1.26.11 — A Close Call

I've mentioned before that pizza is one of my main weaknesses and is, so far, the only item that I've succumbed to while doing this blog. Aside from that one time though, I've been strong. Today, there was some big meeting/presentation going on and they of course ordered pizza. I mostly ignored it and waited for the grease-stained leftovers to make it out to the kitchen so I could go document it. I did, not really paying attention to it other than it was yet another stack of pizza.

Good thing I was distracted.

I happened to see the boxes later after it was all gone and saw that it had come from Pagliacci's. If I had known that earlier, I might have injured myself and others trying to get in there so I could do unspeakable things with that pizza.

If pizza is my weakness, Pag's is my kryptonite. I am powerless before it. I dodged a big one this time.

In addition to being distracted by work (yes, we actually do work during the day here between snacking opportunities), I saw this, also from the meeting lunch order...



The sickly yellow-green color in the photo is pretty accurate. I'm not a big cold pasta fan, but this pile of cold, slimy-looking, squiggly pasta drew my attention away from the pizza long enough that I missed the name on the box. I guess being slightly disgusted can have its advantages.

1.20.11 — Late Nighter

I can't fault my coworkers for the pile of pizza they ordered last night. They were stuck here until the wee hours working on a new biz pitch. Pizza was the food of choice and this was the battered leftover. Honestly, if I had been here until 1 or 2 AM, I would have been right there with them at the pizza box carb loading.

12.9.10 — Pizza and Balls

Another agency meeting of some sort, another stack of leftover Zeek's pizza. There was maybe a full pizza between two boxes. 10 minutes after it hit the table in the kitchen, gone. I almost had to run back to my desk to get my iPhone. Seriously.



And then late in the afternoon, a tub of Hawaiian chocolate covered macadamia nuts showed up. They smelled good, but I was told that they weren't that good. "They're not worth it," was the instant review.

My coworkers, making my weight loss more difficult and easier all at the same time.

11.23.10 — Full Disclosure

So a couple inches of snow shut down Seattle on Monday night and only a skeleton crew made it into the agency on Tuesday. Our owner decided to reward those of us who managed to meet the minimum requirements for our jobs - showing up - by buying pizza for lunch.

Of all the foods I've given up over the last few months as I've pushed to reach my weight loss goals, two have been the hardest: french fries and pizza. Unfortunately, these two items seem to make regularly scheduled appearances in our office, especially pizza.

Here I was again, facing the imminent arrival of one of my favorite foods and, knowing how we order things in Costco-level quantities, a lot of it. I made sure to eat my lunch ahead of time, just so I wasn't hungry when the pizza appeared. The snow slowed down the delivery, so it ended up being more of an afternoon snack than lunch for everyone.

I was a little peckish, but not starving when it finally arrived. I was prepared to do my thing, go in for a couple iPhone shots and then head back to my desk like usual. But then I got to thinking. I'm an adult. I know the consequences. I'm not desperate or hungry or breaking down. I didn't feel like I deserved a treat or a cheat. I simply decided to have some pizza.

I think if I had been starving, or desperate for something other than salad, or feeling like I had done something to deserve a food reward that I would have stopped myself. As weird as it sounds, I felt like making the decision to have the pizza from a calm, logical mindset made it okay. I don't think I was coming up with any justifications, I just decided to have some, enjoy it and take whatever consequences come. I also decided that by doing this, I will have to make sure I don't make the same kind of decision again any time soon.

That's the hard part about moderation, isn't it. Do it once, maybe once in awhile, but it can't become a pattern or a frequent occurrence because then it's not moderation. So, here's my test. I had some pizza. It was good. And now I have to be even more diligent and disciplined than before.

10.19.10 — Pizza and the Dirty Bird

Pizza again for an agency meeting. Only problem was that this was a meeting I actually wanted to go to, but ended up working through lunch trying not to get any salad bits on my keyboard as I ate while hammering away at project uploads. At least I didn't have to face the pizza directly in the face for the meeting. With as much pizza that has been flying around here lately, my resolve has been weakening. A man can only take so much.

Actually, I can take it. I'm getting very close to a weight loss milestone and I'm not going to let limp, greasy pizza to deter me.





Same goes for the Dirty Bird, aka Red Robin. It was another late night for us and the consensus order was the Dirty Bird. I can mostly easily pass on pretty much anything they offer even when I'm not trying to resist bad food. Their only real selling point is amount — when you're hungry you know you'll get a lot of food, even if it all tastes the same and is horribly bad for you. The only thing that tweaks my temptation meter are the french fries — not so much because their fries are anything to rave about. They do have size and if you order in you can get the free refills. THAT is a dangerous option when I'm around. As for the sauce tubs above, I have no idea was is in them other than some evil sort of mayonnaise hybrid, but it is very tasty... the last time I had it.

Tonight, nope. I waited until I got home and had my calorie and portion-size appropriate dinner.

10.13.10 — Pizza, Again

Sigh. Another agency meeting means another giant stack of Zeek's Pizzas. It's always more visually interesting after the masses have picked over the helpless pies rather than taking photos of the pristine and unsuspecting pizzas before the attack.

This was a tough one. Yes, I've faced down pizza on many occasions and stood fast again today. But, it was so hard today. I was so hungry and it was all set up just a few feet from my desk and it all smelled so good. I was thinking I could just take a bite. Just a small, slow, sensual bite (take a moment, wait for it... continue). But one of the biggest things I've learned about myself over the last four years as I worked on losing weight is that a small bite becomes a small piece, which becomes a small slice, which becomes a small pizza, which becomes how much can I eat before anyone notices (the secret is to not take more than one piece of any one kind at a time and then to move around the room so that the same person doesn't see that you've gone back to the trough for a fourth or fifth time).

So no, I didn't have a small bite. I sat there in the meeting, eating my salad, ignoring everyone else as much as possible... and hating them just a little.

9.2.10 — Pizza Feed

A vendor lunch meeting, so pizza for everyone... except me. And yes, I KNOW, I could have had some of the salad.



MMMMM, the grease looks so good, glistening in the fluorescent lighting as it pools on top of the pepperoni.



And the grease looks even better under the pizza. SO YUMMY!

Seriously though, I have to convince myself that all of this is disgusting because I could pack away pizza like a freakin' linebacker who just did a week of two-a-days.

Total weight lost: 186.5