Or how I plan on fitting into my mother-of-the-bride dress!
Only 66 days until the wedding of my oldest daughter. The date sits on every calendar we own and all of our lives for the next 2 months revolve around “how does that fit in with the wedding?” The big question is “how will I fit into the dress I already bought by February 23rd?”
So…recently I was in Korea for a conference when my good friend Gary suggested I go “low-carb.” Since we were eating 3 meals a day together and he was already eating that way, I jumped in with both feet and joined the club. We’re in Korea where they have some of the best Italian food and we’re avoiding carbohydrates? Wait, what? Yes, the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever ate in were in Korea. Oh, and when we did eat Korean, no rice. We tried the Canadian restaurant…lots of meat options there, but we had to skip the potatoes. We tried the Chinese restaurant…yep, even found some low carb options there. But, sadly, we had to skip the dumplings and the rice and the bread. Except for that one cheat night at the Wine Bar, but you can’t drink wine on an empty stomach, and they have amazing fresh, warm bread. I also read somewhere that wine is good for you. We even skipped our favorite local establishment to avoid the high carb alcohol drinks, which meant we missed rib night. (Sorry, Byron)
Two weeks into this new diet, I wake up with strep throat. At that point, it became more of a fast. I felt like one of my kids whining that my throat hurt and refusing to eat. This was not part of the plan. But it may have been helpful. Add some antibiotics to the mix and the crazy stuff that does to one’s stomach, and now we’ve got a weight lost program.
I’ve had my moments when I couldn’t maintain the low carb meal plan. Church Christmas social with a pot luck comes to mind. Have you seen how we Baptists eat? There was nothing low carb on that table except maybe the ham. And then there’s last night’s deep dish pizza. I thought for sure I’d wake up this morning and all my sacrifices would be for not. I felt guilty enough that I had to confess to Gary that I fell off the wagon, again. Like any good coach, he told me to shake it off and get back at it.
To my great surprise, I weighed myself right after I woke up, as I do almost every morning. I lost another pound which brings the grand total to 7. Eighteen days of no bread, no pasta, no soda, no alcohol, no mashed potatoes and despite my cheat days, I’m getting there. I started this post as part of my confession, and I realized it’s really more of a “yeah me!” kind of blog moment. Accountability and determination are key when doing any type of diet or fitness program.
Someone asked me the other day when I’m going to try on that dress again. To be honest, I’m afraid. I’m holding out for the minus 10 mark, which is 4 pounds below my normal weight. But it will probably be sooner than later since there is a small chance I may have to buy something else.
You notice I never said my actual weight. A good Southern girl never reveals all her secrets. I’ll admit I ate a little pizza yesterday and a little bread pudding at the Christmas dinner. But I’ll never admit that number on the scale. It’s not just that I don’t like it. I can’t say anything negative about my weight out loud because some little girls are listening.
Low carb meal planning is tough, but it seems to be working. Strep throat is not recommended, but it definitely assists with weight loss. Accountability and determination to meet a goal are also helpful. My daughter is going to be an amazingly beautiful bride in February. I’m hoping I’ll feel beautiful in my mother-of-the-bride dress. Whether it’s this dress or another one, I promise you that February 23rd will definitely be a cheat day and I’m eating the bread!
