It seems like we’ve been on this diet a lot longer than 8 weeks! It almost seems like we’ve never NOT been on it. Even with the recent holiday baking for Thanksgiving and now Christmas, we have been so GOOD. I am really proud of us. It’s true we have allowed ourselves to have a bit of cookie dough and several cookies as the baking has occurred, but, seriously, NOTHING like the ‘old days’ when we put no limits on ourselves at all. We used to just eat until the cookies were gone. Sad, but true, we were spoiled brats when it came to eating, especially sweets, and especially ME. I am the true culprit in our dessert escapades.

I have to admit that we haven’t followed the South Beach Diet to the letter. It has gradually evolved into a ‘protein and green vegetables are okay; flour, sugar, and fat are not okay’ diet. So we are eating a lot of meat, fish, and green vegetables, occasionally spiced up with some corn or mixed vegetables. We have diet jello with fat free whipped topping at lunch and dinner to satisfy our sweet tooth (teeth?). It has become rather boring, but boring is good in this case because there is no incentive to overeat. I only cook enough for the servings we should have, so there is no going back for ‘seconds’.

One marvelous thing we have both noticed is that we don’t crave anything to eat. Not desserts, or chips, or any of that. That is a tremendous help as we continue to lose weight slowly (but steadily) with our goals finally in sight. Oh, the goal is still ‘out there’, but at least we get a glimpse of it now! Our clothes fit so much better, and our jeans are actually beginning to get a little baggy—yea!! I don’t mind shopping for new clothes one bit! Bring it on, I say! As I mentioned in an earlier post, this time I didn’t weigh at the beginning, nor have I stepped on the scale at all since starting the diet. So I don’t know how many pounds I’ve lost. But I can tell the fat rolls on my back (how gross is that, to have to admit you have rolls, plural!!?!) although still perched there, are smaller than they were. I will only feel I have ‘made it’ when those creepy rolls are GONE! So I don’t need to weigh, I can SEE my progress.

If you have dieted, or are dieting now, you know how difficult it is to even start the process. Staying on the diet is just as difficult, with so many opportunities to cheat and quit. It has helped me tremendously that Don is also on the diet. And he doesn’t complain about the food or threaten to quit, and he doesn’t cheat and eat bad things when he’s away from the safety of home. Because he is ‘keeping the faith’ it is much easier for me to do the same. We are in it together, which is a good thing. We celebrate our progress together and don’t have to feel guilty or jealous because we failed to follow the plan. It’s all good. I can’t think of a better gift to give each other for Christmas this year than our feet firmly planted on the road to better health and fitness!