Twist in the Road

So, three days into the diet, I manage to come down with some kind of flu bug.  The good news is that on the fourth day of the program, I was down 5.5 pounds.  The bad news is that today, I have gained 1 pound back.  Let's face it, when you're sick, you want comfort foods.  However, I've tried to make them helpful, healthy and useful comfort foods, but I can't say I've stuck to the prescribed diet.  Nor can I say that they have all been helpful, healthy or useful - but they have certainly been comforting!

What I did focus on was portion control.  That is a major element any lifestyle change.  The method prescribed by the Somoma diet is to use a 7 inch plate at breakfast, and a 9 inch plate during lunch and dinner.  The goal is to eat more salad or vegetables than any other part of the portion.  Pizza, even covered with green peppers, onions and tomato sauce, does not count. 

So, even though I ate comfort foods, I have only given back 1 pound.  The other trick is not to snack on unhealthy foods.  Oranges and almonds are my snack of choice. 

I will admit some weakness yesterday.  My wife foolishly left me alone with four, homemade chocolate chip cookies.  This was an error.  But, it was only four, it could have been worse.

Going to bed earlier also helps.  Foremost, I feel less stressed and more rested the next day.  But, it stops that fourth or fifth meal of the day from happening, saving a lot of calories.  Trust me, you will not starve to death overnight.

I'll spend the weekend trying to kick this flu, hoping to get back into the pool soon. I'm going to try to work out with the Kettle Bells today.  For more info on those, check out this website: http://www.tacticalathlete.com/  My buddy, Jeff Martone and his wife Maureen will show you some amazing ways to get in shape and stay there.  Jeff has shown me the basics of Kettle Bells - he is truly one of the best around.  Jeff does strength training and other types of training for law enforcement and military types around the country.   

I had mentioned that I was going to try to do some yoga for strengthening and stretching.  I received some encouragement from my cousins, Heidi and Heather.  I really appreciated their thoughts.  I'll leave you with one that perplexed me, and made me wonder about Heather just a little: you can multi-task by doing some yoga stretches while brushing your teeth.

I'll leave you to ponder that.