I posted a couple of weeks ago - so here's an update which I think is a
bit more encouraging.
I've cut my alcohol consumption to virtually nil. Carbohydrate
consumption very low - no bread, no potatoes, no flour, no chocolate,
no cakes, no biscuits, no pasta, no pastries, no rice. I've even
thrown out all the carrots from my fridge.
Diet now consists mainly of good quality meat/fish/poultry. Nuts.
Olives and olive oil. Cheese. Eggs. Avacadoes. Salad greens and
leafy (not starchy) vegetables. Small amount of fruit but favouring
berries rather than tree fruit since I understand that they contain
less sugar. Not eating bananas, oranges, peaches, etc.
Not much butter or cream. When I fry, I tend to use olive oil rather
than butter - and most of the butter I ate previously was spread on
bread so obviously as one diminished so did the other. I have eaten
perhaps 2-3oz of butter in a month.
I have lost weight and inches. In a month my waist has shrunk by
around an inch and my watch strap is a little looser (for what it's
worth). My calorie consumption is around 2000 per day (previously I
reckon around 3000). Moreover, my appetite is nicely in check - I
don't feel hungry at this sort of level.
The headaches and light-headedness that I experienced in the first 10
days have completely disappeared.
Now the last posting I placed saw lots of people asking "which plan is
this - is it Atkins, South Beach, Protein Power, etc.?" The honest
answer is that perhaps it's none of these things precisely - it's
simply my view on what is a sensible eating plan. I have the Atkins
book and although I guess it's similar to that, I'm tending to shy away
from butter and cream (rightly or wrongly).
I've also - for reasons unrelated to any of these - had a blood test
and a urine test in the last week. All normal. Liver function is
fine, no sugar in the urine and a "trace" of ketones (whatever a trace
means). My doctor was perfectly happy with all of that, which I guess
is reassuring. At some point soon I'll get my blood pressure and
cholesterol/triglyceride levels checked.
Grateful for any comments - does this seem like decent progress or
should I expect more?
Alan.