The Perks of Self-Control

I'm considering blogging about something besides what I eat at some point, but this is the primary occupation of my life right now (besides the husband and 4 kids, of course).

It has been just over two weeks without chocolate, though I do have to confess that I snuk some cake batter last night while making Gabe's cake. How am I supposed to get through this candy and birthday cake weekend without slipping? I don't know, maybe I need to pray more. But I do consider it a minor victory that it was white cake batter and not chocolate. Still no chocolate.:(

On the bright side, I have now lost 6 pounds. Let me tell you, this is one effective weight loss plan. I feel like I'm losing weight so fast I'll have to get the excess skin cut off by the time this is over, like the bariatric patients do. (Sorry if that was a gross image.)

My jeans are a little loser, my shirts fall straighter, and I'm starting to feel just a little better about myself as Spring approaches. At Christmas time I had resorted to photoshopping out my belly rolls (specimen A to the right). You should hear my fat sound. It is a sound that I make to describe the excess fat on my body, but I can only do it spontaneously, like on an especially fat day. Joel thinks it's hilarious. He always says there's just more of me to love. Thanks, honey.

Anyway, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite new foods:

Pineapple - awesome dessert, even out of the can. My kids and I fight for the juice.
Kiwi - I got a bag of 6 at Aldi for $1.50 - cheap and sweet! Yummy breakfast food.
Whole Cashews - My favorite nut, usually don't splurge on them, but no time like the chocolate-free present.
Dried Berries - supposedly a health food, but when I read the label I saw that they added sugar!
GUACAMOLE!!! I was born in California, so this is my ode to the avacado.
Nacho chips with a hint of jalapeno - just enough kick to make the chip oh so mouthwatering.
Pickles and grilled tuna sandwich - the most satisfying lunch I've had on this fast.
Diet A&W - the least horrendous of the diet family. Thankful that something can meet my need for pop every once in a while (I'll let you know if any tumors form).

The interesting thing about this fast is that foods taste more intense now. When I bit into that pickle the other day my mouth exploded with flavor - it was awesome.

I read this article that said that overweight people don't respond to sweets the way thinner people do. The thin people trigger a release of seratonin when they have sweets, while the heavier people need more dessert to get the same pleasure response. It's as though their taste buds and brains have been dulled to the pleasure. I'm pretty sure this happened with me as I went from cookie dough to Cherry Coke to Dove chocolate trying to make myself feel better.

So, I've actually been enjoying expanding my food horizons, eating fruits and veggies instead of junk and losing weight while exhibiting self-control. My poor husband, on the other hand, has had the opposite response. He says that the longer he does this, the less any food has positive taste to him. Even his favorite meals don't taste as good. This man is a freak of nature. He also seems to be lacking endorphins. After exercise he just feels tired.

Pray for him. He needs it.