Archive for October 22nd, 2010

• Day 243: Does Discipline Beget Discipline?

  Date: 2010.10.22 | Category: Uncategorized | Response: 2

  

  If you’ve been reading A Year Without Candy for the past two weeks, you know that on Oct. 5th I began the Dukan Diet, a strict new diet sweeping France and which has become very popular in the U.K.    People report miracles of weight loss on it.

  I’ve eaten nothing but protein (meat and fish) and vegetables in the past two and half weeks.  Most people (just check out the voluminous Dukan diet forums online) report losing 10-12 pounds easily in the first three weeks. In contrast, I’ve only lost two pounds and my pants are still tight.

  Bitter?  I was a few days ago.  Especially that I’ve gone public not only with this blog but with friends and acquaintances. Therefore I am on the receiving end of helpful advice from all and sundry about my inexplicable lack of weight loss.

  What’s worse than suddenly developing a freakish metabolism impervious to the kind of diet that Gandhi might find challenging?

  Helpful advice from friends!

  Of course they mean well.

  A few days ago, pissed off, I decide to inform the truculent Universe that I was going to continue with the Dukan diet, despite Its mean league of gods clearly and deliberately trying to thwart me.

  Incredibly, I even thought, in cloying Pollyanna style, well at least I’ve lost two pounds!  That’s better than nothing!

  A funny thing happened.  The diet has become much easier.  The first week was a real struggle.  I had no energy, I had bad dreams when I wasn’t dreaming of french fries, and I never thought I’d make it two weeks.  And that was when I still thought I’d be losing weight!

  Almost three weeks in, I feel wonderful.  I do occasionally miss carbohydrates.  But I feel energized, happy, light, fired up.

  I always figured that giving up the sweets I love would be next to impossible.  Now I’m barely eating anything that I love, but I feel so much better.

  All I really eat is yogurt, eggs, chicken, fish, vegetables, steak and hamburger.

  Does discipline beget more discipline?

  Do you really need to eat as much as you think you do?

  Is this what happens when you push past disappointment and no results and keep going?

  Don’t get me wrong.  Feeling my pants still so tight after all this time is very discouraging.

  But at the same time, becoming more disciplined is cutting some of the extraneous fat from my brain, my character, my personality.

  I have liftoff.

  One person wrote to this blog a few days ago that maybe this diet just isn’t working for me and since I don’t look heavy, I should just quit and try something else.  I totally understand her perspective.  And while I’m not heavy and have never had eating issues, I have gained at least 20 pounds in the last six years without changing any eating or exercise habits.

  Why embrace those 20 pounds?  I don’t want them.  I don’t know now if I’ll ever get rid of them but I’m not ready to just accept them.

  I also remembered something that may be further proof that I am an alien life form which explains my current metabolism issue.

  I have fair skin, being of Irish descent.

  One of my closest friends since college also has fair Irish skin.  Years ago, during our college years, we used to go to her grandmother’s spread in Palm Springs for Easter break.

  Cam and I would bake in the sun poolside for hours without an iota of sunscreen. Cam would always wind up lobster red.

  I remained white as snow, impervious to  searing, 100+ degree desert sun.  A few days later I might develop a slight tan.

  Cam could never believe it.  There was no explanation for it.

  Helpful advice, anyone?

  Ta,