I’m going to take a break from sharing awesome things with you, to talk about food.
First, let me tell you about my 2 cats. Ringo is about 9 years old. I received him when he was 2 weeks old, abandoned by his mother. The vet said he wouldn’t make it but we showed ‘em what was up! I bottle fed him every 4 hours for 6 weeks and he was my little champion. Ringo had and still has a love affair with food. He wanted to try everything I ate and I did the huge mistake of letting him have little tastes when he was young.
He is constantly hungry. He begs when I eat like he’s a dog. He cries all day and night for more, for treats, for tastes, for anything! This is all my fault.
Years ago, he got a terrible urinary tract infection… and another. He was placed on prescription cat food that he must remain on for the rest of his life. (He is susceptible to a type of crystal in his urine and has some anatomical issues.) The vet was negligent and kept him on the first treatment phase of Rx cat foot for way too long and he gained a TON of weight that he has been unable to get rid of. When I finally got him onto the 2nd phase of lifetime maintenance food, it was too late and he was and still is almost 30 pounds. Blood work has shown that he’s healthier than I am. He’s just a fat cat. I have tried to cut the daily intake of his cat food but that led to a big scare with some blood in his urine so he went back to the full portions and we just have to let him be fat and happy instead of trim and sick.
Now, my other cat Nibbles is different story. I got her from a rescue organization when she was completely weened at 8 weeks old. I learned from my mistakes in creating a food beggar and never offered her tastes. Her own cat food is sufficient. Her life doesn’t revolve around eating. She eats when she’s hungry, absolutely refuses human food, and her own kibble is simply a source of fuel and she gets on with life. I think there’s a lot to be said for this.
I have always been a petite person and I was able to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and nothing seemed to phase me. I was tiny and I made everyone around me sick. Then, as I approached 30, I noticed my metabolism changing a bit and I gained about 15 pounds that I’m totally fine with. I’ve held steady at about 120-125 (give or take depending) for about 4 years. I’m only 5’1″ but I feel like I look healthier and I feel more womanly. Sure, I think about shedding 5 vanity pounds once in a while but I haven’t really tried to do anything productive about it and as long as my size 27 J Brands still fit me, I’m okay. My body image is just fine.
Well, last year, I had my annual physical and my triglycerides were a bit high. I went nuts and all at the same time, I addressed my insomnia with meds (quit taking them), I quit smoking on Chantix (lasted 3 months), joined a gym (went a few times), saw a therapist (twice) and started eating healthier (for a while). I did too much too soon and lost momentum really fast. A few weeks ago I went for my latest physical and found out that my cholesterol (LDL-P to be exact) was at heart attack levels… seriously through the damn roof! It has scared the living hell out of me!
I guess for a good third of my food intake, I have eaten like a fat man at a Super Bowl party. Cheesesteaks, hot wings, cheesecake, hawaiian burgers, cheese, rare steak fromage, BBQ, more cheese, big bacony weekend breakfasts, blue cheese dressing, butter, whole milk, goat cheese pizza, mindless snacking, late night eating… oh my god cheese! Well, it’s all had to change. I was told I can’t exceed 30 grams of total fat a day for the next 6 months, until I get a follow-up test to determine if diet alone won’t work and I can thank my parents’ genes and get put on Lipitor like a friggin old person.
Do you know what 30 grams of fat a day looks like? 1 slice of cheese is about 8 grams. 3 slices of bacon is about 12. 2 tablespoons of peanut butter is 16. One lousy hotdog or a boneless skinless chicken breast is 15. This is not taking into account the gram here and the 2 grams there in just about everything else, which really adds up fast.
So yeah, I have to familiarize myself with all of these numbers and keep a running tally in my head all day long. I have to get the most nutritional bang for my bite. Why would I shove a piece of string cheese in my mouth at 6 grams of fat when I could have a filling, more nutritionally sound Morningstar Farms black bean burger on a wheat bun with bean sprouts, mustard, and a slice of low-fat provolone for about 10 grams? This is now my life. I’m okay with this. Really I am.
I started thinking about my cat Nibbles. Food is fuel. Plain and simple. Using food as a cure for boredom, or as a way to comfort myself was obviously killing me. I’m not a nut and I’m certainly not going to deny myself treats every now and then (because I would hate life) but instead of the entire Tiramisu (once in a blue moon), I will allow myself a few indulgent bites, savor them, and take the rest home for later. I have to make better choices when eating out and watch my portions. Doggie bags and leftover lunches will be my new best friend. I have to quit eating so quickly, quit eating until I’m uncomfortably full, and quit eating just because someone else is and I’m really not even hungry.
I have to find low-fat replacements for the things I love and simply eat less of it. Poultry instead of red meat, low/non-fat versions of everything, more fiber, oatmeal cereal oatmeal, fruit veggies fruit, vegan/vegetarian options, baked not fried, good fats over bad fats, grass-fed beef instead of corn fed beef when I HAVE to have a steak.
All of these choices are things I should’ve been doing a long time ago. I don’t know who I thought I was kidding. The lab tests don’t lie. They revealed my dirty little secrets of bad eating and now it’s time to take my heart back-considering heart disease is the leading killer of women, killing twice as many women as all forms of cancer combined! And it’s a silent killer. You can feel fine, be skinny as a rail, and drop like a sack of potatoes… a sack of buttery sour cream and bacon laden potatoes.
I’m not even going to get preachy and go into the ethical issues I have been battling with in my head in regards to food, well before the bad news hit. My whole life, I’ve been surrounded by vegans here in Richmond, some more aggressive than others in urging me to see videos of factory farm conditions, and the truth behind the food we eat. Let’s just say that I am going to try my best to avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated anything, antibiotic and hormone riddled meat, and animal products in general. I am going to be more open to educating myself about the better treatment of animals and stop living in denial simply because I love a good pork chop, and I’ll make better choices accordingly.
So, there it is. Nibbles is my hero and I will now look at food as sustenance rather than a source of entertainment and piggish indulgence.
Oh, and it’s time to switch up the food blogs in my RSS reader. Here are some healthy food blogs I have found:
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I think you’re on the right track to find ways to change your mindset, instead of just forcing yourself to not eat certain things, which is probably not sustainable.
On the humane ethics side, those videos can be powerful images when faced with a bakery display or a barbeque.
On the medical research side, you might find a book like The China Study to be a big incentive to cleaning up your diet.
And then it will be important to discover that the kind of foods you would like to eat more of, and healthy dishes you haven’t even thought of, can make your mouth water. Your vegan friends can probably help you there.
There is an abundance, an embarrassing variety and quantity, of delicious, healthy, humane foods out there. We just get stuck in ruts. You’re not alone in your cheese addiction, but you can get over it. I did.
Good luck!
Okay, I’m going to have to disagree with you. I think it’s terrible to think of food as fuel! Food should be pleasure too. What’s life without good meals? But I do agree that it should just be worthwhile, quality pleasure … not Super Bowl fat man really bad for you fleeting pleasure.
Oh, I definitely want to eat things that are delicious and that I enjoy. I love food waaaaay too much and have no intentions of becoming a rabbit… I just need to break some bad eating habits of eating for comfort, boredom, etc. I will miss my Super Bowl fat man food though. Sigh.
Whose Fueling Whom?
Ok, i just became aware of the food i have been ingesting and it has slowly come to my mind that i gotta do something. Not too radical, but something to keep me on the right track and away from my almost daily feeds of hamburgers, hot dogs, and oh, my favorite, pizza of any size, shape and color (anchovies as a topping optional).
Your wake-up call seems a lot more serious than mine. I was at a workshop on military PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and meditation [coordinator was a combat infantry Vietnam War soldier, now turned ordained Buddhist Monk] and was forced to stay away from all meats, thereby learning a vegetarian life-style was not all that bad.
I have not had GERD (acid reflux) since!
And i have continued this meatless diet and view of food as fuel since returning to my Philadelphia are home.
Hope to read more of you in the future.
Until then . . .
Michael J
So great that you are seeing immediate health benefits from changing your attitudes about food! I really do think the majority of health problems can be addressed with a healthy body, mind, and spirit. The spiritual/Buddhist take on vegetarianism is good enough incentive for me! Whatever it takes! :)
Good luck to you!