Fat of The Land

Well, that not in so many words but, you’ll see…

According to an article in a recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, some doctors have been turning away patients on the grounds that they were too fat (one physician suggested that she did so because, ridiculously, she feared for the safety of her staff once the patients weighed more than 200 pounds), *snip*

Obesity also raises questions of medico-political philosophy. Surgeons, for example, sometimes refuse to operate on very fat people, especially for conditions that are not life-threatening, because the results are poorer and the rate of complications higher. This is important not only for the patient, but for the surgeon who might be judged by his results. No doubt physicians who refuse to treat the fat are more likely to see them as weak-willed rather than the victims of genetic endowment, physiology or even of society; but some doctors refuse to treat the fat on the grounds that they do not have the special equipment needed to do so. The authors of the article suggest that this is wrong; that the correct approach is that they, the doctors, ought to buy the necessary equipment. The authors, though, do not tackle the question of who is to pay for it: the doctors, the fat themselves, or the other patients? The answer given will depend crucially on one’s moral attitude to obesity.

One of the more frustrating experiences of my life was talking with Doctors during MJ’s hospital stay last year. It was shockingly clear that none of them had any idea how to treat obesity or diabetes (other than the prescription pad) and they all saw themselves as the managers of MJ’s slow decline into advancing diabetes, the eventual loss of a limb or blindness and then death due to diabetic complications.

I wish I was kidding but I actually prodded at least two of her Docs into admitting just this and when I would challenge them by asking if they thought type II diabetes was curable they would just start mumbling in an irritated fashion about lifestyle and yada-yada-yada. And when I finally brought the conversation around to diet, specifically a low carb high fat diet almost to a one they were familiar, had some sense that it worked, but all immediately said ‘it’s just too hard.’

Too hard?

Sure, cuz losing a leg or going blind is a walk in the park, right?

I feel quite certain there must be an organization located somewhere on this beautiful blue planet that is more ridiculous and more full of stuff that makes plants grow than the U.N.  But I don’t know offhand who that might be…

UN Says: Why Not Eat More Insects?

The U.N. has new weapons to fight hunger, boost nutrition and reduce pollution, and they might be crawling or flying near you right now: edible insects.

The Food and Agriculture Organization on Monday hailed the likes of grasshoppers, ants and other members of the insect world as an underutilized food for people, livestock and pets.

A 200-page report, released at a news conference at the U.N. agency’s Rome headquarters, says 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diets with insects, which are high in protein and minerals, and have environmental benefits.

Insects are “extremely efficient” in converting feed into edible meat, the agency said. On average, they can convert 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of feed into 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of insect mass. In comparison, cattle require 8 kilograms (17.6 pounds) of feed to produce a kilo of meat.

Most insects are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases, and also feed on human and food waste, compost and animal slurry, with the products being used for agricultural feed, the agency said.

Let me just note for the record…Malthus Was Wrong! Right?

I mean, the reason we’re even talking about eating Jiminy Cricket has nothing to do with a possible upper limit on the number of humans the Earth can support, right? That would be crazy talk!

Also, I’m pretty sure all the ‘good for the enviro’ blather is just that, blather. Animals, by definition, aren’t bad for the environment. Here is a well respected scientist suggesting that not only do animals NOT harm the environment, they might even be beneficial to it…

I have a funny feeling that if you were able to follow the ‘animals bad for the environment’ argument back through time you would find the emaciated, joyless fingerprints of a vegaltarian mixed up in there some which way.

Again, let me ask you: Did you wake up this morning thinking:

Self?

Ugh!

And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with eating bugs. One of the things that I find most impressive about God’s creation is how he made it so that the things we need for healthy living are located all over the planet in every possible shape and form. It is a truly spectacular display of fecundity. It seems every aboriginal group on the planet eats a vastly different diet and yet almost every one displays astonishingly good health free of the modern diseases (cancer & metabolic syndrome).

But this ridiculous edict from the U.N. has nothing to do with reality. It has to do with busy body bureaucrats trying to impose their aesthetics on those they see as their lessors, which is pretty much everybody. Anybody think they’re going to give up the steak and off a movable feast comprised of carapaced insects at the next U.N. shindig?

Yeah, me neither. Nope, what’s going on here are our ‘bettahs’ trying to tell us how to live, again, and like Ancel Keys and the terrible cost of his imposition of his opinion on our eating habits this will most likely have the same outcome.

Here’s a question? Why the hell does this organization even exist and what can we do to end them?

These thirteen weeks have been an exciting and interesting roller coaster, to say the least. I set out to lose weight, work on blood sugar control (as a Type 2 diabetic), work toward getting off medications, and achieve ketosis. So how did I do, in the end?

As of this morning I weigh 164 pounds (down one pound from last week) — which means I’ve lost 18 over the course of the thirteen weeks, and 51 since I got out of the hospital last October. That has equated to about two sizes clothing-wise, which means that most of my clothes are now loose to tent-like.

My blood sugars have, for the most part, stabilized — with a few exceptions here and there — but still need to be a little lower on a regular basis. I was on both injected, long-acting insulin and Metformin when I started the journey. Although I had planned to use this time to decrease my “need” for medication, by the time week 5 rolled around I had decided it was time to say adios to all my meds. As I have continually talked about since, I am hoping that my body will eventually regain its ability to produce and use insulin efficiently. One thing I am certain of, however, is that it never would have done so while I was still pumping in additional insulin to confuse the heck out of my endocrine system.

And ketosis? Been there, done that! Hence the continued gradual weight loss over these weeks following a brief plateau.

But beyond the numbers and official results — and more importantly, I think — I just plain feel better than I have in a long time. I’ve got more energy, more stamina, and a lightness to my step that was missing for longer than I care to remember. I feel like a different person than the one who left the hospital 7 months ago struggling to walk up the stairs to my apartment, let alone around the block. I’ve still got plenty of work ahead of me, but experiencing the reward so far is more than enough to keep me going.

My body even feels different now. The shape of it is slowly morphing into what it should be. I’m not only wearing smaller clothes, but they fit me in a new way now. As Brian has commented on numerous occasions, I don’t even know what my natural weight and body shape look like. I’ve been overweight to one degree or another since my childhood. I’ve never been fit. And I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this body of mine, after all these years of grappling with futile diets, exercise plans and “conventional medical wisdom.”

I don’t know exactly how it will look or feel. But I do know that, at long last, it will be good.

As I went back and read last week’s post in preparation for writing this one, I realized that I got so wrapped up in talking about freedom that I forgot to report on my progress! So let’s take care of business first…

I weighed in at 165 this morning, so that’s down three pounds in the past two weeks. I’ll take that. My blood sugars this week were initially lower across the board than they had been — not as low as we want them yet, but definitely improved — ranging from 98 during the day to highs of 120-135 in the mornings (fasting). Then yesterday happened. It shot back up to 171 in the morning, 115-120 during subsequent readings, and was 143 this morning. I don’t know why but, as always, have to remind myself that this is a marathon not a sprint. Trying not to micromanage!

Now that I’m this close to the finish line, with my final post on this thirteen week journey coming next week, I can’t help but take an early peek at how I’ve done.

My first stated goal was weight loss. I started at 182 and, twelve weeks later, I’ve lost 17 pounds eating a low carb, high fat diet.

I also wanted to decrease medication during these weeks, with an end goal of eliminating them entirely. For a variety of reasons, I ended up taking myself off them all during this process. Going off insulin and Metformin was the biggest decision, and I’ve had good but not perfect success in that arena.

I can say that it’s been a challenging journey, but one I have no regrets about undertaking. I feel so much better than I did on week one. I’ve gotten much of the vitality I had before those two weeks in the hospital back. And I’m still losing weight, clothes sizes are going down, and I can see the shape of my body beginning to change.

So that thirteen week finish line is looking pretty darn good right about now. I’ll have more thoughts and observations next week when I officially wrap it up!

Dinner: Hamburger Steaks with grilled onions, Ketchup, and Pepper Jack Cheese, homemade Cole Slaw…

Read more »

Dinner: Spice Roasted Chicken with Homemade Coleslaw…

Read more »

Dinner: Kielbasa Sausage with Mustard and Buttered Lemon Green Beans…

Read more »

Dinner: Corned Beef and Cabbage with Spicy Brown Mustard…

Read more »

Dinner: Corned Beef & Cabbage with Spicy Brown Mustard…

Read more »

Dinner: Cowboy Chicken Casserole…

Read more »