Balancing Different Diets

I am the heaviest I have ever been in my life, other than immediately pre-baby. It's my own fault, of course. When I realized I was going to have to close my business, I had a couple of months where I knew, but I couldn't tell anyone. It was very stressful, and I managed the stress with ice cream. Other people use exercise, therapy, and booze, but my answer is sugar and fat. It is simply amazing how much ice cream soothes the soul.

By the time I announced the closure, I had gained 10 pounds. I lost it all in the 6 weeks it took to close the business, because I was working so much. Since then, however, I have dealt with depression through sloth and overindulgence. I have spent much of the summer eating bonbons and watching Law & Order. Did you know that some form of Law & Order is on TV 24 hours a day?

So, here I am, chunky. My fitting wardrobe is down to 2 pairs of pants, 1 suit, and elastic waisted sweat pants. I do not recommend sweats in the California summer, unless you like heatstroke. I need to lose weight. What's worked for me in the past is Weight Watchers, so it's back to counting points.

The challenge is how to balance my diet needs with the hearty appetites of the 3 males in my house. I don't want to make more than one meal, and I don't want to be eating some icky Lean Cuisine dinner while they have a feast. I don't even want the little guys to know I'm on a diet because I don't want to create stereotypes or expectations of what women do. I don't like heavily chemically engineered foods, so I try to avoid food that is artificially low-fat or non-fat.

My solution is to plan meals with several dishes, so that I can fill up on lower-cal items while my guys feel satisfied rather than deprived. It's a healthier way for all of us to eat. I made simple veggie and fruit based side dishes, increase whole grains, and choose lean proteins. I also make sure that there are good dessert choices at home for all of us - ice cream in flavors I don't like, for the boys, and fruit and yogurt for me.

Tonight's dinner was quite successful and filling for all:

• Pork chops, marinated in Worcestershire sauce and grilled
• Watermelon, sliced
• Applesauce with cinnamon
• Strawberries
• Fresh tomatoes tossed with salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic

I had a small amount of the pork, skipped the applesauce, and filled up on tomatoes. For dessert, the boys had cupcakes (from a mix and canned frosting, totally unappealing to me), and I had peaches and strawberries tossed with basil-macerated sugar.