Day 1

notsooriginal — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:28:56 +0000

I have settled on “Day 1″ as my title for this post. I recognize that this indicates that this is the first day of something. I suppose it is the first day of my diet. However, this is not the first day I have ever dieted. I usually do this very quietly. I am ever hopeful that one day someone will just blurt out “You look great,” and I can just shrug and say, “Oh, thanks. I guess I’ve been trying to lose some weight.” This, of course, is done with much nonchalance and ambiguity. If I am being completely honest though, I do this because if (or when) I fail, I don’t have to fess up to anything. I do not think I am alone in this. This time is “different.” This time I am starting my diet as publicly as I could think to. No, I don’t know who (or if anyone) will read this, but it’s out there.

I hate this day. This first day because I really have to think about everything I am doing. It is my opinion that dieting should be considered a full-time job. I should be able to tell my supervisor that I need a sabbatical because I have a diet to attend to. Of course, I also think the government should subsidize my diet. Hey, in the long run being successful now means that I will be less of a medical draw on society later, right? I should be provided with a trainer and dietician as well as a stipend for new clothes as the weight comes off. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Well, day one has started with a struggle at the Starbucks counter, but I opted for sugar-free and non-fat. Calories are not erased, but it is a small victory. Why not avoid Starbucks all together? Are you crazy?!?! Dieting sucks enough without avoiding my local Barnes & Noble cafe where my dissertation work gets done. Did I mention that I decided to start a diet while writing my dissertation and getting ready to move? No, well, I didn’t want a lecture! I know this is the worst time, but I have not found a “good” time in the last 10 years, so it appears to be now or never.

The plan is to swim or take a water aerobics class at least 5 times a week and cut back on refined sugars and starches. We’ll see how this goes given I hate to go to the gym and I LOVE anything with sugar and starch in it. It doesn’t sound so bad, and my husband – who has never been overweight a day in his life — thinks it’s going to be a piece of cake. Yum….cake. Maybe it’s a good thing I’ll be living away from him during the weekdays for the next year. Maybe I can keep from strangling him. Maybe I can be healthy. Maybe, just maybe, this will work this time. I’m not looking for magic. I’m looking for something I can manage and still have a life seeing as how dieting is not logically a full-time job, and I don’t think the Obamacare is funding for me a personal trainer and dietician anytime soon. Wish me luck…Oh, and some will power. THANKS!

Another Diet, Another Day

Day 1