No Seconds!

Since just before Thanksgiving I have been following a new diet, one that I devised myself while visiting the grand country of Lithuania. How did visiting Lithuania inspire me to create a diet, you ask? Good question!

The country is filled with svelte super-models in the making: tall, blonde, stick-thin, and seemingly willing to sleep with anyone who will get them ahead in life. Oooh, that sounded really spiteful, but I didn’t mean it to be … must be my short, brunette, chubby side coming out. ;) This country emerged from behind the iron curtain in 1991 in a dazzling show of fierce independence that heralded the downfall of the wall in Germany. As a former Communist country, money is very scarce for many of the residents, so that makes excess food a bit of a luxury, as I'm sure you've guessed.

These people know the meaning of sacrifice, they are tough, hardy and proud, but they are also warm and friendly people. And they serve a MEAN dish, too. The food is artistic, flavorful and plentiful, but the one thing you will have trouble locating is a buffet ... there don't appear to be any, at least none that I encountered. Everything is served to you oh so prettily, and hopefully you like it, because there is no bread basket to turn to if you don’t like it. They do serve a bread like substance, but it’s deep-fried rye bread (with a side of whole garlic cloves, for heaven's sake!) and I didn’t particularly care for it, not being a rye bread fan myself.

Most Lithuanians do not order what we Americans tend to think of as a typical meal when we eat out: appetizer, entrée and dessert. Rather than stand out, I went with the flow and did like the natives (when in Rome, do as the Lithuanians, you know...) and I found myself eating just the entrée, not having any appetizers (the salad is served with your meal on the plate) and not a crumb of dessert the entire time I was there (and I didn't even miss it!) That’s not to say I didn’t sample the sweeter delicacies that were to be had ... if you think that you don’t know me at all! As a matter of fact, one of my favorites was a puffy pastry that was covered with granulated sugar, tasting very much like a jelly donut without the jelly. They were yummy!

So, to bring us back around to my diet plan:

After I returned to the States, I noticed that I seemed to have shed a few pounds during my trip. There were no full-length mirrors in Lithuania where I was staying (a very smart method devised by a savvy man as a way to get the women out of the house on time) so I didn’t realize until I got home that my clothes were fitting looser and my appetite had decreased. Hmmm, this could be a good thing, but how to take full advantage of this good luck?

Hence, the creation of my No Seconds diet.

I realized that I could eat one plate of food fairly comfortably, but more than that was too much, so I devised my very scientific theory: No Seconds!

I’m now 11-pounds lighter than my pre-Lithuania (late October) weight and still dropping, even after the holidays! Now all I need to do is market this in an infomercial as the new miraculous diet and my millions will come rolling in, just like they did for Dr. Atkins. ;D