How do I define success in this case? Let's start with January 2008 when my doctor made me out to be a ticking time bomb that wasn't just going to end me but also take out the people around me. For the record, I made that doctor's appointment because I had tonsillitis. I left the doctor's office knowing I weighed 325 (which on my 5'9" frame equates to a morbidly obese BMI of 48), a blood pressure of 150/100, and prescriptions for blood pressure and cholesterol drugs. My goal started out to not be on the drugs forever.
At a follow up appointment a few months later I still had a tickle in my throat, but at least I had dropped about 20 pounds. Oh, and the doctor happened to mention that the blood pressure medication may cause coughing as a side effect. (Thanks doc. Didn't I come to you in the first place because my throat hurt?) So, he changed the prescription. Unluckily, or luckily depending on your perspective, the new prescription put me in incredible pain, so I stopped taking. It is my body; I can do whatever I want with it, and I told him so at the next appointment. The difference was even without medication my blood pressure was at a more reasonable 125/85. And my cholesterol was now dangerously low, so he advised I stop taking the statin. I certainly had no problem with that order.
Since then I have found a new and radical diet. What is it, you ask? I eat nothing I cannot get from a farm or farmer's market. There are a few exception which I must get from a grocery, namely salt, pepper, spices, vinegar, olive oil, and the occasional fish. Granted, there are still the meals out with friends or the catered meetings at work, but I try to keep those the exception rather than the rule; maybe once or twice per month.
That also means I cook, a lot, nearly everyday. I also believe cooking is a dying art. When did food shows go from learning how to make Boeuf Bourguignon from Julia Child to watching Guy Fieri stuff his face at the latest dive or watching Gordon Ramsey berate a kitchen staff? Anyway, I digress. Anyone is more than welcome to sample my creations. I need second, third, and fourth opinions about my cooking just to make sure it is still palatable by humans. I personally think it's amazing, but I've been eating my own cooking for over a year so I don't know if I've shifted into my own insanity.
So, what has been the result? I now weigh 195 pounds (it's scary that I know people who weigh less than the amount I lost) with a blood pressure of 105/65 (I'm actually advised not to halt the salt in order to keep my blood pressure up). I can now jog five miles in the early morning if I want to where before a mile of walking to require more energy than I had. And I've done that without counting a single calorie or eschewing a single gram of saturated fat. What I have eliminated for the most part are processed foods, sugars, artificial anything, and grains.
What does any of this have to do with the government? Let's start with the USDA's MyPyramid (http://www.mypyramid.gov). The base of the old pyramid was the grain group. In other words, the recommendation was to make grains the base of our diet. Even now the official recommendation is to "eat at least 3 ounces of whole grain bread, cereal, crackers, rice, or pasta every day." I have to say I find it interesting how corn is listed as a starchy vegetable while corn bread and corn flakes are a grain. Corn is a grain! So, one item the officials are advocating is something I've learned helps me feel better when I eliminate. Then there is the pyramid's stance against saturated fat. Yet, saturate fat is a necessary part of a good diet (http://www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/import_sat_fat.html).
Next we look at the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The system will treat all farms equally, which run the gamut of the small farm with a few head of livestock all the way to the monstrous concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) otherwise known as factory farms. In fact, the playing field is tilted away from the small farmers considering the large operations would be allowed to pay by the herd and the small farms would pay by the head. I don't know about the rest of you but I prefer to be able to shake the hand that raised and took care of what I eat.
Then there is the government's propensity to influence behavior through laws and taxes. For example the soda tax. While I think eliminating soda is one of the most healthful decisions someone can make for themselves, I do not believe the government should use its power to force that decision upon us. Many of us may hate smoking, but I do not think the government should discourage it through taxes.
Yes, I have started to look at everything through health colored lens, hence my choice of examples. I am confident there are others in many areas of life. Thus, I think we could do well with ninety percent of government disappearing. Provide for the defense of our borders, maintain our roads, support the education of our children, and a few other activities such as these are all that are necessary. Let us take care of ourselves and each other.
Next we look at the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The system will treat all farms equally, which run the gamut of the small farm with a few head of livestock all the way to the monstrous concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) otherwise known as factory farms. In fact, the playing field is tilted away from the small farmers considering the large operations would be allowed to pay by the herd and the small farms would pay by the head. I don't know about the rest of you but I prefer to be able to shake the hand that raised and took care of what I eat.
Then there is the government's propensity to influence behavior through laws and taxes. For example the soda tax. While I think eliminating soda is one of the most healthful decisions someone can make for themselves, I do not believe the government should use its power to force that decision upon us. Many of us may hate smoking, but I do not think the government should discourage it through taxes.
Yes, I have started to look at everything through health colored lens, hence my choice of examples. I am confident there are others in many areas of life. Thus, I think we could do well with ninety percent of government disappearing. Provide for the defense of our borders, maintain our roads, support the education of our children, and a few other activities such as these are all that are necessary. Let us take care of ourselves and each other.
I am really happy to hear about how you're getting so healthy. I cook at least once a day for my family and everything is fresh. I don't necessarily do "low fat" cooking but I'm not serving up deep fried fare either. I can't eschew convenience foods with 4 young children to take care of, but we still manage to eat well.
ReplyDeleteThank you Kathleen.
ReplyDeleteRight now, except for the air we breathe, I cannot imagine anything more important than the food we eat. It scares me how few even think of that. I like the fact that I can shake the hand that either fed the cow that has become the roast I am going to eat or cultivated the vegetables I am going to cook.
I do not consider food to be food any longer once it has been through as many chemical processes as motor oil. As you can guess, as much as I would like to consider myself a scientist, I do not believe in better living through chemistry.