Thought for Food…

I was reading an article about a recent study published by Princeton University about the adverse effect High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) on the human metabolism.

In rats, when one group was fed sugar water equivalent to soda pop along with a rat-chow diet, and another group was fed a HFCS-water solution equivalent to 50% of the HFCS found in soda pop with rat-chow, and both groups were constrained to the same caloric intake, the HFCS rats gained 48% more weight – most of which was around their abdomen – and they showed higher blood triglycerides. These are the bad cholesterols that are related to increased risk of heart disease, stroke, etc.

I think my mom tried to keep us kids from snacking too much, but with permissive friends’ parents, and schools, her work was undone. I am a junk-food junkie through and through. I’m addicted to caffeine, sugar, carbohydrate-laden foods, and grease. Sitting down to a “meal” of plain potato chips with sour cream ranch dip and a diet Pepsi, followed by a cookie or some candy, makes me a happy man. I <i>want</i> to make changes to my diet, but it just seems impossible. My recent forays into cooking fresh foods have helped, though: Drive-thru food has lost a lot of its appeal. I dont want my child growing up with obesity in his future.

When I was a child and teenager, until I turned about 25, I was thin as a rail and it seemed like I could eat anything I wanted, I averaged 135 pounds when I was 19. Around age 26, I started to pack on pounds at an alarming rate. Luckily, I was still in the military at the time, so I was able to fight my expanding waist line with easy access to gyms, and I averaged 175 pounds up to 180 when I was released from duty. After I finished my enlistment, though, I got a physical job as a cable tv install technician, and I got my weight from 185 back down to 165. That only lasted a few months, outdoor physical labor is unbearable in Phoenix. I ended up with a desk job after 2 years of art school, and weighed back into the 185 range. After 11 months of riding a desk, and with a newly pinched nerve in my upper back, my weight jumped to 255. That’s right, 70 pounds gained in less than a year. I got surgery to remove the disc that was pinching the nerve, and lost the desk job, and also lost about 15 pounds by controlling my portions. Since then, my weight has bounced around between 230 and 245, with brief stints in the 225 range.

I dont love a lot of varied foods, but the foods I do love, I love a LOT. I dont get enough physical activity because I’d rather sit at my desk online than go outside for walks alone during the day. Donna wants to get more exercise, but physically cant do much more than work and come home and do the minimum stuff she needs to do. She has only gained about 5 pounds since getting pregnant, which means she’s actually lost a lot of body fat in order to balance out the 25 pounds or so of Declan et al.

I dont want Declan to be fighting this battle when he’s in his 30s. Hell, I dont want to be fighting this battle anymore! I had hoped to be below 200 by the time Declan was born, but that’s only 5 or 6 weeks away…and here I sit at 245.

So, my resolutions for Declan (I hope Donna agrees):

• No HFCS
• Limited Sugar
• Limited Saturated Fat
• Limited Carbohydrate-laden snacks
• Lots of fresh veggies
• Lots of fresh fruits
• Lots of outdoor activities

I hope these things are sufficient to help him build a lifetime of better habits than I have.

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