“I tried dieting for a month; I lost 31 days.”
Okay… ha, ha, ha! We’ve all heard all the quips about dieting. However, laughing at ourselves when we struggle for discipline is far from easy. So, we look for the latest greatest super diet… the one that’s discovered the secret we seek. You know, the one that encourages us to eat macaroni and cheese, crispy fast-food fries, juicy rib-eye steak off the grill, and a piña colada to wash them down.
Seriously. When we want to get it right, we tend to hungrily read whatever “they” are selling. Then we sign on as a new and righteously enthusiastic devotee. The list of possibilities out there to entice us is virtually endless. Which should be choose?
Low-carb? Carb Lovers? High-protein? Low-fat? Gluten Free? Low-calorie? Negative Calorie? Detox? Master Cleanse? Blood Type? Fasting? Liquid Amino? Live Foods? Raw Foods? Paleo? Super Immunity? Zen? World Peace? Apple Cider Vinegar? Rice? Cabbage soup? Oatmeal? Salad? Lemonade? Grapefruit? Banana? Apple a Day? Chocolate? Peanut Butter? Martini? Scarsdale? Zone? Pritikin? Atkins? New Atkins? South Beach? Weight Watchers? New Weight Watchers? Jenny Craig? Medifast? NutriSystem? New York? Park Avenue? Beverly Hills? LA? Hollywood? Makeover? Models? Super Model? Meal Replacement? Eat to Live? Naturally Thin? Vegetarian? Vegan? Fruitarian? Meat Lovers? Man? Eat This, Not That? Mediterranean? Big Fat Greek? St. Tropez? Brazilian Bikini?
Choosing any diet is probably okay if it’s for short-term use only. But there’s no way a diet, even the most successful, will ever make me look like a super model on Park Avenue or as if I belong in a Brazilian bikini in the Mediterranean or on St. Tropez.
I would love to think a diet could successfully let me focus on chocolate, peanut butter and martinis. However, common sense dictates otherwise. I finally decided to try using the best of what I’ve read, especially the information that comes from repeated findings from different studies.
This means that I’ll stick to real butter, fresh fruits and vegetables, organic meat and poultry, seafood and wild fish, and plant-based vitamin and mineral supplements, along with lots of fresh water. Nah, it’s not boring. Because I am human, I know I’ll mess it up regularly with that irresistible homemade pasta, handfuls of crispy, salty chips, and a toasted English muffin with nooks and crannies. Oh, well. I can meditate in search of my personal Zen and continue to hope for world peace. Happy New Year… with love and laughter.
