I survived refreshments!

Yes, today was a Solstice celebration, complete with goodies afterward. I put not one bite into my mouth, though my children and everyone around me was happily munching. I recognize that this is a very black and white attitude on my part. While I hope and plan for eventual flexibility (read, willpower), at this point, I really
really appreciate and need the "rules" to follow: eat x at y time. None of this "choose 2 from Column A and 1 from Column B" for me, no sirree...down that path lies all little cheats and invisible calories.

So far, I have followed the letter of the law almost exactly. Yesterday, in the middle of a huge marathon of hauling firewood up to our porch, I added an energy bar to my intake. It was exactly what I needed.

I am pretty astonished at the sheer quantity of food that I am consuming. You know those lists of "free foods" that pop up in nutrition books? Well, this must be the free food mecca, plus a few added yummies. To wit, today's breakfast was a smoothie, consisting of a whole peach, a whole mango, a whole banana, and a tub of blueberries. I kid you not. Lunch was miso soup, followed by a mega-salad: a whole red bell pepper and a whole yellow bell pepper, a carrot, a whole avocado, 3 radishes, 2 big handfuls of lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, some pine nuts, and olive oil and vinegar.


Yes, I am still longing for an extra large coffee with skim and sugar. And a soft peppermint candy. Ok, and maybe some dark chocolate. I even have passing thoughts of cheesecake. And yet, I am moving forward with relative ease, and am five whole days into this! I don't lick the spoons after I make the kids' food, I'm not snacking on unplanned foods (I have two planned snacks a day!), I am really thinking about every bite of food that goes into my mouth.

And honestly, I feel terrific. How's that for a brag?