Dieting Woes

Jeff and I recently went on a very strict, self-imposed diet.

It a low-carb, high-protein, low-sugar, low-dairy diet consisting of mostly veggies, meats, eggs, a little bit of cheese and scant amounts of other dairy products, eliminating all bad fats entirely.

It's intended to be kind of a 'detox' program, helping to bring all our 'numbers' into healthy ranges while helping eliminate some of the foods that can worsen asthma symptoms, all while losing weight

I now bemoan the fact I ever laid eyes on that Costco sized can of Almond Roca over the Holidays.

Now, I have to beat my body and make it my slave...and it's hard work...torture, in fact, trying to bring my unwieldy eating habits into line again.

Because suddenly, I'm seeing food everywhere. Billboards, blogs, magazines, commercials, Sunday School donuts & coffee time...even logos of fast food places I've long avoided as disgusting make me drool with longing as we pass them.

Which is silly, because the diet food is all very delicious and satisfying.

I think it has a lot to do with the prep work that goes into making each meal and snack. It's caused me to feel as though I spend waaay too much time obsessing over food.

Part of the effectiveness of this plan is that you really have to WORK for what you eat. Each meal involves a lot of prep-work, and you don't dare cheat on it, because it means that all your previous work was for naught.

I suppose it's also intended to get you to stop and think about the kinds of things you put into your body instead of just mindlessly consuming things that are fast or convenient and usually loaded with bad fats, sugars and simple carbs.

It's about re-training yourself to eat good, nutritious foods while replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones.

The shopping to prepare for this diet was ridiculous. Removing one item from my fridge now is like playing a game of Jenga. Kind of precarious in there and you really have to watch your toes whenever you open the door.

And the dishes! 2 and 3 loads a day!

I'm using my food processor more than I ever have, and still have multiple additional steps to make each meal.

It's been ages since I've cooked like that. It's like putting out a Sunday dinner for nearly every meal.

There's no one-skillet or crock-pot dinners here. Oh no...you want food, it's gonna take some time and energy to make it.

I poured Judah a bowl of Cheerio's for breakfast the other day, and must've been looking longingly at the milk as I was putting it back, because he said, "Why can't you have da meowk, mama?"

"Because I'm on a diet."

He hadn't heard the "t" sound at the end of diet, and kind of rolled his eyes, "Yeow not gonna DIE, mama!"

"No son, that would be Di-ET", I replied, enunciating.

Even if it does feel like I'm dying. I'll be honest, I'm pining away here! Longing for things simply because I know they're on my "foods to avoid" list.

And it's not on the things I might have expected. I could care less about ice-cream or chocolate or cheesecake or pie. Even candy or rich pasta sauces.

No, it's berries and fruit and a bowl of oatmeal that sounds good to me now. Sweet potatoes, for goodness sake. Right now I'm longing for a crust of homemade whole wheat bread, and I'd even eat it dry!

**sigh**

I miss you, my carb-laden whole wheat bread. You, too, my buckwheat pancakes and sweet potatoe casserole. And you, my sweet Vermont maple syrup-and-real butter oatmeal...I will never take you for granted again!

Ahem. Did I just say that aloud?

Such is my life of late.

You know you're going through withdrawls when even animated food looks good to you.

French food prepared by a Rat, no less!

I don't even know what Ratatouille is but it sounds and looks wonderful.

Somehow, Gazpacho and steamed cauliflower 'mashed potatoes' just don't sound quite so appetizing in comparison.

But it's working. Slowly but surely. And I've felt my energy level increase, in spite of all the sickness we've had around here of late. My hair is growing super-fast, too, which is nice because I've been wanting to grow it out again.

Even if we wanted to, there is no way we can stop now.

Nope. That's because Jericho has been watching us like a hawk.

He saw all the planning and the shopping that went into getting ready for the diet.

He saw the flurry of activity each day as we prepared the meals.

He even ate most of the meals with us and proclaimed them to delicious.

There were a couple of fish nights which we knew would not fly with him. On the night we had Mahi-Mahi, he said, "I feel kind of bad eating this in front of you", and guiltily squirrled his cheeseburger away to his bedroom to eat it away from the eyes of his drooling parents.

It is a heavy load to bear when your child is watching you, and you know you must model good, prudent and ethical behavior.

Especially when he announces at dinner on your 8th day in, "I'm so proud of you guys, sticking with this diet! I didn't think you'd last a week!"

Oh, man...there's no quitting now!

Darn kids, thinking they have to be your second conscience!

Yes, I miss you, too, homemade Baked Ziti. I'm sorry...we cannot see each other again. Not for a long, long time.