Food & I : A Love Story

For this project to make sense, you need to understand my relationship with food.  In Facebook parlance, it is complicated.

I Am Fat
I would not strike fear in the hearts of fellow airline passengers, but by any objective measurement (BMI, weight charts, the fit of my pants), I am overweight.  This has been true since early adolescence. I have been much heavier than I am now and I have been much thinner.  Right now, I need to drop about 20 pounds.  I spend way too much time thinking about my weight instead of doing something about it.

I Am No Food Snob
With a few exceptions.  Sure I love a good goat cheese and fig canape, but I will be just as happy burning the roof of my mouth on an English muffin pizza.  I prefer "real" food to packaged, though I am not above using frozen fruit, canned tomatoes, or dried herbs.  I do not like fast food but if you've got a Wendy's Frosty, I wouldn't mind having a sip.

My one big area of food snobbery?  Italian food.  I grew up with an Italian-American mother who knows how to COOK.  (If you grew up in an Italian-American family, you understand the caps.)  Cheap or poorly made Italian food just makes me so sad.

I Am a Decent Cook
Notice I did not say good, or accomplished, or gourmet.  I am enough of a perfectionist to follow a recipe, but I am not confident in my ability to improvise.  It will be interesting to see if I can get significantly better since I will have to work outside my comfort zone.  You know how all the cooking shows talk about knife skills?  Yeah, I don't have any.

My Sweet Tooth Is Dinosaur Size
I would have dessert with every meal, including breakfast, if it were socially acceptable.  I keep sweets out of them house as much as possible because I  have zero self-control.  Give me a glass of milk and a box of graham crackers, and you won't hear from me for the rest of the afternoon.

Call Me Moderate, or Lazy
Or you could say I have a problem with commitment.  I am not a fan of "always" or "never."  I have never tried to alter my diet so drastically as I am doing with this experiment.

Pictures - I promised pictures!  I am usually the one with the camera, so I don't have a good picture of myself that I am willing to post yet.  Here are some pigs, since I won't be eating these anymore either.