Ed Levine's Serious Diet, Week 53: I Am What I Eat
"I was being really careful, taking only one bite of everything, but you don't have to know differential calculus to realize that comes out to 20 bites of insanely rich and serious delicious food."
All week I've exhibited what I consider to be great self-control, and I fear it's going to come to naught. My interim daily weigh-ins have not been encouraging, and I don't know why. Perhaps I need to reflect more carefully on what I really did eat this week?
Last Saturday we headed to Baltimore for the weekend for a friend's surprise birthday party. We spent that afternoon wandering around the city. It was really fun and mostly not food-related, though I did have a few bites of apple pie from Dangerously Delicious, a few spoonfuls of very good Pitango Gelato, and a bite of my wife's good fried flounder sandwich.
Hmm. Maybe I haven't exhibited as much self-control as I thought. I don't know about the rest of the Serious Eaters, but when I'm trying to lose weight I often convince myself that I've been super careful and virtuous and good when I haven't. I guess I have a desperate need to believe I've got everything under control.
So maybe my daily weigh-ins this week do accurately reflect my indulgences. Let's examine the week's eating close-up.
Saturday night was our friend's party. It was an all-pass-around affair (always a dangerous situation for me) featuring mini short rib sandwiches, fried mac and cheese fritters, and sushi, among other nibbles. I tried to focus on the sushi, but admittedly I had three of those tasty short rib suckers.
Sunday we met old friends for lunch. My burger was almost inedible, which was a good thing (I ate only half), but then we ended up having coffee and dessert at the aforementioned Pitango, conveniently just around the corner. I shared some sorbets and asked for a taste of what turned out to be insanely good, rich hot chocolate. It was just one sip, but damn it was good.
Monday was uneventful, and by Tuesday morning I was down to my cherished 229. But Tuesday turned into a serious dieting disaster.
For lunch, Robyn and I did our Union Square falafel tour for my weekly review. I kept returning to the four falafels, trying to discern the different spices present in each. Tuesday dinner was even worse. Someone took me out to dinner to Michael White's Convivio, an Italian restaurant I'd been dying to try. White is among a handful of truly great Italian chefs in America. He is a master pasta maker. My friend told our server that we wanted Michael to cook for us, so he must have sent out ten little starter plates followed by ten little bowls of pasta. I was being really careful, taking only one bite of everything, but you don't have to know differential calculus to realize that comes out to twenty bites of insanely rich and serious delicious food.
Wednesday morning was a scale disaster: 232 no matter where I put the scale. Wednesday and Thursday I ate like a bird, as my late grandmother used to say, but I have a feeling that disastrous Tuesday will haunt me on the scale. We'll see.
The Weigh-In
230. I was even for the week. Considering the pasta tasting and the falafel foray, I guess I shouldn't feel too bad. Now that I've told this tale, I realize Thinner doesn't lie. He tells the truth through fat and thin. I guess I need to do the same.
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9 Comments:
i think you did really well not gaining weight after a week like that.
i probably said this before, but i've been following mark bittman's diet suggestion of eating only vegan and whole grain until dinner {although i put milk in my tea in the mornings} and have effortlessly dropped six pounds in three weeks. it's worth looking into as a lifestyle.
cybercita at 10:07AM on 02/06/09
Ed, do not be discouraged. I'd say given your circumstances, you displayed courageous restraint in the face of some pretty delicious obstacles. I daresay I would not have been able to keep myself to "a bite of fried flounder sandwhich" or just a "sip of hot chocolate." Inevitably, if I'm away for the weekend, I slip into "it's vacation"-mode, which generally means that all plans to eat in moderation are shot to hell. Be proud of your accomplishments, and don't despair. You're doing great!
juliebugsmama at 10:11AM on 02/06/09
dude i can't believe you went to baltimore and didn't have a crab cake sandwich! blasphemy.
french tart at 10:34AM on 02/06/09
I admire your strenght at pitango! that's one of my favorite places in the city- their pistachio and coconut are both awesome.
valser at 11:08AM on 02/06/09
Staying the same sure beats gaining, Ed. And I have to say, to Cibecita's point about Mark Bittman, man did he look skinny when he read in Philly this week! I'm reading Food Matters now, and though it's hard to imagine giving up eggs at breakfast, I think he might be onto something. I'm at least going for a meat-and-refined carb free lunch.
Joy Manning at 12:00PM on 02/06/09
I think it may be time that you stepped up on your exercise regime. Maybe add in 30 minutes of fast pace walking or light jogging to your lunch break or your current exercise routine. An extra 30 or even 20 minutes every day adds up. But keep going and don't lose hope, when you take it slowly you're more likely to keep the weight off, right?
veGieSatan at 12:02PM on 02/06/09
This is why you should not weigh in every day. There will be fluctuations from day to day which are not significant in the overall scheme of things, and which can be very discouraging. Once a week is more than sufficient.
DrGaellon at 1:17PM on 02/06/09
I just started keeping up with the serious diet because i've been on my own diet, and getting down into the 20's is so tricky (120's for me since I'm a girl, and a short one at that). they're elusive! But there have been a couple days where my scale whispers sweet nothings to me, like 128.5! Anyway, stay strong and love the gym. Also, have you seen this article?
@drgaellon, weighing in every day is a constant reminder that you're on a diet, and obviously some weight will be gained or lost due to normal body processes...but, I've found it to be a good tool to keep me on track. Scale-less days tend to be the days that cookies have their way with me :(
itsdelux at 7:25PM on 02/06/09
I work in Baltimore and I am completely unable to avoid the Pitango hot chocolate! I find myself sitting in my office in the middle of days thinking about that rich, bittersweet deliciousness. Not to mention their fabulous gelato- they deserve the shout-out.
jammin83 at 9:46AM on 02/07/09