Patience and Dieting

I suck at both.  I realize I am a little obsessed right now but I am a little consumed with changing my lifestyle to feel better. I need more energy and let's face it, losing a few or more pounds would be a bonus. I know they say it is not about the number but instead how you feel and I feel crummy looking at the number I am seeing. It's been five days since I started the "No carbs" dieting and after the headaches have stopped, I have to admit, I do feel better. I am not even craving sweets anymore but I am missing fruit. It has been torture not eating my favorites: strawberries and apples and peanut butter. I have found some new favorites: turkey and Swiss cheese wrapped in a lettuce leaf, chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic salt and lemon juice, celery and cheese and almonds. I exercised three times this week so I was all excited to step on the scale and...2 lbs!!! That's it!!!! I know the old song and dance about muscle weighing more than fat or slow and steady is the way to go or how it takes time and to be patient and it's how you feel in your clothes blah, blah, blah. I don't care. I don't like the number that is staring back at me and I was hoping with all the changes, I'd see at least 5 lbs. Obviously I am not very patient. This I know.

So now I am wondering, can I really live without fruit? Is this a realistic way for me to eat? Can I just give up pasta, bread and junk food? I don't know. It's making me afraid to put anything in my mouth because someone mentioned that if/when I start eating carbs again, I will blow up (figuratively speaking). The no carbs or low carbs thing seemed like it was a good thing because I didn't have to count calories or weigh my food or even think about what I was eating. I just knew certain foods were okay and certain ones were not. I like diets and I hate that word because I really do believe it is a lifestyle change that allow "cheat days" not to gorge on everything unhealthy but to enjoy a meal out with friends or a margarita (God knows I love margaritas!) or maybe even chocolate and strawberries or do I even say...a Starbucks hot chocolate? If anyone has an eating plan that works for them, I'd love to hear it. This after 40 stuff really sucks. It should be the opposite. If you make it to 40 with all the crap life throws at you, the reward is to be able to eat whatever you want and not gain weight.