Dieting and Exercise

I am on a diet. Ick! I am trying to cut out sugar, fat and calories and all that. I have read the literature and I understand how it works. Eat less, exercise more. It really is very simple. Then why is it so hard? I really hate denying myself things that make me feel good. And food makes me feel really good. I am a foodie in every way. I love preparing and selecting food and I love serving food and I really love eating food. I can appreciate the most subtle dishes with truffle, fois gras and delicate sauces. And I can delightedly chow down on a bacon cheeseburger with crispy fries. And let's not even go into the beer problem. How could beer have so many calories? And since I am a beer snob, light beer is not an option.

I recently read Anthony Bourdain’s new book The Nasty Bits and in it he writes about a sushi restaurant in New York City. He describes in luscious details each dish, each trembling piece of Toro, each hand roll topped with glistening salmon roe, and on and on. It is food porn. I felt like I needed a cigarette after I finish reading it.

The point is I love food. And now I am on a diet. And dieting and good food are incompatible. No more pan au chocolate for me. No more cheesy quesadillas with sour cream and salsa. No more french fries, beer, pizza, chocolate, ice cream, pasta, cheese and pickle sandwiches, oh the humanity!

On the bright side I have figured out the most fun way to get my exercise in. If you have read this blog before you know that I just purchased a PS2. With it I bought Dance Dance Revolution and the dance pad. There is a workout mode where you can set a goal of distance danced, calories burned, or time spent dancing. It is hilarious and so much fun. I was completely exhausted after about 30 minutes of DDR yesterday. Do you think if I get in shape through dancing Playstation will pay me to endorse the product? You know like the Subway guy? Then at least the money I get can fill the void that food has left behind.