Anticipation
This new diet has 5 rules, and only 5 rules. The fifth rule is that one day a week you're allowed to eat as much as you want, and whatever you want. It's a core part of the diet because of something to do with your metabolism. I remember something about T3 vs T4, but mostly I remember the earlier part of the book where it lays out the principle that you don't really need to know the full science behind the diet as long as you know the procedure. It's explained with the analogy of a microwave. The user doesn't need to know about thermodynamics, they just need to know what buttons to press.
Anyway, I've found myself thinking about the cheat day a lot. This is in part because I'm three days into this diet and there's a lot of things that I regularly eat and enjoy that I now can't have six days of the week, but there's two much more serious triggers.
The first is what I've started to think of as a minor fast food addiction. It's a compulsion that goes beyond simple hunger, so I've started to think of it as a kind of addiction. I haven't eaten fast food since starting the diet, but I have driven through twice. I drive through and get just a diet drink, which is allowed in moderation, and satisfy the compulsion without feeding the actual problem. I plan to combat this eventually, but since I'm already working on completely reworking the way I eat I think the diet cola solution will be a kind of nicotine patch to keep the problem in check until I'm not occupied reworking other behaviors.
The second is on my mind a lot more. It comes to mind essentially every time I buy food. There are items in all of these stores that I know about, that I have had before, and that I enjoy. I normally can't have them, but I can eventually, and that knowledge sates me. I walk past a delicious caramel apple with chocolate stripes and nuts and I just look at it, and say to the delicious treat "I'll see you on Friday."
I'm looking forward to Friday. Six days of discipline, one day of carnivalesque indulgence. I've thought about what I'm going to eat first. It will be my first cheat day, and I'm prone to putting symbolic importance on things like this. I want the first thing I eat on the first cheat day to simultaneously violate the other four rules. In order to violate rule 1 it needs to contain the basic carbohydrates that are prohibited. Rule 2 means that it will have to be something I don't normally eat. Rule 3 means that it will have to be a drink, since rule 3 is "Don't drink your calories." It will also have to contain fruit, since rule 4 is no fruit. I thought about it a bit, and I have my answer.
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake.
Pie is, by name, a carb and a fruit. I essentially never drink milkshakes so it will be unusual, and it's a drink, which finishes the formula. I'm looking forward to that morning, and that milkshake, but for now I just have to know that it's out there, and know that I will see it on Friday.
Anyway, I've found myself thinking about the cheat day a lot. This is in part because I'm three days into this diet and there's a lot of things that I regularly eat and enjoy that I now can't have six days of the week, but there's two much more serious triggers.
The first is what I've started to think of as a minor fast food addiction. It's a compulsion that goes beyond simple hunger, so I've started to think of it as a kind of addiction. I haven't eaten fast food since starting the diet, but I have driven through twice. I drive through and get just a diet drink, which is allowed in moderation, and satisfy the compulsion without feeding the actual problem. I plan to combat this eventually, but since I'm already working on completely reworking the way I eat I think the diet cola solution will be a kind of nicotine patch to keep the problem in check until I'm not occupied reworking other behaviors.
The second is on my mind a lot more. It comes to mind essentially every time I buy food. There are items in all of these stores that I know about, that I have had before, and that I enjoy. I normally can't have them, but I can eventually, and that knowledge sates me. I walk past a delicious caramel apple with chocolate stripes and nuts and I just look at it, and say to the delicious treat "I'll see you on Friday."
I'm looking forward to Friday. Six days of discipline, one day of carnivalesque indulgence. I've thought about what I'm going to eat first. It will be my first cheat day, and I'm prone to putting symbolic importance on things like this. I want the first thing I eat on the first cheat day to simultaneously violate the other four rules. In order to violate rule 1 it needs to contain the basic carbohydrates that are prohibited. Rule 2 means that it will have to be something I don't normally eat. Rule 3 means that it will have to be a drink, since rule 3 is "Don't drink your calories." It will also have to contain fruit, since rule 4 is no fruit. I thought about it a bit, and I have my answer.
Pumpkin Pie Milkshake.
Pie is, by name, a carb and a fruit. I essentially never drink milkshakes so it will be unusual, and it's a drink, which finishes the formula. I'm looking forward to that morning, and that milkshake, but for now I just have to know that it's out there, and know that I will see it on Friday.
posted by Max at 12:43 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home