Diets Are the Devil

I have never in my life gone on a diet yet in 2005 I lost a little over twenty pounds. My doctor weighed me at 180 lbs. and I slimmed down to 155 lbs. in about two months. I did so by eating moderate portions, cutting out late snacking and getting thirty minutes of vigorous exercise daily (usually brisk walking, jogging, and some weight lifting-just something to raise my heart rate for an extended amount of time). But I still ate normal food. I did however cut out fried food for the most part due to my high cholesterol. Since then I have pretty much kept up this same lifestyle and my weight has plateaued at about 160 lbs. which is what I have weighed consistently for the past two years.

I am satisfied with my weight but I still have to be careful about what I eat to keep my cholesterol within acceptable limits. I also take medicine to aid in this. High cholesterol and a history of heart attacks run on my father's side of the family. He has had a heart attack and bypass surgery, my great-grandfather died of a heart attack in his 40's and I believe my great-great grandfather also suffered a fatal heart attack. I am determined to prevent this from happening to me.

"Daniel's Diet"

Cut to the chase: my wife told me about a diet called Daniel's Diet. Well, in all honesty it is more like a fast. It is meant to last for twenty days or so and involves eating nuts, whole grain, fruits, and vegetables. No meat (not even fish), sweets, or any processed foods. It is meant to mimic the diet that Daniel and the "three Hebrew children" took on in lieu of the King's meat.

So why am I even doing this? Well Daniel's Diet/Fast is meant to be a detoxicating diet, so to speak, removing all the bad mojo from one's body. All of the foods eaten during the fast are to be natural. I use the term loosely because dried fruit is allowed and dried fruit is not exactly in its natural form, but you see my point. However I really want to learn to manage my cholesterol through non-medicinal means (eating the right things and maybe taking fish oil or other supplements) rather than medication. These are also cheaper means since my 30-day supply of Tricor is $30 a pop. So I figure that if I can do something like Daniel's diet once a month or every other month then it can only contribute to my overall health. But it is hard for a carnivore like me to switch suddenly to only fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes.

Remember the sharks in the film "Finding Nemo"? Bruce and his buddies had given up being carnivores declaring that "fish are friends, not food". Yet all it took for Bruce to lose his cool was a small whiff of blood. Then his eyes went dark, he bore his teeth, and it took both of his other shark buddies to hold him back. That's sort of how I feel right now, but I am going to stay with it. We have decided that we will try it for 10 days and if we are still cool with it then we may go the twenty. However if we do not feel like it is worth it we will cut it off after 10 days. That is not to say we will not do it again, but probably not for more than 10 days or so.

Lyndsay and I are both "blech" about diets. We prefer moderation and common sense. In fact just consider the way I lost weight before: I simply stopped making a pig of myself. I disciplined myself to put a decent first portion on my plate and eat only that much. If I was extra hungry and needed to eat a little more I went for seconds on the vegetables only. I would ask for only a small piece of pie for dessert if dessert was offered. Finally I was consistent to exercise everyday and most importantly: I DIDN'T STOP DOING IT. I would rather live a normal life and eat reasonable amounts of the things I can enjoy than let my body get all out of whack and then have to go on some crazy diet that is almost impossible to maintain.

I believe then has been a good experience and it will do me good to repeat it a few times a year. And we should all consider having "Daniel fast" type meals a few times a week.