Goal!!!!!!!!!!

I'm proud to say my goal weight of 158 pounds has been reached! I've dropped a total of 52 pounds in 8 1/2 months and I feel better than ever! Thanks to Jimmy Moore, Dr. Michael Eades, and of course the late Dr. Atkins for the inspiration, information, and for being the catalyst for my transformation! It's amazing - even though I've hit my goal, I'm still learning more and more all the time about the low-carb nutritional approach. And the more I learn, the more I'm loving it!

Speaking of loving it - I was lucky enough to find myself eating dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse the other night. Not the one here in Atlantic City (which is also GREAT), but the one at Baltimore's Inner Harbor. I had the most delicious bone-in ribeye steak I've had in a LONG time! If you've never eaten at Ruth's Chris, you are truly missing out on one of the best meals you'll ever eat! That Ruth's Chris trademark "sizzle" you hear about in the commercials on WAYV is the sound of your steak sizzling in butter! I ate WAY too much - but check out this amazing lineup of scrumptious low-carb foods I feasted on:

-Tomato and onion salad topped with crumbled bleu cheese

-Ribeye steak sizzling in butter

-Creamed spinach

-Broccoli au gratin

It's been three days and I'm still thinking about that meal!

I'll have to post my list of favorite steakhouses soon. What's yours?

Weight Update !

I've been a bit lax in publishing my daily menus the last few days - but here's an update on how it's going. I'm now down to 160 lbs...just two teensy-weensy pounds away from my goal weight of 158 lbs! I chose 158 for my target, because that's the most I can weigh without our federal government considering me fat - but frankly I'm happy...very happy with anything in the 160s. Considering I've spent the better part of the last 15 years above 200 lbs (I peaked at 236 lbs in 1996), being where I am now is truly a blessing. And the best part is that I've been able to do it eating rich, satisfying, so-called "fattening" foods! Do you have any idea how great it is to be on a "diet" that allows me to have bacon and eggs for breakfast? Or a big chicken caesar salad for lunch? Or a nice juicy steak for dinner? These are all things that would be distant memories for me if I was on a low-fat diet!

Friday's Menu

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties

L - Wawa roasted chicken salad w/ tomato, bacon, and cheese, Ranch dressing

S - turkey meatball, provolone cheese, peanuts

D - bunless cheeseburger

64 0z of water!

Thursday's Menu

First - I've been getting some very encouraging e-mails from readers & listeners...so thank you! I'd like to address some of the comments I've been getting...

*For those of you worried about potential negative effects of a low-carb diet on your heart health, check out the overwhelming evidence from the research community that's demonstrating in study after study that a low-carb diet consistently raises HDL (good) cholesterol, lowers triglycerides, and increases LDL(lousy) particle size (which is a good thing!). A great site to research this stuff is ControlCarb.com.

*Yes - exercise is absolutely recommended for EVERYONE, regardless of what kind of diet they're eating! Although it's true that you can lose A LOT of weight on low-carb without exercise, it's fully recommended by Dr. Atkins himself...so do it! (That goes for me too!)

*I'm now 4 little pounds away from my goal weight of 158 pounds. I've lost 48 pounds since the first of the year - and I'm STILL LOVING the foods I'm eating!

Here's Thursday's menu:

B - 2 fried eggs, 2 sausage patties, low-carb ketchup

L - chicken cheesesteak, peppers, onions

D - ribeye steak, broccoli w/ grated cheese

60 oz of water

Wednesday's Menu

B - Atkins bar

L - Wawa roasted chicken salad w/ bacon, tomato, & cheese / Ranch dressing

D - blackened chicken, Ranch dipping sauce, broccoli w/ grated cheese

S - peanuts

Only 45 oz of water today.

Back From Vacation!

I haven't been blogging for the last week or so because I was on a family vacation in Disney World! We had an absolute blast - and we'll definitely be back soon! If you have small children like I do, you know what a big deal Disney World is. They say it's the happiest place on earth...and I can't argue with that!

So the question is...Did I keep it low-carb while on my trip? The answer is "YES"! In fact, I'm down another pound after Disney to take my scale number to 163 lbs. It's always harder to eat the way you'd like to when you're traveling or on vacation. It's the equivalent of dining out for every meal - not exactly the recipe for healthy eating! But there are always things you can eat that are low-carb...even inside a theme park. Skip the fried food & pizzas and enjoy a bunless cheeseburger topped with lettuce, tomato, and onion. Skip the ice cream and opt for a filling chicken caesar salad. Instead of a bag of chips, go for a handful of nutrient-dense nuts. And of course, stay away from all those sugary sodas! Drink water instead!

Now that I'm back at home, I'll have a lot more control over what food is available to me. But it's nice to know that even in a theme park situation, you can always find something low-carb to eat to keep you on track...so at the very least you won't GAIN weight!