New Year’s Resolution

I did a sort of half-assed Atkins this past Fall, giving up sugar and avoiding more than not your usual carbohydrate sources while steering my diet towards high protein intake. As something of a gourmand I tend to eat pretty well unless knowingly indulging in junk food, so the switch wasn’t to legitimize bacon cheese burgers or that sort of nonsense. Nor was the pseudo-Atkins aimed entirely at weight loss; I have lovehandles I could stand to loose but I’m not doing terribly in the weight department. Mostly I was intrigued by the claims of higher, more consistent energy levels and clearer thought resulting from breaking down the sugar and white flour dependencies cultivated by the modern American diet. Giving up sugar was tough, but it went well… at least until I got off the wagon for my mom’s pecan pie at Thanksgiving. Ever since I’ve been looking for a good time to go back on Atkins and do it right.

Induction, the first phase of the diet, starts for me today. The idea is to kick your sugar-burning metabolism over to a fat-burning mode, with the aim of burning off body fat before too long. You actually get to eat pretty well if you take Atkins’ advice and select quality organic food. The limited Induction diet of meat, fish, cheese, and select vegetables lasts for two weeks, at which point culinary horizons expand. By the time I’m back to school at the end of the month I should be able to eat more normally, with a few exceptions. Sugar I’m willing to give up, but caffeine I’ll probably reintroduce to take advantage of my new espresso machine.

For those of you readers who actually know and see me: your patience with my potential fussiness in restaurant selection is greatly appreciated. I hope to see this through for as long as it proves beneficial. Tips appreciated.