You would think that with just two days left to go, this would be the easiest part of my Lenten healthy eating plan, but it’s not. This week has been one of the toughest of the whole diet. It may be because I am looking forward to the end of this experiment and all the delicious treats that will come with it. It may be because last week I was fasting and juice fasting for most of the week and my body would like some calories to recover from that shock. It may be because I am just burned out after 40 days of intense cooking. And finally, it may be because I have to prepare for the second biggest holiday of the year with no carbs to help me out.

I gave myself a break from exercise this week as I have just too much else going on. I also have been sneaking a few extra tastes and portions into my meals as I just feel so incredibly hungry.

My husband has also started to express concern over my weight loss. “Do I look anorexic?” I asked. He paused for a while and then said, “I wouldn’t lose any more weight.” So, I seem to have reached a Rachel Frederickson-like point. However, like Rachel Frederickson, I just want to finish this project and then will engage in some chocolate therapy. With just two days to go, I just have to hang in there a little bit longer.

Day 41

Day 42

As luck would have it, that afternoon, we had a power outage lasting about 3 hours. It was not until after 6:30 p.m. that I could get into the kitchen to start my dinner. I was starving!

Meanwhile, my husband went out and picked up Little Caesar’s pizza for himself and the children. While they sat enjoying their meal, I was hard at work in the kitchen slicing vegetables and cooking my next meal. This was hard to bear. It made me think about how hard it is for “slow food” to compete with “fast food.” Sure, slow food tastes great and is very good for you but that convenience factor is such a treat. It’s nice to have someone else do the cooking rather than having to do it all yourself.

Day 43

Wednesday was a fasting day, which was horrible hunger-wise but a nice rest from cooking.

Day 44

Nutritional News

• Is Your Diet Making You Mad? – This article introduced me to the word “hangry” meaning the anger brought on by hunger and lack of carbs. It also quotes Dr. Drew Ramsey, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University “[L]imiting carbs impedes the brain’s ability to synthesize mood-boosting serotonin. Sugar also stimulates areas in the brain that are linked with pleasure and addiction, . . . preliminary research demonstrates that a withdrawal from sugar has similar symptoms to those of an addict withdrawing from heroin.” Boy, doesn’t that feel true!
• Married couples who diet more likely to argue, study finds – And this article adds scientific proof to the “hangry” pheneomenon, indicating that people are less able to control their anger when their blood sugar is lower. Fortunately, there have been no arguments in my household but this week in particular, everyone has noticed that my typically endless patience is a lot less endless.
• Simon Schama’s History of the Jews – In the “food for the soul” category, I encourage you to watch Simon Schama’s “The Story of the Jews” on PBS. We are huge fans of Simon Schama and I was thrilled to see he had a new documentary out. In the way only he can do, he effortlessly walks you through centuries of history, highlighting key points and characters in a most fascinating way. I learned a lot from watching this and I liked seeing how personal the subject was to him.

And along the same lines some wonderful healthy Passover recipes here.

• GOOP CEO Quits After Paltrow’s Uncoupling – It continues to be a challenging year for Gwyneth Paltrow who now must find a new CEO for GOOP. I have enjoyed the GOOP newsletter and wonder how it will change when the writers will be based on Los Angeles rather than London.

48 hours and counting!