Foods that Satisfy

I'm on this diet. I am succeeding, partly because I get a kind of perverse satisfaction out of telling myself, "This is the fattest you will ever be for the rest of your life." Let other people be inspired by pictures of skinny people magnetized to their refrigerators. This is my way.

I have to count "points," which are a mathematical calculation derived from calories, fat grams, and grams of fiber. I should enjoy the math in it, and the record keeping, but I find it more comforting to settle on a few foods that I can enjoy in specific quantities and feel that I have had a treat, and at the same time, feel satisfied with how much of it I get to eat. So French fries are out (I'd be spending too many "points"), as are theater candy and buttered popcorn and pizza. I can be very happy as long as my day includes some or all of these foods:

• Cottage cheese
• Cheese in sticks or slices
• Little tubs of cubed fruit - no sugar added!
• A cup of coffee with sugar-free creamer
• At least one bowl of salad with just a drizzle of Original Ranch dressing (worth the points)
  
• Lots of cucumbers and tomatoes ("pointless" foods)
  
• Some kind of lean meat - barbecued or George Foreman grilled

Gotta get these down to something I can pack for when school starts up again.