Writing this one while cooking honey Dijon pork chops on the George Foreman grill, which has become a surprisingly useful tool for this diet. The fat just drains right out of the tray while the meat cooks on both sides at the same time. No oil needed, no babysitting a pan. If you’ve been sleeping on a George Foreman, don’t.
Week three was easier than the first two. The cook-once-eat-twice system we switched to is making a real difference — cooking dinner and the next day’s lunch at the same time means I spend a lot less time standing in the kitchen every night. That change alone is what made this week feel sustainable.
The highlight of the week was getting steak back. Happy Healthy Wife said she missed her steak so we went back to the AI and asked it to work it in. The catch is it doesn’t just hand you a ribeye. It steered us toward leaner cuts — sirloin, flank — which have a lot less fat. I grew up on overcooked sirloin and hated it. Then at some point I had a medium steak at a restaurant and the whole thing clicked. Tender, juicy, completely different experience. Smaller portion than I’d usually cook, but we barbecued it and it hit the spot.
Not everything was a win. We made stuffed zucchini with turkey sausage, spinach, tomatoes and a four-cheese blend on top. Baked it like a pizza. It tasted fine but I’ll be honest — it was not filling and it was definitely not pizza. The bread part of pizza is doing a lot of work that zucchini simply cannot do.
On the hunger front — yes, week three I felt it more. The fix is simple even if it’s not exciting: raw vegetables. They’re basically free calories and they take the edge off. What I have noticed though is a mental shift in how I think about eating. I’ve started stopping when I’ve had the flavor rather than when the plate is empty. I don’t need the whole steak. I know what it tastes like. That’s genuinely new for me.
As for the scale — from my usual range of 262 to 265, I’ve come down consistently to 259. Call it about five pounds in three weeks. It’s working. Happy Healthy Wife says her clothes are feeling looser.
Week four next. Let’s keep going.
