Inspirations

If anyone out there is reading this -- and if you are new to low carb -- I wanted to introduce you to some fabulous inspirations and important resources that will help you on your journey. The first thing you should do is read at least one of the seminal low carb diet books --- either Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, The South Beach Diet or Protein Power. My personal favorite is Atkins but YMMV. There are a number of fabulous "low carb gurus" -- all of whom you can find online -- who can provide knowledge, ideas and inspiration. My personal favorite is Dana Carpender (www.holdthetoast.com). She is a great lady and has written several incredible cookbooks. Jimmy Moore of www.livinlavidalowcarb. is another one. And don't forget Sugar Free Sheila (www.sugarfreesheila.com). She is amazing and her weight loss story is simply credible.

You may wonder what brought me to low carb? Well I was in shape and athletic for many years but struggled to lose the last ten pounds (I was about 5 foot seven and 140 pounds). In 1998, I hired a personal trainer who introduced me to Akins. Within six weeks, I went from 140 pounds to 120 pounds. Now, that may sound anorexic to you but I was a size 2 and looked great. I eventually went up to a size 4 and maintained that for over seven years.

When I hit my forties, life took a toll (I switched jobs and relocated several times) and eventually I stopped low carbing, which was a big mistake. In 2005, I lost 30 pounds in three months from a combination of low carb diet and moderate exercise. I really believe this is the way to go if you can stick to it and find a maintenance program that works for you. I am trying to find my best route to weight loss and life-long maintenance -- hence this blog.

So dear reader, with that, I leave you with a recipe for Low Carb Lemon Punch (only 6 carbs);

1 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 cup of good quality citrus vodka (I like Stoly Citrus or Ketel One Lemon)
2 cups of water
1/2 cup of Splenda Granular
1 tablespoon of lemon zest

Pour lemon juice into a large pitcher. Add vodka, water, Splenda and lemon zest. Stir and serve over ice with a lemon twist.