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We all know diets don't work.
It's about altering lifestyle, and sticking with it.
For me, it works like this:
No fasting, no diet pills; no Weight Watchers, no gimmicks.
It's about altering lifestyle, and sticking with it.
For me, it works like this:
No fasting, no diet pills; no Weight Watchers, no gimmicks.
I’m up before dawn (no alarm clock
necessary, just happens) and on the street by first light (or setting moonlight) for a brisk
forty-five-minute walk. (Miss a day—I haven’t—make it up the next, no credit for
extra walking the day before.)
Walking continues, sporadically, through the day
and into the evening, leaving the car home and running errands by foot—including
evening refreshment, socializing—stairs welcome, avoid elevators.
Total walking: between sixty and
ninety-minutes per day.
My first (and main) meal of the day is an egg
scramble.
For this, an organic free-range egg and organic vegetables.
One egg
only, loaded with vegetables sautéed in olive oil (never butter).
One morning,
it might be spinach, chard and kale sautéed with fresh garlic and other fresh herbs,
a side of shiitake mushrooms; another, peppers and onions. A third favorite is
what I call an antipasto scramble: peppers, artichoke heart, olives and feta
cheese.
No bread, no butter, maybe a dash of Tabasco.
Take as much delight preparing meals
as eating them, slowly, mindfully, attention focused on aroma and flavor, small
bites and much chewing.
Through the day, between one and two
liters of non-flouride, alkaline-rich water; hot “tea” made with water, fresh
lemon juice and a dash of cayenne pepper.
Afternoon snacks: 1) A pitted date stuffed with a Brazil nut
(selenium); 2) raw broccoli and/or cauliflower dipped into hummus sprinkled with olive
oil and paprika; 3) a handful of blueberries or blackberries, walnuts and almonds; 4) dark chocolate
(just one truffle) from See’s.
For dinner, my favorite choice is
what I call The Magic Salad served at my favorite vegan restaurant (within
walking distance). They call it a
chopped salad—greens, toasted almonds, citrus, cauliflower, dates, ginger turmeric
dressing—but what makes this dish truly magical is that whenever I order it, next
morning, without fail, I scale in one pound lighter than the morning before.
My “diet” (new lifestyle) is largely
plant-based, utilizing the 80/20 ratio: when occasionally eating meat, it does not occupy more
than 20 percent of the plate (and is accompanied by at least two vegetables).
To bed by 9:03, no TV news,
no electronic devices in the room; a pitch dark, noiseless environment to ensure natural melatonin release
for an eight-to-nine-hour sleep full of nocturnal adventures.
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| After |
