By Glynis Salmon, ContributorTing-a-ling-a-ling, school bell ring, it's back to school again.
ALL THE joy, excitement, pain, frenzy and all other emotions, both good and bad year in, year out, it's the same dilemma. The challenge to meet the costs, and the struggle to triumph in spite of the odds. The stress and strain of it all. I share it too. For a while, I am proud to tell you that the academic achievements of my wonderful 19-year-old daughter, Zoya Tafari Salmon-Powell, has propelled her into her second year in university, I am not too pleased by the cost of it all. But as I know, and you ought to know too, where there is a will there is a way, and as my dear mother 'Mavan' would say, the Lord will provide. So cheer up my friends, there can be no escaping the struggle and pain in the quest to achieve excellence and success. Just have faith. You can and will overcome to enjoy the rewards.
NO PAIN, NO GAIN
It's just like the whole diet and exercise thing. No pain, no gain. Since I went public with my journey and invited you to share in the 'big escape' with me, I have had to suffer both the ignominy of owning up to the fact that sometimes I was making little or no progress; as well as the pain of applying and maintaining the discipline to achieve positive, tangible results that we can all celebrate and be proud of. But the pain and suffering paid off. For my public commitment to the process, and your support and guidance, have resulted in my being a more informed, insightful, healthy, confident, comfortable-with-myself, determined-to-succeed and yes, slimmer person, than when I had previously struggled on my own, privately.
By the way, to digress a little. Confession, they say, is good for the soul. Maybe. But my soul was not amused the other day by all the flak I received for confessing to the fat of my holiday binge. My goodness, so much disappointment and impatience was expressed, amidst the always kind and encouraging remarks. But I had to fess up and face up. The truth is the truth and my (disgustingly truthful) scale don't lie, not even an ounce. Fortunately, my resolve to be slim is greater than my shame and so I will persevere.
THE ATKINS DIET
Now you have all been reading about my praise of the Atkins diet, and my confidence in the programme's ability to burn fat, and restore the body to slimness, wellness and well-being. Most importantly, the Atkins diet achieves all this without depriving your appetite of adequate supply of nutritious and tasty food sensations. But, as I have advised many of you who have written to me, asking for the diet's details, you need to buy the book. Read it cover to cover. Understand the principles and the instructions and apply it. Any attempt by me to paraphrase, interpret and explain, may leave you with a deficit of vital information which may result in derailing your progress and short-changing your success.
However, as I exercised my jaws the other day with some excellent jerk chicken, enjoying once again the many food indulgences of the Atkins Diet, I said to myself, "Why not?" ...it can't hurt, and could be useful if I shared a few more details about the Atkins diet. So here goes: Rules of induction the ATKINS way (Two weeks):
Eat three regular-size meals per day or four or five smaller meals. Do not skip meals or go more than six hours without eating.
Eat liberally of all seafood, chicken, pork, beef, eggs cheese, butter, oil (preferably cold-pressed olive oil), mayonnaise.
Eat three cups of any green, leafy vegetables per day (they are also sources of carbohydrates.
Eat absolutely no fruit, bread, pasta, grains, starchy vegetables, milk, etc.
Avoid coffee (except decaf), tea and all types of beverages that contain caffeine. Caffeine has been shown to cause low blood sugar, (which by the way, can make you crave sugar).
Avoid foods or drinks, including diet sodas, unless they are sweetened with sucralose or saccharin. Avoid 'aapartame'. Read the labels.
Drink at least eight glasses of water per day to hydrate the body, avoid constipation, and flush out the by-products of burning fat.
When eating out, avoid gravies, sauces and dressings which may contain sugars or starches.
When hungry, eat until you are satisfied. Not stuffed.
Just enough to feel full and satisfied.
When not hungry, eat a few carbohydrate-controlled snacks like a few nuts, especially almonds.
STABILISING YOUR
BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL
This induction to the Atkins diet will be for only two weeks. This phase of the programme will help you switch your body from a carbohydrate-burning metabolism, to a primarily fat-burning metabolism. It will also assist in stabilising your blood sugar level, decrease fatigue, mood swings, brain fog and your ability to function at your best. This phase is also critical to the process of curbing the cravings, breaking the food addictions and learning how to eat satisfyingly full, not stuffed and bloated.
Now with all that information, let's go partyyy! and partake of all the goodness of the Atkins way of slimming. Let not the stress of back-to-school-blues deter you. If, like me, you are a sinful dieter, and is once again making one of your many big innings, more power to you. If you are joining us for the first time, hey, welcome and enjoy the ride. Have a great week. Love God, love yourself, love others, be happy. PEACE.
Glynis Salmon is a publishing executive and communications specialist.
E-mail: thebigescape@yahoo.com.
