If you're starting to get into your 40s, watch out! I've lost a fair bit of weight since the 197, but there's a reason I needed to change my diet.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Food Thoughts 4: My Personal Graph of Doom!
Dang Website says my ideal body weight is 161, but it does not account for age or current weight (they only account for height).
If you're starting to get into your 40s, watch out! I've lost a fair bit of weight since the 197, but there's a reason I needed to change my diet.
If you're starting to get into your 40s, watch out! I've lost a fair bit of weight since the 197, but there's a reason I needed to change my diet.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Food Thoughts 3: Me vs. Me
Quick Note: It's really better if you start the "Food Thoughts" Blog Posts from the beginning: "Food Thoughts 1"
This is not an attempt to wine about my childhood - I had a great childhood. However, when my father-in-law died, I noticed that there were about a dozen different causes. More than half of them related to the health care system, but a couple of them related to attitudes he learned as a child. The scary part for me is that I was raised with some of the same attitudes.
I was raised as part of the "Middle Class", but really it was lower middle class. We were not poor, we had everything we needed. However, we certainly didn't have everything we wanted. I was one of 7 kids. My father was a blue collar worker, and my mom raised 7 kids. In this environment here are some of the things I (and my brothers and sisters) learned:
A Heart Monitor Experiment
Consider this experiment. Hook me up to a heart monitor and constantly measure my heart rate. You and I decide to share some valuable food like a Snickers bar. We come to an agreement that I cut the Snickers in half and you choose which half you want. It is impossible to cut the Snickers exactly in half so one will be a few milligrams heavier. After I cut the bar I will immediately determine which is larger, and my heart will start racing at the very idea of not getting the larger portion - even though for all intents and purposes they are the same size! If you pick the larger one my heart will keep racing for several minutes. Yes, I will have a physiological reaction to the idea of not getting the larger portion. This is INSANE. This is Me.
Speed Pizza
Another fun anecdote: when Lyn and I were first married (at age 20) we would sometimes order a medium pizza to share. Of course I wanted, or felt I needed to get more. How did I do it? If I just took more pieces than she did it would obviously be unfair and a breach of decorum. What to do? I simply started eating fast! I would have 2/3 of the pizza eaten at around the time she finished 1/3. The next time we had pizza she knew what was coming, so she started to eat faster. Noticing she was eating faster, I started eating faster. Eating pizza devolved into a race! This is INSANE. This is Me. The next time we ordered pizza she noticed I was starting to eat fast and she stopped me. "This is my half. I'm going to eat some of my half now and some of my half later. You can eat your half as fast as you want."
Called by Donuts
As a professional I have attended conferences and similar events. The easiest thing for the conference organizers to do is to serve Donuts. Logical Me looks at them and avoids them at first. After all TransFat + White Bread + Sugar = The worst thing you can put into your body this side of radioactive water. However, inside I longed for those donuts. Growing up I had the luxury of eating donuts around twice, maybe 3 times. The talks go on and they're not that exciting so my mind jumps to those donuts, kind of like they are calling me. I'm bored and when I'm bored my self control goes down, so as an excuse to get up I saunter over and have one. Between the talks I make conversation for a while and then have another. Later, I'll have a third and tell myself "No More!" Do you see the temptation? I highly value donuts, I even more highly value free donuts, I'm in a virtual frenzy about all-you-can-eat-free-donuts. It's like torture, they've stuck the knife in. After having some donuts, I have a self control boost. That's when the conference organizers twist the knife. How could they do that? What more could they possibly do? It's the end of the conference and there are still some donuts left. If I don't take them, they will throw the donuts in the garbage! This goes against everything I was taught. So, I grab 2 donuts and put them in my car for the ride home. This is INSANE. This is Me. If the conference organizers instead gave us free boxes of cigarettes I would not be tempted. Frankly, smoking a cigarette is more healthy than a eating a donut.
Because of these attitudes and for other reasons I have noted the following food behaviors in myself:
This is not an attempt to wine about my childhood - I had a great childhood. However, when my father-in-law died, I noticed that there were about a dozen different causes. More than half of them related to the health care system, but a couple of them related to attitudes he learned as a child. The scary part for me is that I was raised with some of the same attitudes.
I was raised as part of the "Middle Class", but really it was lower middle class. We were not poor, we had everything we needed. However, we certainly didn't have everything we wanted. I was one of 7 kids. My father was a blue collar worker, and my mom raised 7 kids. In this environment here are some of the things I (and my brothers and sisters) learned:
- Don't complain about being hurt unless it's broken bones or otherwise has to be fixed by a hospital.
- Candy/Junk Food is a rare commodity (thus it became highly valued).
- Don't "pass the mashed potatoes" without taking some because there probably won't be any to come back.
- Don't waste food (Kids in China are starving you know).
- Don't waste money on frivolous items, people who do so are stupid.
- The only way to gain respect is to COMPETE in everything especially arguing.
- Stuff > Experiences.
- Free Stuff is the best thing in the world.
- Question Authority.
A Heart Monitor Experiment
Consider this experiment. Hook me up to a heart monitor and constantly measure my heart rate. You and I decide to share some valuable food like a Snickers bar. We come to an agreement that I cut the Snickers in half and you choose which half you want. It is impossible to cut the Snickers exactly in half so one will be a few milligrams heavier. After I cut the bar I will immediately determine which is larger, and my heart will start racing at the very idea of not getting the larger portion - even though for all intents and purposes they are the same size! If you pick the larger one my heart will keep racing for several minutes. Yes, I will have a physiological reaction to the idea of not getting the larger portion. This is INSANE. This is Me.
Speed Pizza
Another fun anecdote: when Lyn and I were first married (at age 20) we would sometimes order a medium pizza to share. Of course I wanted, or felt I needed to get more. How did I do it? If I just took more pieces than she did it would obviously be unfair and a breach of decorum. What to do? I simply started eating fast! I would have 2/3 of the pizza eaten at around the time she finished 1/3. The next time we had pizza she knew what was coming, so she started to eat faster. Noticing she was eating faster, I started eating faster. Eating pizza devolved into a race! This is INSANE. This is Me. The next time we ordered pizza she noticed I was starting to eat fast and she stopped me. "This is my half. I'm going to eat some of my half now and some of my half later. You can eat your half as fast as you want."
Called by Donuts
As a professional I have attended conferences and similar events. The easiest thing for the conference organizers to do is to serve Donuts. Logical Me looks at them and avoids them at first. After all TransFat + White Bread + Sugar = The worst thing you can put into your body this side of radioactive water. However, inside I longed for those donuts. Growing up I had the luxury of eating donuts around twice, maybe 3 times. The talks go on and they're not that exciting so my mind jumps to those donuts, kind of like they are calling me. I'm bored and when I'm bored my self control goes down, so as an excuse to get up I saunter over and have one. Between the talks I make conversation for a while and then have another. Later, I'll have a third and tell myself "No More!" Do you see the temptation? I highly value donuts, I even more highly value free donuts, I'm in a virtual frenzy about all-you-can-eat-free-donuts. It's like torture, they've stuck the knife in. After having some donuts, I have a self control boost. That's when the conference organizers twist the knife. How could they do that? What more could they possibly do? It's the end of the conference and there are still some donuts left. If I don't take them, they will throw the donuts in the garbage! This goes against everything I was taught. So, I grab 2 donuts and put them in my car for the ride home. This is INSANE. This is Me. If the conference organizers instead gave us free boxes of cigarettes I would not be tempted. Frankly, smoking a cigarette is more healthy than a eating a donut.
Because of these attitudes and for other reasons I have noted the following food behaviors in myself:
- Emotionally, I find Junk Food to be Valuable.
- Emotionally, I find Cheap Stuff to be Desirable.
- Emotionally, I find Cheap Junk Food to be Extremely Desirable.
- I Eat Quickly.
- I Hoard Food.
- I have more Food Self Control in the morning than in the evening.
- I REALLY want to eat when I'm bored.
- I have much less Food Self Control on days that I vigorously exercise.
- I don't believe Authority Figures (especially the Federal Government) without some sort of intelligent and logical reasoning.
- Organic Food is Valuable.
- When Buying Food, money is no object (you're basically buying medicine and that costs)
- I need to eat SLOWLY.
- The right food is valuable, the wrong food is not food.
- I don't use self-control because I'm happy with the foods I eat.
- I can have all the organic salad I want, any time I want.
- I still don't believe in Authority Figures.
Food Thoughts 2: My New Diet
Quick Note: It's really better if you start the "Food Thoughts" Blog Posts from the beginning: "Food Thoughts 1"
Caveat: What I eat now WILL be different than what I eat later, it's a never-ending process of learning.
Firstly, I don't like the word "Diet" because it has 2 different meanings and connotations. When I use the word Diet, I mean a list of the types of foods one is willing to eat as a semi-permanent choice, rather than what I'm eating temporarily to lose some weight and then go back to the stuff I was eating before. I generally find the latter to be self destructive.
There are many diets to choose from: The Caveman Diet, The Hawaii Diet, The Hallelujah Diet, Sugar Busters, The Mediterranean Diet, The Vegetarian Diet, The Vegan Diet, The Body for Life Diet, The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet.... (Wiki List of Diets) They all have disagreements and commonalities.
There is no absolute consensus, and there is no good way to know what exactly is right (medical doctors and medical scientists do not have the longest life span, so if they know they sure as heck not applying it to their lives). Of course this is the problem for the modern citizen. The internet provides lots of information, but it's conflicting. Perhaps the first thing one should do is look at what people who have fundamental disagreements agree about. How should you behave? Look at what Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists agree on. When it comes to Health Matters, there are 2 groups that have had historically bitter disputes: the Medical Establishment and the Alternative Medicine Community. Of course it's more complicated than that, the alternative medical community is composed of many parts which often don't agree with each other. What do these disparate groups agree on? Well, honestly, the difference between the 2 groups is diminishing. More and more licensed M.D.s are becoming alternate medicine folks.
Here are the methods basically used to decrease inflammation:
1) Steroids
2) Non-Steroidal Drug (known as NSAIDS, e.g. Aspirin, Ibuprofen) (there are also ImSAIDS)
3) The Right Foods
Some people will like to argue about the efficacy of these different methods. My opinion is simply that one should start at the bottom of this list and work your way up as necessary. If you've determined that you are eating only the best anti-inflammatory foods and you still have symptoms of inflammation, then by all means work your way up. I like to think this is unnecessary, and my preliminary results are that this is the case. However, I don't have cancer or heart disease or rheumatoid arthritis. It seems like it is better to start with #3 before you have any of these things.
Some people are critical of wikipedia, but I find it to be a great place to find the things the two medical communities agree about because Wikipedia tries hard to not be controversial.
Suggested Supplements
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
My "suggested supplements" are spices. My 3 go to spices are:
Tumeric, Ginger, and Rosemary.
Notice that Rosemary isn't on the list. I didn't just visit wiki, I've visited dozens of websites and Rosemary is popular. Every single website mentions Tumeric. I buy my spices from Safeway. The cool thing about Safeway is that they have a significant number Safeway "O" Organics products, including spices. These are sold in glass bottles which I also like. Besides, I live in a small town which only has Safeway, Wal Mart, Grocery Outlet, and a Health Food Store (Nature's Pantry). Each store has some merits over the others so I shop at all four.
As for Anti-Inflammatory foods, here's wiki with some words deleted:
"Suggested diets to prevent inflammation include those rich in vegetables and low in simple carbohydrates and fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats. Anti-inflammatory foods include most colorful fruits and vegetables, oily fish (which contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids), nuts, seeds, and certain spices, such as ginger. Extra-virgin olive oil contains the chemical oleocanthal that acts similarly to ibuprofen. Those following an anti-inflammatory diet will avoid refined oils and sugars, and show a preference for so-called anti-inflammatory foods in their meal choices.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to disrupt inflammation."
I try to eat Organic Foods. Some people think this is some sort of politically correct nonsense - it isn't. Organic means 1) no pesticides on my food 2) GMO free. Both of these things are important to me.
Finally, here's what I eat and what I don't eat:
1) No Grains (including corn) except Oats and Rice.
Frankly, I consider Oats and Rice to be treats, but I have a lot of treats! Occasionally I have 2 small slices of homemade rice bread. The homemade stuff is not good for sandwiches.
2) No Dairy.
I do however eat eggs.
3) No Refined Sugar.
A couple of thoughts before I continue. Many of the diets (but not all of them) I listed above agree on these. Just this is a great start on a diet. The word "No" listed on these is ridiculous, I have these things in treats all the time. However, when I do they are in SMALL quantities. What is my sugary treat, for example? Organic Ketchup (NOT ice cream). Compared to lettuce and tomatoes, ketchup has a lot of sugar. Compared to most processed food, ketchup isn't sugary at all.
4) Organic Fruits and Vegetables.
You can't always get organic, but you do what you can do. I consider potatoes a treat, and I am only willing to have it about twice a week. This should be the heart of the diet. Obviously, uncooked is better than cooked, but I'm still kind of addicted to cooked food. Some people think that "nightshade vegetables" (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) should be avoided. After reading a lot about this and reading between the lines a little I've determined that there are some people who are indeed sensitive to these vegetables. Again, the early results is that I am not one of those people which is good since they represent a substantial portion of my diet. I avoid citrus.
5) Grass-Fed, Free Range Meat.
There is a lot of pro-veganism out there right now, but I'm pretty sure some meat is OK, even beneficial. The basic idea of cooking, as I understand it, is basically per-digestion. Meat is generally hard to digest. This is why my go-to meat of choice is meat which is ground, cooked, and slow cooked. This should be the easiest to digest. When I eat too much meat I notice it on the scale. When I eat a lot of meat, I try to eat a lot of fresh vegetables for fiber.
6) Raw Nuts and Peanuts.
Can't always get raw. I eat peanut butter and almond butter on most days. (I'm not sure about peanut butter, but it has resvatrol in it so for now it's a keeper).
7) Organic Coconut Oil for cooking, Olive Oil and Flax Seed Oil for fresh eating.
I'm learning more about Hemp Seed Oil. I avoid corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil...
Here are some of MY diet principles:
1) I try to each food that moderate each other.
I don't like eating an apple (which has a lot of sugar in it) by itself. However, if the sugar in the apple is moderated by peanut butter, I think it's great.
2) I try to eat food that I like.
Some people may not like the foods I eat for taste or health reasons, but let me say this. Because I eat food I like, I am not tempted by ice cream, pizza, and cake. In the past two weeks I have gone to a party, McDonald's, and a Continental Breakfast and not been tempted. I am also rarely hungry. I am satiated much easier on these foods.
Typical Meals
Breakfast: Apple with Peanut Butter
Snack: Carrots, Celery
Lunch: Salad with homemade flax oil salad dressing
Snack: Canned Fruit
Dinner: Dad's Delight with Lettuce
Snack: Chocolate
Notes:
I also like granola/applesauce for breakfast.
Often I don't have salad for lunch, but hey, I'd like to be. It's a good chance to have broccoli.
Canned Fruit isn't nearly as nutritious as fresh fruit, but it's easy. I'm trying to move away from it.
Dad's Delight is 2 lb. ground beef (free range, grass-fed), tomato juice, salsa, onions, peppers, spices cooked on a slow cooker. I cook it once a week and it lasts 1 week.
There are very few types of chocolate that I will put in my mouth. Basically, I only eat organic 85% dark chocolate (this one, which is available at Wal Mart).
Has it all worked? An Enthusiastic YES!
My zest for life is back!
I've lost 9 lb. in less than 3 weeks!
I didn't expect this but my headaches which I've had nonstop for almost 4 months are gone! I don't have headaches unless I do a lot of reading or grading (see why I had to write this stuff down?)
(To embarrass my kids and show how hip I am...)not.going.back
I consider this to be "Phase I" of my diet. What's Phase II? I don't know, but I'm going to keep learning, keep improving, and keep smiling. Eventually, the diet will be different enough to call it Phase II.
There's a lot more to the diet than just avoiding some foods and eating more of others. In the next blog post I'll discuss some of the attitudes that helped and hindered me. This type of thing is so important and almost never covered elsewhere.
Caveat: What I eat now WILL be different than what I eat later, it's a never-ending process of learning.
Firstly, I don't like the word "Diet" because it has 2 different meanings and connotations. When I use the word Diet, I mean a list of the types of foods one is willing to eat as a semi-permanent choice, rather than what I'm eating temporarily to lose some weight and then go back to the stuff I was eating before. I generally find the latter to be self destructive.
There are many diets to choose from: The Caveman Diet, The Hawaii Diet, The Hallelujah Diet, Sugar Busters, The Mediterranean Diet, The Vegetarian Diet, The Vegan Diet, The Body for Life Diet, The Atkins Diet, The South Beach Diet.... (Wiki List of Diets) They all have disagreements and commonalities.
There is no absolute consensus, and there is no good way to know what exactly is right (medical doctors and medical scientists do not have the longest life span, so if they know they sure as heck not applying it to their lives). Of course this is the problem for the modern citizen. The internet provides lots of information, but it's conflicting. Perhaps the first thing one should do is look at what people who have fundamental disagreements agree about. How should you behave? Look at what Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Buddhists agree on. When it comes to Health Matters, there are 2 groups that have had historically bitter disputes: the Medical Establishment and the Alternative Medicine Community. Of course it's more complicated than that, the alternative medical community is composed of many parts which often don't agree with each other. What do these disparate groups agree on? Well, honestly, the difference between the 2 groups is diminishing. More and more licensed M.D.s are becoming alternate medicine folks.
Here are the methods basically used to decrease inflammation:
1) Steroids
2) Non-Steroidal Drug (known as NSAIDS, e.g. Aspirin, Ibuprofen) (there are also ImSAIDS)
3) The Right Foods
Some people will like to argue about the efficacy of these different methods. My opinion is simply that one should start at the bottom of this list and work your way up as necessary. If you've determined that you are eating only the best anti-inflammatory foods and you still have symptoms of inflammation, then by all means work your way up. I like to think this is unnecessary, and my preliminary results are that this is the case. However, I don't have cancer or heart disease or rheumatoid arthritis. It seems like it is better to start with #3 before you have any of these things.
Some people are critical of wikipedia, but I find it to be a great place to find the things the two medical communities agree about because Wikipedia tries hard to not be controversial.
Suggested Supplements
Anti-Inflammatory Foods
My "suggested supplements" are spices. My 3 go to spices are:
Tumeric, Ginger, and Rosemary.
Notice that Rosemary isn't on the list. I didn't just visit wiki, I've visited dozens of websites and Rosemary is popular. Every single website mentions Tumeric. I buy my spices from Safeway. The cool thing about Safeway is that they have a significant number Safeway "O" Organics products, including spices. These are sold in glass bottles which I also like. Besides, I live in a small town which only has Safeway, Wal Mart, Grocery Outlet, and a Health Food Store (Nature's Pantry). Each store has some merits over the others so I shop at all four.
As for Anti-Inflammatory foods, here's wiki with some words deleted:
"Suggested diets to prevent inflammation include those rich in vegetables and low in simple carbohydrates and fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats. Anti-inflammatory foods include most colorful fruits and vegetables, oily fish (which contain higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids), nuts, seeds, and certain spices, such as ginger. Extra-virgin olive oil contains the chemical oleocanthal that acts similarly to ibuprofen. Those following an anti-inflammatory diet will avoid refined oils and sugars, and show a preference for so-called anti-inflammatory foods in their meal choices.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to disrupt inflammation."
I try to eat Organic Foods. Some people think this is some sort of politically correct nonsense - it isn't. Organic means 1) no pesticides on my food 2) GMO free. Both of these things are important to me.
Finally, here's what I eat and what I don't eat:
1) No Grains (including corn) except Oats and Rice.
Frankly, I consider Oats and Rice to be treats, but I have a lot of treats! Occasionally I have 2 small slices of homemade rice bread. The homemade stuff is not good for sandwiches.
2) No Dairy.
I do however eat eggs.
3) No Refined Sugar.
A couple of thoughts before I continue. Many of the diets (but not all of them) I listed above agree on these. Just this is a great start on a diet. The word "No" listed on these is ridiculous, I have these things in treats all the time. However, when I do they are in SMALL quantities. What is my sugary treat, for example? Organic Ketchup (NOT ice cream). Compared to lettuce and tomatoes, ketchup has a lot of sugar. Compared to most processed food, ketchup isn't sugary at all.
4) Organic Fruits and Vegetables.
You can't always get organic, but you do what you can do. I consider potatoes a treat, and I am only willing to have it about twice a week. This should be the heart of the diet. Obviously, uncooked is better than cooked, but I'm still kind of addicted to cooked food. Some people think that "nightshade vegetables" (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes) should be avoided. After reading a lot about this and reading between the lines a little I've determined that there are some people who are indeed sensitive to these vegetables. Again, the early results is that I am not one of those people which is good since they represent a substantial portion of my diet. I avoid citrus.
5) Grass-Fed, Free Range Meat.
There is a lot of pro-veganism out there right now, but I'm pretty sure some meat is OK, even beneficial. The basic idea of cooking, as I understand it, is basically per-digestion. Meat is generally hard to digest. This is why my go-to meat of choice is meat which is ground, cooked, and slow cooked. This should be the easiest to digest. When I eat too much meat I notice it on the scale. When I eat a lot of meat, I try to eat a lot of fresh vegetables for fiber.
6) Raw Nuts and Peanuts.
Can't always get raw. I eat peanut butter and almond butter on most days. (I'm not sure about peanut butter, but it has resvatrol in it so for now it's a keeper).
7) Organic Coconut Oil for cooking, Olive Oil and Flax Seed Oil for fresh eating.
I'm learning more about Hemp Seed Oil. I avoid corn oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, soybean oil...
Here are some of MY diet principles:
1) I try to each food that moderate each other.
I don't like eating an apple (which has a lot of sugar in it) by itself. However, if the sugar in the apple is moderated by peanut butter, I think it's great.
2) I try to eat food that I like.
Some people may not like the foods I eat for taste or health reasons, but let me say this. Because I eat food I like, I am not tempted by ice cream, pizza, and cake. In the past two weeks I have gone to a party, McDonald's, and a Continental Breakfast and not been tempted. I am also rarely hungry. I am satiated much easier on these foods.
Typical Meals
Breakfast: Apple with Peanut Butter
Snack: Carrots, Celery
Lunch: Salad with homemade flax oil salad dressing
Snack: Canned Fruit
Dinner: Dad's Delight with Lettuce
Snack: Chocolate
Notes:
I also like granola/applesauce for breakfast.
Often I don't have salad for lunch, but hey, I'd like to be. It's a good chance to have broccoli.
Canned Fruit isn't nearly as nutritious as fresh fruit, but it's easy. I'm trying to move away from it.
Dad's Delight is 2 lb. ground beef (free range, grass-fed), tomato juice, salsa, onions, peppers, spices cooked on a slow cooker. I cook it once a week and it lasts 1 week.
There are very few types of chocolate that I will put in my mouth. Basically, I only eat organic 85% dark chocolate (this one, which is available at Wal Mart).
Has it all worked? An Enthusiastic YES!
My zest for life is back!
I've lost 9 lb. in less than 3 weeks!
I didn't expect this but my headaches which I've had nonstop for almost 4 months are gone! I don't have headaches unless I do a lot of reading or grading (see why I had to write this stuff down?)
(To embarrass my kids and show how hip I am...)not.going.back
I consider this to be "Phase I" of my diet. What's Phase II? I don't know, but I'm going to keep learning, keep improving, and keep smiling. Eventually, the diet will be different enough to call it Phase II.
There's a lot more to the diet than just avoiding some foods and eating more of others. In the next blog post I'll discuss some of the attitudes that helped and hindered me. This type of thing is so important and almost never covered elsewhere.
Food Thoughts 1: My Health Crisis
Often when people hit their 40s, their eyesight starts to go bad, and I was no exception. In my early 40s I basically lost my ability to read without full light. It was striking because it was not a gradual process. One minute I could read at night, a month later I couldn't at all. A year later I needed reading glasses - just 1.0s (the weakest variety) that I bought at the dollar store. Over the next 2 or 3 years I needed them more and more, but I still didn't use them very often - I didn't want to "train" my eyes. The good news is that my distance vision is fine. The other good news is that I don't have problems reading my computer at home or at work. This may be because of how I situate my computers. I place my computer monitor an arm's length away with the keyboard next to it so that my arms can lay flat on my desk - this combined with using an ergonomic keyboard means there is no pressure on my wrists and they are not at an awkward angle which helps me avoid Carpal Tunnel (at least it has so far!) and the distance away is large enough for me to avoid eye strain.
In 2012 I occasionally started to get headaches (not migraines which I had years earlier). Then BOOM, it happened. I was grading exams for two of my classes and I got a headache. This was an out-of-control Debilitating Headache, and it lasted all day and night and into the next day. I had to go home and miss the rest of the day and I think the next day too. It did go away, but then it returned - and then Did Not go away. I started having chronic headaches. The Eye doctor could finally see me and I found out that my distance vision was 20/20, but my near vision was terrible. The problem was that one eye was 20/80 and the other eye was 20/150. So, my doctor had some eye glasses made for me (the "readers" weren't going to cut it any more). He told me that it would take some time for the glasses to come and more time for the eyes to "adjust" to the glasses. The appointment was on Halloween 2012 and I was 48 years old. The glasses did help but the chronic headaches did not end. 3 or 4 hours every other day I did NOT have a headache! It wasn't that bad, not excruciating or anything - just a constant in the background sort of thing. The headache was definitely worse when I did reading. There is also a cost to be paid for going to bed each night with a headache, waking each morning with a headache, and hurting all the time - to you and to those around you.
For those who don't know about what life is like in your 40s here's the deal. When you have problems you don't know if they're EVER going to go away. If your eyes go bad in your 40s you will probably going to need glasses permanently. If your knees start to hurt in your 40s you will probably have to give up playing basketball permanently. So, I was having chronic headaches and I was worrying that they might not ever go away.
Then one of the worst things that could happen happened (actually it was the best thing that could have happened because it shook me to the core making me change my ways permanently) - I caught a particularly heinous variety of the flu:
I completely lost interest in life:
I felt like I was looking in the future - I felt like I was 90. I wasn't suicidal or anything, but dying really did not seem that bad of an idea. I had hit Rock Bottom. I was desperate. I didn't want to live the rest of my life like this. Even if the flu went away, I knew that something had to change, and I knew that something had to be Me. So, I set about changing 2 fundamental things about my lifestyle: My Diet and My Attitude. These changes could not be incremental, they were large and they were sudden. I've been trying incremental changes for 15 years - now I was not only ready, I was desperate.
However, I still don't know if that was enough. I have transformed myself because in additional to supplicating the Emotional Me, it also appealed to the Logical Me. Here's how: Since I was in high school I have had trouble breathing. My good friend Paul Lewis once called me "Darth Vader" because of it! I was and am a "Mouth-Breather." I had allergies, and I did get checked out. The doctor stuck me with about 40 needles in different parts of my arms with different bad stuff in each needle. I had reactions to numerous things, but here's the big problem: I was allergic to stuff you can't get away from: dust, cat dander, a couple of different types of pollen. I recently had the test redone and the results were basically the same, but this time I have it documented.
The net result is that I have had and still have Chronic Inflammation due to environmental allergens that I can't get away from. Now here's more bad stuff: Both the Alternative Medicine Community and the Medical Establishment now agree that Chronic Inflammation will kill you, and it does so in multiple ways - arthitis, cancer, heart problems, ... There are foods that promote inflammation and there are foods that inhibit inflammation. The really good news is that Alternative Medicine folks and the Medical Establishment also agree on what many of what these foods are.
Logically, I needed to change my life because I have Chronic Inflammation. Emotionally, I needed to change my life because I didn't enjoy living any more. Together, they were and remain Powerful Forces in my Transformation.
In relation to the changes I've made, this is the Why. Next up: The How.
In 2012 I occasionally started to get headaches (not migraines which I had years earlier). Then BOOM, it happened. I was grading exams for two of my classes and I got a headache. This was an out-of-control Debilitating Headache, and it lasted all day and night and into the next day. I had to go home and miss the rest of the day and I think the next day too. It did go away, but then it returned - and then Did Not go away. I started having chronic headaches. The Eye doctor could finally see me and I found out that my distance vision was 20/20, but my near vision was terrible. The problem was that one eye was 20/80 and the other eye was 20/150. So, my doctor had some eye glasses made for me (the "readers" weren't going to cut it any more). He told me that it would take some time for the glasses to come and more time for the eyes to "adjust" to the glasses. The appointment was on Halloween 2012 and I was 48 years old. The glasses did help but the chronic headaches did not end. 3 or 4 hours every other day I did NOT have a headache! It wasn't that bad, not excruciating or anything - just a constant in the background sort of thing. The headache was definitely worse when I did reading. There is also a cost to be paid for going to bed each night with a headache, waking each morning with a headache, and hurting all the time - to you and to those around you.
For those who don't know about what life is like in your 40s here's the deal. When you have problems you don't know if they're EVER going to go away. If your eyes go bad in your 40s you will probably going to need glasses permanently. If your knees start to hurt in your 40s you will probably have to give up playing basketball permanently. So, I was having chronic headaches and I was worrying that they might not ever go away.
Then one of the worst things that could happen happened (actually it was the best thing that could have happened because it shook me to the core making me change my ways permanently) - I caught a particularly heinous variety of the flu:
Virulent Flu + Chronic Headaches = No Fun
I completely lost interest in life:
- I could not think of a food that would make me happy.
- I could not think of a vacation spot that would make me happy.
- I could not think of a TV show or Movie that would make me happy.
- I spontaneously got e.d. and lost interest in sex. (The e.d. lasted 3 days and I never had it before or since).
- Being with my kids, my wife, or my friends did not make me happy.
- There was nothing I could think of that I really wanted except for the headaches and the flu to go away.
I felt like I was looking in the future - I felt like I was 90. I wasn't suicidal or anything, but dying really did not seem that bad of an idea. I had hit Rock Bottom. I was desperate. I didn't want to live the rest of my life like this. Even if the flu went away, I knew that something had to change, and I knew that something had to be Me. So, I set about changing 2 fundamental things about my lifestyle: My Diet and My Attitude. These changes could not be incremental, they were large and they were sudden. I've been trying incremental changes for 15 years - now I was not only ready, I was desperate.
However, I still don't know if that was enough. I have transformed myself because in additional to supplicating the Emotional Me, it also appealed to the Logical Me. Here's how: Since I was in high school I have had trouble breathing. My good friend Paul Lewis once called me "Darth Vader" because of it! I was and am a "Mouth-Breather." I had allergies, and I did get checked out. The doctor stuck me with about 40 needles in different parts of my arms with different bad stuff in each needle. I had reactions to numerous things, but here's the big problem: I was allergic to stuff you can't get away from: dust, cat dander, a couple of different types of pollen. I recently had the test redone and the results were basically the same, but this time I have it documented.
The net result is that I have had and still have Chronic Inflammation due to environmental allergens that I can't get away from. Now here's more bad stuff: Both the Alternative Medicine Community and the Medical Establishment now agree that Chronic Inflammation will kill you, and it does so in multiple ways - arthitis, cancer, heart problems, ... There are foods that promote inflammation and there are foods that inhibit inflammation. The really good news is that Alternative Medicine folks and the Medical Establishment also agree on what many of what these foods are.
Logically, I needed to change my life because I have Chronic Inflammation. Emotionally, I needed to change my life because I didn't enjoy living any more. Together, they were and remain Powerful Forces in my Transformation.
In relation to the changes I've made, this is the Why. Next up: The How.
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