Growing up I was never overweight. Actually, I was one of those people you probably love to hate: I was thin and I could eat whatever I wanted. And boy, did I.
Most of my favorite savory foods contained the word "fried" or "cheese" in the name. I was also a big dessert lover, with things like Coconut Cream Pie and Hot Fudge Sundae's topping the list. As I got older, my eating habits continued along these lines, and I also developed quite a penchant for anything alcoholic. My peers nicknamed me "The Wino" for obvious reasons, but hey, I was young, having fun and just enjoying life. I'd worry about being healthy when I got older...
Despite all of these unhealthy eating habits, I was far from inactive. I participated in many sports, have a black belt in martial arts and was just generally an active person.
But even all of that activity and the fact that I was a normal, healthy weight did not keep me from experiencing the negative health affects associated with consuming as much sodium and saturated fat as I did. At the ripe old age of 25, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and was having heart palpitations several times a minute for months on end. My heart rate would randomly jump up to as high as 150bpm (I wore a heart monitor), and then just as suddenly drop down to a normal range. This was most exciting when I was at work in an important meeting with clients.
Instead of following my doctor's advice of "take two of these a day", and living the rest of my life feeling like the walking dead (beta blockers), I decided to cut down my sodium intake, cut back on alcohol and completely drop my one-pot-a-day coffee habit (no more caffeine at all). These are changes I basically made over night because I honestly was too scared to find out what would happen if I didn't.
Over the past few years (I'm 28 now), I have kept up these changes and made even more. I cut out processed carbohydrates, I don't consume HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), I avoid partially hydrogenated oils (trans fats) like the plague and absolutely do not consume artificial sweeteners. I eat a balanced diet and I exercise regularly.
I know, I know, that seems a little extreme. The key thing to remember is that I did not make all of these changes overnight. I am a firm believer in making small changes that will have the biggest impact on our health. I don't believe in diets, but instead making healthy changes that we can live with for the rest of our lives.
Lastly, and most importantly, I definitely do not believe in deprivation. I still eat all of those foods that contain the word "fried" and "cheese" in the name. I still indulge in decadent desserts. I still have a couple beers or a few glasses of wine on the weekend. I can't imagine living a life where I couldn't still have the foods that I love. But I've also learned about moderation, portion size and self control.
I hope that I can pass on some of this wisdom to you through my posts on this blog, so please visit often. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to post a comment.
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