Overworkedjanet

 How am I, you may wonder. Pretty good! I am still following the diet prescribed by the MDs and dietician and only adding a thing or two back in weekly. I have discovered a lot of other things about my food and myself. I don't need all the ........(insert something here). Just because the label states the whole can of tuna is one serving, doesn't mean I have to eat the whole can; 1/3 does nicely.  The slice of farmhouse bread, toasted, is just fine cut in half instead of using two slices.  Pickles taste the same even when the peels are removed. I am living without a lot of cheese, my previous staple. Living without second helpings as well.  Eventually I will be able to exchange all this 'white food' for higher fiber veggies and grains. The result is I've lost 11 pounds since the end of January. I don't feel deprived.  Huh.

 (I've given up on 'Dear Diary") Now that I'm rebuilding my food choices and quantities, I've focused in on several thoughts. I wanted to bring my weight down. That was accompanied by a lot of whining and foot-stomping. I want, I need, I should, I can't, I won't. What was missing was I wasn't willing. I told OKM I couldn't give up milk in my coffee when I decided to start IF. I told myself  I still needed 2 pieces of pizza on pizza Friday. There was no problem with building my morning omelet with healthy veggies but did I need so many or so much? After all, they were healthy. There was a whole lot of "I can have another" in my mind. Should I have grabbed a cheese slice or two while building a sandwich? A clear liquid diet helps you refocus. The thought of a reoccurrence of diverticulitis is a big motivator.  I mostly gave up coffee and have lived to tell the tale. Occasionally I may have a few ounces black if it's fresh; I'm a coff

 Dear Diary, Well here it is, 6 weeks from my initial illness and have I learned a few things! I can get by without coffee. I can get by without dairy.  I'd rather have cheese than candy. Heck, if you offered me a choice of good cheese or a steak, I'd choose the cheese. Since I'm allowed to experiment, I've had a slice or two with no issues. Dangerous territory and I will try to be cheese-less as it's calories and fat for me, a big snacking issue. The empty calorie, low fiber foods are my next dragon. I previously ditched those foods for healthy substitutes. Chick pea pasta has 14g fiber and 21 g of protein. Wheat pasta is 2g and 7g respectively. I've had to eat pasta, white bread and white rice. I've been trying to not like it ;-) I made pseudo sesame noodles for dinner with pasta, creamy peanut butter, sesame oil, a touch of soy sauce and peeled, seeded cucumbers. It was tasty enough but my brain screamed how I could have amped up the proteins and lowered