Day 2: ALL VEGETABLES. Eat until you are stuffed with all the fresh raw or canned vegetables. Try to eat green leafy veggies and stay away from dry beans, peas, and corn. Eat along with soup at dinnertime on this day; reward yourself with a big baked potato and butter. DO NOT EAT ANY FRUITS.

Oops. In typing this, I realized I may have messed up. Today, I had a tomato for breakfast. There’s some to do about whether tomatoes are fruits or veggies, but today for my purpose I’ve decided it’s a vegetable. I munched on raw organic baby carrots all day at work, then hit the gym for a 35-minute cardio session at lunch. For lunch I had a container of the veggie soup I’d brought along. Then more carrot munching. I felt hungry and unenergetic. I felt my skin and poo turn orange. I walked by coworkers’ desks displaying open containers of chocolate chip cookies, M&Ms, and animal crackers drooling but with my head held high and my teeth clamped shut.

Upon my arrival home, I was famished enough to instantly nuke some veggie soup and down it as I cooked some frozen broccoli and carrots in a saucepan. In re-reading the instructions for Day 2 as I’m typing this post, I don’t think I’m supposed to eat cooked veggies except for what’s in the soup. Oh well, goof. Now I’m microwaving my “baked” potato which I’m going to eat with a mixed salad, no dressing because my instructions don’t say I can use any. I’m looking really forward to the baked potato.

I don’t know why I thought this was going to be a walk in the park. I’m having cravings like I’m PMSing. There’s something about things being forbidden that makes you want them more than when they’re allowed, like that one Catholic church incident I’d experienced during a funeral. I stupidly figured I’ll just be home all week so 5 days of dinner on my own and soup drinking would be fine, but tomorrow we’re doing our annual Independence Day fireworks watch on the roof, and the event has been getting bigger and bigger each year. Last year it was more of a potluck with food, margaritas, chips, desserts, wine, etc. This year, I can only eat…*looking at diet instruction sheet*…soup, fruit and veggies! Argh.