Weight Issues, a revisitation

Some of you who know me are aware I used to be the total low-carb addict. In 2002, when I got on a doctor's office scale and was shocked by the number, I went on Atkins, and became a strict low-carb dieter. In 4 months I lost 35 pounds, went down to a comfortable size 4-6, and maintained that weight another 6 months. Until I became pregnant. Low-carb and pregnancy don't mix.

Since having Arabella and Sabine I have struggled with my weight, never quite getting up to my 2002 high, but also never getting back to that Atkins low. It's nearly impossible to eat low-carb with kids in the house, trying to get them to eat a nutritious balance of foods while personally shunning every grain, every sugar. Seriously, who wants to cook a meal for the family that you can't eat?

And then last year, after I got down to what I considered a comfortable post-baby, nearing-middle-age weight (a loose size 8), I realized a few problems I was having with low-carb. And not just the "it's hard to keep it up when I'm feeding my kids pancakes" problems

First, when I was on a low-carb diet for more than three days I became really ... short-tempered. Hostile, even. Any little thing set me off. And when you have two high-spirited young children, being in a hostile and short-tempered state isn't good.

Second, I noticed a connection between low-carb dieting and back pain. I've had back pain most of my life -- I have scoliosis, and not a mild case -- and have done yoga and specific back strengthening exercises for many years. But beginning in 2002 (about 4 months after starting Atkins) I've had several episodes of back pain so intense that I couldn't walk, couldn't sit, and was taking vicodin, regardless of my activity level. Last winter I had another bout of back pain so bad that it delayed a road trip and made the trip back from my in-laws home agony. As soon as I went back to a "normal" diet the pain was gone. I can't prove a connection, but I believe that my diet was to blame. It is known that Atkins and other low-carb diets are hard on the kidneys, and one friend has suggested that the back pain might have been linked to my kidneys being overtaxed.

And since last January my weight has soared. I increased from a size 8 to a size 12 in less than 18 months, and felt uncomfortable in all my clothes. I was asked twice if I was pregnant.

So it is time to do something. Low-carb is out, so I am trying to attack my weight from both ends. I'm exercising at the gym at least 3 days a week and trying to get in 20 minutes of exercise every day. I'm eating a diet that is both lower in fat and lower in calories as well as higher in whole grains. It's closest to the Sugar Busters diet that many people in New Orleans used when Michael and I lived there in the 90's. So far I've lost 3 lbs and I've noticed I feel better.

And best of all, this is a diet that I can share with my kids, and not be eating differently than the rest of my family.

p.s. The books I'm using a references are The Carb Lover's Diet put out by Health Magazine, and Eat This, Not That, 2011 edition.