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Friday, September 18, 2009

The Ultimate Diet

Sitting at the computer for hours at a time, during the last five years, had helped me write seven books and publish four, but it definitely damaged my waistline and loaded pounds of fat on my hips and belly.

I tried to lose the extra weight on my own through Weight Watchers and South Beach Diet. I followed the diets for three to four weeks and give up at the first crisis.



Last year my daughter and husband encouraged me to seek help from a personal trainer and exercise. I did. Faithfully. For four months. Four times a week. One to two hours every day. I lost ten pounds of fat. Only of fat. The fat got converted to muscles. I felt good about myself and my health improved. But my clothes didn’t fit because overall, my weight and measurements remained the same. And my moral didn’t improve much. At the first crisis, I munched a lot, overate again and piled a few more pounds. Fat or muscles, who cared. The pounds stuck to my body determined to stay. I tried to ignore them.




Two days ago, I reached a record high on the scale. My heart sank as the damn arrow kept moving up and stabilized on a number I never reached even when nine-month- pregnant. Tears welled in my eyes. I had to do something. I remembered the phone number a friend gave me three months ago. I called the Quick Weight Loss Center. They told me to come right away.

The meeting was interesting but I was not convinced. Their diet excluded cheese, nuts, yogurt, mango, avocado,… all my favorite food. The manager took me to an office and asked me to sit across from her desk, in a chair positioned in front of a mirror. Every time I glanced up, I saw myself in the mirror and immediately asked more questions about the diet. Before I knew what I was doing I handed my credit card. Later I thought I should hire this manager to be my publicist. She sure knew how to convince a client to buy their services and product. That day I went home and indulged on all the food I love, the way people used to do on Fat Tuesday before starting Lent. But that diet looked much worse than Lent!!!

I started my diet yesterday. Phase one: I have to drink ten glasses of water a day, eat only protein and GREEN vegetables, raw or steamed. No salt or sugar. I was allowed 1/8 of a cantaloupe a day. It’s not a big piece, believe me. By 6 pm at the end of the first day I was dizzy, suffered an incredible headache and stomach cramps. I was hardly able to drive home and collapsed on my bed. I slept straight till the morning. Today was better. It seems that my body is adjusting to the lack of carbohydrates and the incredible volume of water I sip.

By next Wednesday, I will start phase two. They will give me herbs and vitamins to swallow. I can add some fruits and dark bread. I will receive as special treat packets of pudding and cappuccino. I hope they taste good but anyway after starving for a week, any remotely sweet food will be delicious.

They will monitor me for a year. Still I am not too optimistic considering my last year fiasco at the gym.

Am I crazy? To spend so much money to starve myself.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with heat.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Mona

I just put in my vote for book of the week, then checked out your website and blog. Very nice. Diet is different for everyone, I lost 45 pounds in a year by walking (5 days a week for an hour, at a moderate pace-w/headphones and music)on my tread mill, and cutting bread from my diet. Now, I walk three times a week, for 40 minutes and am maintaining the weight I want. I wish you good luck with your diet. Take care, Donna

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Donna for voting and for your good wishes about my diet. All the excercise I did last year didn't help but I plan to start Pilates next week, twice a week. This is my last hope.

Jane said...

Good luck with the diet, Mona. My friend just started the Atkins diet. She had four eggs and bacon for breakfast, but can't have any carbs.

Mary Ricksen said...

A whole cantaloupe only has 100 calories. You could eat the whole thing. Take it from the diet queen, it's about calories and choices. You limit yourself to 1200-1500 calories a day. You could have a banana split! But nothing else the whole day. It's better to choose a balance of protein, carbs and sugars. Yes, sugars, as in fruit. And if you deny yourself totally, you will cheat, so one day waste a few calories on something bad you love. Within reason, or you'll be hungry later.
Don't eat a thing after 8:00pm.
Drink a lot of water, (carry a bottle with you).
By the way there is a hundred calories in a shot of vodka so liquids count too.
East all the cucumbers or pickles (not sweet) you want, carrots and celery too. I have tips for you. Free! then the hard part, keeping it off.

Mona Risk said...

Jane

Good luck to your friend. I am getting nauseated with eggs, chicken, and gree vegetables. Even the cucumber I love so much.

Mona Risk said...

Mary

This is only phase 1 for six days, limited to protein, green veggies and only cantaloupe. Tomorrow I start phase 2. Will see.