The Last 20 Lbs. The Sandy Diet and Exercise Program

Who needs a gym when there’s no electricity? Since the 28th, when I was evacuated from my apartment next to Battery Park City I’ve been on the Sandy diet and exercise plan.

This includes packing an emergency bag and carrying it to a friend’s place, shivering off the fat because there is no hot water or heat, rationing off the bag of almonds you grabbed as you fled from your home, because now that’s all there is to eat and you’re not sure when your next meal will be, eating hot broth, vegetables, fish or chicken when the kindness of strangers permits and climbing 33 flights of stairs in noxious fumes in the dark to get necessities from apartment.

ImageGal Style tips: Pack all black, so you won’t have to worry about coordinating outfits. Don’t worry if you think some of it won’t fit, give it a few days and, in these conditions, it’ll fit. Don’t leave home without red lipstick and mascara. You’ll look less like a refugee, which will help you feel better, and the mascara comes in handy when having to flirt for food. Forget the fact that your legs are still trembling from the last time you made the climb to your apartment. Feel the pain and do it again, because you literally have no choice. Climb 33 flights of stairs again under the same conditions as before, because you forgot your passport (just I case you need to flee to somewhere else to survive). Walk 45 blocks, because you need cell phone reception. Walk everywhere, because public transportation is beyond difficult, if not impossible. Have no idea how much weight I lost this week, but my legs sure are shaping up!