So the journey begins...

290 lbs. You have GOT to be kidding me. A year and a half ago, I had lost 45 lbs, and here I am right back where I started. I don't feel good. I am tired and I get winded walking up the three flights to my Chicago condo. I don't like the way my clothes fit. I took a picture of a new dress to show a friend and hated HATED the photo. Who is this enormous person in my new dress? I didn't look like that in the mirror, did I?

I need to make a change. The calorie-counting and walking that worked so well 2 years ago is not working for me anymore. It is WAY too time consuming.  I have a busier life now. I fell in love. I got a new job. I am taking graduate courses. I am getting married. Who has time to walk for 2 hours a day? Not me. Not anymore.

There is a method I have been avoiding: Atkins. Low-Carb. It seems so counter-intuitive. Yet people seem to have great success at it. A friend of mine was told be her doctor to cut her carbs. Maybe this is a sign that I should too. That's it. Low-carb is my new strategy.

So how many carbs should I be eating? I check the Atkins website and there are two methods (I am not endorsing nor have I been paid by Atkins--it is this first place I thought to start). I chose the original Atkins diet--now called Atkins 20. Okay 18-22 net carbs seems SUPER low. But it is only for 14 days. 25-50 net carbs after that. That seems reasonable. What the heck is a "net carb?" Oh, carb - dietary fiber = net carbs. That's simple enough.

Okay, this is going to take some planning. Eating out is probably not an option for the first 2 weeks, so a lot of cooking too. Pinterest will be my best friend. I have a started a low-carb recipe board. There. That's a start. So the journey begins...