September 06, 2002
From the desk of Jane Galt:Atkins, Day Four You know
Atkins, Day Four
You know that things are getting desperate when you find yourself tempted to eat out of the dog's dish.
Due to my mother's undiagnosed obsessive/compulsive issues, my dog is on a natural food diet. The dog gets pasta and rice every day, while I stare forlornly at his bowl. Last night, when I was putting the pasta in, I actually found myself considering stealing a few rotini for myself. How the mighty have fallen.
I may not be on this diet much longer. One of my kidneys has started to hurt. Probably it's just psychosomatic. But why the hell am I going to risk kidney failure to lose five pounds? I mean, there are many women in New York who would have their kidneys removed and go on dialysis for the rest of their life if they thought it would get them any closer to their goal of having the same profile as a paper doll. But I have better things to worry about. Anyway, I don't want to go back to my college weight; I looked like a toothpick with a lot of hair.
So I went in with a calorie counter to analyze the last three day's meals. Except for yesterday, when I ate three meat-and-cheese laden meals (cheese omelette and bacon for breakfast, roast turkey, mozzarella, a buffalo wing, and some salad for lunch; buffalo burger with a slice of cheddar and mushrooms, and more salad, for dinner) I've been eating about 300 fewer calories than on a vegetarian diet. Yesterday I ate probably 300 calories more -- my ability to accurately estimate my calorie count is hampered by my inability to figure out how many ounces are in one slice of cheese. I've been figuring 2-3 ounces per meal, which could be high or low.
I am firmly in the camp with the researchers who say people lose weight on Atkins because they're eating less. Yesterday I really poured it on and ended up at under 2,000 calories. For someone who's 30 pounds or more overweight, that translates into automatic weight loss. I on the other hand already often clocked in under 2,000 calories, so I'm not sure how much good it does. And that was really stuffing myself. I'm sure there are people out there who can put a 3/4 pound of burger on a plate with three slices of cheese and a couple lettuce leaves and really dig in, but how many of those can there be?
The other thing I'm noticing is that it's expensive as hell. I'm spending $20 a day on food. Now, of course, I'd be spending less if I packed my meals. But how much less? Buffalo meat isn't cheap. Vegetarianism is much more economical.
Oh, and there's the monotony. Meat, meat, meat. How many kinds of meat are there? I'm trying to rotate them. Today's tuna day. That, and lamb, are all I have left. Of course there are other meats, but it's not convenient for me to start grilling my own swordfish, I hate almost all other fish, and I can't afford shrimp or lobster.
It's beef, that's what. Beef and bacon. My dairy farmer relatives would be pleased, except that they can't imagine a meal without potatoes. But frankly, I never want to see a piece of either again. The funny thing is that, bagels aside, what I really miss are my vegetables. Lentils. Soft, ripe, tomatoes. Peaches. Apples. Melon. Mushroom curry. Big buckets of salad. Maybe I just wasn't meant to be a carnivore.
It's certainly been an interesting experiment. But unless my kidneys feel better by midday, it's me for a bagel and a bucket of salad. Any medical professionals out there who can advise?
Posted by Jane Galt at September 6, 2002 08:07 AM | TrackBack | Technorati inbound links