Stop The Presses

For those of you who have been cheering me on in my diet, started on Labor Day 2006, here is an update. I have accomplished my initial goal of a 25 pound weight loss and a return to size 10.

I have learned to live without sugar. My sweet treats are now those that have been sweetened with Splenda. There is some really good carb-friendly ice cream out there. Sometimes that is what I have for breakfast. A few pecans and a little bit of sugar-free whipped cream on top and it does the trick for satisfying my sweet tooth.

I have learned to live without bread, cereal, rice and potatoes. This has not been easy, because I love bread, cereal, rice and potatoes. Thank goodness for Mission's low-carb tortillas. They make a good sausage wrap or hot dog bun. They are excellent for quick, microwave quesadillas. (A tortilla folded over a pile of shredded cheese and zapped for 20-30 seconds makes a good breakfast when you cannot face another egg or even another bowl of Splenda sweetened ice cream.)

I have learned to live without milk. This hasn't been so hard since you are allowed to use half-and-half, heavy cream, and tons of cheese. I can't have a bowl of cereal, but I can have a large latte laced with whipped cream. Not a bad trade.

This diet is weird. A lot of the things I would have avoided on a low-cal, low-fat diet, I can scarf up without guilt. I keep nuts on hand for snacks. I eat steak 2-3 times a week, including the fat. I eat tons of cheese. And I feel better. I am carrying around 25 pounds less of heavy fat, even though I have yet to establish an exercise program. As a friend of mine pointed out, this diet works if you can stick to the rules. It just takes wanting success enough to stick to the rules.

Now that I've reached my goal, where do I go? Nowhere different for the moment. I can allow myself the odd indulgence, so long as I'm careful not to fall back into that sugar dependency hell. When the weather warms up, I plan to set up the ab-lounger on the deck and put in 20 minutes a day and make my next goal to tighten up all over. Who knows, maybe it's not impossible that I can squeeze into a size 8 by summer's end.

Best part is that I can fit two dogs into the chair with me now. (It was getting to be a problem.)

LSW