Food is meant to nourish the body and sustain us – and it does! From the time that I was born, I have always enjoyed eating. My mom tells me stories about the way that I would hum softly as I ate and say “Mmmmmmm.” It is funny to me now, but the pleasure that I have always experienced from eating has at times been a detriment to my well-being when I turned to food for comfort. I suppose that they call it “comfort food” for a reason. When I think back to some of the highlights of my life – my first date with my husband, my wedding reception, evenings out with friends, spending time with family, and vacations- food and drink plays a starring role in most of my best memories. As the years have crept by, the overindulging started to take its toll on my physical appearance, health, and emotional well-being.

I have spent the last few years experimenting with different diet protocols. I heard about the Prolon fast from my hairdresser, so I tried that. I tried a whole food plant based diet. If someone told me that it worked for them, I would search Google, assess the risk, and if it made sense, try it. What I discovered through that process is that if I feel deprived, I am going to make up for it by overeating whatever it was that I withheld from myself, which would ultimately feel even worse about myself.

When I was younger, I could compensate for the type and amount of food that I ate by exercising more. If I put on a few pounds, it wasn’t a big deal. I could amp up my workouts for a few weeks with no impact to the size of my clothing. As I approached the age of 40, that didn’t work for me anymore. My clothing size actually did increase and more alarmingly, my lab work showed that my triglyceride and cholesterol levels were increasing as well. I would like to say that I have discovered a magic pill that has made everything better, but that is not the case.

When I think about what is most important to me, I think about my family. I want to live a long life, but more importantly, I want to be physically, mentally, and spiritually healthy. I don’t want to be a burden on others as I age. I want to be strong and able. Medical care is expensive! I want to prevent serious issues by taking care of myself now, and that comes back to maintaining a healthy weight by eating nutritious food and moving my body.

I am happy to report that my latest blood work shows a “perfect” lipid panel with my cholesterol and triglycerides back to normal levels without the use of medication. I feel better than I have in years, and I have been able to make these improvements within a five-month period. Even with these improvements, I haven’t reached the magical land of permanent perfection. There is no destination when it comes to health; there is only the continuing journey.