Morbid Obesity!

That's what my doctor called it when I went a pound over the line from just plain over-weight. I've decided on a plan of action to get back to my ideal weight, which I was at before changing jobs to a sedentary one from a job where I had to walk a few miles a day in a Supercenter over 200K sq/ft. My feet feel better but my waistline doesn't. I've reviewed many diet products on my site and for me the majority I am unable to take due to prescription conflict (I can't even use Genseng) for my blood pressure. I took my own column advice and DID check with my doctor and I'm glad I did. I don't want to trade one problem for something more serious. I did take some earlier positive steps and went on Chantix. I'll be celebrating my second full year of being Marlboro free(I quit with ease after one week w/o cravings or withdrawl) on Cinco de Mayo (something easy to remember). One issue down and one to go!

I dug out my copy of a great book my doctor in Massachusetts referred me to (he told me to buy it and bring it to him to see for himself that I did buy it) read cover to cover. Surprisingly, I did read it and it made so much sense that I followed the diet and I lost a sh**load of weight in a fairly short time with no ill effect, sans one! The diet book I'm referring to was published in 1996 and authored by Drs. Eades and Eades (Michael and Mary) and was a New York Times Best Seller. The book I'm referring to I Protein Power and is what the popular Atkins Diet is based on - high protein/low carbs. That's right, low not no carbs. You need carbs to live, just not as many as we tend to consume. I usually work protein shakes into the mix to boost the protein intake but the bars tend to be VERY chewy and somewhat 'gritty' to the palette. It's a 'makes sense' diet that's not hard to do which brings me back to the ill effect I mentioned earlier. That effect is Ketosis. It's something you WILL experience on this diet at the point you will come to know as the day you started burning your fat off.

Ketosis.
Definition: A stage in fat metabolism which is stimulated primarily when the liver is low on glycogen (stored glucose), although some is happening continually. The breakdown of fats in this process results in three different molecules called “ketones” or “ketone bodies”, two of which (acetoacetate and ß-hydroxybutyrate) can be used for fuel by most tissues of the body. Some tissues, such as the heart muscle, prefer ketones to glucose. The third ketone, acetone, cannot be used by the body and is excreted in the urine and breath. The Atkins approach encourages people to monitor this process by testing their urine with a strip called Ketostix (brand name for a product made by Bayer).

Important Note: Ketosis is not the same thing as Ketoacidosis, a dangerous condition that can occur in diabetes.

I never used the stick tests because of the third ketone listed above. Your breath gets BAD! This can be handled using a decent sugar free mint. I have to mention here that this is the stage I disliked and loved at the same time. I disliked the malodorous breath but loved the fact that it was fat being burned off me that I was smelling. Actually, it's not as bad as it sounds but it is a surprise when you first notice it. I honestly lost a lot of fat weight and in turn was feeding my muscle tissue with the protein. One last thought if you have no dietary restriction, either religious or vegan. How can you not like a diet that lets you eat as much bacon as you want? Watch the nitrites in most bacon though!That's another story for someone else to write.

For those of you so inclined to partake of this diet, please send me some feedback on your progress. I'll be posting my start weight and will post my progress through the weeks to come. I don't mind spending money on smaller clothes, the bigger sizes are the heart-breaker!