What DO you eat?

As I have discussed my diet with several people, I explain that for two weeks I am to have no carbs:  no sugar, no starches (bread, rice, anything containing flour), and no fruit.  The question that usually follows is "Then what can you eat?"  To put it simply: meat, beans, nuts, vegetables, and minimal dairy products.  Supposedly I am supposed to avoid saturated fats, but I find carbs challenging enough, so I don't really worry about fats.

Here is a brief run-down of what I have been eating:

Snacks:

• Peanut Butter
• Cheese
• Nuts
• Veggies with dill dip

Breakfast: 

• Bacon 
• Eggs 
• Ham 
• the "egg salad" topping from this recipe
• chiles rellenos 
• natural peanut butter
• milk (even though milk probably has too much sugar in it)

Lunch: 

• Salad (salad kits have been on sale lately-- I leave off the croutons and don't use sweet dressings)
• cheese
• leftovers from dinner
• veggies with dill dip

Dinner: 

• Broccoli cheese soup (without noodles-- I also used California blend veggies instead of just broccoli) 
• Polynesian Pork chops (left out pineapple and pineapple juice and it was still REALLY GOOD)
• omelets
• garlic chicken stir-fry (didn't serve with rice)
• Italian meatballs (like spaghetti and meatballs without spaghetti-- didn't worry about the breadcrumbs IN  the meatballs)
• Bean Soup
• Pepper Steak (didn't serve with rice)

I went out to eat twice last week.  At Applebee's I got Fiesta Lime Chicken and ate it with vegetables.  At the Chinese restaurant I got cashew chicken and didn't eat the rice.  We had a potluck at church-- I knew it would be hard, but I kept praying that there would be food for me to eat.  God heard my prayers, and the first thing in line were about 10 crockpots of meatballs.  I had enough to eat.  It was hard to walk past the dessert table, but now that I am glad as I think of all the calories I saved myself.

No carbs is getting easier-- its feeling better, and I really do think that I am more focused and have more energy.  I was starting to get really down and wanting to give up on the diet, then yesterday morning I put on pants that I wore last Monday, and they almost felt like they were going to fall off!!  It was a turning point, because I could see the benefit of the sacrifices.  I knew I could do it.  I weighed in yesterday and I lost 3 pounds, but it might be a little more than that because I was wearing heavier clothes.

I still feel like a hypocrite, because I have never been an advocate of diets where there are "forbidden foods."  But I was reading a comment from a dietician somewhere, and she said there is no one-size-fits-all weight loss plan.  Duh.  That makes perfect sense--why didn't I realize this before?  "Listening to your body" and eating what your body tells you it wants doesn't work for me, because I have become so used to rich foods.  I need to have a time of discipline to get me on track and give me perspective.

That's the update.  I know that I can make it... only 4 more days until I can eat fruit again!