Sustainability

One of my friends, on reading a recent post, asked, "Is that way of eating sustainable?"

To my surprise, the answer is "Yes!"

I've been avoiding carbs since July.  Occasionally I have a hankering for some coffee cake or a bowl of cereal, but otherwise this diet offers something other diets don't:  satisfaction.

When I ate low-fat, high-fiber diets, I was always hungry, always looking through the cupboards for something low in calories to eat.  I felt deprived.  I obsessed about food, always thinking about my next meal, my next snack.

On this eating plan, I eat my fill at each meal.  I know I can have as much as I want.  When snack time rolls around, I enjoy a handful of nuts, or an apple (dunked in peanut butter sometimes) or a few bites of cheese.

On my birthday, I allowed myself a piece of fresh bread with dinner, and of course ate dessert.  When eating with friends, I split a dessert. As Thanksgiving approaches, I intend to have a spoonful of sweet potatoes, a slice of pie, some stuffing.

Our pantry shelves are gradually emptying out as the kids take away our carbs.  On our son's last visit, he packed up all but one box of pasta.

Packing lunches for work has been easier than I expected.  I pack a sliced apple (is the Honey Crisp Apple the best invention ever?), a little peanut butter for dunking, and last night's leftovers.  If there aren't any leftovers, I pack a few stalks of celery and some tuna salad.  (I avoid taking nuts to school because some kids have severe peanut allergies.)  Sometimes I pack cheese.  It's working.

One factor that helps quite a lot is that my husband and I are both eating this way.  I'd like to say the synergy is what makes it work, but really, the reason it helps is that I'm not buying one set of groceries for him and another for myself.  At mealtimes, we both eat the same thing.

So yes, I can sustain this plan.

Oh, and I've lost eleven pounds.