Hey Tim, I've always been an exerciser. I run alot. But because I work hard and travel alot, I'd eat really poorly, including lots of pizza and fast food, just because it was convenient and ubiquitous. But about 5 years ago, my doctor told me I'd better lower my cholesterol. I'm not fat by any stretch of the imagination and never have been, but I was about 10-15 pounds over my ideal weight.
Anyway, I quit fast food cold turkey, stopped eating cheese and ice cream, stopped eating fried foods, cut way back on things with sugar in them like soda, and switched to foods that minimized cholesterol and trans and saturated fats. So I eat alot of fish and chicken and salads and fruit and granola. Within a month, I'd lost 20 pounds and started to eat a much larger quantity of food to pull my weight back up. It was unbelievable. I never really wanted to lose weight. For me that was not the objective, rather, it was about lowering my cholesterol. So I know you won't believe this, because my wife doesn't believe it, but I actually eat more frequently and larger quantities. I'm telling you it's the trans fats and saturated fats that pack on the pounds. At least, that has been my experience.
Oh and btw, my doctor told me that I was going to have to take statins to get my cholesterol down. I refused and just started eating right and my cholesterol has now been within normal ranges for 4 years. He's amazed. He said none of his patients have been able to do what I've done. And you know what? I believe him, because we live in a country where Americans want to believe that they can eat fatty foods and avoid obesity and high cholesterol. Sheesh. We need to get back to common sense in this country. |
