Mindy's fitness Journey: #Atkins 40: A Way of Life, not a diet!

My Goals for losing weight on the Atkins 40 Plan. Here's what I want to learn...
• The difference between good carbs and bad carbs
• How to eliminate added sugars
• How to incorporate healthy fats
• How easy it is to adapt to a low carb lifestyle
• How to lose weight, feel great, while enjoying healthy delicious foods with a wide range of food choices.
You all know that I needed a "kick start" for my diet. Things were just not working for me. I needed to "shift (my) body from burning primarily carbs to burning primarily fat, kick-starting weight loss." It's been a week since I began the Atkins plan.
I eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day. I consume no more than 20 net carbs a day. (range is 18-22) I have to watch for hidden carbs. Especially when going to a restaurant... I have to pay attention. I am learning to ask a lot of questions. I used to be afraid to "bother" the server, but now I just explain that I am trying REALLY hard to be healthy. Here is the list of foods I can eat on this diet. http://www.atkins.com/Program/Phase-1//What-You-Can-Eat-in-this-phase.aspx
I am going to stay with Phase 1 until next week when I travel to Houston for an event. Then I am going to move onto Phase 2, the balancing phase.
Here are some things that surprised me so far:
1. I get to eat more calories. I have tried VERY hard to lose weight and every time I do, I cut my calories to around 1200 a day. With Atkins I can have 1500-1800 calories. That is almost 25% higher than my normal diet! HOLY COW! I was thrilled... No being hungry. And I wasn't... I haven't been.

2. Good carbs are welcome! I was under the impression that I should AVOID carbs at all costs! CARBS=BAD I was pleasantly surprised that I could eat vegetables. I will confess that I don't eat a ton of veggies, but I love broccoli and I could eat it for every meal. I also love Edamame. My son and I are addicted to it... Atkins actually recommends more veggies than the recommended amount from USDA. Yay! So there are no worries that you aren't doing something that isn't a way of life!
3. Atkins is not just, "Hey let's eat red meat and cheese all day!" There are healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Avacado, Olive Oil, Nuts, Dairy, and Greek Yogurt are our friends! We need to eat those fats to be healthy!
Here are a list of truths and myths about the Atkins plan. Click here: https://www.atkins.com/library/truths---myths.aspx
The biggest myth is.... (photo from theblaze.com)