When was the last time you did something just for you?
If you’re like most of us, that answer is hard to come up with. I’m not talking about getting your hair done or buying that latte when you probably shouldn’t have. I am talking about doing something that has a profound impact on your daily life. Low carbing could be that “thing” for you. We are all getting older, but don’t you want to do it in style and on your own terms? Being healthy is the ultimate way to get your life together, and doing it for you is the only way you will ever stick to any lifestyle change.
Face it, we all want to be beautiful, but really beauty comes from within.
All the bottles and super sounding miracle creams that are thrown at us daily aren’t really going to do anything. What you need is a healthy, strong body that’s full of energy and glows with your own natural beauty. We are so busy these days that we have forgotten that being healthy is just as important as meeting a deadline. So what are you waiting for? Make a stand. Join our low carb challenge.
Healthy sounds good, right? But I also hear you saying it’s probably too hard, and you don’t know where to begin.
The good news it’s really easy to get started! We are on week seven of the Feminine Collective Low Carb Challenge. You’ve been reading the articles and thinking about joining in, so what are you waiting for? This is your life, the only one you get. Why waste another day feeling crappy about yourself? Take the reins, take control and take your life back. It’s easy and not too late. You can get started in just a few easy steps.
First, I can’t recommend it highly enough that you pick up the book we are using for our low carb lifestyle.
I can’t stress enough how much this book has changed my life. It’s called Fat to Skinny by author Doug Varrieur. It’s a quick read, but will make your new low carb lifestyle really come to life. It explains the horrors of sugar and how other foods break down into sugar, foods you would never expect. It will also help motivation you to take the plunge, and get healthy.
Next take a selfie.
Yes, I said a selfie but not just of your face – a full body selfie. Your changes will happen fast, and you’re going to want to show your friends where you started and how far you’ve come. Month by month, take a new photo so you can document your weight loss. It’s a great way to look back and see all the progress you’ve made.
Now you just need to know the rules.
These are our low carb holy grail, or so to speak. If you follow them faithfully, I promise you will be amazed at how quickly the extra pounds just slide off of you.
- Rule Number 1: You are allowed 20 net carbs a day, you can use those 20 carbs on anything you feel like eating, but there is one catch. No one item can have more the 2 grams of sugar per serving.
- Rule Number 2: This is not a diet; it’s a lifestyle. You can’t “kind of” do this program. If you do, you won’t lose anything. You have to do it every day and stay at 20 net carbs or under to be successful.
- Rule Number 3: Eat because you’re hungry … not because it’s the time of day you normally eat. This is a huge, and one most people have trouble with. We are so trained to eat at certain times of day, whether we’re hungry or not. On Fat to Skinny we learn to listen to our bodies, let it decide when the right time to eat really is, and not because the clock says noon.
- Rule Number 4: Weigh in as needed, no more. I really dislike the scale, but it’s a necessary evil. Just remember, you are more than the number on the scale. Weigh in weekly, even monthly if you like but no more than that. You don’t want the scale to rule your mood each day. If you follow the program, you will lose.
- Rule Number 5: Diet drinks are okay, but you need water too. Some people can drink diet sodas while low carbing and it doesn’t bother their weight loss, others can’t. So use them at your own discretion. You need to drink water, all through the day. Eight glasses at least, and it really helps to drink a glass before meals to help fill you up.
- Rule Number 6: Sugar-Free candy and foods are great but stay away from them for the first ten days. You’re body needs to get the sugar out, and eating sugar-free foods in the first ten days can hinder that process.
- Rule Number 7: Don’t give in to the crave. You are going to have times when you feel hungry; this again is when you listen to your body. Are you really hungry or is your body craving something? If you’re hungry, grab a low carb snack, if it’s just a craving … realize that and let it go. Those cravings will end once you get through the first ten days of sugar detox.
- Rule Number 8: Empty your cupboards of sugary foods. It is impossible to low carb when your house is full of sugary, carb-loaded foods – especially the first ten days. To be successful, throw it all out. Restock your house with foods you can eat, and there are TONS of them. Hit the grocery store, read all the labels, buy new things, fill up your pantry and fridge with all the fun things you can eat. It’s much harder to mess up when it’s not around!
- Rule Number 9: The half rule. After you get through the first 30 days start fixing yourself two plates for dinner, splitting your meal in half. Eat the first half and wait 15 minutes. If you are still hungry, eat the other plate of food … if not then pass on it. As you continue in this lifestyle, you’ll find you’re not as hungry as you used to be and don’t need as much food to fill you up.
- Rule Number 10: Never be hungry. You are not to starve yourself. We are counting carbs, not calories. If you’re hungry, then eat. Keep snacks in your purse, keep lunch meat roll-ups in your fridge. You need to be eating; there is no time that you should ever feel hungry. This is a lifestyle, not a diet … so don’t think of it as one. You don’t need to feel hungry or left out of meals again.
So are you ready to take the chance and do something just for you? This is your life … this isn’t a dress rehearsal. Make the change today and watch your world change around you. You can do this, trust me. I never thought I could, and I lost over 100 pounds.
Listen, life goes by so fast …why not live it to its fullest? Do this today … do this just for you.
Week 1 – The Rules
Week 2 – Getting Started
Week 3 – Favorite Things
Week 4 – Screwing Up
Week 5 – I Want Candy
Week 6 – Taking Care of You
Week 7 – You Can Do It!
Week 8 – Wine, Beer, Tequila? Definitely!
Week 9 – Carb Creep
Week 10 – Hollywood Eats Low Carb. You Can Too!
Week 11 – Wow! You Did it!
Photo Credit: jumfer via Compfight cc
