There are several things that surprised me in the first month of my low carb adventure.
1) The low carb craze is over.
There is no longer a readily available section of carb-less items at the grocery store. Even fast food restaurants that used to cater to LC like Subway and Smoothie King no longer do so. Restaurants that still do offer LC items (such as Hardees) may not even be aware they do. The first time I ordered a Hardees LC burger, I had to explain what that meant. I am 5 years late on the craze, and now I have to be creative because it isn't easy.
2) I didn't miss breads or sweets.
I became frustrated when family members suggested pizza buffets or Chinese restaurants, but it wasn't because I knew I'd never be able to control myself there. I did not want them. I was frustrated at the lack of options, but I never once became tempted. It was quite the opposite. The thought of eating breads was undesirable, and the thought of eating sweets was downright revolting. A lady I know was talking about a cake recipe where she used Almond Joy flavored coffee creamer rather than water. My old self would have loved that, but my new self turned green at her description. Suddenly cakes in general were out of the discussion.
3) I became impossible to live with.
My mood swings have never been light, but after a week of LC they were OUT OF CONTROL. My husband, ever the sweet passive one, tried to talk to me about it. I wasn't listening. I became a robot. Insensitive, cold, single-minded. It made no sense because I had physically never felt better. I was sure that my mood would even out. Then came my next blow: I stopped losing weight. It seemed strange to me that I was willing to make it hard for those who love me because of my diet as long as it was working. Once it stopped working, however, I realized I was doing something wrong.
For the sake of my marriage (and sanity), I have increased my carb intake and lowered my calorie cap. We will see if this works out better in the long run. One thing is for sure already, I'm a whole lot nicer with a little bit of bread in me.
