The Battle Of The Bulge

A couple of months ago, the theme of study in class was Food, and who can ever resist the potent fascination of the same! All the students thoroughly enjoyed the topic, and the passionate foodie that I am, it was a splendid opportunity for me to sample various dishes from all parts of the globe. Everyone took great pride in showcasing the food from their native countries, brought the dish for everyone to taste, and then went on with their spectacular presentations on how to cook that particular dish. Truth be told, it was one extended four-week party in class! The janitor must've wondered what exactly we were doing in a language classroom, what with all the paper plates and cups and bowls and cutlery left in the trash cans each day!

The end result of all our wonderful learning/partying was that everyone had packed on a few extra pounds, and needless to say, the Instructor the most! The love my students show to me is humongous, translate that to double servings of everything! They serve me and stand watch over me to see the approval and appreciation in my face, and that's how I ended up in the royal Battle of the Bulge. There was no way to secretly chuck all that food in the trash, and in order not to disappoint them, I had to make a valiant effort at eating all that was on my plate. On many an ocasion, I had to skip dinner, afraid of what all that delicious food eaten during the day would do to my waistline. Besides, I was given whole ziploc bags of ingredients so I could try out those recipes at home. In my kitchen now is an entire basket full of grains and nuts and berries and sauces and powders and what not, complete with a folder full of international recipes to boot.

Ironically enough, the next topic was Health, and it was now all about fitness and eating a balanced diet. As it is, I had put on 10 pounds over a period of 3 years, and I decided that I could not be complacent anymore about my weight. Now was the time for me to start shedding those unwanted pounds and what better way than to eat healthy and stay fit, I thought, and thus set an example for my students! I was hesitant about following any fancy diet, so just decided that I would avoid eating anything white - rice, potatoes, sugar, and salt, to name a few. With this improved diet have come dramatic results in just a month's time - a loss of nearly 9 pounds, a feeling of increased energy and better health! Today marks one month of my Battle of the Bulge, and maybe I'll reward myself with a dosai (rice and lentil crepe) for dinner tonight!

Food can be a potent drug, and with all the glossy magazines with their endless array of delectable dishes, and the zillions of shows on the Food Network, "Food Porn" is the new reality of the day. It is extremely easy to get addicted to food, and as I have learned from experience, it requires extraordinary willpower to resist its allure. It also requires a sense of self-worth to keep one's motivation up, something that I have in plenty right now. I am not starving myself or depriving my body of carbs or anything like that, but just the mere watching of what I put in my mouth has worked wonders for me so far. On March 18th there's a potluck party in class to celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and I have already given my students fair notice to spare me this time. I hope to God that I don't fall off the wagon now and revert to my eating ways of a couple of months ago. Here's to more of healthy eating for me in the months ahead and a new and improved Olivia in the days to come! :)