After two weeks on a "normal" low-cal diet (I didn't lose hardly any wieght), I have graduated to Phase 2 and I am officially weirded out. On my new 30 day diet (like the old joke, "So far on my 30 day diet I've lost 5 days"), the first two days you "gorge" as a part of a strategy for resetting your hypothalamus. The bad news is that the next 28 days I only get 500 calories (under doctor supervision) which is sort of like… well, eating nothing.
But did you hear that? For the next two days I can eat anything I want, as much as I want, all the time… with absolutely NO guilt. Under doctor's orders, no less.
How am I doing with this emotionally? Actually, it really is weird. I had dinner with my daughter (dessert was a hot skillet chocolate chip cookie with ice cream at Bricktops in Nashville) and she said, "Mom. It was so nice not to hear you obsess over food and just enjoy it." Hmm.
Part of my issue with food is that "balance" has never been a favorite word in my vocabulary. I know the next 28 days are going to be hard when I am on the "if it even looks good, don't eat it" part of the diet. But somehow, these two days of intentional eating are making me realize there really is a difference between intentional and unintentional eating. It's just I've always come at it from the other direction.
Sometimes, it's a matter of changing your perspective to see things slightly different.
Hey Karen,
That is a weird diet! Ha!I am using time on the computer because I am postponing working on art work. It is so hard to redefine ourselves, which is what the diet is sort of about,too. It just doesn’t seem like us and we almost can’t imagine it another way, really. Those minute by minute decisions seem so major, and you get tired of it. But, the photo of you is beautiful. And you truly are that person!
‘there really is a difference between intentional and unintentional eating’…. did you ever see that British TV show on the guy who helped thousands lose weigh? for the live of me, i have no clue his name or the name of the show. but it was about a year ago and my sister watched it and he had a very specific rule about eating intentionally. if your hungary go to the fridge and eat with intent, get out a plate, sit down with a fork & knife and take a bite, put the fork down and chew/swallow, still hungary, take another bite, put the fork down and chew/swallow… you get the picture. doing this intentionally and making it an eating event is what works. Instead of a bag of chips or even a bag of carrots in front of the TV and mindlessly stuffing food in, just to chew on something.
well, i never tried it, but it makes so much sense.
good luck on the 500 calorie thing! it’s doable. one thing that got me through a diet phase was Dannon Light & Fit Yogurt (costco) 6 oz for 60 calories. Spray on dressing (dont remember brand) & a very, very low calorie soup i made – italian and so yummy. i’ll make some and bring it over if your interested.
This is why I do not do diets! and I am fat!