You Are What You Eat

We are all about what we put into our bodies.

While having celiac disease sucks, I am indeed grateful for it for a number of reasons. At the top of that list is that celiac disease has taught me discipline. It has made me realize that ANYONE can give up something they love if it means enough to them.

And it has made me realize something else.

Most people aren’t willing to sacrifice to lose weight.

And this seriously pisses me off as it puts a huge burden on our economy due to the extreme costs to support an unhealthy society.

I try to exercise on a very regular basis. This comes mostly via three different, but consistent, methods: boot camp, spin and basketball. Because I do these regularly, I tend to see the same people over and over again.

But something recently struck me. Hardly any of these people’s bodies seem to change. I mean, it’s awesome they go to the gym and I commend anybody who gets out there and exercises, but if you work out on a regular basis, eventually you should see some results, right?

Unless, of course, these people aren’t changing their diets. They expect to lose weight, yet they continue to shovel crap into their bodies.

See that woman above? No, I don’t know her. She is simply stock photo. But my guess is that she has been overweight pretty much her entire life. And she probably has tried some form of exercise to lose weight. And I’m sure she has tried all of the fad diets out there too.

All with little to no results.

Why? Simple. She isn’t willing to sacrifice.

Losing weight doesn’t seem quite as challenging if you break it down into logical terms. You need to burn more calories than you ingest. That’s it. Is it easy? No. You actually have to WORK at it. You must be willing to give something up that you enjoy. But if you do, you will accomplish something that gives you even more joy and empowers you like nothing else does.

There are no shortcuts

There was an interesting and disturbing article in yesterday’s New York Times titled “Young, Obese and in Surgery”. It spoke of a teen-aged girl who was 5′ 1″ and 250 pounds. My heart broke for her. Until I started reading the article.

First of all, did you know there are over 200,000 weight-loss surgeries performed each year at an estimated cost of $6,000,000,000 (that’s BILLION)? Who’s footing the bill for this? Can’t most of these people (not all…as I realize some people have health issues which can affect their weight) show some damn discipline and take responsibility for their own health?

Oh…and many health insurance programs cover these types of surgeries, but they do not cover gym memberships or exercise plans. Brilliant, huh?

The surgery the doctor performed on the girl is called Lap Band, a surgically inserted silicone band that constricts the stomach to make the patient feel full quickly. Sounds natural.

So this isn’t liposuction, where fat is removed. After Lap Band surgery, the patient must be judicious in their eating or they will not be successful. That’s right, the patient must show some…discipline. There’s that dirty word again.

Well, you can guess how things turned out. It’s three years later and she is still in a struggle.

If I could speak to her, I would tell her my story.

I would explain what celiac disease is and how if forces you to make eating choices that are very difficult in the beginning, but that eventually become part of your life.

I would tell her that if I can give up so many foods that I loved eating, anybody can.

And I would tell her how awesome it makes you feel to be able to successfully make these sacrifices and better your life.

I would tell her all of that.

But would she listen?

Will you?