How much do you appreciate the life you were given? Do take care of yourself? Do you think about what you eat. Do you think about how it affects your body and the world we live in. No? Me either, or so I thought.
In a not too distant past I had made a life changing decision to eat right and exercise It all started with the goal of losing weight. I wanted to lose weight because everywhere I went people wanted to tell me about my health. I knew that obesity was deadly and I also knew I was obese. I just didn't care. I love to eat and that what I was going to do. So after one too many times of my father's doctor telling me I needed to lose weight I started to walk.
About 3 years ago I started to walk which lead to a diet and then the gym. It culminated with me running a 10 K that Thanksgiving. I stopped drinking soda and only drank water. I stopped eating fast food, bread and rice. Then I started going to the gym 5 days a week. One day I realized I could run and so I did. When it was said and done I had lost 57 lbs. I was actually fitting into my jeans and double X shirts again. After I ran my race, I hung up my Adidas and never took it serious again.
I did something I had never done before in my life. I showed discipline and self control. Why? I'm not sure. Yeah I lost some weight. I looked and felt better. I made my friends and family proud of me. Other than that I didn't really accomplish anything tangible. I regressed to my former eating habits. I stopped working out. Over the 2 years that followed I gained 71 lbs.
Over the past few months I had started noticing strange things. I was getting winded walking up the stairs. I couldn't tie my shoes with ease as before. If I got down on my knee I struggled to get up. I was having trouble sleeping and other bed related issues. It wasn't until I went to urgent care and they had to weigh me and the read out had 335 lbs that I started to feel like it was time for a change. On that visit, the doctor had prescribed an antibiotic to me. It recommended I take it with food.
I started to eat my meals on time again to take the medicine and since it called to take it with a lot of water I began drinking more and more water. After I finished the course I had developed a new routine. I was getting hungry every 4 hours. So I started to eat meals again. Since I had started drinking water again I just decided to cut everything else out. I really didn't have a plan, I was listening to my body.
After a couple of weeks I started noticing some changes. I felt less bloated after meals. I didn't get winded as much and I could tie my shoes standing up again.
One night I was a local brewery and restaurant having dinner. I ordered my favorite, their beer battered onion rings. The were so good. I was stuffed. I felt like a house and they never seemed to go down. Over night I felt an empty stomach and couldn't sleep. From that day on I decided to stop eating fried foods. Which meant that I had to take a break from fast food. I've weened myself from fries and nuggets. I gravitated towards fresh fruits and veggies.
For a while now I have been hearing about the positive health attributes of a plant strong diet. Through my work I learned about Rip Esselstyn who turned a whole fire department into vegetarians with his Engine 2 diet. They collectively lost over 500 lbs. The ones that don't tell you to eliminate animal protein tell you drastically cut back. Guess what I love meat, not only do I like to eat it, I also cut and sell it for a living. There is no way I can stop eating it.
Most vegetarians I know have a higher purpose to not eat animals. Some do it because of animal rights. Others to reduce their carbon footprint. Some even do it as a part of their religious duties. I on the other had have never been enlightened to enough to have any of those concerns. So why do I know feel compelled to give up what I know and change my lifestyle?
As of late I've only eaten chicken or turkey. The last time I ate steak it didn't agree with me. I've also avoided pork, even though I think that bacon is what the loins of God must taste like. Even with that I have made a conscious effort eat mostly fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains. It's actually been an interesting process.
I've eaten things I never have before such as Indian food. Since I am a natural born foodie, I have been experimenting with vegetarian dishes of my own creation. I've even gone as far as including my dad in my culinary experimentation. I haven't missed meat as much as I thought. I've eaten chicken entirely from a nutritional stand point but not because I had to have it.
So now I feel that I'm coming into my own with this new eating experience. Next step is to incorporate regular exercise. This time I'm bringing my wife along for the ride. We rejoined the gym at our neighborhood community center. I'm ready to prove that it can be done. Still I don't have a clear purpose. True, health and long life is a great benefit.
Then I realized something that was right in front of me all along. I have been blessed with a healthy body. I can walk, talk, breath, see and live my life disease free. With all that I have taken my body and health for granted. I've filled it with garbage and neglected it. Over the years I have seen family and friends succumb to deadly illnesses the worse plight being Cancer. The souls that have left us are to many to count as are the ones that are fighting as I type this.
Good hard working people. Mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters dying and struggling to live a healthy life. Instead they were chosen to bare the cross of disease. Instead of giving up they are the most courageous people I've known. I on the other hand have taken the gift I have been given and pissed it away. I've made the decision to dedicate my life to healthy living and to help fight Cancer through charity and outreach. Nobody said it would be easy but compared to what the ill struggle with and ultimately succumb to, this will be a walk in the park. Pray for me.
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