As I fell off the carb wagon at the San Gennaro Feast earlier in the week, I decided that I might as well enjoy my carb-fest and worry about the consequences tomorrow… or the day after tomorrow…. or even the day after that. One of the KEY factors to the I LOVE FOOD DIET is that when you absolutely have the undeniable urge to stuff your face with that toasted buttered bagel, or those deep-fried Zeppoles, or that tray of sushi, you CAN and SHOULD indulge moderately and satisfy those cravings. 

If you are going to cheat, then you should really cheat.There is no point in feeling guilty or tip toeing around your repressed enjoyment. Life is too short. If you are going to eat those carb laden foods then you should absolutely do it and do it with abandon! Savor them and enjoy every last morsel. You should treat your occasional dalliances with carbs as a “treat” and give them all the love and attention a child would give to his favorite toy. And you all know what happens to a child’s favorite toy. After a while, as is often the case with my 2 sons, the toy soon looses some of its luster and charm. The child soon grows tired of playing with it and eventually moves on. I am that child and carbs are hopefully that toy. 

So that is what I have been doing these last couple of days. I am almost ready to hop back on the wagon. I ordered the Bento Box for dinner and ate every last morsel of steamed white rice. I love Japanese food, especially sushi.   

Sushi itself  does not refer to the raw fish, but rather refers to the cooked vinegared rice that is often topped with slices of raw fish or other seafood. There are many different types of sushi like Nigiruzushi – hand formed sushi; Makizushi – rolled sishi, Oshizushi – pressed sushi; Chirashizushi – scattered sushi and the Western Style Sushi  – the ubiquitous california rolls, rainbow rolls and spider rolls. Bottom line, Sushi all contain white rice and white rice has carbs. But how can I abandon my beloved sushi? The answer is that I dont. I just eat A LOT of the raw fish topped rice pieces until that I feel that gills are starting to grow behind my ears. I eat it until I can’t (or even want to), eat it anymore….at least for a while. 

I am invited to a “tasting dinner” at the French Culinary Mecca, Bouley, tomorrow night and you better bet your sweet fois gras that I will be devouring the bread basket, the perfectly prepared chefs specialties  along with the several deserts that always go with a multi course tasting menu. 

And when I am good and ready and had my fill of sushi, bagels, pasta and the like, I will hop back on the carb-free wagon, rejuvenated and ready to continue to lose weight. 

Since I have been on the I LOVE FOOD DIET, I have succeeded in losing 10 pounds. I have since gained a few of those pounds back but I figure if I AVERAGE about 5 lbs every 1- 2 months and KEEP if off, in no time, I will be down to my pre-high school weight! 

The I LOVE FOOD DIET is not a crash diet, but rather a lifestyle change. Simple changes over time that are easy and attainable. Thats what I want. A diet that works for life. 

Chow for now!