The Human Guinea Pig

A friend recently told me of his experience with the South Beach Diet and pointed me in the direction of the website and book. He seems very happy with his results thus far. I did some reading and have to admit that I was not overly enthused by the ‘meal plan’. That was until I read some of the recipes. It seemed far more interesting after that. I have already stated (in a previous post) my intense distaste for diets that proclaim steamed chicken and vegetables as their mainstay. Bottom line: I like tasty, savoury, hearty food.

I maintain that every diet will work for the initial period and that it’s only when you stray – i.e. get sick of sticking to it – that it fails and you’re back to square one. We all know what to eat and what’s good for us. No one (with a clear conscience) could ever finish a full Irish breakfast, cooked the old fashioned way in 2 inches of fat, and proclaim that they felt healthier! Full, most certainly… but not healthier.

The Atkins Diet will tell you that such a breakfast is close to ideal as it is very high in protein. Amazing that anyone could consider a breakfast of fried eggs, rashers (bacon), sausages, puddings (black & white), tomatoes, mushrooms and beans part of a diet. I was amazed. So much so that I thought I’d give Atkins a bash. For two weeks (a couple of years ago) I followed the diet with the precision of an Italian barber. By the start of the third week I vowed to never eat another egg, piece of cheese, piece of meat, spoon of mayonnaise or can of tuna as long as I lived. The mere thought of one of these items passing my lips made my gag reflex kick in to action. Maybe the Atkins diet works because you just stop eating to prevent being sick!!! Having said that – I’ll let everyone draw their own conclusions. Please don’t let my description stop you from doing that particular diet. Thankfully, everyone is different and has different tastes. I must also add that although I wasn’t fond of it, I did loose a significant number of pounds in the first two weeks. That was not enough to entice me to continue, however.

Back to South Beach…. and in the interest of being fair to this particular diet and because I have an upcoming visit to the Motherland (10 weeks from now) I have decided to give the South Beach Diet a go. *Stop groaning, Sal. I can hear you from here.* I start tomorrow – after my weigh-in at Fatty Piggy Club. I’m kind of excited about this because, like I said earlier, there are some interesting recipes in it.

I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes………….

Oink oink,
Kath

PS – I read somewhere that when Dr. Atkins passed away he was clinically obese….!

Jogging made simple (HA!)

Want to make a speedy transition from walking to jogging...?

EASY...!! Just take your 6'1" husband along. His 34" legs on a *stroll* equate to my 31" legs in fast forward. I had to trot along side him just to keep up. He insisted that he was only "walking briskly". When I suggested that he walk 'less briskly' he simply laughed and said "C'mon, Kath. I thought you wanted to go for a walk, not a stroll?". My mind wanders back to my original concept for a blog "All Men Are B*stards!". I begin to regret asking him to join me.

We gallop along the peaceful country road covering the 3 miles in just 35 minutes. This has knocked nearly 10 minutes off my previous attempts. When we get back to the house, the dog spends 5 minutes with her head stuck in the water bowl lapping furiously while I do some light stretches noting that my hind quarters are now tingling.... and will, without a doubt, be sore in the morning.

Strangely enough, at this point all I can think is that one week of this and I'll be a size 8 - or in the hospital recovering from cardiac arrest.

Needless to say my darling husband wasn't even short of breath - Aargh!

And I do this all in the name of vanity..... oops, I mean sanity!

Oink oink,
Kath

On the road again.

I was trying to explain to a friend of mine why I'm finding it to be a difficult transition from walking to running particularly on the roads where I live. The surrounding area is not flat needless to say although the views when out for a walk are magnificent. The road is also extremely narrow - one small car at a time. My description: this road was obviously once a cow path that someone decided to pave! I'll let you judge for yourself.

It's also very open to the elements, which frequently change. The person who came up with the descriptive meteorological phrase for New England - 'If you don't like the weather, wait a half hour.' - had obviously never spent more than 10 minutes in Ireland. I'm sure the similarity in weather patterns is the reason for Irish immigrants clustering along the east coast of America!

Enough of my rambling - I have, therefore (due to the weather and general condition of the Irish roads) decided to purchase an indoor machine on which to 'run'. I am, however, torn between a cross-trainer and a treadmill. So my question is 'Which one is better?'. Answers on a postcard to PO Box FPC....... ok, seriously, if you have a comment to make you know what to do...

Oink oink,

Kath

PS - ain't it pretty in County Clare?