February 1st, 2010 by Kateastrophe

So I didn’t want to talk about it too much (or really at all) because I’m the first person to get annoyed when someone starts talking about their fad diet, so shhhhh don’t tell my conscience but I’m on a diet.  And it’s working.

I was like a lost, scared puppy at first because the calorie intake is really low and I’m SUCH a foodie.  I was going to miss so many things.  Then someone sent me a cookbook for this particular diet that was written by a real chef and the heavens opened and angels sang songs of praise.  I am not lying when I say I’ve really enjoyed my diet food.  Granted, there’s a distinct lack of snacks for this habitual snacker (recently solved with organic, sugar free apple chips!  Aren’t you jealous??), but the food actually tastes GOOD!  I spend a good part of my Sunday prepping and cooking for the week ahead, which is sort of annoying but I’ve discovered if I don’t do it, I’m likely to have contemplated eating my arm by the time I find food/prep and cook a meal.  See, the portions fill me up once I EAT them.  And I’m full for a good two and a half hours afterward but if I go past that amount of time without my next portion of food I turn into a pumpkin and die.  Or something like that.  Yay hypoglycemia!  The point is if I take the time to prepare them ahead, I’m all set and am much less likely to cheat.  So far I’ve had homemade marinara sauce, meatballs, amazing marinades for fish and chicken,  delicious soups, and even some desserts!  The cookbook is almost 200 pages so the possibilities are endless.  And everything is truly healthy and on the low, low end of the glycemic index.

My one problem so far stemmed from the weekend and being home all day, close to the fridge.  And the pantry.  And the Costco.  And the restaurants.  I will admit to ingesting about two bites of chocolate cake, some extra Melba Toast (ok quite a bit of extra Melba Toast) and one Crispy Honey Shrimp at PF Changs.  I’d heard horrible rumors of immediate weight gain if any deviation was taken from the strict instructions.  I think the two hours of exercise that morning saved me because I still lost three ounces over the weekend.  Which is not a lot, but it’s a loss and I’ll TAKE IT!   Work makes things a lot easier because I have my neat little bag of pre-prepared, perfectly portioned food and if I eat it all for breakfast, my boss would most likely find me gnawing on the formica countertop in the lunch room while begging for quarters for the vending machine.  This weekend (and the next one) will be more of a challenge because I’m going on trips, but after some investigation I’ve found lots of places that have food that I can eat.  Memo to you guys; DON’T ASK FOR THE NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION AT PF CHANGS.  Doing so caused nightmares of 65 grams of fat/1400 calories per serving proportions.

I’m not going to pretend I don’t miss potatoes.  And pasta.  And bread.  And sugar.  I’m just having to get creative and find interesting substitutes and I’ve learned so many fun things!  Zucchini pasta?  IS DELICIOUS.  My Mom has been telling me this for years, I just refused to listen.  Sorry Mom.  As usual, you were right, blah blah blah.  I’m also getting used to more heat and spice in my food.  The incentive to burn more calories was just too tempting so I’m adding cayenne pepper to everything.  Sometimes I regret the decision, but the body is slowly adjusting.  Stevia is freaking awesome.  Protein shakes don’t taste so bad.  Mock-lemonade blended with ice and mint is unbelievable.  Strawberries are the fruit of the gods.  Squash is my friend. Buy a decent blender because the cheap one will light on fire in your kitchen on the first morning  Stuff like that.

The point of all this blathering is that I’ve already lost ten pounds.  And it seems completely possible to lose another ten to fifteen pound by the end of this madness.  Not just possible but doable!  Without death and vomiting or a tragedy to send me into a food deprived depression!  I would lie and tell you I just want to be healthy but my real incentive is that Matt told me if I lose the goal amount of weight, he doesn’t care how many new outfits I buy and everyone knows and outfit isn’t complete without shoes.  Scha-wing!!