Ah the depression of Day 1 on a diet. I feel an overwhelming sense of sadness on Day 1. I am not a depressed person but the idea that I can’t just eat anything I want makes me sad. I think that is what dieting is about for me. Finding joy in what I eat. I always say I am not an unhappy person but food truly makes me happy so who knows, maybe I am and don’t know it but that’s a win in the books if I don’t know it!

I am using My Fitness Pal to track my food, and have it set for 1,200 calories (2 pound per week lose, ideally). I figure if I keep it under 1,500, I can still lose a pound to 1.5 a week, again, ideally! Anyone who has dieted knows that numbers will haunt you week after week!

But I made it with just over 1,300 calories. The muffin sandwich seriously brings me joy. The kind of joy that makes a diet seem not so bad. Now the Activia yogurt I had next does not bring me joy. Mainly because it is so small, but I think about all those live cultures that will be swimming around in my stomach and at least it gets me through. Lunch was a Lean Cuisine Macaroni and Beef which is pretty darn good. I am not a huge lover of pasta, but it seems like most of the meals are pasta or rice, so my carb count seems so high, but I keep trying to remember that this diet is about calorie deficiency, not low carb (it is hard after doing low carb for so long).

One trick I use is to add steamed veggies to all my Lean Cuisines. I love broccoli so I add that to everything. It really plumps up the food I am about to eat and makes it a little less sad. I also had a 70-calorie bag of Pirate’s Booty and a fun size M&M. The week after Halloween is hard at work. Everyone wants to get rid of their kids’ candy!

Dinner was a Chicken Alfredo Lean Cuisine loaded with the rest of the steamed broccoli. Aldi has .98 cent bags of broccoli and I microwave it in the morning and then split it up for lunch and dinner. This is a real win. I read once that frozen veggies are more nutritious because they are frozen at their peak freshness. Not sure if there is any truth to this but it sure sounds great, so I go with it! Then I had my other favorite, popcorn. The Skinny Pop 100 calorie bag. Tip: eat it so as &%$# to make it seem like you are eating a lot. 1 kernel at a time otherwise you will be sad. Then a handful of frozen grapes.

Let’s talk grapes. Is there anything more frustrating than seeing the price grapes ring up at. You see them, they look so good and it says $2.99 and you forget, each time, that is per pound. They are bagged at over 3 pounds. One time the grapes came to over $10. I made them take them off, who pays $10 for grapes. Aldi price, .99 CENTS a pounds. Have I mentioned I LOVE ALDI!