Diet in a Ditch

It all started with a few birthday dinner celebrations. A pan of paella, a homemade, beautiful birthday cake; all too good to resist...then there was prime rib night, with a basket of warm rolls and butter to start. Then, the occasional 3 P.M. need for a dark chocolate iced coffee and (gulp) the sometimes accompanying ever-so-lightly-glazed, soft and delicious donut. Let's not forget the Fat Tuesday slice of pizza. And so, my diet ends up in a ditch. How did this happen and how do I get out of it? The mornings always start great, usually with the gym and a juice and then I swear, it's like a red-eyed monster lives in my belly and convinces me it's time for something, anything carbolicious, in any form and if it has sugar and fat to accompany it, even better...And it never ends at just one bite. The other evening, as I was driving down for a creamy iced coffee, I asked God for a miracle, as I realized I need one. I need an act of God to intervene and make me "normal" once again. Normal being, food doesn't dictate my every bite. Once that little bite takes place, it's all over but it only happens with certain foods. The red-eyed monster and I both rub our bellies in unison, as we enjoy our temptations and then the deception begins as I tell myself, with good intention, "I will start over tomorrow," as the monster laughs to himself, knowing better. Does he know something that I don't know? And this month, tomorrow never quite came but what did were five pounds that crept back onto the scale. But another thing did come about; that miracle I asked for. I found this article and it has changed my view of my assuming lack of willpower. The puzzle pieces started to fit together. And it prompted me to read Wheat Belly by William Davis (great book; very interesting, informative and at times humorous) and a doctor confirmed my suspicions of a gluten allergy. For unsuccessful dieters everywhere, a food allergy test could help you quiet that red-eyed monster making your belly bigger. You have good intentions and don't let the monster have you believe that it's you, when that's not entirely the truth. So, this month wasn't the most successful in terms of weight loss and I still plan to do more juicing. But the the information I gained is one that has found me at peace knowing that the red-eyed monster has a name and just one chance meeting will lead to more. In some cases, like this one, it's better to not meet at all.