Eating to Lose

Since starting phentermine, I've been eating in a lower carb, very unstructured way, without counting calories or carbs. I think it's great that I can do this! I know that I might need to start tracking once I stop the phentermine; I will probably try NOT counting for awhile and see if I keep losing, but start to track if I stall. You know how I feel about tracking! For now I am just really finding it easy most days to eat less and make lower carb choices. (Note: in the past, I have found that if I eat lower than about 50g carbs/day I do not feel well. I feel tired and gross. I do best eating 70-100g carbs/day, so I am probably staying around that range naturally now.) I do eat carbs when I feel like it. I listen to my body and am learning when it is telling me what to eat. If I start to get a headache or feel a little lightheaded, I need carbs. If I am hungry in my stomach, I need protein. I actually crave salt sometimes and go for bacon or salted meats or nuts. And when I crave something sweet, I have fruit or a piece of dark chocolate. I sometimes crave vegetables but usually I just put them into my meals because I know I should, they are healthy, they are filling, and I like them.

I go out to eat at friends' houses sometimes and go to potlucks and other events where meals are provided, and I just love making them work for me! It's so much easier than when I was gluten free (and couldn't eat anything that even TOUCHED bread or noodles or a crouton), had to read labels, was counting and measuring and had whole categories of food that were restricted. I'm trying *not* to restrict whole categories anymore, because that has backfired on me in the past. "No cake again ever in your entire life" or "no chips ever no matter what" always set off this sadness about those foods and ended up with me eating them as soon as I had an "off" day on whatever diet I was on. It just doesn't help me to restrict like that. Now, I can eat any food I want to eat, but the portions have to be really small and limited if it is high carb. Like this week. I went to dinner and the main course was pasta with thick meat sauce. Thankfully, the pasta and sauce were served in separate bowls so I could easily limit my carbs. They also served garlic bread, cake, and cookies. So, I had to choose which carb I really would enjoy. I chose a very small portion of noodles, about 1/4 cup, and topped it with a large ladle of meat-rich sauce. That, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, and a large green salad on the side, made a wonderful dinner! Instead of the carby desserts I chose the side dish of baked apples. The fresh apples were tossed in cinnamon and baked low and slow until soft, no sugar needed! This made a wonderful meal. That's how I choose my carbs: small servings of noodles and apples, but no garlic bread or dessert. Works well for me! And it certainly doesn't feel like restriction.

I rarely eat carbs before dinner, but if I do they are usually in the form of sugar free yogurt, cottage cheese, fruits, or vegetables. Not grains and not sugar. I think this balance helps me to stay calm about food and not get those old, crazy ideas in my head that OMG I can never have cake again, I can't eat pasta or potatoes... so I better eat them NOW because I cannot bear to never taste That Thing again. No more emotional, driven eating. Just calm and choices and yes, even a thin slice of birthday cake on occasion (choosing no other carbs at dinner).

I hope this will be the eating plan ("lifestyle") that works for me long term, through weight loss and maintenance. So far, so good! Today the scale says: 231 pounds.






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