Some interesting observations since completing the diet. I pooh-poohed a lot of the motivational stuff in the book (the Ultimate New York Body Plan) in the sense that I didn't buy into the 'life transformation' aspect of it. And I certainly wasn't sure if I would feel as ecstatic as he said you would after finishing it.
I must admit, I have been proven wrong on a couple of counts. A few things surprised me including the sense of achievement at having done the diet successfully (albeit, not as perfectly as I would have liked to, but without any cheats except for 1 shot glass of 100 plus a day at the gym). It does provide amazing empowerment. It does make you feel like you can do anything. And it has turned me into an advocate of his diet/food concept for many people I know who have health issues or want to lose weight. And it has made me change my viewpoint on 'crash diet' - although I don't think this was a crash diet.
It does make me a little wistful though - I do not like living as a person who has a Good Diet Cop, Bad Diet Cop perched on opposite sides of my shoulders. Lately, I have been hearing these voices in my head:
Bad Diet Cop: DOUGHNUTS!
Good Diet Cop: Calories!
Bad Diet Cop: CHEEZELS!
Good Diet Cop: 220 calories! That's 30 minutes on the elliptical just for 5 minutes of cheezy gratification.
Bad Diet Cop: Chocolate!
Good Diet Cop: It will all go to your hips! The ones that can now fit into those university jeans!
Bad Diet Cop: I can eat like...3 oreos and that's just 160 calories.
Good Diet Cop: Yes but you know you really want to eat 3 oreos every day...for the whole week...and then what happens?
This conversation will never stop. And certainly I felt rather depressed at the sight of myself trawling supermarket aisles (I am donating a lot of parking money to Bangsar Village and Bangsar Shopping Center these days in parking fees) just looking at the junkfood aisles, reading labels, counting calories, computing how many twisties I can eat without incurring sabotage and...then just feeling very sad.
This is not the transformation I am sure I want. Now, Mr Kirsch says the longer we go without 'bad foods' (and by that he means cookies, junkfood and anything that basically is not steamed without skin and contains nothing but olive oil) the less we will crave them. That has certainly NOT been the conclusion I have arrived at. If anything, I want to eat them even more. If only it weren't for Good Diet Cop...who would probably be a lousy cop because Good Diet Cop does not do coffee and doughnuts. Protein shakes for life does not also seem to be a prescription for a good way to leave the planet. That much Splenda cannot be good for a person.
One does wonder: is life worth living without these bad but so good and yummy things in life? Personally I don't think Mr Kirsch is suggesting that (I think he's being excessively strict because he knows being less than strict means people...slack) but at the same time, it's hard to imagine living my life in Gastronomic Dictatorship, defined by the waistline and the fit of one's jeans.
Arguably, life is too short to not eat well (and well doesn't mean 'well' in the context of pure protein and more vegetables blah blah). Although I suppose more days on the planet does mean more opportunities to experience more gastronomic delight. Perhaps his moderation message would do with some...moderating!
In short...paraphrasing the Duke of Wellington: Eat..and Be Damned
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