(Sunday Paper, Volume III, Issue 19)

If I've seen you any time in the past month or so, chances are I've told you about my change in diet.

It's kind of been on my mind, ever since my doctor's appointment. (It's not the only thing that's on my mind following my appointment - his parting words still haunt me - but it's the thing I think of every day.)

I have not been eating well these past, oh, twenty years.

OK. That's not entirely true.

When Kathy cooks she takes the time to prepare a balanced meal.

I'll do that sometimes...but too often I slip into what's easy and I make something lacking in nutrition.

So I brought that up to my doctor and he made some suggestions and the bottom line is: I've changed my approach to lunch.

If you took all the days of my life and broke them down by what I had for lunch, chances are "sandwich" would make up a good 90% of my lunches.

It's just the way it's always been, and if you know me you know I like routine, and I enjoy a good sandwich, so why mess with what works, right?

But my doctor advocated a "one big meal, lots of little snacks" approach to eating, so I've been trying that out these past six weeks or so. I now have my regular breakfast, then a variety of snacks during the day.

In other words, no more lunch.

For those of you who've known me for years - particularly those with whom I've taught - this news may come as a shock to you. I gained a reputation for a few years as "Two-Lunch John" - because I'd have two lunches every day. (In truth, I didn't eat two full lunches. I just enjoyed sitting down and socializing twice during the day. My class had music or drama around noon, and then I'd have our regular lunch about an hour later, and I'd sit with the people who had lunch during that first lunch period and then I'd also hang out during my own lunch. I'd have a quick bite at both, but didn't load up my plate. [Unless it was chicken fingers.] That socializing, though, is the thing I miss most about my old schedule. Now I am a lonely luncher.)

These days I'm eating zero lunches...but like four snacks throughout the day.

I'll have a banana in the morning...and some shelled walnuts with some cut-up cheese squares a little later.

At traditional lunch time I'll have a half an avocado (I ate two whole avocados before Kathy told me I should really only be eating a half an avocado in a sitting) or a yogurt with granola mixed in.

I'll pick on some chick peas or some edamame (pictured) in the afternoon, and a granola bar works its way in there too. (I've enjoyed the Kind bars recently.)

It's working for me - I'm usually hungry for dinner but not too hungry, which tells me I'm doing a good job of balancing my snacks. I don't know if I'm healthier but I feel like I'm healthier. I'm eating a lot less bread...and although something like the walnuts is a lot more expensive than I expected, I'm saving money on stuff like lunch meat, so there's no real difference in the grocery bill.

It's been a pretty successful experiment.

Now I need to work on what I cook for dinner when Kathy's not around.

Comedy

*It was a slow week for comedy, though I did spend some time working on something very exciting that I think I'll be telling you about next week. A quick update: Last week I told you that I'd be opening for Amy Tee and her one-woman show this Wednesday. That show has been postponed. So, um, don't come to that anymore on Wednesday. I'll keep you updated on the rescheduling.

Writing

*My school writing job will be taking a summer hiatus for summer vacation so I'm starting to look in earnest for some extra writing opportunities in the summer. I told you recently I'm in a good spot but I'd love to have another regular employer...now I'm really starting to work on that. It would be great if I found something for the summer that ended up continuing year-round. Feel free to let me know if you have any leads.

What You Should Check Out This Week

*I mentioned it was a slow week for comedy last week but I did partake in a crazy tournament-style comedy competition on Wednesday at The Pour House on Boylston Street in Boston. I had been to The Pour House numerous times in college (and after college), but I'd never ventured to the back of the bar...and certainly not downstairs. There's a huge downstairs area there, and local comic Shawn Carter has started a new Wednesday night show there, with last Wednesday's competition kicking it off. The competition started as a March Madness-type thing at Sally O'Brien's, the Monday open mic, and I had done it a few years ago. This year, obviously, it happened in May, ushering in this new show. Shawn does a great job putting together shows (I've definitely written about him in the past - he did the Iron Furnace show In Quincy that ran for a couple of years before the city took over the site by eminent domain...which is a long way of saying that show no longer exists through no fault of his own), so give that a shot Wednesday night. This week's is the first of the weekly shows that are not tournaments. It also makes for a fun start to the week on Boylston Street - McGreevy's has comedy Monday and Tuesday night, and The Pour House now has Wednesday covered.

Notes

*I hope the wordplay in the title didn't lose too many readers - I just thought that it's a funny saying, even though this had nothing to do with throwing up...but everything to do with losing my lunch.

*I should stress, I'm not overweight, and my doctor didn't insist I change my diet. I'm perfectly healthy. I just knew there were many times I was not eating as healthy as I should be. So I initiated the conversation and he gave me suggestions that I'm trying out. Just so we're clear.

*Me and the girls have really fallen off the Instagram Stories train...partly (mostly) because the Mets have been struggling (really struggling) lately. But I'm still a lot of fun on Twitter (follow me!) and I always appreciate the Likes on the Facebook page. Thanks! (And we'll get back to Instagram at some point: @jsucich there.)

*Congratulations to one of, if not THE, most loyal Sunday Paper reader on the birth of her son overnight Friday morning. (Is that an oxymoron?) Sadly, now that she has two children she will no longer have time to read the Sunday Paper.

*Oh. And, it's Mother's Day. How appropriate. So in addition, Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there, especially my own, and to Kathy, who is not my mother but happens to also be a very important mother in my life.

*Quick look-ahead: Next week looks like it'll be a fun announcement. Then a guest post on Memorial Day weekend...then it's June! Holy cow, time is zipping. I think we'll be doing the girls' guest posts again in June, and then it'll be my birthday. Pretty crazy.