The DietChef Thing: Day 19

Hey everyone.

Oh the relief when the miasma of illness and gloom lifts and you feel like yourself again! It's like coming out from under a nasty, cold, clammy grey cloud! I've had a much, much better day and I'm really hoping for a good week. I'd better have one, I've got big plans for this week and I've got to be at the top of my form. I also listened to what my body was telling me and things went better for it.

When my eyes open this morning I groan inwardly. T'Pain is still hanging about, hovering around behind my eyes. "Oh go away, will you, you've been camping in my head for days, not to mention my bones," I whine. He just gives me a sneer and says nothing. I take a couple of pink elephants, but as they've done absolutely no good so far I'm not hopeful.

Noble husband takes me through the morning routine and we sort out the food. A new kind of soup to try for lunch, hmm, wonder if I'll even want any, didn't yesterday, I ate it anyway and look what thanks I got. Not to worry, yummers chocolate granola and yogurt for breakfast with my usual measure of plain yogurt. I soon demolish that, washing it down with a large mug of noble husband's matchless Earl Grey.

After my usual morning catching up of EMails and tweets we get to work on the Sunday video. that keeps us busy for the greater part of the day. Lunchtime comes and goes and, as I expected, I don't feel remotely hungry at one O'clock, so I take a chance and skip it. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I need to settle my stomach properly and get so that I'm hungry for dinner. I haven't had time to think about T'Pain during my busy morning, and when I do have time to breathe, I notice he has quietly packed and left! The relief is indescribable! Please don't come back for a long, long time!

After the video goes up I nerdle about on vareous things, talk to friends, look at Youtube, all the usual things I do. One of my friends is coming all the way down from Scotland to see me this week and we're both mega excited. I've also arranged with our favorite restaurant that we can all go there to eat, but they'll make me a low calorie starter and main course so I don't cheat on my diet. This particular place is small, friendly and totally passionate about the best food, the manager is also a friend of ours and, with notice, will do things like this and he was very accommodating.

There's a nice big empty hole in my stomach by the time we reach six O'clock. Tonight it's something new, Macaroni Cheese. On a diet, honestly! Now I've heard worrying things about the DC version of this dish. I've heard two people say they didn't like it, and it is one of my favorite things to eat. Will it be ok? I get it ready, cook up my serving of lovely fresh sliced greens, plate up the meal, which I have to say smells delicious, and sit to the table.

First bite: oh nom nom! Now this is one of the few dishes that really doesn't need any extra seasoning. It's just right. The macaroni is soft, but I'm expecting that, the cheese sauce is thick, full of melty cheese and just a hint of mustard, it's incredibly tasty. Of course, it's a microwave meal so there's no crusty top. If I'd wanted one I could have put this in an ovenproof bowl and flashed it under the gril, but I'm fine with it like it is. It really is good, I'd eat this again in a heartbeat.

I spend the evening in my usual chilled manner. Lady Willpower is in a sulk with me. She says she's not getting enough work. What with all this lovely food and me hardly ever being hungry these days, there's really nothing for her to do. I'm even getting something sweet to eat most nights, so I'm not even having chocolate cravings. I give her a quick hug and tell her to stay alert, you never know when those nasty cravings will show up, you can't afford to let your guard down! She seems mollified by that.

It's nine O'clock and snack time. Crisps tonight, the cheese and red onion soy and potato snacks. I've made up my mind, tomorrow I'm going on the website and junking the crisps. Oh, I like them fine, but the oaties are by far the best, and those are the ones I thought would leave me dissatisfied and starving! They don't, they fill me up the best of all the snacks, and they give me that little bit of true sweetness that keeps the sugar cravings away. I'm going to get three kinds of oaties, the ginger ones, the chocolate and the berry, and just seven packs of that yummy caramel corn, got to have some of that, though it's not as satisfying as the cookies even though it's such a big bag, you're hungry twenty minutes after you've eaten it.

Well, I've finished my last cup of tea and it'll soon be time for sleep. I can actually feel the weight coming off me now, I can feel my shape changing. I don't have to worry because I'm eating healthy, balanced meals, not some crackpot, dangerous diet that I'll never be able to stay on or that might do me harm. I'm not taking pills, I'm not doing anything silly. What I am doing is something I've never, ever done in my life before. Managing to eat sensibly and lose weight, I can hardly believe it's true. Well, we've got another week and a bit to go yet, let's not get ahead of ourselves, and then let's see how we feel after we've done two months, not one! But I really hope I stay feeling this happy and positive, it's a good feeling. Goodnight everyone.

Food eaten today.

Breakfast: Chocolate Granola, plain no fat yogurt.

Lunch: didn't have it.

Dinner: Macaroni Cheese, serving of sliced spring greens.

Snack: Cheese and Red Onion Potato and Soy Snacks.

Drinks: Tea, no milk or sugar.

Bad? no.

Are you hungry? Yes.

Mood? Great.

Music: Denis King and his Orchestra: Galloping Home, Theme from The adventures of Black Beauty.