Dieter Diaries: Dixie Cheese, Half and Half

Today was weigh-in day and it’s been a bad week. In fact, it’s been a bad two weeks. First there was the flu, then a sciatic nerve ordeal, then strep throat, all adding up to zero trips to the gym in the last two weeks. Last week I lost only 2 pounds and this week I feared would be even worse because on a trip to see my family, I was lured into going to the Dixie Drive In. For those unfamiliar, which would be the entire population of the planet except for the limited number who grew up in Greenwood, SC, the Dixie is a burger place that has enjoyed local fame as THE place to get a burger for… well, longer than I’ve been alive. There’s not another burger in the world like famous Dixie Cheese, which is a cheeseburger served with perfectly crunchy crinkle fries… it’s just the best! I had no intention of going anywhere near there. I held firm when my husband suggested it before we got out of the driveway. Even when I arrived at my mom’s and she said everyone had gone to the Dixie and we should run over there and meet up with them, I still was resolute. No way. By that point my mouth was watering and I could practically taste the beefy yumminess! And by the way… if we want something so badly we can taste it, why eat it at all? Shouldn’t the imaginary taste satisfy? Anyway, I digress. The final brick was removed from the wall of my reserve when, on my way out the door to run an errand after everyone got home, my brother announced he had left his leather jacket at the Dixie and asked me to pick it up for him. I confess, I am a weak, weak, woman and this was just more than I could stand. I slid onto a stool at the counter and somehow retained the presence of mind to order my Dixie Cheese half-and-half. This means half fries and half onion rings and since I don’t like onion rings, I was able to at least safeguard myself from eating the entire order of fries. It was the first hamburger in a bun I had had in 8 weeks… the first fries I had had in 8 weeks…. oh that greasy goodness when they put that plate in front of me! For a real walk on the wild side, I even took a big whiff of my daughter’s soda, even though I have long been convinced that scent molecules carry fat straight to my hips as fast as putting the food in my mouth.
I had carried the burden of guilt around with me all week, knowing my transgression would show on the scale… and that I wouldn’t be able to hide my guilty expression. I was mentally rewriting Edgar Allan Poe… The Tell-Tale Scale… when I stepped onto the scale. I began mentally rehearsing my heartfelt confession of a love affair with a Dixie Cheese when the numbers locked and I had lost…. LOST… another 4.5 pounds, for a grand total of almost 33 pounds in 8 weeks! Next goal…. To lose another pants size by the end of the month!