Walking and Eating and Drinking: It was less humid than the previous day. I kept drinking water and Gatorade and didn't have any of the snacks along the way. Lunch was at Mile 8. It was a chicken sandwich that wasn't very good. I ate the chicken patty, lettuce, tomato, and half of the bun. I had an orange and a strange chocolate Twinkie thing. At the finish, I treated myself to a chocolate ice cream cone.
Dinner: Following Closing Ceremonies, my husband and I went down a block to another Italian restaurant. We had a martini and a bottle of Chianti along with salad and, again, the veal saltimbocca. I ate a bit of the bread provided, but far less than I normally would.
Diet Performance: What diet? Well, I was good at limiting my bread intake at least.
Day 26
Breakfast: For my last day in New York City, I started with a Krispy Kreme donut (not recommended on the South Beach Diet) and Starbucks coffee, and then half of a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese (OK for Phase 2). I trotted over to the Today Show corral, then went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.Lunch: My husband and I paid a visit to the About.com office and then had lunch at the Carnegie Deli near our hotel. I had another open-face Reuben, again not eating much of the rye bread on the bottom. Low on veggies today.
Dinner: At the airport, I succumbed to a bag of peanut M&Ms, which I ate half of and then the other half a couple of hours later. On the plane I had Bloody Mary mix to get my veggies. Dinner was an iceberg lettuce salad, a meatloaf sandwich (I ate the meat and left most of the bread) and a brownie. I kept drinking water.
Diet Performance: No excuse for the donut and chocolate treats. Sometimes you just need chocolate.
Day 27
Weighing in, I was at the weight I was before the beginning of my trip - up a couple of pounds due to my monthly bloat. I figured that this may drop after a couple of days sticking with Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet. And so for today I was a good girl. I had V8 juice and an omelet for breakfast, a Baja Fresh chicken salad for lunch, and steak with stuffed mushrooms for dinner. For snacks I had string cheese.Weigh-in Next Morning: Down to my previous low weight. No permanent damage done by the vacation eating. Plus, the long distance walking was good training for my upcoming Portland Marathon. I was happy that I got in about 17 continuous miles on the first day and 14 on the second day.
Athletic Performance: I felt very good throughout the long walking days, plenty of energy, my muscles felt strong, no bad stomach effects.
Next Page: Day 28 and Weekly Summary
