Jackie: Fresh foods

Once again, we ate ice cream yesterday, but I'm still showing a good loss. Like Dawn says, if we TRY to keep it at 600 calories, and if we do make it that low on days nothing is going on, it won't kill us to eat 400 calories of ice cream once in awhile. In fact, some studies have shown that changing up the number of calories you eat each day actually keeps the metabolism from getting in a rut, and when the metabolism gets a rut, the dieter hits a plateau. Well, I am doing pretty well...some days 600 calories, some days 1200 calories (such as on a crabby day when I had to have 2 margaritas or else!). I've lost about 7 lbs since quitting the POW diet, so naysayers were WRONG about it ruining my metabolism or that I've just lost water. Since I am about 26 lbs lighter than before the Free Euna and Laura Diet, I seriously doubt that is mostly water weight.

Both Dawn and I are saving lots of money, too. We don't overeat, therefore we waste less and our carbon footprint is a lot smaller. There's no reason a farmer should have to produce twice as much food for me. I am eating fantastic stuff, mostly organic, mostly local, lovely fresh produce from the farmer's market; whole grains; beans and tofu and eggs for protein; either dried or fresh fruit--and right now the end of the fresh local fruits is looming, so mostly fresh. I am not suffering. I feel like I am indulging in wonderful stuff, without packaging or pesticides or any other unnecessary garbage cluttering up the planet. We can eat wonderful things when we eat less of them! It's also useful to note that organic produce has been shown to contain more nutrients than the conventional stuff, probably because of sustainable use of land that doesn't cause soil depletion. It's good for everyone if I eat less!