Save the yogurt for Tuesday! Hold the oatmeal for doomsday! It’s time for me to get back on the burner for hot meal Monday. Although I’ve never been a champion of breakfast, these days I never leave the house without a nibble of this and a swallow of that.
And no longer do I start the week with a diet of deprivation, good intentions soon to go bad, and a bleary-eyed 6:00 a.m. weigh-in. My new full-osophy lets me take on each Monday with an energetic, protein-packed breakfast made for being full. A poached egg, including the yolk of course, on wholewheat toast, with a sprinkling of cheddar melted on top, chased with a mocha cappuccino.
I can never seem to get enough of cheese, so to keep me from making mousehills into mountains, I shred from the tiny grater I got from my cousin, Deanna. A couple swipes are just enough to satisfy my meltdown.
This little grater has taught me some big lessons. Most importantly, that the arduous battle of self-control can quite easily be assuaged with the often-cited, but underrated solution called portion control. When I control the size of the food I eat instead of putting unrealistic restrictions on the type of food I eat, I can better manage the size of my flesh.
What I’ve discovered is that portion control takes the burden off of me and my willpower, and puts it where it belongs – on the food. “I’ve had enough of you,” I can now say to my jambalaya. “You’re too much for me, wiener schnitzel!”
Last month I lost a mere pound compared to the 28 I shed during the previous two months. While it may seem that things aren’t going as slimmingly as I would like, I feel as though I am more than half-way to my goal of losing 60 pounds. Because I have gained understanding about overeating. Because I am learning to stop the cycle of deprivation followed by overindulgence.
Not having to obey an impossible list of “forbidden” foods or feeling forced to eat “appropriate” choices takes away the immense stress that comes with dieting. I am excited about eating all kinds of good, satisfying food. I make delicious roasted vegetable soups almost every week. I eat yummy wraps stuffed with field greens, tomatoes, feta and salmon or chicken drizzled with three-cheese ranch dressing.
It feels liberating to have unlimited food options; just so long as I keep in mind that there must be a limit to my food portions.
So I can have my meltdown and eat it too.
