Let Food Be Thy Medicine
- Issue #1 - Introduction
My name is Mike and since this is my first blog, I'll give you my story as briefly as possible. There will be blatant horn-tooting and possibly some "TMI" moments. Fair warning.
Disclaimer:
I am not an expert. I have no degree in physical fitness or nutrition. This blog will be almost like a diary that I will use to pass on things that I learn along my journey. There won't be much medical jargon or preaching. I'm just a regular guy on my own weight loss and fitness journey. I'm a student of the things I will write about. I've always heard that the best way to learn is to teach.
So on with my story. Maybe someone will relate.
Let's rewind to spring of 2010. This was before I'd figured out that I'm manic depressive. In a manic and grandiose state, I took off across the country from Missouri to Pennsylvania and within four days married a woman I texted and talked to on the internet. I left my family, my daughter, my job and my home and escaped. But what was I running from exactly? I can debate this all day, every day but what it comes down to is that it was me. I was running from myself. As far back as I can remember I've needed escape hatches. This is in my nature. It's a habit that as this health journey continues, I have to keep in the front of my mind in order to be honest with myself. I am a master justifier. I've had 33 years of practice. If I do well at something I binge. If I fail at something I binge. If I beat my time by 2:17 at running the mile I want a pizza. After that pizza my head says "well, you already blew today's diet so let's get an ice cream." The next morning I wake up hungry and my brain justifies "well, I already blew the weekend so I may as well get a soda." Then that afternoon I think "well, I've already blown the last few days so I guess I'll have some Taco Bell. I'll run an extra twenty minutes tomorrow."
Does anyone relate?
So back to the story. I was on an SSRI antidepressant. My new stranger-wife said that I was acting odd and the reason was the medication. So she flushed them down the toilet. At this point I decided that I'd be more likable if I lost some weight. So I started eating one peanut butter cracker three times daily and would start walking. Within the 45 days I lived in Pennsylvania I lost somewhere around 75 lbs. My Dad sent me a plane ticket to Daytona Beach, FL where I lived, worked and got to know my father for the next several months. The weight loss sounds like a great thing. I got some pats on the back on social media and my much needed fix of attention. But when it came time to move back home to Missouri, my metabolism was wrecked from starving myself. So in the darkest depression I'd ever experienced, I flaunted my new weight loss on Facebook like I'd won the lottery. I got my addict-like fix of attention. But this soon wore off. All this time I'm sinking deeper and deeper into unbelievable depression which escalated to points where I didn't leave my apartment for months at a time, only seeing daylight long enough to peek through the blinds or the peephole. When someone would knock on the door I would hold my breath and freeze where I was until they went away. My diet consisted of fast food, more than a gallon of soda every day and two packs of Marlboro Special Blend per day. Long story short, with my slowed down metabolism (from starving) my body stored fat like crazy. I ballooned up to around 450 lbs. I could barely walk up and down the one flight of stairs to my apartment. I wheezed after trips to the bathroom.
I was miserable. I was too far gone. I was "past the point of no return." I made peace with the fact that this obesity thing would eventually kill me. One day I was putting on pants and got winded. These were sweatpants I think. Yes, I'd become that guy. Sweatpants guy waddling around Wal-Mart. I had a friend that I'd bonded with over music that had some workout equipment in his garage. I don't know what it was about that day but I texted him "Hey, man. I need help." I'm not really sure that I totally meant it at the time. At least it was enough to get me there. So we started working out every day in his garage doing circuit training and some weightlifting. I started to feel better due to the dopamine rush that exercise provided. He was astonished by the lack of muscle I had on me. My max bench press was only 75 lbs. The year of laying in bed caused my muscles to atrophy just like a patient in a coma.
Little by little I got better. The progress was measurable. As Henry Rollins said "The weights don't lie. 200 pounds is always 200 pounds." They were all baby steps. They were all essential to the process. I didn't win the lottery all of a sudden. I had to work for it. This makes me thankful for it. The small accomplishments build your confidence and you take on bigger challenges. Before I knew it, I was signing up for a 5K run. My friends ran on my heels hurling insults to keep me mad enough to keep going. I came in last place at 48 minutes but I finished.
Fast forward to today. We've ran three 5K runs. I have a long term goal of competing in the 2017 Iron Man triathlon (118 mile bike, 3 mile swim, 26 mile run) in Louisville, KY. We've grown from just the two of us working out in the garage to five, sometimes ten, as many as fifteen working out as a team. We flip tractor tires. We run. We carry each other on our backs. We inspire ourselves. We inspire others. We have fun.
The reason why I even mentioned all the earlier doom-and-gloom is because I believe, and it's proven that our mental state is a huge factor in how we take care of ourselves. And by "take care of ourselves" I'm talking about what we put in our bodies. To quote Hippocrates, "Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food." Every physician takes a Hippocratic Oath to "Do No Harm." (The current state of healthcare is a can of worms I'm going to have to pass on opening for today.) We are emotional beings by nature. It's just how we're built. I myself am an emotional eater. I don't go on diets anymore. I do a version of Paleo eating and I don't starve anymore. Diets just don't work. The word "diet" to me has a negative connotation. When I hear the word "diet" it makes me immediately think of deprivation. I think of all the things I can't have. After 33 years of practice eating junk food, my palate isn't
used to nutrient-dense foods. At first it is hard but your palate eventually gets used to it.
Diet food has always made me think of bland food that has no taste that I'll never enjoy. I hate vegetables. I despise nuts. The thought of eating plain vegetables makes me nauseous. When I was a kid we grew up on fast food. My mother was a working mom and had very little time. She's a great cook. But it was far easier to swing through Taco Bell and get a few twelve packs of tacos for a few bucks...to share between only three people. Don't take it the wrong way. I love my Mom. That's the way our society is nowadays. You work, pay taxes, punch in, punch out, sleep and maybe in the morning pop something in the toaster for three minutes while you wait to shuttle your kids off to daycare so you can clock in again. This can be a soul-sucking process. I get it.
So we have to take a different approach. We have to change the way we look at things. We have to compromise. We have to sacrifice a little and invest a little to have a big return. That's basically what I will focus on in this blog. No jargon. No preaching. What I'll mainly focus on are simple, balanced foods that are quick and easy to prepare. I'll give tips along the way on exercise. And I'll throw in some of my own milestones and experiences as I progress. I urge you to take this journey. It will not be easy. It will hurt. It will take time. It won't happen overnight. But what I will promise you that if you commit to it, it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life and a new found self-respect will spring forth.
Please share this blog with friends. And with that, I leave you with a recipe. Let food be thy medicine!
- Mike McClanahan
Steak and Pepper Salad
This is a dish that you can fry up the night before and pack up for the next day at work. Just keep the spinach and tomato separate, and then add them after microwaving.
Ingredients:
Spinach leaves, green and yellow bell peppers, onion, cashews, mushroom, salt and pepper, minced garlic, tomato, steak (you can use the expensive steak or if you want the economy version you can use the cheap cuts or even ground turkey)
- Fry the steak pieces to about medium rare. (When the veggies are added it will cook through more.
- Add about a cup of cashews and the chopped mushrooms. Also add about a tablespoon of minced garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
- Chop the tomato, onion and peppers.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the onion and peppers. Let them cook into the mix for about 10 minutes.
- Remove mixture of steak, peppers and onions, cashews and mushrooms and spoon it onto a bed of raw spinach leaves and top it with fresh tomato.
- Enjoy.
Useful link: http://www.paleohacks.com
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