Salt & Vinegar Pringles, Blueberries, and Gummy Bears

I started the South Beach Diet Phase 1 on Monday. For those who don't know about South Beach, Phase 1 is the strictest phase and it lasts only two weeks. I can't eat/drink/consume in any way the following items: fruit; any type of sugar (including honey, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, etc); alcohol; carbs such as bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes; high-fat meats; high-fat cheeses; high-sugar vegetables such as beets, carrots, and corn. In case you're wondering what that leaves: most vegetables; lean meats; low-fat cheeses and other dairy (milk, cottage cheese, yogurt, etc); eggs; nuts (in limited amounts). I think that's it. It seems a lot worse when you write it out, actually. I did South Beach very successfully for about a year (all three phases, I was only in this phase for two weeks!) and lost 20 pounds and loved it. But all that's not the point at the moment (maybe I'll write about that more later).

The point is this: if you ever decide to try out the South Beach Diet, make sure that you do not start Phase 1 during the week you're PMSing. Make sure that you do not start Phase 1 during the week you're PMSing. Make sure that you do not start Phase 1 during the week you're PMSing. Holy Lord, what I wouldn't give for some Salt & Vinegar Pringles, blueberries, and gummy bears. The hormonal cravings and the withdrawal cravings have mated and their offspring is a beast. A beast of burden that haunts me day and night. And I'm not even exaggerating--I actually dreamed of eating carbs and fruit last night.

But I am committed. I have not succumbed. And it's Day 4, so we should just have another day or so of cravings. Hopefully. And on Sunday Jason leaves for a week, so it should be a lot easier without having to smell his beer and--stick a fork in me why don't you?--his popcorn.

And now, I will leave you with some very un-Pioneer Woman-like shots of the food I have been eating lately:

Sautéing mushrooms & asparagus for a lovely breakfast:

Doesn't this look yummy? Well, it was! (I only ate about half.)

Notice the Spicy Hot V-8. Very cold Spicy Hot V-8 is so integral to my survival on this diet that the first time I was on Phase 1 (two years ago in Italy), one day I forgot my V-8 at home and nearly pitched a fit when I arrived at work and discovered I didn't have it. That was a rough day.

Yogurt! Luckily for me I prefer plain yogurt anyway. This stuff is pretty good.

When I went to Costco and saw that they finally had blueberries now that I can't eat them, I almost died. Okay, not really, but I almost gave in and ripped open a box of blueberries and devoured them right there on the Costco floor without paying for them first. Or washing them. Have I mentioned I love blueberries? Anyway, to reward myself for not dying or eating blueberries, I bought some of the good mozzarella...
...and we ate it with Roma tomatoes and fresh basil and really, really good olive oil and balsamic vinegar I brought back from Italy. Yummmmmmm.

Okay, now I'm off to go eat a no-sugar-added Fudgsicle. :)