Eat, Read, Stitch?

I tried to come up with a clever name for my blog, but I decided to settle on Eat, Read, Stitch instead. When all is said and done, these are probably the three things I do most often and enjoy the most. You will not ever find a blog authored by me with the name Cook, Clean, Exercise. Never going to happen.

I'll start with Eat, which, at this point in my life, refers to a low carb lifestyle. I entered this world at a fairly hefty weight and will, no doubt, leave this world heavier than I'd like to be. My first official diet began (and ended) in fourth grade. Indelibly printed in my brain is the memory of my dad writing out a list of foods I could enjoy on said diet. Enjoy. Hah! I vividly remember one item in particular. Skim Milk. Skim milk, in our household, was powdered milk. Generic powdered milk. Really, really bad skim milk. For me, diet and skim milk were synonymous and both things were equally hated.

The second diet I can remember is the one prescribed by my doctor. I was in the seventh grade, and while I don't remember how much the doctor wanted me to lose, I do remember that my goal weight was 110 pounds. I remember a mimeographed page with a list of permitted foods. The only permitted food that I remember with 100% certainty is skim milk. Of course. I did lose a fair amount of weight on this diet, mainly because my aunt bribed me with the promise of a trip to visit her if I reached my goal weight. I love bribes! I never made it to 110 pounds, but I got pretty darn close and I got my trip!

Instead of going into excruciating detail about every diet I ever attempted, I will list those that spring to mind.

Weight Watchers

Liquid protein

Eat only every other day

Eat Right for Your Body Type

Atkins

Low Fat

Blood Type diet

The Zone

The list could go on, but I think you get the idea.

I always had more success with the low carbohydrate type diets, while the heaviest I ever got in my life was when I was on the low fat diet. But finally, after about 45 years of yo-yo dieting, I have found a lifestyle that works for me - a lifestyle I want to follow for the rest of my life. Low carb, high fat, adequate protein. This way of eating is significantly different from the typical American diet and a far cry from the USDA guidelines, but I have embraced it wholeheartedly and look and feel better than I have in years.

So that is why the word, Eat, is part of my blog title. I won't always write about food and diets, but when I do, it will be to share what I have discovered during my decades of dieting.