Day 72

My daily diet is certainly more restricted than it was before my journey began. However, with a bit of effort, I've managed to find good substitute foods that do the trick for me.

For breakfast, instant porridge (with water, not milk) does the trick pretty well. So does yogurt and fresh fruit. Even turkey bacon tastes quite different, but has a lot less calories than the regular kind. Just don't skip breakfast (especially if you're exercising), as it really is an important start to the day, and your Mom would be angry if you skipped it.

For lunch, I often have soup with a salad or sandwich. Soup tends to have a lot of water, and I usually get one with veggies as well. Salad is a staple for dieters (although I wouldn't recommend adding staples to your salad). I feel I can add almost anything to my salad, so it's usually chock full of veggies and fixins. I stick with low-cal and fat-free dressings to keep under budget. If I have a sandwich, I don't use butter or margarine, I just spread some mustard on it. For meat, it's either low-fat ham or turkey, although stay away from turkey salad, or chicken salad, because it's loaded with fatty mayonnaise! I like my cheese (okay, I LOVE my cheese), so my sandwich has cheese on it. If I pack my lunch at home, I'll add a slice of fat-free cheese as the flavour is still pretty good, and it's much easier on the calories.

For supper, I usually have whatever the family wants. I don't eat celery sticks for supper while the family digs into a pizza. I'll have a few pieces (far fewer than I used to), and call it quits. Portion control is your friend here. They say your brain doesn't get the 'stomach full' signal until long after your stomach is actually full. Anticipate that signal, and remember to ask your stomach if it's full (although it's not polite to carry on a conversation with your stomach at the table, so be subtle about it). Of course, I'll try and save a few calories wherever I can. Cooking with Pam is a whole let healthier than with butter, and I'll just have to live with the tiny hole in the ozone for now. Perhaps I'd look better with tan anyway.

Desserts are a killer! A few pie-and-ice-cream nights and the spare tire starts to bulge again! I try to stick to fruit, yogurt, or fat-free pudding or Jello. It's not really a problem as I think these things are yummy anyway. Drinks are easy for me. I don't believe I've had any alcohol during the 72 days so far, and I really haven't missed it. Diet drinks are a good substitute for me (it helps that I have the unsophisticated palate of a 9-year old). For breakfast I sometimes mix some juice (vitamins and all that goodness) with Diet 7-Up (no calories). For lunch it's usually Diet Pepsi or similar. For dinner, usually some 2% milk, but not too much. In the evening, it's back to diet pop again. If I need a snack (and who doesn't occasionally?), I'll head for dried fruit, or popcorn (without the butter).

I can't say that I'll stick with this meal plan after the 100 days is up. I'll likely broaden it to add things that aren't on the menu at the moment, but I won't be trying to lose weight quite the same. Still, since I enjoy what I eat, I can easily keep most of these things in the rotation and avoid stuffing my face with all the bad stuff. I feel much less guilty wolfing down a bowl of popcorn than a bowl of potato chips, so in some way I enjoy it better. Who knew?

Day 72
Current Weight: 182.5
Weight Lost To Date: 23.5

I'm still avoiding any major plateaus. It's hard to imagine that a few months ago I was a chunky 206 (instead of a slightly less chunky 182.5)! My energy level is notably higher as I chase the kids around the place. My stair climb isn't as arduous anymore, and I can tell the difference every time I reach the top. I'm setting new personal best times on the stationary bike with regularity, so I know I'm getting stronger. Let's hope we can keep it together for the next four weeks.

Don