Minimize Me: 10 Diets to Lose 25 Lbs in 50 Days by Andy Leeks Page A

should simply
be followed by the word ‘flavour’ and be done with it. So why is it that babies
go so mad for it? It’s probably because they don’t know any better. Babies are
just finding their feet in the world of gastronomy and so every day is a taste
sensation, even if it is just green or orange mush. I feel a little jealous of
them actually, knowing that they have yet to experience the wonders of fish and
chips, toad in the hole or chicken jalfrezi. If I were to use a wholly
irresponsible analogy involving alcohol, right now they are currently still at
the stage where they are downing cheap vodka and cider in the park, with a
whole host of premium beers and fine wines ahead of them. The lucky bastards!
     
    Day one of the baby food diet happened
to fall on one of my busiest days. Wednesdays are always busy at work, and it
just so happens that on Wednesday evenings I also record a weekly podcast with
a good friend of mine, Damien. (Check out the Money To The Masses podcast if you’re interested in top financial tips!) It meant that I wouldn’t
have time to prepare a healthy evening meal, so I decided that I would have
baby porridge for breakfast and baby food for dinner, leaving me to have a
normal healthy lunch. It sounded like the perfect idea at the time, but what I
should point out is that we often record the podcast at Damien’s parents’
house, as it is conveniently located halfway between where we each live. It
meant that I had the awkward task of arriving with, explaining, and then eating
a jar of Grandma’s Sunday Lunch.
     
    While Damien knew all about my challenge
and had looked forward to ridiculing me weekly on my haggard and drawn
appearance, Damien’s parents had been away to Florida for an extended break and
I hadn’t seen them since the start of the project. Luckily for me they thought
it was hilarious, and, being proud grandparents themselves, they happily
presented me with bibs, baby spoons, bowls and even a high chair. They offered
me milk throughout the evening, suggested to Damien that I looked tired and
might need a nap, and even presented me with a rusk instead my usual biscuit
with my post-recording cup of coffee. All very good fun indeed. It was a great
end to the first day on the baby food diet and I felt confident that not only
could I see it through, I might actually enjoy it too.
     
    How wrong I was. I woke up the following
morning absolutely starving. Buoyed by my busy day and fun and games at
Damien’s parents’ house, I didn’t actually get a minute to appreciate how
hungry I was. Having calculated how many calories I actually ended up
consuming, I was shocked to discover that the total was just under 650! That’s
like doing the 5:2 diet all over again, but doing so for five days solid! At
least on the 5:2 diet, following a day of fasting I could go to town on breakfast.
All I was allowed on day two of the baby food diet was a bowl of baby porridge.
I decided to use the same theory as on the 5:2 diet, and in order to get me
through the day I skipped breakfast.
     
    The baby food diet is effectively just a
faddy way to introduce a strict control on your daily calorie intake, so I
figured that I’d be doing the same by skipping breakfast. All I do by having
breakfast is stoke the fire, and I end up wanting to take on more fuel. I’m
fully aware that I’ve skipped breakfast in a lot of my diets now and that this
goes against the advice of health professionals, nutritionist and dieticians
alike. I’d also like to point out, however, that I am not condoning this
behaviour, in fact I wholeheartedly discourage it. I’ll say it again – if
you’re thinking of taking on the challenge yourself, don’t! Yes, I’ve had some
fairly good results, but it has been at the cost of both my health and my
sanity. If I weren’t writing this book I would have given up on the challenge
by now, there is absolutely no question of that.
     
    Louis had mentioned that I might
struggle on the