Embarking On the Diet Quest

At the tender age of sixteen, my mother sat me down and said to me "Nora, in life there are two types of people. Those that eat when they are stressed and those that don't eat when they are stressed." I happen to be among the many that find comfort in a home cooked meal or some good ole Phish Food when the time is right. I have always been pretty healthy, not a body builder or a lean machine, but well-proportioned and within my healthy weight range. Then I went through an incredibly traumatic experience this past summer, at age 19, and gained ten pounds. It's time to get them off! Part of that process for me is shirking off the emotional baggage that the extra fat carries.

I am not a dieter. Even though I am a comfort eater at times, my metabolism has been a gift, and so I have not had to diet. So this process will be painful at times, disturbing, and my friends will no doubt attempt to thwart it since I am not overweight, but I'm doing this for me. I want to show that you can get really healthy at any age. I want to show that I'm strong and nothing, not even the traumatizing event that happened in my life, can get me down.

So here goes...day 1 and counting.

I type my food into weight watchers (my diet journal essentially) and am amazed to find that Special K is TWO POINTS. 3/4 cup cereal is not a breakfast of champions, it is a breakfast of mice. I try to think like a mouse, in the hope that believing I have the stomach of a mouse will make the serving less pathetic-looking.

The food is down, and it is ten minutes later and I am amazed. I am full. Who knew almond milk and perfectly proportioned cereal was apt to sustain a growing 19-year-old? My cat, Jim, stares at my milk moustache longingly. I realize that even Jim, no matter how much yummy food I put in front of him, can control his cravings. While dogs will eat until no tomorrow, cats will eat until they are full and have an internal wiring system to tell them this. I share this with my cats. Thus it is time to take a cue from my feline counterparts and find stuff to do when I am dying for a fix of dark chocolate frosting.