Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 42: Mind Over Manna
I had lots of lunches and dinners out this week, so my resolve was being tested on a twice-daily basis most of the week. I was with a chef friend/fellow dieter this week at my favorite ramen place Ippudo. He summed up our situation quite well: "Hey, we're fat guys who don't want to be fat any more. So we just have to eat half of what we're served." And that's just what we did.
There we were, slurping and spooning down bowls of delicious noodles, incredibly flavorful broth, and wonderful, just fatty enough slices of Berkshire pork, having a high old time, enjoying ourselves immensely, when we did the heretofore unthinkable.
Fifteen minutes into our bowls of stupendous soup we just said, in the immortal words of the great fighter Roberto Durán when he sat in his corner of the ring and didn't come out for another round of pummeling and pounding: "No Mas" (No More).
More "No Mas," after the jump.
Delicious broth, noodles, and even pork were left in the bowl, uneaten. And the good folks at Ippudo don't even let you take your leftovers home because their delicate noodles cannot be reheated without doing them irreparable harm.
"No Mas" is my dieting battle cry, my weight loss mantra, my call to thinner arms.
After my ramen lunch I found myself saying "No Mas" at four more restaurants this week. It wasn't easy, but I did it. And I hope it worked, scale-wise. As of yesterday I was even for the week. But yesterday I had a business lunch where I ate half an entree salad of smoked lamb (way oversmoked) and a dinner with friends where I just nibbled on the many delicious plates of pasta and cured meats. It wasn't an ideal "day before public weigh-in" regimen, but sometimes it's hard to control these things.
The Weigh-In
234! Down two more pounds. More "No Mores" in the offing, to be sure.
I'm even going to try saying "No Mas" at Thanksgiving. It will be hard, but I'm sure going to try. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Serious Eaters from this oh so thankful serious eater.
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10 Comments:
Congratulations Ed! You are making some major progress here! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well... A little bite of everything and I know you'll be just fine at the holiday.
Maureen at 9:16AM on 11/21/08
Congratulations Ed, portions, portions, portions.... I was at a great dinner at May Street Market here in Chicago with Sheila Lukens as the guest for her new cookbook, Ten and one of the topics was portions.....I ind of feel like we ar the city of big portions...a plate of food that could feed 2 people served to one person.....I am trying, (though it can be very hard) to eat slower and smaller portions....I did leave a huge part of my dessert last night, I was just too full by that point.......Progress is progress that is what I say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jbout at 9:40AM on 11/21/08
Ed, keep at it! You're an inspiration. Here's hoping the "No Mas" mantra will turn into a resounding thunder and reverse the trend toward huge portions served at most restaurants.
jymbrittain at 10:03AM on 11/21/08
Amazing restraint! You're building up a good habit, and I'm glad to see you're sticking to it without exception. I know there are proponents of the "live a little" philosophy, but if you're deadset on taking a more healthful route, then I applaud your choice!
OneWallKitchen at 10:54AM on 11/21/08
Wow, now that's impressive. If Ippudo served their ramen in a bucket, I would eat and drink all of it and order seconds.
JustNancy at 10:55AM on 11/21/08
Every time I read one of your updates, I think of two things: The Food Writer's Diet from Bon Appetit and The No-S Diet (which you would have to adapt to fit your situation).
IndyGal at 12:44PM on 11/21/08
"Hey, we're fat guys who don't want to be fat any more. So we just have to eat half of what we're served." Hehe, I love it. Pretty much sums it up, doesn't it?
Way to go! Best of luck with the up-coming holidays. I always enter them with the best intentions, but inevitably put on a couple of pounds. This year I'll be chanting "No Mas" along with you!
peachypear at 2:40PM on 11/21/08
That's great, Ed! Bring back "No Mas" as a catchphrase, but with a different meaning for portion control proponents everywhere. Ed Levine's "No Mas" Movement has a nice ring. :)
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!
holdthemayo at 9:54AM on 11/22/08
I'm so happy for you, Ed! It sounds like you're making great progress with this diet. I'm rooting for you!
But I was just thinking, if you're "fat guys who don't want to be fat any more," why didn't you just get one bowl of ramen to share? Then you wouldn't have wasted any of those delicious noodles, broth, and pork.
Vincci at 10:09AM on 11/22/08
I use the same strategy when I want to lose weight too! In fact, you should check if the restaurant will let you split your entree - some of them do, in case you and your fellow diner are both ordering the same dish!!! Happy halves!!!
Vicky at 1:27AM on 11/24/08