On Dieting

For most of my adult life I have battled against weight.. that is not to say I was ever very small - not even as a child. And I have had numerous great successes with losing weight....... like the year my brother got married. I lost so much weight that my own mother didn't recognize me at the church !!

BUT
the weight always seemed to magically slip back on.

Last March during the emotional period I started to lose weight again - not planned - just nerves - but the weight started to come off - again. I decided to keep up losing - again. The difference was I wasn't in a hurry - and I never climbed on a scale. I did measure myself about once a month and watched the inches start to disappear. I kept myself busy and even exercised (with my new Wii)

Then September came and trying to fit exercising into my working schedule got to be next to impossible. Eventually the measuring tape stopped showing inches lost. Mind you it didn't show inches gained so I saw this 'plateau' as a success. I realized if I just kept at it eventually the inches would start to melt again.

Then at the end of October I got this gall bladder thing. Everything I ate made me nauseous.. or hurt. So I started eating differently. Because I had been through this once before I remembered bits and pieces of the "gall bladder" diet. If I didn't eat any spices, any fatty foods, any rich foods I would be able to cope. Then I saw my doctor and complained about the continual ache in my side. She set down the diet on paper. What I could eat. Cause the 'what I couldn't eat' was too long.

Now I have one piece of dry toast in the morning, with a tablespoon of jam. and yes I have one cup of coffee (even though it is FORBIDDEN but I cannot survive my day without one cup !!) For lunch I have a small bowl of chicken noodle - or chicken rice soup and water. For dinner I have a small chicken breast - no skin - no seasonings - broiled with a small bit of plain rice. As a treat I have one plain rice cake and a small tin of peaches.

That's it .. day in .. day out. For five weeks now.

Only sometimes I cheat...... Last weekend I had half a green salad - with oil dressing and felt like crap for two days. Or yesterday noon I craved Kraft dinner (a comfort food from my childhood) so I made some and had a small - small - serving and by dinner time felt like crap.

I have gone through periods of terrible cravings. I want barbecue ribs, Indian food, Chinese food, Thai food, hamburgers and french fries, sweets and more sweets and even MORE sweets.

Everyone is noticing how much weight I have lost. Most think I am dieting by choice and pat me on the back. My doctor has warned me that when I am fit and fine again - I have to be careful about starting back on normal food - as I will gain quickly.

Last night as I lay quietly on the sofa wishing I could feel like me again..... I was thinking about this diet and all the diets I have ever been on. And I realized something. Dieting after this should be easy. I can add spices and have red meat and the occasional sweet, and even Chinese and Thai and Indian food. In moderation. IF I can do this gall bladder diet for 5+ weeks I can do ANY diet.

And I was thinking how important food is to our "social" lives. We meet people for dinner at restaurants, we have people over for dinner. I was trying to think what Warren and I might do this weekend - and it all seemed to involve meal time and food. And truthfully I can't face cooking a normal meal for someone and a bland (should be tossed in the garbage) meal for myself. We talked about going to a movie and I thought I can't even have a handful of popcorn !!

I realized food has become too important a part of my life. I need to find other ways of socializing with people that doesn't involve copious amounts of food and perhaps even liquor.

I have a feeling that keeping this weight off.. and even losing more will be a whole lot easier now .......... now that I know my new diet can include seasonings and margarine and dairy (oh god do you have any idea how much I miss CHEESE!!??)

(and in case anyone is interested - I have dropped 2 jean sizes since last March. 2!!! oh yeah and at least that much in bra size - now that can be a bummer - though youngest daughter who is the expert on looking like you have a whole lot more than you really do - has promised to take me shopping for some "lifts")