The summer diet

So summer is in! Usually at such hot weather, that would mean cold lemon tea and tubs of ice-cream in front of the TV at night to soothe the heat.

Not for me this year. At least, I try not to do too much of that.

The summer diet for me this year has only one goal - for me to get leaner and look good. OK I admit I never look that bad to start off with (tsk tsk, yes I hear you... OK, I'm no star, is it better?), but like they say, there's always room for improvement, or perhaps, room for that layer of lard around my tummy to go somewhere else - anywhere but there! - when I'm out swimming or at a boat cruise!

So having read around the Internet (thank God for that. In the days when I was at school I probably have to pop down to the local library) I have found some consensus on how to eat to get lean. The commonly-agreed formula seems to be a diet that has:

• High protein - lean beef, eggs, lean chicken, tuna...
  
• Low carbohydrates - rice, bread, cereal...
  
• High fat - healthy types like olive / flaxseed oil...
  
• And you need to eat every 2-3 hours.

So here I am, trying out this new way to feeding myself:

Beef with broccoli. I usually cook two/three portions in one go to save time!

In fact, truth be told, I jumped the gun and by today, I've tried a few days of low-carbs already; yet this is not without its price:

• With increased energy expenses at the gym, I now seem to go hungry easily. No, actually I feel hungry almost right after I finish a meal!
• In the Chinese culture where the staple diet remains firmly on rice, it's really difficult to go to a restaurant or a cha chaan tang and not get something starchy.
  

The only way around this is probably more home cooking.

Ah the good old kitchen. So I shall see you more often!

But I am going to tell you another truth. Despite you seeing me at the gym all the time, I'm lazy. Oh yes. So eating-out is a frequent occurrence. How, with the above observations, can this be done?

That I shall find out in the days to come...