For years I have worked to "provide for my old age". Then in a moment of clarity I realised that unless I made some changes, there wasn't going to be any old age for me! In May 2008 I weighed 109 kg, and because of spinal injury was in constant pain and could not walk or even stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I'd been neglecting my health for years, and was working long hours in a stressful job. I felt awful and my quality of life was deteriorating rapidly. Drastic action was called for! I decided a complete lifestyle change was necessary, so I cashed up all my assets, took a huge leap of faith and left my much loved job of many years to concentrate on just living, and finding my way back to health. So now my work is to make the most of my life, and live it as healthily and as fully as I can.
I made it my mission to eat healthily, and to exercise. I started slowly with tai chi, and when I felt confident enough I joined a gym. I'm slowly getting stronger and healthier. And lighter! As of September 2009 I weighed 92 kilos, and I've maintained that weight. Still way too heavy for my height (I'm a shortie) but much better than 109 kilos! I'd be thrilled to lose more but I'm not obsessing about it - my main objective is to improve my health and quality of life.
I've been overweight for years, which didn't concern me much until my weight began to affect my health. Pain is a great motivator! Reading Michael Pollan's book "In defence of food" was a turning point. I decided to take his advice: "don't eat anything your great grandmother wouldn't recognise as food." I threw out all the processed foods I had in the pantry, and started cooking my meals from scratch. I started a vege patch. I'm no gardener, and I live on a windswept bleak hillside in the shadow of a mountain range, but I managed to produce some edible salad greens, and I'm getting more ambitious as I learn more. You can grow just about anything if you can provide enough sun and water, and you can beat the slugs and birds to the produce.
Eventually I stumbled across that fount of knowledge and wisdom known as Mark's Daily Apple and things began to fall into place. Of course! Eat like your ancestors! I read, I observed, I experimented. Tom Naughton's film "Fathead" convinced me I was on the right path, and reinforced my decision to change the way I ate. It took a while to shed the bread, because I had totally bought into the "healthy whole grains" myth. And I did love bread! I slowly learned to change my attitude to fat, and stopped buying "low fat" anything. The vegetable oils went first, and animal fat came back into my diet. This took a while too - I remember how daring it felt to buy my first bottle of cream! Real butter replaced so-called healthy vegetable spreads. I fell in love with lard. Oh, beautiful lard, a noble product from a noble animal. What a joy it is to cook with. I remember my mother enthusing about lard, telling me that it made the best pastry. Mum knew a thing or two. I wish I had listened to her more! (Of course I wouldn't dream of making pastry these days.)
What do I eat now? Real food, cooked from scratch like grandmother used to make. No wheat or other grains. No vegetable oils except olive and avocado oil, and nut oils very occasionally. I mostly cook with lard, coconut oil, butter, ghee, or dripping. I don't count carbs, but my carb intake seems to have reduced itself to around 60 - 80g a day, without much effort on my part. Strict Paleo and Primal adherents won't totally approve - I allow myself a little dairy (I have to, I'm a Kiwi, it's compulsory!) in the form of full fat milk and cream, and cheeses. Oh, so many wonderful cheeses! I eat a small amount of fruit and berries. I drink wine, but not beer or spirits. And of course, lots of meat, fish, eggs, and vegetables. We are lucky in New Zealand in that cattle are grass fed and not raised in hideous feedlots and forced to eat an unnatural diet, so all beef and dairy is pastured. Free range pork and poultry can be obtained with a bit of searching. After years of anti-fat conditioning, I am rediscovering the joys of eating fat. It's time to rehabilitate saturated fats! I can't imagine living any other way, now.
Update September 2011: My diet has slowly evolved from Primal to Paleo over the last six months or so. In June 2011 I set myself a challenge: to go without dairy and alcohol for 30 days. I thought I could never do it, as I am such a lover of dairy, like most Kiwis. But I managed it, and noticed some beneficial changes, specifically better sleep. So now, post-challenge, I have let a little dairy back into my daily diet in the form of cream in my coffee and on berries. No cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese - none of the dairy which used to be daily staples. I still drink wine, though! I'm not that hard core and I'm no martyr!
Update September 2010: I have lost another 3 kilos and now weigh 89 kilos. Weight loss is slow but it is still happening.
Update September 2011: My diet has slowly evolved from Primal to Paleo over the last six months or so. In June 2011 I set myself a challenge: to go without dairy and alcohol for 30 days. I thought I could never do it, as I am such a lover of dairy, like most Kiwis. But I managed it, and noticed some beneficial changes, specifically better sleep. So now, post-challenge, I have let a little dairy back into my daily diet in the form of cream in my coffee and on berries. No cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese - none of the dairy which used to be daily staples. I still drink wine, though! I'm not that hard core and I'm no martyr!
On doing nothing:
This quote from Michael Leunig the Australian poet comes to mind. He was asked about his philosophy, what drove him etc and this is his reply:
"In response to your question 'What is worth doing, and what is worth having?' I would like to say simply this. It is worth doing nothing and having a rest."
I approve that sentiment. Rest is good.
