Author Shamelessly Seeks Pity
I was going to just suffer quietly, but to hell with it. I need pity.
I'm on a diet. (***SOB, GROAN***)
I am miserable.
Every year, I make a whole list of New Year's Resolutions. I keep about half of them. I won't bore you with the details, but one resolution is to lose the 15 pounds I've gained since starting law school. I'm not full of self-loathing or anything about that, but let's not kid ourselves. That's just gross. So I decided to go on that South Beach Diet. And start working out again. (Also, for the fifteenth year in a row, "Stop Biting Nails" made it to the resolution list. That's always a hilarious joke.)
I've tried to start this diet a few times in the past, and make it about two days before going mad with cravings for french fries or a glass of wine or a mocha with extra whipped cream. Actually, the deprivation from my favorite foods makes me miserable. It gives me such joy to take a break from my studying and get a great big mocha from Caribou. Aside from my constant mocha cravings, the biggest problem is always finding something interesting to eat, and having food on hand. But we had a good shopping trip, and I've made it through two days now without cheating. Yesterday I made a tofu and vegetable stir-fry with spicy peanut sauce and cashews...today -s. brought me a delicious chicken curry for lunch, and for dinner I grilled opah and made a coconut curry sauce, and made a big pot of lentils with Chinese five spice, tomatoes, onions, and parsley. I think all those things are legal. I also bought a whole bunch of cabbage. I love stir-fried cabbage. Really. (*choke*) But not as much as I love hamburgers and french fries and coke and mashed potatoes and mochas with whipped cream.
I also made it to the gym today with Geoff. I have a 4:30 a.m. run scheduled with Greg, Tonya, and Firooz at the end of February, so I have some motivation to get in shape to save face. No, wait. I have no face to save. I'm a pathetic runner. I hate running. And I run at about half the pace of those freaks. Today, I was exhausted after running a mile on the treadmill. I'm not made to be a runner. I should stop pressing the issue. *sigh* Anyhoo...My goal is to get up to six miles by the end of the month. Wish me luck. AND, if I can prevent myself from cheating for the next twelve days, I can reward myself with something truly indulgent, like a bowl of bran flakes or a grapefruit. Woo hoo. I can't wait.
posted by Ugly Juice @ 8:04 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Everybody's on a diet. 17 pounds gone and 25 pounds to go.
For me! I'm not trying to make disparaging remarks.
Dude - what's up with you torturing yourself on the South Beach Diet again? What's wrong with good 'ol Weight Watchers? I know you don't want to think about points and you shudder at the thought of hearing yourself say "points" out loud in relation to anything you are thinking about eating, but seriously....it WORKS and you can eat what you want (in moderation). It's the only diet my OBGYN said that she will endorse. A person doesn't even have to go to those stupid group hug meetings, either.
We adults in this house are going on it. We adults in this house have been eating FAR too many Key Lime Pies.
You silly girl. Did you even read the SBD book?? You should be eating snacks and dessert everyday, even on Phase 1. The book has some super recipes, I know you could make them, but I just don't have the patience. There are also lots of recipes for stuff to make and take (on the go food.) And there are so many sugar free flavorings for coffee and low fat whipped creams out there, you shouldn't even have to deprive yourself of your coffee treats. You know I am a SBD advocate because even with cheating (I fry everything, never count the nuts, and drink tea with caffeine all day long) I lost 65 pounds and did not exercise at all (unless you count carrying my huge "shameless hussy" salads to the second floor to devour at leisure as exercise.) I also haven't been on the diet for a year and haven't gained anything back. I'd join you in the pursuit of 15 pounds gone, but I don't have a kitchen. And as of yesterday, I don't have an attic room either! Good luck with the diet sweetie and after you get skinny, do you want to go shopping??? (how was that for inserting a shameless pitch for an invitation to Minneapolis??)
Yes, I read the SBD book, and the recipes are either boring and gross or else too much work. And, ricotta cheese is NOT dessert. And, none of the coffee shops around here have the stuff I need to make my mocha diet-friendly.
Anyhoo, yes, I'd love to go shopping when I reach my goal. I'll let you know.
LA, I can't bring myself to do weight-watchers because I know I will be plagued for the rest of my life with knowing exactly how many points are in every thing I stuff in my mouth. I like the idea of being able to eat whatever you want (in moderation), but I don't feel like it's very healthy. e.g. people I know who were on weight watchers just ate popcorn for lunch, or skipped meals altogether so they could drink beer all night. I know it's probably not really that way, but I'm just saying. I've spent too much time around weight-watchers people who talked incessantly about points, and I can't be party to that.
I'm trying to lose the 20 pounds I've put on since law school started. But I haven't got a plan like you do. I just keep thinking "I need to lose these 20 pounds so I can get my ass into my pants again." But then I don't do anything about it.
So good for you for actually having a plan!
Cheat a bit. Have your super duper mocha every day if you want, just stick close to the other parts of the diet.
I lost 22 pounds in the last year, some has come back, but the success was patience, sticking to whole grains, avoiding potatoes (except for the occasional french fries, which I cannot give for any price or reason), and running/biking. I couldn't really do the SBD deal cuz I'm vegetarian and it seemed every meal had a brazilian pounds of meat or involved beef jerky.
Yeah, ricotta as dessert? Blecch. Same goes for Splenda as a so-called sugar substitute. Good luck, UJ, and see you at 4:30 a.m. on February 24. I'll bring the theme music from Rocky.
Other dessert options:
Sugar free jello or other geletin mixed with low fat whipped cream, topped with slivered almonds (think Chiffon.) Some folks did the jello/veggie combo, which is crunchy, but not really dessert. For a different taste, mix with your favorite diet soda instead of the required amount of cold water.
Fat free sugar free Hunt's snack pack puddings (chocolate fudge is really good) also with the nut of your choice (not Shad) and low fat whipped topping. For a different taste, freeze it.
Sugar free popsickles or fudgesickles.
Beyers sugar free, low fat french vanilla ice cream in moderation (make a float out of it with your favorite diet soda.)
For munchies, hummus and veggies.
Quick meals: half a can of Bush's chili beans with a half a cup of salsa (add meat if you want to.) Heat and top with low fat cheese and sour cream.
I've never made a recipe in the book. I just copied the list of "foods to enjoy" for the Phase I was in and mixed and matched as my mood dictated.
Oh, and I had a rule that I could eat whatever I wanted for ONE evening meal in a week. For me, that was Friday night. It was weird, but after about 3 weeks, what I wanted was salad. Pathetic, isn't it? Deep sigh....
Thanks for the tips! On your recommendation, I just had a tasty and satisfying snack of broccoli with roasted red pepper hummus. The fudge pudding sounds awesome.
And yes, maybe I'll let myself cheat a bit after I make it through this two-week induction.
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