Setback
A week ago, I was struck down with some gastro-intestinal…something. After 3 days of not being able to eat / breathe well / sleep, I ended up in urgent care for some relief (say what you will, but having access to Italy’s healthcare system is one of the reasons I love living in Italy). On day 6, I finally was able to spend the entire day out of bed, even if I still was eating only rice, crackers, and water.
I’ll be honest one of the first things I thought about when I started feeling bad was the 1/2 marathon I’m training for at the end of the month. The past week I haven’t left my bed nor my apartment much, much less exercised. A few days of eating only 300-500 calories has left me seriously weak and wondering what that means for July 29th which is quickly approaching. On Day 4 sitting at a computer made me break out in a sweat.
Last year when I started looking at making some changes to how I eat, several of my colleagues were doing the 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss. Now while I haven’t read the book in full, I’ve learned a lot about the diet portion of the book, and I’m not really a fan. The principles are great for a short-term change, but not for anything sustainable, and seem like they are aimed mainly at single men (like the author).
Let’s take a look at his rules for the 4HB diet:
Rule #1: Avoid “white” starchy carbohydrates (or those that can be white). This means all bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains. If you have to ask, don’t eat it.
Rule #2: Eat the same few meals over and over again, especially for breakfast and lunch. You already do this; you’re just picking new default meals.
Rule #3: Don’t drink calories. Exception: 1-2 glasses of dry red wine per night is allowed.
Rule #4: Don’t eat fruit. (Fructose –> glycerol phosphate –> more bodyfat, more or less.) Avocado and tomatoes are excepted.
Rule #5: Take one day off per week and go nuts. I choose and recommend Saturday.
Let’s take a further look at each rule. Read more…
Progress time
More than a year later after starting this site, I’ve published a Progress page. You know, the one with before & after pictures. I’ll link to it, but I just wanted to discuss my hesitancy and finally my decision to post it.
I think progress pages – pages where people who have gotten back to healthy show you their before & after pictures are part narcissistic, and part philanthropic.
What? (you’re probably saying) Read more…
It’s half time…marathon, that is
Yep. It’s happening.
I got it in my crazy head to do another half marathon, 10 years later! I kept looking at my calendar to figure out when it might happen sometime in 2012, but the courses in Italy often fall on dates I’m not free or can’t train and in the summer it’s much too hot. I wanted to do a “destination race” but also dealing with jetlag and having to plan so far ahead for a trip I haven’t confirmed is a bit nerve-wracking.
So when I booked my summer trip back to the States, and realized not only would the SF Marathon fall during those dates and so jet lag would be moot, and my best friend is already running the full marathon, I thought…why not? 2 clicks and 1 credit card payment later – I’m registered. Read more…
I have some favorite movies about celebrating food & eating which I’ll post on my food & travel site, Ms. Adventures in Italy. But what about the opposite end of the spectrum? Those movies which make you think twice before putting that food into your mouth? Over the past few years I’ve been very interested in learning more about where food comes from, how processing affects it, and what it means to trust big brands to supply us with nutritious food (a misnomer?) and the correct information regarding it. Read more…
Food Blogger on a Diet 