Rolf Danner

After the first week, I think I’ve discovered why people lose weight on the Abs Diet. It’s not a whole lot of food! Yes, you do get to eat six meals a day. Though the flowering prose of the book might lead you to believe you’ll be filling your belly like you don’t know how to spell the word diet. Reality looks a bit different. The six meals are simply necessary to keep you going without chewing your pencil as a nutritious addition to your day.

Ok, so it’s not that bad. While I find my stomach feeling much emptier than I’m used to, I’m not exactly starving either. Though keeping to a regular feeding schedule has become important. To keep a check on portion size, a bit of an issue with me, I’m pre-packing my lunch and snacks for the day. The best time for doing this turns out to be after dinner when another diet day feels pleasantly doable. It also helps that I do like much of the recommended foods. I love oatmeal, berries, whole grains and fruit. I find shakes comforting indulgences. Had the book expected me to start my day with eggs and steak, I probably wouldn’t have bothered.

Although not prescribed by the book for the first week, I have also returned to the gym. You won’t find me doing bench presses yet, but I went back to yoga. It was also harder than I remembered. Did they just step up the level why I was gone? No, not another Chataranga! No, I can’t focus on my breathing while I see my life flashing in front of me. Some women in the front row might be able to do a standing split, but I take comfort in the guys to my side. Like mine, their poses resemble more a polite bow. Other things have changed too. They replaced the cashiers in the parking structure with machines, a big improvement, and moved stuff around on the floor. You might think I was gone for years! The final embarrassment came when I couldn’t remember the combination on my padlock for the locker. So not a perfect start, but a start.

With the yoga class on Tuesday and a good hike in Griffith Park on Thursday night I feel like I’ve done my share of exercise to help melt my gut. As always, once I’m there I enjoy the exercise and I feel so much better afterwards. The only puzzle to solve is why I dread getting started so much. I found a way of getting around this with the weekly hike. I volunteered to lead the hike for the next two months while Jeff is taking classes. If you want to make sure you’ll show up, just put yourself in charge. Works for me.

Conclusion of the first week: Lost five pounds since Friday. A brief spell of diarrhea seemed to have sped things up a little. No major sugar cravings yet, but please, don’t show me a chocolate cake unless you want to meet Mr. Hyde. Crankiness is at a tolerable level as long as I stick to my eating schedule. Started to travel with a supply of healthy snacks as a public service to my surroundings.