Eat, Drink & Be Merry, For Tomorrow, You Diet

So I think I mentioned that I started a diet yesterday.  Did I also mention that when you live with a man who loves to cook, and you, yourself, love to eat, that the pounds can pack on pretty darn fast?  Well they can, and they will!! 

So they say (whoever "they" are), that between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the average person gains 10 pound.  Only 10?  (Now I'm wincing.)  I think I got mine and those of two other people, so if you see those 2 skinny girls who didn't gain their holiday weight, you send 'em my way. I'm about to give them their belated Season's Greetings.

And by the way, I think that the holiday weight gaining period should be liberally extended to include Super Bowl Sunday, and Valentine's Day.  I mean really, what sense does it make to start a diet on New Year's Day, knowing full well I am going to eat my fair share of guacamole and a big fat Rib-Eye steak during the big game? I mean, really!   And you know my boyfriend naturally bought me a pound of chocolates in a traditional heart-shaped box just 4 days ago.  Yes he did. Oh, yeah, he knew about the diet, "but it's Valentine's Day!"  Sheesh!!

And so, there you have it.  I cannot button my pants.  My favorite jeans are the ones with the magic stretchy denim.  They're my fave because I can still button them and wear them out in public, with a long shirt that covers my holiday bulge. 

Butter lettuce blend with Roma tomatoes and red onion.

So in January, I stopped eating Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.  And the Gummi worms have wriggled over to Mike's side of the bed.  In their place, are strawberries, apples and grapes.  Gone are the caffeine-fueled mornings - I usually downed 5 shots of espresso first thing in the morning - One of the many "perks" of working at a coffee shop! 

Of my diet, my sister, Jen, says "Think of it not as a diet, but as a gift you are giving yourself because you deserve to be healthy!"  That made me feel really good about myself.

So yesterday, I embraced a Smart Smoothie and an apple for breakfast, a delicious, fresh salad for lunch, and grilled chicken, garlic and green bell pepper on an, albeit small, bed of steamed rice.  (below)

Oh, don't get me wrong.  The day will come when I'm just dying for a cheeseburger and some chili fries.  And believe me, you'll be the first to know.