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Last night, at approximately 6:30 pm, my husband and I were looking glumly at the computer, reading about the Swank Diet and what we could/could not eat. One of the things you are not allowed to eat is cheese. Well, you can eat fat-free cheese, but does that really count? I had done well all day: wholesome breakfast, snacks of fruit, super low-fat lunch...and by the time we were perusing the dos/don'ts of Swank, I was mighty hungry.
Cheese. I had become fixated on cheese. We were Googling "what are the tastiest fat-free cheeses" and "will I go insane if I eliminate cheese from my diet" when it hit me: I WANTED PIZZA! (Full disclosure: This is not a new phenomenon; I want pizza every other day.)
"You know," I began, turning away from the depressing Google reviews of fat-free cheese, "we COULD have pizza tonight...kind of a 'last meal'-type deal. Plus, we could get it with light cheese and only vegetables!" I finished in a rush, because I could see I was losing him. After all, this diet was my idea, and he had bravely agreed to go along with it.
"Okay!" he said. Much too quickly. I guess I wasn't losing him.
So my first day on the diet was, er, not entirely successful. It was a step in the right direction, but I need to be totally committed for it to work. Today, I will be. I promise.
The cheese part is very difficult, but I promise it gets easier! Once you get over the initial shock and get used to not eating you are going to be amazed by the amount of cheese you consume. Only once you get and stay on this diet to you realize how horrible your eating habits used to be.
ReplyDeleteI never found a tasty fat free cheese, but once I started trying them I realized how much easier/better it was to just give it up. Maybe try ordering Vegan pizzas? Or Amy's Pizzas, I know she has a lot of soy cheese pizzas and a very good no cheese pizza.
I looked for Amy's pizza at our local grocery store. It's not exactly full of health food, so I'll probably have to go to a bigger store for more variety. Thanks for the tip!
DeleteYep, cheese was harder for me to give up than meat! I think the way you approach a diet helps one stay on it. Try not to think of it as what you can't have, but rather what can have and how to make those items tasty. Have you bought the Swank Diet Book? It has lots of recipes in it.
ReplyDeleteKaren,
DeleteCheese for sure seems as if it will be the hardest. I don't really eat much red meat, unless hot dogs count (can they even be called "meat"?). I got the Swank Diet Book for Christmas, actually, and there are some good-sounding recipes. I like your approach: focus on the positive. And, of course, the big picture. Thanks!!
Yes, you need to focus on what you *can* eat. Don't think about cheese--it's like someone telling you to not think about a white elephant. Then, of course, all you can think about is the @#$% elephant. I used to miss cheese, but now, after all these years, it actually looks... disgusting. If you focus on what you *can* eat, you might become surprised at some point that ch---e was ever a bit deal. Seriously!
ReplyDeleteHaha - I have stopped thinking about ch---e and am now not thinking about that huge bag of chocolates that I will have to say goodbye to tomorrow. I may sleep with the bag clutched to my chest tonight...
DeleteOh dear. I found that there was an interesting psychology with the Celiac diagnosis. I'd never been that big on sweets or cookies, and I certainly didn't like pretzels. But after I was diagnosed, I ate...and ate...lots of gluten free cookies and pretzels. In those days, you had to buy such things online. Expensively. But I was desperate! I've since heard this is not uncommon. One becomes fixated on it, just knowing it is forbidden.
ReplyDeleteBut, yes, chocolate... that would really suck!
...Or should that last item be ch--e as well. Hmm... interesting pattern there...
DeleteThat is interesting. As we were reading the list of FORBIDDEN FOODS on the Swank Diet, my husband suddenly realized how much he loved corned beef hash. I've never seen him eat it :)
DeleteThank goodness there is lots more in the way of gluten free in the stores now, even my crappy bad-fish-counter local store has some items.
Hmmm on ch--e, indeed...