Fruity

My experiment with a fruit diet has met with mixed success.

Maybe the experts would just put it down to a "transition phase" but I did not feel entirely well for all of the time.

I think the problem is that in theory you can get a great deal of essential nutrients from fruit and vegetables but to get the right variety you would need to almost live in a greengrocers. Certainly just eating bananas wasn't that successful on Friday !

The other factor that makes it difficult is "other people" ! It sounds bad but it is true. It is difficult to go out to dinner with friends and just eat fruit ! People are liable to get offended.

We went to dinner with friends yesterday so I had an "everything diet" to avoid controversey and confusion.

However I have learnt a couple of things from this brief experience so far. There are benefits to be had from just eating fruit for a short period (e.g. a couple of days). You can feel fresher and more alert. Changing diets suddenly is not without health consquences so you need to be prepared and cautious. It certainly feels more healthy to be "caffeine free" for a while. Caffeine is an acceptable addiction for most people so it doesn't get too much attention. However in working environment in particular it is easy to overlook how dependent you can get on coffee.

Also, in a few days and in combination with a bit of jogging at the weekend I have lost 6 pounds. Nothing too dramatic but certainly better than a couple more gained.

So what next ? I have already given up attempting to live solely on fruit. Maybe that would be possible on a tropical island but not in London in November.

I am however trying to be more healthy, staying away from the Caffeine wagon and avoiding bread and other carbohydrates. If I continue to loose weight and feel healthy I will know I am doing something right.

Back with a new post and a change in subject shortly....................................................

High on Bananas

I went shopping for a new suit yesterday. We have to keep up appearances working in "the City" and my current collection is ranging from the threadbare to the torn.

I thought that going to our local uber-shopping centre, Bluewater, would be easier than going to the centre of London which seemed potentially too stressful. It turned out to be ok and the big shops there had a suit that fitted me. However a brief visit to an "Italian Designer" shopped showed I am no longer the slim lad I once was.

Italian clothes no longer "suit" me. These clothes are made for a people who live on diet full of olive oil. I live on a City diet with too many coffees, sandwiches for lunch and then a proper meal cooked by Mrs. Donatella in the evening. My main exercise is walking to and from the station.

This lifestyle has come at a cost and yesterday I realised that I am now "portly". Not fat, probably not obese but a good stone above what is a healthy weight. In fact I know I have put on a stone and half in just over 2 years.

I have therefore decided to "diet". It sounds rather feminine so I am aiming for a "manly diet". Not in a half-hearted way but in a radical way that will loose a stone in a month or so. Then I can go back to normal ?:-)

There are health considerations here. I won't starve so I am trying to go on a fruit diet- the basic rules- you can eat as much fruit (or vegetables) as you want. You cut out "stimulants" (tea, coffee etc) and animal products. This is supposed to detoxify you and help you return to your ideal weight.

I will try it for a week and see if it has any effect. There are warnings that at the start that you might not feel good- as the body starts eating up all that unhealthy fat the process may make you feel ill. However if you stick with it you are supposed to feel fit and clean.

So far I have a mandarin for breakfast and 5 bananas together with some pumpkin seeds for lunch. I feel a bit light headed and my stomach is rumbling but hopefully some of my fat reserves are starting to be used !

Imagine if it was possible to live on just fruit and vegetables. How different things would look. I think we'd solve the recycling issue as everything would be biodegradable. I am not quite sure what would become of restaurants or even family meals ?

Still I am not aiming to change the world just yet. Hopefully a time without meat, potatoes and white sugar will leave me a little healthier than before. I may even be able to wear an Italian suit.................................