My Controversial Argument

We lack self control in a world that increasingly glorifies the immediate satisfaction of our impulses.

Some people can resist the urge to swing by McDonald's drive-thru at 2AM or resist the temptation of an extra order of garlic bread and a free cola refill before the main course arrives at a dinner date. YOU AND ME CAN'T.

Food for us is like a drug. Last night I ate two huge dishes at our buffet dinner and later went out for a bag of peanuts, two yogurts and a peach soda before going to bed. Now, on my day off, I'll have to go running twice, weight lift and shadow box when I should be hanging at the beach in order to burn off those calories. Its an ongoing struggle.

If we had self control, we wouldn't be here in Phuket---at a Muay Thai camp---attempting to lose weight in the first place. We would be dieting and regularly exercising back home. Some people have argued that we need to learn self control while we are here, but that's much easier said than done. The same argument has been made about wake-up calls and mandatory training (which I strongly advocate): we need to learn to do it on our own. Again, great in theory, but unless you are extremely motivated, which you probably aren't, you'll hit the snooze button and sleep through training because of the slightest ailment or sign of fatigue. And given the option of an extra serving of food at dinner, you'll do that to.

For those reasons, this is my recommended diet while training.

Depending on the the length of your stay here, begin with a detox. Detox with a couple of days of a water diet, then a few days of green smoothies. Like Danny, I would prefer to see fewer people on a strict water diet for a long duration because it slows down your metabolism, causing you to gain weight after you detox. Stick with the green smoothies and do as much training and cardio as possible. If you can't group train, do some VIPs and join our swimming group at 9:30 AM.

Once you are group training and doing additional cardio, you should do the following AS A FITNESS STUDENT:

MORNING: Power walking or cycling or jogging. Muay Thai Training. Swimming

BREAKFAST: Eat at Goong's Restaurant. Have a bowl of the delicious rice stew and a bowl of muesli with fruit and bio yogurt. Eat a banana or two. Just drink water. You need the carbs to sustain you throughout the day.

Snacks and Lunch: Green Smoothies and fresh fruit from Goong's.

AFTERNOON: Some form of Cardio. Muay Thai Training.

DINNER: At this moment--which is highly controversial, I don't recommend that fitness students eat at Goong's Buffet, unless they have strong self control, which I didn't last year and still struggle with this year. There is just too much temptation with all that delicious, all-you-can-food. As a fitness student, the last thing you want to do is binge eat at dinner, right before going to bed.

In the future, I would like to see special plates at the buffet line, which will limit serving sizes, at Goong's restaurant for fitness students. Or, a special menu just for fitness students, and maybe, just maybe, a separate eating area for them.

If you are anything like me last year, you should be no where near a buffet at dinner. We are like recenetly widowed women at a funeral (according to Will Farrell in Wedding Crashers): we are at our most vunerable time.

For dinner, you should have:

1. Salad, small amount of spaghetti and fish (I used to get this specially made for me at Cashew Nut)

or

2. Salad, small amount of rice and chicken or fish

or

3. Steamed vegetables, small amount of rice and chicken or fish.

or

4. Protein Shake

or

5. One of those meal replacement meals.

BEFORE GOING TO BED: Take a walk or cycle for a litte bit. I noticed the most improvements last year after incorporating a post dinner work out.