Protein and Veggies

I once said I would never diet again. I believed in portion control. I thought I should have anything I would otherwise eat but share it in half. This worked. I did shed most of my weight in my twenties this way. I also never ate anything that wasn't "worth it". Just what I really liked, in moderation.

I grew up with an eating disorder. I was overweight by the time I became a teenager. My cousin reminded me of my "exclusively fruit" dinners, while I peered at Miss Piggy posters decorating the kitchen: "if you eat anything else you may turn into her!" syndrome.
I tried my grandmother's 1950s banana milk diet that she got onto because in the day nurses couldn't be overweight! I tried fad-diets like weight watchers in the 1990s. Nothing worked till I cut my portions.

I pay little attention to food nowadays. I fill my life with other pleasures. Coffee is big. Indeed, coffee must be accompanied by some snack. I had reduced it to a simple, delectable Special K bar. Forbidden in my new diet. My teeth grind because I crave it. In the same way as I crave my "nightcap": a square of dark chocolate before I sleep, reminder of 5 star Swiss hotels that leave it on your pillow.

I am not allowed sugar on my new diet. Not even fruit. Its a very Orthodox way of dieting. No frills or nonsense: protein and vegetables, three times a day. I sprinkle the day with handfuls of almonds.


I am on a strict diet because I am training with a coach who believes diet and sport go hand in hand. When I trained with him last, the diet wasn't this strict but I did retain very good habits from the two month stunt: I think twice before I have a carb, I eat many more proteins than I ever did. My lifestyle has changed.

I can't wait to get off this no-sugar-diet! Now even an apple feels like a forbidden fruit!