Day 6: First trip to the bar

Again, while today is day seven, I'm working to make up for some lost time.

At this point, most of my routine is really clicking. I grill up some meat first thing in the morning, and either grill a 2oz chicken tenderloin, or something else and cut 2oz off. I'm working on building a small stash of cooked stuff to either eat for breakfasts and snacks, pack for lunches, or even just mash up into a gumbo.

Diets are all about planning ahead. Before this, when I was hungry, I'd see what I had defrosted, or made a box of something hot and easy, or just went out. Now, I need to eat meat, and often. I'm always thinking about what I have in my fridge, what's in the freezer, etc. I'm also going to the store more often, particularly when a craving hits and I don't have it, or it's still frozen. I'm working now on getting more and more stuff divided up into single meal bags, which will help, but until then I'm constantly keeping track of what's defrosting, what isn't fully thawed, what's been thawed too long, etc.

The highlight of the evening was my first trip to the bar with friends. A buddy was in town, so a bunch of us met at the Winking Lizard in Coventry. That's an old favorite place of mine, and I knew there were things I could order off the menu. I looked at both of my initial thoughts, the jerk chicken sandwich and the mesa chop salad, when I realized that they sold an 8oz house sirloin for $11. That pretty much sold me. It was cooked perfectly, I gave away the coleslaw and the garlic bread, and had steamed broccoli for the side.

In many ways, dieting today is easier than even 10 years ago. Places keep low carb, low fat, and low calorie options simply to cater to a wider audience. Getting an excellent low carb meal at a local chain with no fuss makes my life simpler. The fact that I simply don't' get tired of steak really helps.

One of the things I was displeased with when this diet was presented was the fact that I'm not allowed any alcohol. I'm not a huge drinker, I drink hearty when the opportunity strikes and I'll have a nice pint with dinner, but I'm not what you'd call a regular drinker any more. Still, alcohol is a huge part of a lot of social events, and while nobody drank more than a few last night, I was surprising comfortable with my diet coke. We'll see how I react the next time I'm at a pure drinking blowout.

If steak is the thing that keeps my most excited about my meals, Diet Soda is the thing that's keeping my sane between meals. I try to drink at least 32oz of pure water, and usually I can get to 48, but when I'm out, when I'm puttering, when I'm just bored, I reach for diet pop. It's sweet, I love it, and I'm allowed to drink it. Being able to consume something I like really helps. Buy Vernors, a very full flavored soda, also helps.