This is when the crisis starts

I just completed three weeks on Atkins and I am down 10 pounds. But really, that is nothing. Nothing like the weight-loss success most people have in the first few weeks. I lost way more than that the last time I did Atkins. And really, I lost 8 pounds that first week, and one each subsequent week. In the past, this is when the crisis of confidence would set in.

But not this time.

Yes, I am doing Atkins, but I'm also doing it in a way that remains true to my life(style). I will not be able to give up certain foods in the long run, so I'm not even pretending. Nuts? You are in. Certain beverages? Yep, I love you. (Diet Coke...I can't quit you.) There are lots of other foods I love and will easily give up, like Entenmann's cheese-filled coffee cake, or loaded nachos or Chic-fil-a waffle fries. Those foods will kill me. Nuts? They won't.

I also started excercising failry intensely three time per week. I am now in love and a total convert to boxing. It kicks me right in the teeth and I want more. I go for an hour and burn somewhere around 1000 calories, making the pain feel totally worth it. I've only been going  a few weeks, but already I can tell I'm getting stronger and more fit. I can't keep up in the classes, but I'm doing better than before.

All this is to say that I feel really good. My pants are looser. My wedding ring is fitting better. I need a new bra. I have more energy. I don't think I'm on a mad dash to losing 80 pounds or anything, but I feel like I'm on a (much slower) path toward long-term health, and I really hope I can stick with it.

And because I am trying to focus less on the scale and more on my health, I've decided I don't have a weight-loss goal anymore. I have a pant size goal. I am four or five pant sizes from where I'd love to be. That is a lot. But I'm ok with that.