CIA here I come!

The post from yesterday was almost a month in the making while I fixed issues with the site and dealt with life issues. I received the best news ever while I was on vacation in Japan.

I was accepted into the Culinary Institute of America! I thought it was a long shot but I was accepted so quick it left me in shock. I can’t start classes until May 2016 because I have to get my work schedule adjusted and that doesn’t happen until sometime after the next semester begins. That is fine it gives me lots of time to get everything ready for this new chapter in my life.

I have taken on a new struggle over the last few months. I am trying my hardest to lose weight but it feels like it goes against everything I live for. I love food. I love making food. I love eating food. Unfortunately I just can’t stop once I start and I cannot withstand temptation. I hate not being able to eat anything I want any time I want. I understand that realistically I can just in very small  portions and there is my fault. I am also Irish/German so I love beer and whisky. Fortunately I can stop at just one of those but when I am trying to lose weight it seems like just one is all it takes to stop me in my tracks. I am adapting and figuring out how to get the weight loss done without having forsake everything I love.

It is so hard to be calorie conscious when your thoughts are always on how you can make a food taste better. As a chef your goal is to provide the ultimate culinary experience you can so balancing flavor versus calories can be a real struggle. Adding spicy, sour and or salty flavors to a dish can up the flavor without added calories. I will be posting much more calorie mindful recipes in the future while I continue my personal struggle. So far I have lost 25 pounds and the loss is starting to be noticeable with my clothes fitting better so I am happy with my progress so far. My only fear is that when my oldest daughter leaves for Germany in a few weeks that I again revert to my not give a damn ways. Have any of you felt this same struggle? If so how do you overpower your inner food diva?