Family matters

The Phelps diet

I don’t think Michael Phelps is the first Olympian whose diet has made us all gasp in awe. But he’s the most recent, and his 10,000-calories-a-day regimen is pretty impressive. According to the BBC News, Phelps takes in:

  • Breakfast: Three fried egg sandwiches; cheese; tomatoes; lettuce; fried onions; mayonnaise; three chocolate-chip pancakes; five-egg omelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast; bowl of grits; two cups of coffee
  • Lunch: Half-kilogramme (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayonnaise on white bread; energy drinks
  • Dinner: Half-kilogramme of pasta, with carbonara sauce; large pizza; energy drinks

    • Yesterday, I took in 1,370 calories. Which is, admittedly, far more than I ought to have. It’s no secret around here that I need to lose some weight, and 1,370 calories isn’t going to cut it on that front. I was doing fine until the 670-calorie Butterfinger Blast from Sonic. Maybe I should look into the numbers before I say, “Hey Rockford! Go fetch me some ice cream!”

    Anyway, the BBC story goes on to say that Phelps “spends a solid five hours of each day burning off those calories.” If he can burn off 10,000 calories with just five hours of exercise every day, surely I ought to be able to make some dieting progress with, say, an hour of exercise daily. Right? Well, it isn’t working. Do you suppose Phelps might be doing more than playing Wii tennis? I’d like to see his full workout plan. Maybe I should look into getting an Olympics-style trainer.

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    blessings

    Three

    I don’t remember what I was doing four years ago today. There’s a 90% chance that it involved Sparky’s ice cream, because Missouri is hot in August, and ice cream is cold and delicious. The point is, though, that I can’t tell you for certain what I was doing on August 15, 2004.

    But I won’t ever forget what I was doing three years ago today. Three years ago today, my life changed. I don’t really remember what life was like before August 15, 2005. I can’t figure out what I did with all that spare time.

    Mostly, though, I can’t figure out where this bottomless love was stored before my girl came in to my life.

    In just three years, Poppy has transformed from a wee, helpless newborn into a smart, charming, funny little person. She has a mischievous and irresistible smile and a staunch independent streak, and she loves her family with abandon. She likes to help me make peanut butter sandwiches for lunch every day, and she wants to have her birthday party at Big Lots. She’s Grundgetta some days and Poppy Telly other days.

    She’s a great blessing and a pleasure to know.

    Happy birthday, Pi. I don’t know what I did without you.