105 for Life – Low-carbing Month 1
Can’t believe a month has passed since I committed to low-carbing my way to weight loss. Okay, technically, it’s not. I’ve been on low-carb before. But for purposes of this blog, it is my first month on low-carb and it’s novel enough for me to still be marking it with some sort of month-sary.
I know the low-carb way is not for everybody. And I also know that there are many cliches, judgments and very wrong ideas about the lifestyle. I’m not here to disavow any of those notions, but I do realize that I’m putting myself out here as a target knowing there is a lot of opposition to it. I mean, even my beloved Oprah doesn’t like it.
So why have I finally committed to the low-carb lifestyle? Succinctly put in this post from Bill Taylor at the Harvard Business Review (of all places), it’s about sweeping radical changes. To quote the quote he got from another article:
“radical, sweeping, comprehensive changes are often easier for people than small, incremental ones. For example, he says that people who make moderate changes in their diets get the worst of both worlds: They feel deprived and hungry because they aren’t eating everything they want, but they aren’t making big enough changes to quickly see an improvement in how they feel.”
And that’s exactly where I found myself for the most part of the year. I would eliminate junk, or cut back on rice, or be faithful with my walks, but I never saw results quickly enough to merit any long-lasting motivation on my part. In other words, I’d quit after a few days or weeks (without having seen much progress) and eat like s**t for a few days, feel crappy, and then decide that I was losing the weight “in my own time“. Right.
So having spent more than half of the year in this cycle (remember that popular definition of stupidity?), I decided enough is enough. Part of the problem is that I’m always at the pointy end of weight loss. You know how most people need to lose 50-100 pounds (or more). Well I always keep within the range of 20-25 pounds and that’s usually the point where most dieters will see a slowdown in their weight loss. Plus the fact that I am now at the pointy end of 34 as well, so my metabolism is probably not as it used to be (understatement of the year?). And the last time I was low-carbing I was still breastfeeding, so these days I ain’t burning as many calories y’know.
Anyway, the results have been encouraging so far, but not dramatic. I’ve lost about 3 kilos (nearly 7 pounds), and that’s on top of cheating at least twice (they weren’t one-dayers, more like a couple of days in a row) because well, I was still getting used to it and such. And exercise (specifically walking) has not been consistent because of not-so-springy spring weather and just plain lack of opportunity.
So from 58.3 kilos (128.3 lbs), I’m officially down to 55.3 kilos (121.7 lbs). I would have loved to have nailed it at 55 kilos (121 lbs) but it was not to be. I tried this gluten-free low-carb chips last week and tried to spread out the 10 grams of carbs in the packet to 3 days but to no avail. It still stalled me. But they were sour cream flavoured so it was hard to resist. That’s okay. Live and learn.
On to my 2nd month, and I’ve actually kicked it off with a “junk day” on the 2nd day. Not too bad, as I felt I was more in control and I wasn’t looking forward to the crappy feeling I was going to get the next day.
See, the bonus I also get with low-carbing is that I have loads of energy more than when I’m stuffing myself with sugar and carbs, and I never feel faint with hunger — which is never good for a busy mum of 3 active kids who, for the most part, does not have a maid to clean up after the family mess (unless you count hunky hubby’s neat freak clean-ups every night — thanks, baby!).
So as promised, here’s some photos of me in different stages, of course trying my best to look as slim as possible. Hey, you can’t blame a girl for trying!
The first couple of photos were taken about 3 days after I started. So you can imagine I wasn’t feeling so bold and kept the top to a dark purple that slimmed and skimmed over my ‘curves’ (isn’t that the PC way of calling one’s blubber?). Of course, I had to share the spotlight with Megatron — he had a very persistent talent agent!
The next one was taken 2 days shy of my month-sary. I’m wearing one of the Target jeans I had bought a few months back hoping I would eventually fit into it. There’s just a little hint of the paunch (I carry my weight in the middle and on my face! Blame the Asian genes!) but I’m quite proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.
Finally, the last collage are of photos taken on the 24th of September — exactly a month after I started low-carbing. Yee-ha! Wearing a white top now, feeling quite brave, obviously. It’s a spring outfit, but still with jeans on and my recently purchased platform boots that I love, love, love. I’ve still got an excuse to wear it because it is still frickin’ cold in Melbourne!
THE SERIOUS SIDE OF WEIGHT LOSS
I’m still determined to document my journey, until the day I reach my goal weight of 105 lbs. I’ll see what I can do about a better mirror though. My little ten-dollar portable one is pathetic, isn’t it? On to Ikea this weekend to see if I can score a more decent and still relatively cheap contraption.
I have to admit this visual blogging thing is all new to me, and I’ve had to really challenge myself, and part of it has been my motivation to lose weight. I’m not here just to advocate low-carb eating so that I can fit into outfits. That’s a really fun side of it. But more importantly, there’s a very tangible effect of weight loss that is directly related to my self-concept and self-esteem.
Frankly though, I was so scared of posting this because I feel guilty for blogging about weight loss in this day and age. It’s voices from my past telling me it’s wrong to want this, vain and shallow and just that short of stupid. That it’s good to be spiritual and intellectual and moral, but evil to focus on the physical for purely physical reasons. Why?
Because there are fatter people than me. People who need help because they are obese and their health is suffering and they could die any time if they don’t lose weight. Not like me who wants to lose weight so I can fit into my size 8 jeans and look good in photos.
Because there are bigger problems in this world. Poverty. Pollution. Population explosion.
Wars. Natural calamities. Acts of God. And many other unnameable things that happen to people all over the world who haven’t been as privileged as I have been.
Because I’m blessed to be living in the ‘lucky country’ where I don’t need to find a deposit to be treated for urgent medical care. Where I can give birth in the best hospital with the best medical facilities and health professionals — for free. I had my own birthing room with my husband and mum by my side. A room which would have cost me thousands of pesos per hour had I asked for it in the Philippines. Something only the privileged few in the 80 million strong Philippines can only experience. And I’m able to have it here for free.
Voices that say I’m not allowed to have my own little piece of heaven on earth. My own piece of me, that I can say is mine for the sake of it. Not so I can be more efficient, or take care of my kids, or support my husband, or be a good anything else. I want it for the sake of it. Dare I say it, not for utility or necessity but for sheer beauty and lightness. Total vanity, total shallowness, just because. For the way it makes me feel. Like myself again. To just be me. To just be.
Who cares? I do. So onward to the second month!
