I have reached day 55 on the Carnivore diet. Today my back is hurting a little. I have been doing some back exercises in the gym, and may have pushed a little too hard. There has always been this sharp pain in my lower back for as long as I can remember. It is different from pain resulting in typical soreness after a workout. That is not what I am feeling today.
Other than that, my body feels pretty strong. I did have some upper back and neck pain, other than soreness from working out. That too is a flareup because of the workout. And trust me, I do not lift heavy. The muscles I targeted are barely sore. It may be because of degenerative disc disease.
So, there are different exercises I have to do for these issues. They are exercises I learned at physical therapy. Sometimes those are the only exercises I can do.
I have lost approximately 19 pounds! It is happening slower than I thought it would. However, I am pleased with the rate of loss. I feel it means that I have actually lost or burned fat versus water or muscle mass. Water weight comes and goes very quickly in both directions.
I am eating less because I have less hunger. I do try to eat at least 2,100 calories a day, and more if I can. This is not a diet or restrictive calories. I don’t want my metabolism to slow down.
Before I started, I can remember going to bed with a bloated gut. That has not happened since I started eating this way. My stool has been better. It is no longer mushy and sticky. It is easier to clean up.
Also, before, I would sometimes wake up and my jaw would be slightly out of alignment, and the joint would be stiff and swollen, and would pop when I opened and closed my mouth. That doesn’t happen anymore.
And I’m not sure about this one yet, but I think there is less fat on the insides of my cheeks. I used to consistently bite the inside of my cheeks when I eat. This would especially happen when I’d chew gum. Yesterday, I noticed (while chewing gum) that I was not biting myself! I don’t know for sure, but it feels like there may be more room in my mouth. Maybe I’ve had some cheek shrinkage.
I am motivated to continue. A big part of that motivation are the before pictures of my body I have taken for this particular quest. They are so ugly and gross! Seeing what I look like prompted me to print the pictures and hang them on my bathroom wall so that I would see them every day, and remember what I am fighting for.
Seeing the pictures played a role in the realizations I spoke of in a previous post, 38 Days & Reality. This is going to take a long time. If I remain consistent, maybe a year, or two. I have been adjusting my expectations. I don’t want fast weight-loss. I want permanent, sustainable weight-loss. Perhaps it will take me two years to learn how to do that.
For the present, I will continue on, doing what I know already. I realize I can’t do it alone. I have joined an online community of like minded people. It really does help to be a part of a group, where I can ask questions. There are some doctors and coaches in the group as well to guide in the process.
tltatemakeover.com 