The Abs Diet

A doctor recommended I read The Abs Diet.

It's not the kind of diet we're used to, where you give up all fat, or eat only meat. To oversimplify, the book recommends a dozen power foods. You eat a bunch of those, spread throughout the day. You get lots of healthy food and you don't have the appetite (or the time) to eat a bunch of junk food.

The book also recommends workouts: alternating days of weights and cardio. But unlike most workout plans, this book does not suggest you pump iron for two hours, then run 27 laps around the airport. You can complete this workout in half an hour or less.

I'd like to tell you that in the eight weeks since I started the abs diet, I've followed it to the letter and I've dropped 45 pounds. I haven't. But I have put on some muscle, which is slowly burning off the fat.

And I've found an eating and exercise plan that I can live with for the long term.

Things I Wonder About

Why do cars keep getting bigger, but parking places keep getting smaller?

I've never been quite sure whether my Honda Accord qualifies as a Compact car. I always use the spots, and I rarely have trouble getting in and out. At least they warned me that the space was small. In most parking lots, they don't give me that courtesy. I find out, on my own, that it's a compact space when I return to find an SUV on either side of me. There's usually just enough room to squeeze my body into my car. Unless I ate a big lunch.

Why do PEOPLE keep getting bigger, but clothes keep getting smaller?

I noticed years ago that clothing manufacturers don't seem to pay attention to the clothing sizes that people actually wear. I'd look at jeans and find them in two sizes: 28X38 and 48X28. Where do all of those unbought jeans go?

Who cares what celebrities think?

This really hit me a few years ago when Sean Penn went to Iraq to meet with Saddam Hussein and tell us all that going to war would be the biggest mistake since New Coke. The mainstream media gave it 20 seconds, but the conservative talk shows had a field day with it. I wondered why they cared?

Why do any of us care about the opinions of Penn or Sarandon or the Dixie Chicks? Or Charleton Heston or Toby Keith? They're entitled to their opinions, but should they have any more influence on the rest of us than, say, they guy who bags your groceries? Do we rely on Harry Reid or John McCain for movie and music reviews?