up with:
1) I have a really hard time, especially during cold weather seasons, eating cold food like salads. I'm not much of a salad lover to begin with, but during winter it's doubly difficult.
2) I have to have my morning cup of coffee with milk in it. I buy the most "close to nature" kind of milk, raw, from pastured cows. Any plan that demands that I abandon my morning joe will eventually be a failure.
3) I have issues with nuts. I like them too much. I know the idea behind it is to get the right amount of healthy fats in the diet on a daily basis. But, I am not someone who can eat 11 nuts and walk away. So, I'd much prefer to use an equivalent amount of really good, clean, organic EVOO on my salads. That's the other thing, cold salad without a bit of EVOO just doesn't cut it for me. And the whole raw cashews in a food processor idea... nope.
4) Going totally salt-free doesn't work for me. In this sense, I like the MacDougall diet's approach. Don't cook with salt, but sprinkle a little on your dish if you like. I, personally, don't think salt is the evil it's made out to be, especially if one uses the really good grey Celtic varieties, but moderation also never hurts.
5) Also, because I'm used to the quick drop in numbers that low-carb produces, it's hard for me to get into a "long-term" mindset. But this has been a huge stumbling block for me in the past, and it's something I have to work through.
I gave the book to DH yesterday (he's an MD) and had him read the relevant parts. He seems to be supportive of my delving in, although I don't think he'll join me. But that's OK.
I just had an amazing breakfast of 1 cup of cooked whole oats (I soaked them overnight in water with a couple of tbsp of whey), and a ripe organic banana sliced over it. It was quite yummy. I'm planning to go ahead and soak some black beans to make a "smoky beans" soup for later on. While I'm not crazy about salads, I do like slaws, and I have some great slaw recipes that I'm planning to tinker with to see if I can make them more E2L style (less oil, even though slaws are generally low in oil, like 1 tbsp for a half head of cabbage). I like slaws 'cause they keep in the fridge and improve in flavor. A favorite E2L-style snack/salad for me is grated carrots with apple or pear chunks. Yummmm. I'm feeling kinda excited about this!
I know some people do a grain-free version of E2L, and I'm considering that. I'd rather not go there, especially since I really only need to lose about 40 lbs. I'm wondering if any of you mamas have done grain-free and what your experiences have been.
