The Carb-less Hours

So I've been in a low carb diet for almost 2 months and I lost about 18~20 pounds. It actually seemed easy enough, I guess even though I'm Asian, I'm not as attached to rice as I should be, nor potatoes. Sometimes, I'd want some bread, especially in pastry form and sometimes I'd want pasta. Most of all not eating chocolate is a bitch.

I'm not following Atkins or South Beach to the tee. I still enjoy my onions, carrots and tomatoes. It's hard to imagine eating salad or cooking without them. But I've demonized obvious carbs like sugar and starch and carb heavy veggies like most of the root vegetables and fruits. So every time I have a craving for chocolate and find myself in the supermarket with it in hand wondering if I should buy them because it sounds so good. I make a conscious decision to say no and put it back down. It's not as struggling and strenuous as it sounds, most of the time I've already decided what I'm going to make for dinner or lunch when I'm at home and with a list in hands, it's easy to just get the things on the list and not stray.

In the case of my sweet tooth, I'm finding that sugar-free jello, and diet cherry coke really helps. If not I can always buy a bunch of grapes, it contains sugar of course but it's relatively healthy. I also find the great spaghetti squash which still allows me to make fake spaghetti dishes without the obvious carb, even though squash might still be loaded with sugar, but there's added fiber which is great as well. It somehow became a culinary game for me to think of things I can make without carb and it can be a lot of fun.

Once in a while if I really crave for something, I'd go for it. I took a week off eating junks that I really wanted, like an Italian hoagie or a slice of mushroom pizza, ending up to find out that the real thing is not really as good as how I imagined them to be. Ice cream and french fries on the other hand is every bit as good as I thought they'd turn out. I guess it teaches me something about how my brain works. I don't mind breaking the rules once in a while to take care of my cravings so I can go back to my diet satisfied. I think it's better that way. (I wonder if that would be my attitude towards extramarital sex.)

You understand my motivation is all because of vanity of course, getting healthier is just a nice by-product. If I can lose 15 more pounds, I'd be very happy with myself, but according to this rate I'd probably have to be on the diet for 3 or 4 more months. Maybe starting to exercise would help. Though these few days, I'm having some problems with my right lower back. I wonder if it has something to do with my previous injuries during my aforementioned canoe trip, or maybe the way I sit, or my lack of exercise as is. My uncle started to have a similar problem when he was my age and it's persistent throughout his life. I hope it's not the case with me.