Day 4 – The Why of Cheating

When you’re on a diet, I think cheating is inevitable. But there are good cheats and, of course, bad ones. As I mentioned earlier, I get a little leeway during the day to add 100 calories to my count. There’s a list of “extras” to choose from. This diet is pretty regulated for dietary needs, keeping blood glucose balanced, and spreading the intake throughout the day. But I find that I really miss crunch (chip withdrawal), which explains my preference for popcorn and pretzel snacks. Late afternoon is the most difficult time for me. I have to break a lot of bad habits. Among them, snacking while I watch the early news. Before dinner yesterday, I elected to eat a cup of pretzels. I entered that in my fitness tracker and got a salt alert. Hanging my head anew.

Admission of Guilt Alert: my evening snack yesterday was supposed to be a mini-omelet, but I opted for ½ cup of fat-free frozen yogurt. I just couldn’t face an egg before bed. I logged my food for the day, and fortunately stayed within the boundaries, but I definitely don’t want to start a habit. So, it’s better to admit it here, and affirm that this isn’t a pattern. I will stay the course (I’m all about metaphors these days).

Second Admission of Guilt: I weighed this morning. I know, I said it would only be once a week (Mondays), but I just needed to know. Atta-girls matter! I’m happy to announce that my journey is just a bit shorter … I am now 115.6 pounds away. If you’re counting (and we know I am!!), that’s 1.4 lbs. Just to be clear, this diet tends to take off more weight at the start because of shedding water weight. But I’m happy, just the same.

Third Guilty Admission: I haven’t been to the pool this week. Seriously hanging my head, now. This has been a weird week of appointments, challenges, jobs to get done, and general life disarray. (Note to self: should have picked an easier week to start my plan) None-the-less, I will head back to the pool on Monday. My lane partner, Alison, is the queen of the pool. She’s in her 80’s and the nicest person you’ll ever meet. She made me feel welcome from the first day, and we visit the time away. I’ll save more pool world details for another post.

Today’s favorite food item – lactose-free yogurt for my morning snack. What a great world … you can get nearly any milk product without lactose! I’m seriously lactose intolerant, so this is a great find. Another food mention: you can’t do this diet if you don’t like fish. Every dinner has one protein – and fish is every other day. The tough part is creatively preparing fish without adding calories. And the fish options are minimal. We broil everything, of course, but always looking for other recipes that will fit the plan!