When I started doing the Atkins diet, I jumped in with both feet. My interest in losing weight, as quickly as it was safe to do it, was a big focus. I never actually read the Atkins book. Since then, I have skimmed over some of it. It turns out that I am not doing this diet exactly right.
Once I commit to a particular goal, I give it everything I’ve got. While I sometimes do a little bit of research before I make the decision to embark on a potentially life changing journey, this is not often the case.
My husband and I moved from the Midwest to the West Coast in a matter of months, after I could no longer deal with the thought of putting up with another “Chicago Winter”. He and I got married within a week of deciding that we wanted to, (and we did it at the courthouse). I am not one to hesitate once I’ve decided to do something.
This is probably why I didn’t sit down and read over the entire Atkins book before starting the diet. I read some websites about the diet. I talked with a few people who I knew had either done this diet in the past, or who were on the Atkins diet at that time. I glanced over the Atkins website, and skimmed certain parts of the book. I figured that would be enough.
It turns out that I missed some information that might have been good to know about. Somewhere in the beginning of the book, it says that people should use a cloth tape measurer. You are supposed to measure the distance around your waist. It might say to measure your arms and legs as well. This is something I completely neglected to do.
The purpose of all this measuring is to give you more perspective about the success of your diet. The scale might be “stuck” at a certain number for a while. This could make a person think that the diet isn’t working. If you use the tape measurer again, though, it could reveal that you have lost some inches, (even though the scale says you are at the same weight).
The book also says that one way to figure out if you should stay in the Induction Phase, or if you should move on to the OWL Phase is if your are in ketosis. Apparently, there are some ketosis strips that a person can use in order to make this discovery. These are basically litmus strips that are placed into a sample of a person’s urine. If the strip turns purple, then you are in ketosis.
I never bothered to do this. From what I have heard, these strips are expensive. If I had read the book in the first place, I probably would have made the same decision, and not used the ketosis strips. Either way, I clearly am not doing this diet exactly as I was supposed to be.
I am doing this diet wrong in other ways, too. If there is a food that I am supposed to be eating, and I am allergic to it, I have either been skipping it, or substituting it with one I can eat. Somewhere along the way, I stopped counting carbs. I have yet to begin doing any type of exercise. I am doing the Atkins diet wrong. Or, maybe I’m doing “Atkins Light”. Am I even on this diet anymore?
Image by Louise Docker on Flickr