How To Cruise, Zone Diet Style

So, when I did the Zone I did it Big. I Committed. I had a measuring cup with me at all times.  I went on a cruise during the Zone Period, and I brought my measuring cup with me.

And yes, I brought it to meals. Where I measured my food. In public. (I was with my friend Erika. She CLAIMED it was embarrassing.  She was probably right!) I did not eat a bite of bread for six months. No rolls, no sandwiches, no donuts, no nothing. I did however eat baked goods (Julia Math says that baked goods consumed while drinking Chardonnay do not count as ‘breads’)and drink wine like it was water, so I am not sure what the bread boycott really did for me except make everyone else around me crazy. Had Facebook been popular then, I am sure there would have been a page dedicated to Make Julia Eat Bread. Whatever.

As a more-is-more kind of girl, I became preoccupied (obsessed) with volume- for example, one block of carbohydrates could be a half of a banana or three cups of broccoli (to be fair, this was before the Wedding Hell Diet, and I could stand the sight of broccoli).  I remember eating three cups of broccoli with a half cup of low fat cheese melted on top of it covered in (do not judge) ketchup (on second thought, judge all  you want. It was really gross.) (And, stupid because ketchup is full of sugar and therefore a carb.)

I collected Zone recipes with the enthusiasm of a young man collecting phone numbers at a sports bar.  I surfed the web, bookmarking recipe after recipe after recipe.  I printed off enough recipes at the office that I could have been disciplined for using office supplies for personal reasons. (This was totally pointless as my OCD like behavior kicked in and I prepared and ate the same six things.)

Once I lost enough weight to fit back into my wardrobe, I phased the Zone out… Even I got tired of carrying that measuring cup around!

We ARE Temptation!