The Battle of the Bulge

The constant fight against fat. If I miss running just one day I feel 20 pounds overweight. "Weight" a minute! I AM 20 pounds overweight.

Now, for those of you who have finally gotten up off the floor from fainting in disbelief, let me tell you that compared to what I used to weigh I now consider myself slim (!!). Yes, about 20 pounds over my previous "running weight" but by the world's standardized weight charts I'm only a few pounds overweight.

I'm talking about optimal running weight which is about 10 to 15 pounds less than your doctor's weight chart. The weight that I've already lost is the easy part. Now the really hard work begins.

At least I know now that with an increase in mileage the fat will begin to "melt" off. The tough part is gradually overcoming my lifelong fight with bronchial asthma. It's not easy to increase mileage when you have an asthma attack, on average, a mile into nearly every run you take. Some real good information on Asthma is available on MedicineNet.

Enough of my medical problems. That's another feature.

I wanted to tell folks about a real neat book that I found at a yard sale one day called "Fit for Life" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond. This is not a diet book or just a list of do's and don'ts. It is a lifestyle in eating.

The basis of the book is not "diet" but how and when you eat your food. As the book cover says it's "The natural body cycle, permanent weight-loss plan that proves it's not what you eat, but when and how!"

After reading the book I realized that the periods in my life that I lost the most weight were when I was unwittingly and unknowingly following the advice of Mr. Diamond.

I lost a great deal of weight in college when all I had for breakfast was orange juice. Lunch was a salad of one sort or another and dinner was a single helping of whatever the dining hall was serving that night (no dessert). This fit very close to the concept of eating only fruit in the morning then combining foods properly during the day and letting your body rest and eliminate all night.

I also did the same in my early running days when, after running, would eat only fruit till I got to work. Then I ate, depending on how much I was running, anything from salad and rice to everything in sight! But I never ate at night so my body had plenty of time to recoup.

I had never read the Diamonds' book till just recently so I was quite surprised to see how easily my body was able to tell me it's needs, as long as I was listening to it.

Now I understand why I ate as I did. I've also been able to pin down what I might have done wrong and how I can optimize my eating, for not only weight loss but for good health and optimal performance on the roads.

Check out Amazon.com or your favorite online bookstore for this and other books by the Diamonds. You'll be glad you did. But, please, save your Thank You's for after your running performances improve because of this very natural eating lifestyle.