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The Corporate Diet Planner for Busy Executives

Weight Loss: There's always time for good health!

The good thing about being an Executive is that you call the cards. The problem is, sometimes you're playing bridge, and sometimes you're playing 'Go Fish' when it comes to the decision-making authority where meal times are concerned.

With events, meetings, seminars and luncheons, food is everywhere - and not JUST GOOD - rather GREAT GOURMET FOOD. Who can resist that? Mr. Grant can't; let's take a peek into the private World-Eat-World of our monster executive, Mr. Grant:

Breakfast - Mr. Grant meets with senior staff members to celebrate profits. His assistant has ordered gourmet muffins the size of Farmer Brown's mangos, bagels the size of Farmer Brown's tractor tires, cheese Danish the size of Farmer Brown's wife's head-bun, tubs of cream cheese, and a small tray of exotic fruit that Mr. Grant is totally unfamiliar with. He gives a thumb's up to his assistant who is waiting with baited breath in a nearby corner to catch her boss' reaction. To her beaming smile, Mr. Grant seizes the largest cheese Danish he can grasp.

Mid Morning Snack - The marketing department surprises Mr. Grant with a giant chocolate cake in honor of the Profit Celebration process. Devil's food surrounded by a decadent chocolate cream cheese icing and stuffed with chocolate whipping cream. Mr. Grant's favorite! He enjoys a giant slice of the cake.

Lunch Time - Mr. Grant feels a bit wiry for some reason and for a brief second, fears he may be coming down with something. His peers are sitting around him at the luncheon that has been given to honor Ms. Kumquat - an retiring employee who has been with the company for 35 years. Celebration Mood rekindles Mr. Grant's spirit and he smiles at the waitress as she sits the Porterhouse Steak plate in front of him. Oh my, this is going to set well with that cherry cheesecake that I ordered for dessert, Mr. Grant loosely decides.

Mid Afternoon Snack - More cake from the Logistics Department.

After Work Time - Friends and college buddies meet with Mr. Grant at the local pub to help celebrate his success. Four beers and a bowl of nuts later, and Mr. Grant hails a taxi home to prepare for dinner with his senior executives.

Dinner - No celebration this time - just back to the bricks with a dinner and his senior executives. The stress of the day settles in but is relaxed by the buffet of caviar, lasagna, garlic bread, fire-oven pizza, salad, more tiramisu and the mewling whine of a lone violin. More booze tops off the meeting.

For those of us who aren't executives - this is reason to be thankful (as long as we don't run out for the nearest celebration hall). So what went so terribly wrong with Mr. Grant's diet? There are some very healthy choices mentioned above.

The chief problem is that Mr. Grant is 'chief'. No time for lackadaisical decisions, such as meal planning. For one, he doesn't know what items will be available. Mr. Grant can correct this Food War Wagon Headed For A Massive Coronary by doing the following:

1. The ability to pinpoint healthy foods.

2. When in doubt, reach for natural foods, such as fruit and raw veggies.

3. Don't feel obligated to chow down 'Surprise Time' goodies.

4. Get the word out that a current favorite food is something like, "Fresh strawberries." Choose something low in fat, low in calories, and something that can be eaten again and again.

5. Plan executive meetings at a health spa or golf club rather than dining at DeVinci's Italian restaurant. The company may even save big bucks - both on the immediate function and in healthcare costs for senior executives.

6. Be able to separate 'Sugar Anxiety' from true warning signals the body sets off in times of impending illness. Mr. Grant experienced a True Sugar Overload at Ms. Kumquat's celebration extravaganza.

7. Wedge some private time into every day living. All work and no play makes Mr. Grant a very unhealthy boy.