The Low Carb Diet - Day 292

I started eating this way on February 11, so that makes today "day 292 on the low carb diet". I thought it was about time to update my progress.

The primary change has been the elimination of almost all non-fruit/vegetable carbohydrates. I'll still eat the odd potato, but won't have that cracker or slice of bread. When I was a vegetarian, almost all my calories came from breads and cereals, and as I've written here before, I now attribute that diet to my cardiovascular problems. Too many carbs cause too many insulin spikes which cause too much damage to the inside of arteries. Too much damage results in heart disease and stroke. I'm two for two on that count.

Today I'd estimate that I eat twice as much fruit and veg as I did as a vegetarian. Since I cannot get the extra calories I need from grains, I have to compensate with produce. I could just eat more meat and fish, but it has an interesting effect of filling you up rather quickly - so you can't consume the calories you need before feeling satiated.

My "dessert" items now are a piece of dark chocolate, a bowl of Greek Yogurt with blueberries, or an apple with some cheese. A far cry from a big slice of pumpkin pie.

So what are the noticeable results?

1. I have lost, and kept off, about fifteen pounds of weight. I didn't need to lose it, but I did.
2. My blood profiles, last time I checked, were very good - but the more I learn, the less I care. My previous obsession with cholesterol levels and ratios now seems naive. I don't care what my levels are now, I just know that they're better now then they ever were on drugs. And I don't think the medical community really knows what a "good" level is anyway...
3. I'm off all the drugs and vitamins. No more statin, no more Co-Q-10, no more niacin. I still take a baby aspirin every day, and top up with a Vitamin D supplement in the winter.

Most importantly, as time goes on I find my attraction to sweets and grains is getting lower and lower. I now find it takes no effort at all to say "no" to dessert. And I don't think twice about not making a sandwich. Mom's not even making me peanut rolls for Christmas - this will be the first time in about fifty years!

Overall, this has now transitioned from being an experiment to being a lifestyle. I don't think it's a diet anymore...

Serendipity

Could this be the place?

We got off the ship on Sunday morning and took a shuttle to the Tampa Airport. I was conned into "upgrading" the car from a Ford Fusion to a convertible Ford Mustang ... in hindsight it seems pretty frivolous, but you only live once and there is a lot of sunshine in Florida.

We had reservations at a hotel in Fort Myers, but by the time we disembarked, rented the car, and drove an hour or so south of Tampa, it was nearing lunchtime. I also wanted to check the exit number for the Holdway's (my manager at Agilent more than a decade ago) because I wasn't sure it was as far south as Fort Myers.

Turns out I was right, and our lunch (at exit 213) was near the Holdway house at exit 195. Fort Myers was another hour south (about exit 120) and would have been a terrible overshoot to have to check in and drive all the way back.

Regardless, there was another Marriott hotel across the street from our lunch place, and the price was OK so we decided to stay there instead - and cancel our reservation further south. We had a nice visit with the Holdways, and got back to this new hotel late last night.

Today we ventured out into Sarasota and Sunset Beach - which is near the new hotel. It was so attractive to us that we've decided to stay another couple of nights here and forego any trip south to Fort Myers.

This place is what Palm Springs (my previous "best destination") could be if it had an ocean. I'm liking it a lot.

I can now understand the attraction of Florida for anyone living in the North East USA or Central/Eastern Canada.

Maybe these people have got it all figured out.

Now what to do about the hurricane problem??????

Proper Cruise-ship Etiquette

As I'm a huge hypocrite for constantly saying I'll never travel on another cruise-ship  but continue to do so, I have collected these tips on proper etiquette. I thought they might find use if you should ever find yourself on a floating hotel....

• If you ever have to travel either one deck up or one deck down, it's prudent to wait patiently for the elevator for the five or ten minutes, instead of expending the three calories it would take to move your butt on the stairs,
• Since you've already paid for the food, it's best to take at least twice as much as you could possibly eat, and leave half of it on your plate when you pull away from the table.
• If you eat in the dining room instead of the buffet, it's considered proper manners to order two of everything - two appetizers, two main courses, and a minimum of two desserts. Again, don't eat most of it.
• Even if you don't even walk around the block at home, you should take up fitness on the walking track, the stair-master, or a stationary bike while on the ship. Everyone will be impressed with your 225lb body on a 5'6" frame. They can tell at a glance that you are a jock.
• Wear spandex whenever you can. It looks extra good when you're on that exercise bike. 
• All women, especially those over 50, should wear a bikini. Men over 50 are required to wear a Speedo.
• Travelling by cruise ship is all about one thing - shopping. Shopping needs to be your priority in every stop, so you can tell everyone at home how wonderful the port-of-call was. 
• Whether you're shopping or touring (when the stores are closed), it's important to travel as a group. The larger the group, the better. Optimal group size is 400.
• If an ignorant local person doesn't understand what you're saying, just say it louder. Maybe say it slower, but definitely louder. People that don't understand English just haven't heard you speak it.
• The staff that work on the ship need to be given outlandish, extravagant, mean-spirited instruction from you on what you'd like done. They're all overpaid anyway. They prefer to be called "boy".

I've probably missed several other tips on cruise ship survival, but it should get you to thinking...