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Talking about my weight and weight-loss journey are among my least favorite topics, mostly because of all the emotional baggage that goes along with being a self-perceived chubby kid (in fact, I was very slim after my pre-teen growth spurt did away with the last of my baby fat).  I've always loved food (obviously) but due to my belief that I was heavy, I felt ashamed of that love and hid it - until, that is, I decided to become a personal chef.  It was such a catharsis to not only admit to my love of food but to embrace it so fully!

You can read about the first 35 pounds of my weight-loss journey on a previous post. Since then, I lost another 3 1/2 pounds, coming within a pound and a half of my goal weight - and then I started putting it back on... and on... I stopped counting Weight Watcher points and gained back half of what I lost.  I tried to go back to counting points but would quit in the face of a dinner on the town or other cumbersome count, swearing to start again after the next weigh-in but no...  Rob, who lost with me during my original round of Weight Watcher, also gained back as I gained. 

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to try a new tact.  With the abundance of great food in our CSA bag and my ever-increasing distaste with processed foods, we decided to make a real effort to cut out most things with an ingredient list.  We still eat that weird low-fat ice cream most nights and Kashi TLC bars, but gone are the cheetos and Weight Watchers snack cakes and other easy fillers, the kind of stuff we grab instead of fruit because it's just more convenient. 

We've added some unlikely suspects too, such as great cheese.  Every week at the Farmers' Market, we pick out our goat cheese du week which is often gone by the end of the weekend.  Goat cheese is a great compromise because of its naturally lower fat content, but we've also added cow's milk cheeses - the real-deal, full-fat, hunk of cheese kind - no more pre-shredded, preservative-laden "cheeses" in our fridge.  I've also been keeping hard-boiled eggs in the fridge which we've been eating sliced on whole wheat English muffins for breakfast - we've been amazed at how long we stay full from that one egg.  I've also made egg salad, leaving in only a yolk or two.

I've got to tell you that there hasn't been a moment of deprivation in the last two weeks - while I think I may cook a little more elaborately than the average home cook, our meals have soared into the realm of feasts as we pack as many CSA veggies as possible into each dinner. 

This morning, we each weighed ourselves (only once a week, on the same day at the same time every week in true Weight Watchers fashion) and we've both lost significant amounts, averaging about a pound a week - a slow, sustainable loss. 

All of this brings to mind the first conversation I had with Charlie Headington, the co-head of Slow Food Piedmont Triad.  I asked about Slow Food's idea of healthful eating and he said, "Well, I never really thought about it.  I guess I just assumed that if I eat wholesome foods, health would naturally follow."

I'll be curious to see how my once high cholesterol reacts to our new diet, but so far it seems that Charlie was right!

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