"Last Meals"

One of the "best" things I did was give myself about two weeks between the HMR info class and the day I started the diet. The primary reason I did that was so I could adjust my work schedule around the first week medical visit and class requirements, but I think I also got a psychological boost by being able to eat "real food" for that much longer. I did splurge, and though I know that wasn't exactly healthy for me, I did not really eat more than I was eating lately anyway (which is why I had to go on a diet, of course). The time just helped my mind adjust. I got to have my last McDonalds quarter pounder value meal and my last Taco Bell crunchwrap supreme. I think I had Donato's Pizza somewhere in there, but that might have been before the info meeting. (I avoided Papa John's, though, because it is so salty -- I didn't want my weight to rocket up that high.) I got to have tortellini a final time at home. The worst thing I ate was probably a whole bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish per day, four days in a row. Yeah, that sounds even worse when I see it in writing.

The timing also worked out so that I got to enjoy two professional lunches just before I started the diet -- one of the lunches was very nice and formal and I was glad I did not have to make a fuss over special diet food. (The other one was just a big deli sandwich, though it was tasty.)

I saved my best "last meal" for last -- the night before my diet started, I went to Bonefish and had grilled salmon with that lime tomato sauce I really like, mashed potatoes, a vegetable, and bread dipped in olive oil. Yum.

And you know, the only thing I've really missed since starting the diet is the salmon.