I have successfully navigated though the shoals of carb withdrawals and am now into the smooth sailing portion of the journey. Here is how I know by physical conditions when I am into the fat-burning phases. First, my hands do not feel puffy and ‘hot’. Hot hands is a symptom I get right away when I eat something like a sweet dessert or have a Coke. Once my hot hands feel normal again then I am in very good shape. Second I can be in close proximity to sweets and not get the urge to consume them. Yesterday at the checkout line in the grocery store I noticed that there was a sale on big candy bars and peanut butter cups. A few days ago it would have been tough to wait in that line without buying one or two of those “for the future”, which might have turned out to be “in the car on the way home”. Yesterday I managed to just look at them and smile and make a mental note to tell everybody about it, and what it means to my carb cravings and addictions.

I looked up Vietnamese Pho soup recipes and found out that my soup probably did have sugar in it, since a few of the online recipes called for tablespoons of sugar. I would say my soup had about a tablespoon of sugar in it, judging by the taste. I ate some of that for lunch yesterday, but not enough to keep me in carb suspense, because today I am feeling at one hundred percent.

Vietnamese Pho

Pho is a VERY tasty broth and fresh vegetables are delivered along side it. I want to make some of this just for the broth–it would make a very good coffee substitute. Coffee can dehydrate me, and I think that broth will do the opposite, and Karen tells me that my neck pains are likely caused by dehydration drying out the fascia around the tendons in my neck and back. Sounds good to me! The fix is pretty easy, too, massage and hydration with broth. Here is a recipe that I am likely to try (no sugar, no noodles):Print Beef Pho Recipe – Food.com – 92313. That is a PDF of the recipe–first time I have ever tried this in WordPress, don’t know how well that will work out.

I joined a gym! We have decided that a local fitness center is close enough that it’s proximity might mean that I will make use of it. I hope to go there to increase my endurance and the deepness of my breathing. Right now light work can lead to muscle soreness the next day. By light work I mean that if I do something like cut down a small tree with a bow saw, do any overhead work where I have to hold my arms above my head for a while, run up and down the steps several times in a day. Perhaps I can increase my endurance by getting some personal training and spend some time on a treadmill or bike. I even have access to a reimbursement program at work that will defray part of the expense of this. Lots of incentive to do it, so all that is left is for me to do it.

Exercise and physical activity will increase my appetite, but it will increase only by the amount of extra work that I do. I don’t worry that if I were to bulk up muscle that later on if I stop working out then the muscle will turn to fat. I was actually taught that as a kid, but it’s a myth that does not prove out in scientific studies. Fat stores in excess of what your body needs for normal operation come from eating more carbohydrates that a very minimal amount. I will continue to avoid eating carbohydrate and start working my body to build my endurance and cardio-vascular system. Years of neglect are leaving me with more aches and pains than I want to feel day-to-day. I think I will also rehab my bicycle for the spring. Maybe we will get a bike carrier for the Buick, take them someplace fun later on this year–the Katy Trail State Park is nearby to us.

Don’t miss the novella that my little sister posted in this blog. I invited her to share her eating experiences in a second world country during her overseas tour in the USN. Here is the link, but it is just a couple of articles down right here in this blog. If you go to the home at dcarmack.com and just scroll down you will find it. It’s long and really fun to read.