It’s almost Valentine’s Day so let’s just call it what it is…unrequited love! I love them but they don’t love me. So what’s the best way to mend a broken heart? You could go cold turkey but its way more painful and the relapse rate is high. Alternatively, gradual withdrawal is probably more manageable. The more I think about it the more my relationship with carbs resembles love in real life. In the long run, it’s best to find a comfortable compatible partner that you can live with rather than live with drama and/or flame out in ashes from the wrong choice. I will spare you the details of the wrong choice/s in love and dieting and move on to sharing the habits working for me on my current dieting adventure:
- Eating only one piece of Paul’s homemade bread every day which is my biggest concession.
- Adding fruit to my protein shake settling on a handful of frozen berries along with a combo of V8/carrot/kale juice to keep calories low and nutritional value high.
- Finding a low carb pasta substitute among many options. I am currently enjoying hearts of palm pasta.
- Sticking with low carb/gluten free crackers which are crispy and delicious. A word of advice here; put a serving in a bowl instead of taking the whole bag to your easy chair.
- Eating at least a cup of pre-prepared raw mixed veggies a day.
- Getting an additional two cups of cooked veggies a day in salads or stir fry including sweet potatoes or squash instead of white potatoes or rice. To mix it up try new veggies.
- Keeping a container of high protein cooked grain, like quinoa, in the fridge and adding a few tablespoons to protein and vegetable stir fry’s.
- Eating fresh fruit for dessert/snacks or sugar free jello with plain Greek yogurt. There have been occasional splurges but a few bites or small piece of pie/cake sometimes does the trick.
- No processed food and/or things containing added sugar and/or starch. Did you know artificial crab legs have extra starch/additives?
- Keeping temptations out of the house or hidden by Paul to dole out prudently upon request.
- Drinking herbal tea (hot or cold) instead of beverages with sugar or artificial sweeteners.
- No alcohol which is hard in my house.
This is a pretty simple list of good choices that are quite common these days at least for folks watching their weight. I suggest you go slow making only a couple changes a week which is more sustainable. You have to think of these choices and changes as permanent if you want to maintain good health over a lifetime. Happy Valentine’s Day!