I'm 40 Again

A parallel project since the beginning of my boat renovation work has been a strict diet in order to trim down.  I did not use the term "lose weight" because I have no access to a scale and besides, the only index that interests me is the size of my waist line, which is "down" to 40 inches (102 cm).  This represents a reduction of just over 3 inches (7.5 cm).

This time I avoided the trap of strenuous exercise (which usually leads me to back trouble and colds) and relied on the demanding boat work and La Paz summer heat to take care of caloric outgo.  Other than that it involved overpowering and subduing the usual culprits of alcohol and fat under the banner of calorie reduction (to an estimated 2000 per day), which put me in danger of vitamin and mineral O.D. due to the enormous amounts of fruit and vegetables that I shoved down my throat.  A bland and boring menu of rice or potatoes with fish or beans or the occasional eggs, a teeny amount of cheese and a limit of 2 slices of bread per day helped.  (I mean, would you want to choke on rice for lunch and dinner 5 days a week?)

I had to let my head and not my stomach dictate when what and when I ate.

But I can't crow too loudly:  there is still a lot of gut down there and I've got the dangers of the conviviality with family and friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas ahead of me.

Life is tough.