The Great British Baking Show: The Greatest Diet Show Ever

So I've been dieting for a few months now.

And by dieting, I mean NOT letting myself have a donut with breakfast, a cookie with lunch, and a nice round double dish of ice cream after dinner.  Oh and all the snacks in between.

I remember talking to my sister (who was getting ready for her wedding by working out a bunch and watching her calories) and telling her I thought I was ready to finally get serious about getting back in shape, myself.

"Download a meal tracker, that's what I did," she said.  "It really helps when you can actually see what you're eating all day and helps to keep you accountable."

I had never tried something like that.  I worried I would get lazy with it or get frustrated when I was trying to add my meals.  But I also knew that once I got over those humps, I might be able to stick with it.

So after reading some reviews I decided to try MyFitnessPal.  I had some success with it, but mostly I liked the recipes it supplied.  It did, however, get me started in paying attention to what was actually going in my mouth.  Because I had to report back every time I consumed anything (and I wouldn't want to) I'd just not eat it.

I then downloaded MyPlate instead.  It has a handy scanner so you can just scan your boxed Lean Cuisines and it automatically populates all the nutrients for you so you can see how it all breaks down.  I also like that it remembers the things you've eaten before so you can easily just scroll up to find it.  My favorite feature, though, is that it counts not only the calories you pack on but also the calories you burn off just by walking around.  So if there's a cookie I'm dying to have but I'm just shy of my calorie allowance, I'll walk up and down the stairs a few times.  

And let me tell you something else I've learned since dieting; The Great British Baking Show is the greatest diet show ever.

Allow me to explain.  

As you might've guessed, I have a bit of a sweet tooth.  When I wasn't paying attention to what I was eating, I'd easily grab a few gummi bears, sneak a slice of coffee cake, and dive into my kid's Christmas cookies, sometimes all in one day.  It didn't matter whether I wanted that particular treat or not, I had to satisfy the sweet.  But once you've been dieting for a while, and you get over those rough nights where you'd gladly accept cellulite on your face if it would get you a single Hershey's kiss, something weird happens.  The cravings get narrower, more refined.  Suddenly, it DOES matter what sweet treat you have.  You don't just want ANYTHING.  You might want a little brownie bite, and that one brownie bite would satisfy you for the day.  I've learned that I don't even really love candy.  Chocolates are nice as a treat for Valentine's Day or Mother's Day.  But I don't need one every day.  I like ice cream and there are days when that's the thing I'm craving most.  But most of the time when I'm out food shopping I can easily bypass the ice creams because I'm genuinely not in the mood for them anymore (whereas before I would always keep a few pints stocked in the freezer).

I've realized that my weakness is very specific: baked goods.  More than anything else, I love cookies, brownies, cakes, and donuts.  And so, because I know they're the thing I love the most, I only keep them around the house on the weekends.  I allow myself to have the weekend to satisfy any of those bad food cravings and much to my shock, by Sunday I'm actually looking forward to being back to my diet.  And with kids (and Joe) in the house, it doesn't take long for the rest of those treats to disappear anyway. 

Anyway, back to the Great British Baking Show.  For anyone who doesn't know the show, it's a competition show about amateur bakers all over Britain who compete for the title and a simple glass cake stand.  No massive cash prizes.  No backstabbing subplots.  No "heroes" or "villains".  Just a group of regular people trying to bake the best Battenburg or whip up the best marzipan.  It's the most pleasant show and it's like Valium for me.  

You may be thinking, isn't it torturous to watch a show about baking when you're dieting?  And to that, I say... it depends.  I'm not really a jelly fan and a lot of the desserts they make usually have a jam or jelly component.  But when they dish out some fresh baked bread or donuts, my mouth starts to water and I begin calculating how far away the weekend is.  

The other thing is that they often say you eat with your eyes, and the way they film these bakes, and the way the judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith describe them in such detail, you feel like you are tasting them yourself, but without any of the calorie guilt.  

You feel like you get to have your cake and imagine eating it too...

But really, the main reason the Great British Baking Show is the greatest diet show ever for me is for one simple piece of advice that is often said by Prue: "it has to be worth the calories".  

Such a simple concept but it wormed its way into my mind so much so that when I walk by something that I think I want to eat, it actually stops me.  Do I really WANT this half-empty leftover bag of Skittles that's been hanging out in the fridge since God knows when?  Is it worth the calories?

And more often than not, it's not.  I just feel like I want a treat but I can't have the thing I really crave so I'll settle for something I don't even want (and adding more calories to boot).  It really helps me to put things in perspective and not allow myself to get sucked into a sugar shame spiral.  It has helped me say no to a lot of unnecessary treats and get a better handle on what I consume to 

Unless it's chocolate donuts because those are always a yes.