The Wedding Diet

My sister is getting married in November. If she would have gotten married LAST November, or the November before that, or even the November before that, I would not have worried much about my weight for her wedding. I would likely have worked a little harder at the gym for a while and dranks some more water, but that would have been about it. As it is, I stopped working out at the gym about a year ago and that has taken its toll on my figure, especially since I am in the habit of going out for lunch.

Several weeks ago, I bought a rowing machine, which I immediately set up and started exercising every other day. By the end of the second week, I was beginning to see results. My muscles were firmer and a couple of pounds had dropped off the scale. Then I had to go out of town for a week. Alas! When I returned, I had regained ALL the weight I had lost plus a little. Needless to say, I was not happy and I jumped right back into my exercise routine (except that I missed a day).

Yesterday morning, I hopped onto the scale to discover to my dismay that my exercise has done absolutely nothing. So a little later in the day, when my daughter and I were deciding what was for dinner, I lamented that I need to lose weight for the wedding and our dining out was not helping at ALL. This is when she came up with a plan.

"I tell you what we will do," she offered. "We will eat salad for dinner every night. No meat or soup or anything else. Just salad. How is that?"

"Okay," I agreed. "But no bread either because when I was eating just vegetables before," [this was when she was about 11] "I was also eating a lot of bread to fill me up. So no bread because that is why I did not lose weight last time."

"Okay," she confirmed. We continued on to dinner.

This morning, after Anne was off to school, I opened up my computer and looked for "rawist" salad recipes. These are whole-meal, nutritious salads that do not have meat in them. Typically, they are chock full of vitamins from different vegetables and even include vegetable proteins. After all, I want to be slim -- not unhealthy or deprived.

I found a few recipes that I thought might do. One that looked interesting was not a salad. It was a soup. I debated whether just salad would really be enough and if I should also prepare the soup. Looking at the quantities of vegetables in the salad and checking how many servings the recipe made, though, I determined that I would chance making only the salad. I still wrote down the ingredients for both and took my shopping list with me to lunch.

I spent a gazillion dollars on three items at the health food store, got the common items at the grocery store ($10), and came home. I started "cooking" right away. The time was about 3:30. Half an hour later, the big salad bowl was full and I still had to cut bell peppers and carrots. I looked at the time and went to fetch my daughter. She had to be at school for Band practice at 5:45. I figured she could start eating while I chopped up the remaining vegetables, then add the carrots and bell peppers to her salad when they were ready.

"It's only 4:00, Mom," She protested. "I don't have to leave for school until 5:30. I have plenty of time to eat."

I shrugged, "Okay. Suit yourself," and went back downstairs to finish cutting vegetables.

Half an hour later, Anne emerged. It was only 4:30 but she must have thought better of my letting her make her own decision without an argument. Both of my children have learned through experience and from watching each other that is a very bad idea. If I let something go with absolutely no fight, it means, "Fine, then. It's your choice. Learn the hard way." (Honestly, it is easier to just pick up the pieces than it is to fight about it, lose, and then pick up the pieces.)

I pointed to the large salad bowl, "Eat half."

Anne's eyes grew as large as saucers. "You want me to eat HALF?"

Now remember, the peppers and carrots could not fit into the bowl. So what I did was slice them and put them, evenly divided, into two salad bowls. I slid one of those salad bowls across the counter-top in her direction as I directed, "Yes, and these are yours, too. I suggest you mix the greens in with them and eat it gradually."

She just stared at the bowl for a moment. I wonder what was going through her mind?

About half an hour later, Anne asked, "Can we have ice cream tonight?"

I protested, "You want ice cream?? But we are supposed to be on a diet."

"I'm still hungry."

"Finish your dinner. What kind of ice cream do you want?"

"We have some in the freezer."

"Alright."

"Can I have it now?"

"Before Band?"

She said nothing and I capitulated.

"Okay," I conceded, "but finish your dinner first." Anne continued munching away.

Another half hour later, we were both still munching on greens, and only about 2/3 of the way through the meal. It was time to go. I guess she should have come downstairs to eat when I first called her, BUT the good news is that Anne now has a nice vegetable snack to munch on when she gets home tonight AND she has open permission to have an ice cream when she is done with her vegetables. In addition, she is supporting her mom in trying to lose weight for the wedding in which she, herself, is a part. Which means that she will probably lose a little bit of weight, too. On top of THAT, she is cleaning out her system of junk and filling it with all sorts of natural vitamins and minerals, which means she is about to start feeling better than she can remember feeling since she was very young.

Bonus after bonus after bonus. How lucky can a girl get?