Does Dieting Ever Get Easier?

I dislike diets.  I know, I know, "diet" just means what we eat.  But you know what I'm talking about.  These things other people do that work for them and not me.  Probably because I'm undisciplined and I bow to my taste-buds, but still.  Boo for skinny people!!  And yet, I keep trying them.  Remember the Slim Fast craze in the early 90s?  I know it's still sold and used and making people thin, but in the early 90s, it was in everyone's pantry/fridge.  Well, I tried it.  (I wasn't even fat.  That's how much of a fad it was.)  I remember bringing my little chocolate shake in a glass jar (with lid) to school and putting it into my locker to keep for lunch.

About 3rd Period, we get an announcement over the loudspeaker.  "Surprise inspection.  Drug dogs on campus.  Would the following people come to the office please."  KIM ROSS !!!!!  Yep.  The drug dogs had alerted them to my awful Slim Fast.  Nice.  And that's about how I've seen diet plans since.  A waste of time and money and a reason to be embarrassed if anyone found out I was doing it.
Recently, I was diagnosed with Lupus.  Lupus is no fun but it's manageable. (No, it's not just you... I skipped into a new subject with little or no segue.)  The number one symptom of Lupus is fatigue.  Not I've-had-a-long-day-think-I'll-go-to-bed-early fatigue.  Think more like I-have-twins-who-have-kept-me-up-7-nights-in-a-row-and-I've-maxed-out-my dosage-of-Nyquil kind of tired.  Can be frustrating but still, not the worst thing.  Does anyone know what your first prescription is when discovering you have Lupus?  Prednisone, which is a steroid.  What's a side effect of steroids?  Energy!  It's wonderful!

So, while on the Prednisone, I was able to look at my life in a new way.  And my body.  I'd really let myself go.  More accurately, I'd let more of myself move in to stay.  Gross.  And what's that I'm learning about?  Arbonne.  (Please do not glaze over.  This is not a sales pitch.)  I used some of the product, loved it, bought into it, and am now living it.  Love the stuff.  Okay, like most of the other product lines out there, Arbonne has a Nutrition program.  I'm selling this stuff now so I figured I'd better try it out.

Well, another major side effect of steroids is hunger.  I'm hungry all the time.  I can literally have my mouth full of food and be thinking, "I wonder what we have to eat."  Also, I'm a big fan of food... but specifically holiday food.  Starting a Nutrition program during the holidays while taking Prednisone was perhaps not the smartest thing I've ever done.  But I did it.

Last week was my first week on the new diet.  Vanilla protein shake in the morning (made with almond milk).  Yum!  Chocolate protein shake for lunch (you can swap 'em around or whatever, this is just my preference) made with dark chocolate almond milk.  Double-yum.  Detox herbal tea.  Nice salad or something for dinner.  Groovy.  This is fun.  And easy.  And tasty.  I'm hungry because of the steroid, but I'm not hating life.

Then comes Thursday.  Thursday evening was Harding's staff/faculty Christmas party.  What makes this party unique from a lot of holiday parties is this one is used to showcase Aramark's new cuisine.  It's basically a gourmet tasting party.  Two gigantic rooms are filled with food to try (one room for desserts all by themselves).  You stand in line from one table to the next and eat as you go.  It can take awhile, but the food is unbelievable.  Usually, I don't stand in line.  I just haven't been able to.  So Mark and the kids stand in line and bring me stuff.

This year, I was feeling so good that I wanted to stand in line all by myself (like a big girl).  I decided to throw the diet away for this one night because it's once a year and I love it.  You know what I ate?  Spinach Artichoke Dip, Pork Loin Verde, African Lamb Stew, Etouffee, Shrimp Cocktails, New York Strip in Brown Sauce, Turkey and Dressing in Sweet-Potato-Cheese Sauce, and Breaded Chicken in Sweet-n-Sour Sauce.  And four glasses of lemonade.  That's all.  (And not just one helping... for some of it, I ate several helpings.)

Oh, wait, that wasn't all.  After the party, I went to a friend's house because she was having a Pampered Chef Party.  Are you familiar with those?  You eat.  I can't even remember the name of what we had but it was an apple, cinnamon, bread thingy.  Talk about blowing your diet.

Friday, I got back on the wagon full-speed.  Saturday, not so much.  I wasn't feeling well physically and so I gave in to the hunger-hunger I feel incessantly.  I can't even tell you what I ate but I know spaghetti with cheese was involved.  Then yesterday I had two grilled cheese sandwiches.

I've not neglected the protein shakes (I've just done them AND my own thing).  But guess what.  I've lost 5 pounds.  WHAT?!  This Nutrition program gets an A+.  I'm back in full swing!  Protein shake for breakfast...here I go!  I've learned that I can be healthy and make healthy choices and still enjoy the holiday here and there.  This is a new freedom and I'm loving it!

Whatever your diet of choice is, go ahead and start it...don't wait until the holidays are over!