Melting

After the gluttonous River Boat vacation in April, and the attendant gain in poundage,  Judy and I decided to sign-up for Weight Watchers.    

So we did that 2 weeks ago.  Since then we have become super-aware of what we are eating (and drinking).  So far, I have dropped about 10 lbs, mainly by adhering to the plan, counting what they call "smartpoints" -- every item of food is assigned a point value based on the combined amount of saturated fat, sugar, protein and calories.  A serving of chicken is 2 points, a beer is 5 points, Gin and diet tonic is 3 points.   A slice of pizza is 8 points. We have given up pizza and fried foods for a while.   

The higher point items are most processed foods, oils, butter, mayonnaise, pastries, deserts, sauces, potato chips, and restaurant foods -- often because of portion size.    I'm allowed 40 points a day and there is a weekly bonus award (about 40 points) for moments that are too good to pass up.  So if I can be physically active (which I have been), reduce portion size, generally follow point guidelines, I can have several beers or cocktails every day and not feel deprived -- and still lose weight.  All vegetables and all fruits are zero points and unlimited quantities are allowed.  So if I am hungry I can always fill-up on salad or eat an apple.

Don't worry, I haven't got religion!  I'll not harangue anyone about dieting, but I just wanted to let you know what is going on, in case you notice some shrinkage and mistake it for AIDS or other wasting disease.   

 

They say any diet works for the first few weeks, mainly because you start to pay attention to what you are eating.  It's already getting a bit exhausting to plan every meal and snack, counting every teaspoon of dressing or other high calorie substance.  

So we'll see how long we last.  It helps that we are both doing it, so we have banned any unhealthy items from the fridge/lardor.  

(Also, Gin and diet tonic ain't so bad with fresh lime.  )