But I read Newsweek and Jane Austen too, if that redeems me.
I read the article Wed night. Then I did something I have never ever done. I started the diet on Thursday. Yep. Thursday. I didn't even wait until Monday.
Then I cheated the first day.
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
I'm not beating myself up. I just came face to face with what I know will be my biggest challenge: finding excuses. Do you at least want to hear my excuse so you can laugh at me (or give me wisdom). I took my kids to the movie theater and had popcorn. I really didn't like move theater popcorn until about three years ago and then I discovered how tasty it is, so in my mind I have 37 years of NOT eating popcorn for which to make up.
It's ok. I'm back on the wagon. I managed to make it through the rest of the day without snacking.
I thought sweets would be my biggest challenge. Sweet is my middle name. Turns out snacking is going to be it (for now).
Doesn't everyone want to think they really DO have an exception to the rules (even though there aren't all that many rules)?
Here is my "woe is me" thing that I have to figure out. I had weight loss surgery (WLS) two years ago. Some people may be surprised that I am still dieting, but I think people need to know that a) most WLS's have statistics for weight loss at around 85% of excess weight (so if you are 100 pounds overweight, you can expect to lose 85 pounds); b) people can and do gain back some/all of the weight; c) it is not a free ticket to skinnyville. In my case, I had a less drastic type of WLS. I lost about 100 pounds but 20 have found me again. I was not at goal, so all total I would like to lose about 30 pounds.
Anyway, I cannot each large portions at once. That's a good thing. I can eat frequently. I can drink a lot of calories or eat a lot of soft food calories. However, when we are talking proper meals I can eat perhaps 250-350 calories depending on what I am eating. Post WLS, my metabolism took a huge dive so I know the dangers of trying to live off of too few calories and I honestly don't think eating less than 1000 calories is the way to go for me. I plan to do two things: 1) I am going to go with 4 meals a day (breakfast, early lunch, late lunch, dinner) and 2) I am going to feel out an apx number of calories I do eat at a meal without going overboard into the legalistic realm of actually calorie counting. Maybe I am eating well over 300 calories. If I find that my meals are closer to something like 500 calories, I will go back to 3 meals.
Even doing this one day (almost), it has been an eye opener as to how much those little snacks and bites add up.