So, for the past year... I've been fasting. Eating hardly any food... Eating a head of lettuce here, a piece of plain bread there... Always keeping my calories at a minimum and my carbs at "nilch"... Sugar, of course was off limits. My arms were covered with Sharpie... they spit sating like "Elegance is refusal" at me. Everywhere I was, I could never quite escape from me and the constant nagging that I was... Well, fat. Coincidentally, as a result I was thin (I never could appreciate myself as skinny) and yet....I was unhappy and quite frankly, looked unhealthy. At times, I'd work out on the treadmill for an hour and a half, burning invisible calories that my body didn't have to spare and I'd step on the scale the next morning, excited (after all, I'd only have eaten 3 celery stalks..)...
However, no matter how I was dieting, the scale would only reveal a half pound lost here, a pound there every couple days or so. I was constantly frustrated and unhappy. I was self-conscious to the point I started refusing to go out with my friends. Really, I can't imagine anything worse. The scale being my worst enemy, but really....My only friend. So about a week ago. I weighed myself at 151. Ugh. It's the "fattest" I've ever been. At that point, I decided since I was "fat" already and unhappy, I might as well be fat and actually EAT. So, I started the Atkins diet. That day... I read the book first (very insightful) and then followed it to the T.
At work (I'm a barista at Starbucks) I went from a "Grande Nonfat Lattes" to a Tall... get this: "Heavy Cream" Latte.
At first this was terrifying. Really. I mean, I was drinking heavy cream after all. On top of this, I loaded up on meat, meat, meat. For breakfast I would make 2 eggs and scramble them with sausage and cheese (Mmmm) without a thought about my calorie intake. For lunch I'd sit down to a helping of vegetables. Usually this consisted of a salad loaded with lunch meat and a hard boiled egg (or two!)...It was wonderful because after my meal, I would leave the table feeling satisfied. I could leave the table and not continue to think about how hungry I still was. Now, you may think this is insane. Losing weight, but not counting? Well, I was counting. I was counting carbs. Usually by the end of the day my diet journal would report I'd eaten somewhere along the lines of 15-20 carbohydrates and ZERO (once again) ZEEEERO grams of sugar. This morning I weighed 139.
Not only that, but I looked healthier. The black rims around my eyes were gone. My hair had grown (It sounds crazy, but I swear) and my skin was radiant. I absolutely glowed.
Not only that, but I was smiling. ...Which of course, is the most valuable beauty secret. | 
