God created all this stuff many years ago

I find it fascinating that God created all of the ingredients we use in our foods (well, all the natural ones) many years ago, and we still haven't figured out for sure how everything works in our bodies. The "science" is always changing in terms of what's healthy and what's not, and I would think this has been going on since close to the beginning of time. I wonder what God thinks as he looks down on us trying to figure it out for ourselves.

Our new futon!

Give a man a fish...

"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."

Have you heard this saying? What do you think?

This can be applied to many things in life, but my journey is definitely one of them. The idea of eating six or seven times a day and keeping my blood sugar levels low to regulate insulin levels is one that I had heard in passing before but never really understood. Now, it all seems to make sense – and I feel like I'm learning how to eat for the first time in my life.

I had another day full of great nutrition today – oatmeal with blueberries, turkey bacon, and a banana for breakfast, almonds for a snack, leftovers from last night for lunch, carrots for a snack, a dinner of turkey, rice, and beans, and a snack of whole grain crackers this evening. The idea is that my metabolism is burning all of the food I am putting in because I am eating at regular 2-3 hour intervals, which causes my body to relax in knowing that there will always be more food coming – no need to store as fat for a shortage!

Am I seeing results yet? Of course not – well, unless you count the way I feel. I feel fantastic. But it's only been three days, and I don't think I'll weigh myself regularly. This journey isn't really about a number. It's about the way I look and feel.

This time, I'm going to win.

Feeling good!

Yesterday was a great kickoff day, and today was even better. Among the highlights: 3-4 miles of biking and another of running, plus strength and great nutrition. Tonight for dinner (thank you darling) was a whole wheat macaroni stir fry with garbanzo beans, lentils, artichokes, peppers, onions, carrots, mushrooms, peanuts, and spices to the extreme. I can't wait for what's in store tomorrow!

From the inside out

This is my favorite song, probably because it's all about freedom – freedom from sin. From the inside out, my heart cries out to fellowship with Jesus as people like me did long ago and to stand, gracefully approved, before him. This song brings to mind the struggle we have with our culture and how it suppresses our spirit to the point where we forget what it's like to feel that freedom. It ties into weight loss in that if I were free from this burden of my body, maybe I could stand stronger and make more of a difference.

Share your tips for lowering cholesterol

While I haven't received the results in the mail yet (they should be here in a few days), a nurse from the hospital called me on Friday to let me know that my blood screening showed cholesterol levels that are out of the "borderline high" range (which I had maintained for years) and now well into the "high" and dangerous range.

So, a big part of this journey is going to be lowering my cholesterol and unclogging my arteries. Clearly, weight has a lot to do with it, and weight loss will always aid in building good cholesterol and fighting bad cholesterol. That factor notwithstanding, I never thought my diet would contribute to poor cholesterol levels because I cook with healthy oils, eat mainly whole grains (including oatmeal for breakfast), limit dairy products (and drink skim milk), consume red meat only once or twice per week on average, and take daily supplements (multivitamin and fish oil). Still, this is where I find myself, and I have to take action not only in terms of exercising and losing weight, but also in my daily approach to food ingredients.

Many people believe that eating cholesterol-high foods (such as eggs) contributes to high cholesterol values, but research has shown that this is probably untrue. The real culprit is saturated fat, which is found mainly in red meat, dairy products, and processed foods.

So, given what I outlined above regarding the basics of my diet – and because, try as I might, I just can't give up full-fat cheese – what are your suggestions for lowering cholesterol?

Obviously, cutting out fast food will eliminate some degree of slime and red meat from my diet, which could in and of itself make a difference.