NEW CASTLE —
I've been trying diligently to eat right and make healthier choices in what I eat and put into my body.
I'm now the guy at the grocery store who reads every label. You know, the guy with his buggy in the way while you’re trying to get in and get out. I stand there comparing brands, examining the fat content, carbs, and calories. Not to mention all the mysterious and unspeakable ingredients that somehow sneak into our food.
What was once a quick stop at the store driven by bargain prices, hunger pains, and cravings has become a full-fledged seek and destroy mission. Each trip is executed with military precision. Information and knowledge has become the power that I yield. My take-no-prisoners attitude has helped me forge forward and I can proudly say that I've lost over 15 pounds in the last few weeks. I am also in the market for a new, smaller belt, since I'm on the last hole of my current one. My pants are sagging, too, and I'm even sleeping a little better.
In the past several months I've run the gamut of diet theory and plans, much to my frustration. I’ve dabbled with the no carbohydrates, Atkins-like attack, the Keto system, the low fat method, and I’ve even embraced an all-protein regimen. None of them seemed to be a complete solution.
I’ve seen all the late-night infomercials and day-time talk shows with their fanatical claims and wonder-working systems. Everyone seemed to have something to sell, but none of them really had a solution. I scoured the Internet, conversed with friends, and started doing my own reconnaissance mission. I gathered info and kept notes. I was taking little bits of info from every place I could.
Soon I had a well laid-out plan and was ready to take action. I had come to the conclusion that our bodies are created to near perfection and we slowly degrade and destroy the mechanisms that make them function properly. Whether it is through foods we eat or environmental factors, they all affect the machine that is our body.
My final plan was one of lowered carbohydrate intake, and nearly complete elimination of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. I have been eating good amounts of lean protein and lots of leafy green vegetables. I’m not a tree-hugging, animal-saving hippie, but salad has become my main course.
I’ve also begun taking a multi-vitamin and fish oil supplement and my energy level has greatly increased. I can now live on my typical five hours of sleep, rather than suffer through the day and rely on the rumble strips along the highway to keep me on the road.
I have successfully avoided the temptation of the two-for-one bulk bags of candy, even though their sweet voice is screaming out to me with their sad, puppy-dog face begging me to take them home. I just tell them, “No, you’re not coming home with me.” They then cower back to their respective shelves, never to raise their ugly fist of temptation again.
Now that I have all this extra energy, I’m going to try to catch up on mowing my hay field of a lawn or maybe I’ll just go to Forbush’s and get a large waffle cone of butter pecan.
Josh Drespling
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About Josh Drespling: Josh is a former graphic designer at The News. His blog appears each Saturday.
Discussion
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