13 Are You Ready for Phase Two?
13 Are You Ready for Phase Two?
By now you ' ve probably seen some pretty dramatic changes in your body and are likely feeling euphoric as it begins to dawn on you that it ' s within your power to achieve the new you I talked about in Chapter 1. You are probably now catching glimpses of that new person on the horizon-if not in your own mirror. That new you is thinner, happier, healthier and more confident.
Now it ' s time for you to take a serious look at your body and decide what you want to do with it and how you want it to look. Be realistic. In all probability, you don ' t expect to be an Olympic athlete or a fashion model. On the other hand, you may be selling yourself short by setting goals that are too modest. Are you willing to accept " pleasingly plump "? Many of my patients come to me thinking that such goals would be quite all right-or even more than they dare hope for.
Frankly, I think you should set your sights higher than that. How about a weight target based on your height, age and bone structure? How about excellent health and vigor that ' s surprising for someone your age? Trust me, that ' s not being overly ambitious. That ' s being truly realistic.
What Is Your Goal Weight?
Ask yourself when in your life did you look and feel your very best? How much did you weigh then? Can you comfortably weigh that again? What size did you wear then? Don ' t skip over these questions. As I always say, you ' re the greatest expert on your body. Whatever that wonderful weight-and size-was, you can almost certainly reach it again. Was it 120? 140? 170?
Most people have a pretty good sense of that number. They held that weight for a good part of their lives and found that they gained weight only after specific events, such as getting married, having kids, quitting cigarettes, starting or stopping medication or experiencing certain hormonal changes. Why not go for it?
On the other hand, is that " perfect " weight unrealistic now that you ' re couple of decades older? Menopausal women particularly often have a hard time staying as slim as they once were. So perhaps a more realistic approach is to ask what is the weight you would be comfortable with today. The trick is to come up with a figure that is attainable without setting yourself up for disappointment.
Ted Asher set himself a goal weight of 170 pounds when he began Atkins. At five feet eight inches tall, this 34-yearold had reached a modestly prodigious 227 pounds. Could it be his bachelor ' s breakfast of two Pop-Tarts washed down with a can of soda? And perhaps that nutritional approach was causing his occasional bouts of gastrointestinal distress? One weekend Ted read an earlier edition of this book and started doing Atkins.
He stayed on Induction for a couple of months, and then gradually moved through the stages toward Lifetime Maintenance, stopping well short of 100 grams of carbs. He had lost 47 pounds by that time, taken up golfing and shared his doctor ' s pleasure at his cholesterol and triglyceride
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