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Sunday, November 25, 2007

My Diet, or How I Still Eat Like a Man


Yesterday, Mark and I lunched at one of our favorite places, Meskerem, an Ethiopean restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. There, I struggled with my diet. It's the dreaded 'portion control' part that stumps me, the part which I suppose makes a diet a diet.

How on earth do you not eat a lot of something sitting before you that's delicious? The tangy, spicy sauces, the savory pancakes to sop it all up, it is a meal worth driving into the city for, braving traffic, potholes and the wintry cold.

Mark is six inches taller than me, but often I eat more than he does. I am struggling to stop. So far, in the last 2 1/2 weeks, I've gone to the gym 7 times, for yoga, weights and the treadmill. There's been a lot of soreness, but the scale has not budged.

'Muscle weighs more than fat,' Mark offered, trying to help.

'Uh-huh.'

'It's only been a couple weeks. It takes time.'

'Mmm.'



But I do expect miracles.

Several years ago, my friend Liz and I started doing Body for Life, the workout routine that advertises itself with unbelievable before and after photos. A photo of a shlubby, half-naked guy is coupled with a photo of a guy with a rippling body and the shlubby guy's head. Liz and I would review photo after photo, trying to determine whether they were real or fake. Our findings were inconclusive. We did the workout anyway.

We were lucky. Liz and I were not grossly overweight, just out of shape. She is a tiny, fiesty Korean woman, with the same tendency to eat a ton of food. If you're ever in Koreatown, they are everywhere - tiny women sharing several entrees and all the little appetizer dishes littering the table.

Liz and I started lifting weights, running and eating small meals throughout the day. I mixed protein shakes at work. After a few months, we were going to the gym 4 or 5 days a week. We looked svelte and were happy our bodies.

I kept up the routine, more or less, until I met Mark. That was 2 1/2 years ago. Now, I can barely run the 20-minute intervals without stopping. I'm determined to get back to that svelte feeling. I did it once, I can do it again.



At my lowest moments, I am known to siddle up to one of my work buddies.

'It's my last hurrah,' I'd say wistfully, in reference to my advanced age and desperate situation.

'Your last hurrah,' he would echo.

'It's my swan song.'

And then he would look at me and laugh.


A clip showing those hard to believe before and after pictures:

Top photo by myself, at Meskerem in Hell's Kitchen.

5 comments:

Mom Knows Everything said...

My father used to tell us girls that once you got married you didn't have to worry about your weight, "Your already made your fortune". I wish that was true and I could have a piece of cheesecake whenever I wanted to. :o(

Anonymous said...

If you're doing it to FEEL better, to feel healthier, then have at it. But fooey on the before/after pictures.

Kitty said...

hi tammy!
I love those old sayings, even if they are a little old-fashioned. I find them funny.

And suzanne..
yes, I doubt I'll ever approach the fanaticism I had before. The exercise is mostly for my mental health (and the safety of others) and to tone up.

great seeing you both :-)

Anonymous said...

Why don't you try running? It's great for keeping people trim without the body builder look. It's free (well, except decent shoes) and you can do it anywhere. It also stops you getting hungry and when confronted with a huge plate of food something in my brain these days whispers to me: "if you eat ALL that you're gonna have to run an extra mile or two later" and then I don't - I leave it for Mr Manners!

Kitty said...

hey there reluctant blogger

I see you've been posting about similar issues on your blog.

Yes, I've been on the treadmill lately and kicking my own ass. My brain is finally starting to whisper, but it's taking a while.