An Ideal Diet?

July 6, 2014

I’ve wrestled with my weight most of my adult life, and the evils of menopause have only made a bad situation worse. For years, I’ve been telling people I’m still losing baby weight. Of course, my baby is 28.

In my early 20’s, struggling with the stress of a less than optimal marriage and a small child, I faded to 105 lbs. which prompted both my mother the nurse and my Italian grandmother, each drawing on their own rationale and wisdom, to declare me anorexic.

Grandma’s cooking and two more kids later, I was a comfortable 130 pounds. A size six and a perfect 7-1/2 shoe. My confidence was high, closet was full, and both Grandma and Mom were off my back. As the years piled on, so did the pounds; my weight fluctuated like the seasons and the fashions I could and couldn’t wear. There were shining moments of victory – a 25 lb. loss for my second wedding and years later, the same 25 for my daughter’s wedding, but like a bad penny, those pounds kept coming back and they started to bring friends. Sure, I could have eaten better and exercised more, but I was enjoying life. (Did I mention an Italian grandmother? Food is like oxygen.) They say the view from rearview mirror is always 20/20; sadly, the view of my backside was bigger.

Trust me, I’ve tried every exercise option, pill and diet out there – Atkins, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Billy Blanks Tae Bo, Curves and more (thankfully, I don’t have to suffer the embarrassment of admitting I ordered a Suzanne Sommers Thigh Master or a Richard Simmons ‘Sweating to the Oldies’ video), but I couldn’t seemed to escape the pendulum swing of numbers flashing at me from the bathroom scale. I know there is no magic bullet - losing weight and maintaining that loss is about lifestyle and exercise – but a girl can hope, can’t she?

But right now, hope – high hopes actually- is what I have. I ran into a colleague at work one day, someone I don’t see all the time, but immediately recognized that something was very different about her, even in the dim lighting of the stairwell (another exercise option – stairs instead of the elevator). She was glowing and I commented that she looked great. “I hope so,” she giggled. “I’ve lost 37 pounds.”

What?!?!?! And then she told me she did it in 6 weeks. Without exercise. What?!?!?!?

I begged her for her secret. Ideal Protein, she told me, and sent me the information. Jason and I were leaving on vacation the next day, so it wasn’t the best time to start a diet, but we got back home on Thursday and I made the phone call on Friday.

The program focuses on cutting out carbs (and wine, sadly) while increasing your veggies and protein intake. Sure, you’ve got to buy their food to support the process, but seeing someone I knew as a live success story, I was willing to try it. In my first full week, I’m down 8 lbs. I’ve got more energy, my skin looks wonderful (all the water you need to drink) and I’m more than excited about the results. All the food I’ve tried, with the exception of the herb and cheese omelet – powdered eggs are powdered eggs, even if you try to doctor them with your own veggies – has been palatable, and dare I say in some instances, actually good. I’m not starving, I don’t feel deprived, and I may even get back on the treadclimber to help expedite the process.

And as a reward for good behavior, at the end of each week, I add $10 into a jar for every pound I’ve lost. How else am I going to be able to afford that new size 6 wardrobe at the end of the summer?

Stay tuned for progress reports.