The tricky part is finding a diet that we can stick with because it fits our lifestyle and doesn't leave us feeling totally deprived.

Yes, very much this.

I eat red meat sometimes because, thanks to the fact I almost certainly have fibroids (not officially diagnosed yet, but all the symptoms match and they run in my family), my iron levels run low. I also take daily supplements and eat a fair amount of beans, but I figure the occasional beef dish is a way to make getting enough iron a treat rather than a chore. But I don't overdo, because one of the OTHER things that runs in my family is colon cancer.

I've been on Weight Watchers since the beginning of the year, and I've lost 3 lbs., which I figure is a decent start. I like it because it gives me the flexibility to eat foods that I enjoy and fit with my lifestyle as long as I stay within my point range, and I need that. I mean, my life is pretty crazy. I know it would be better if I never ate convenience foods and never touched a fried potato product again, but realistically that's not going to happen given my current lifestyle. And as for my lifestyle...well, can't quit the job, because we couldn't pay the bills. Can't quit writing, because that's the only way to GUARANTEE I'll never be published, and I get even snarlier if I can't write than if I can't have my carbs. Can't give up the husband and the daughter--I love them and am committed to them. So for the foreseeable future I'm going to be stupid busy, and sometimes that means less than perfect nutritional choices. I'm trying to find ways to fit more cooking time into my life and to cut way back on the bad fats and bad carbs, but for now I need a system with some flexibility and room to be good enough rather than perfect, so that I don't feel like I've Failed Utterly if some Thursday night I'm just too tired to deal with cooking or the kitchen is a mess and I order a pizza or, horrors!, get fast food. So WW works for me, but Atkins and its ilk are a big fat no, because even if they really are the ideal diet that everyone ought to be following, I know that I can't and won't stick to them.

ION, I survived the solo and even got compliments on it. Strangely enough, the stage fright that had my knees and my voice wobbling during rehearsal utterly disappeared during the services. Performance adrenaline rushes are beautiful things. Still, that's the last time I'm volunteering for a solo, though I might try one again if the director asks me rather than the other way around.

Yay Susan!

Yay Susan, both for the solo and the sensible dieting.

Today is not a banner diet day, but I am having veggie soup now and it is yum.

go, Susan. I'm glad to here the performance was so much better than the rehearsal.

and I really think that small changes that fit with how you live, in the long run, will make more sense. and be easier to become part of your normal life.

I had a candy bar, and I'm fixing to have a margarita, but I just got back from a very long walk buying gifts for my slacker secret santa.

We just took advantage of what may be the last sunny weekend afternoon until, oh, July or so and took Annabel to the park. Lots of other families had the same idea, and Annabel alternated between extreme shyness (when a group of little girls tried to get her to make mud pies, only more like wood chip cakes, with them) and sociability (when she and another little girl were on the swings talking about their daddies and how high they were pushing them).

A good day, all told.

Nice day, Susan. Bet both little girls have their dads wrapped around their itty bitty fingers.

So, Day 1 of Atkins is commencing with breakfast of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon.

Mmmm, tasty!

eta

Awesome, Susan! So glad you enjoyed the performance!

Way to go Susan!