The Evolution of My Diet
I started my life following the diet directions from the adult members of my family and teachers and other parental figures. I managed to eat three meals per day because that is what health experts have been preaching for years and most if not all adults have followed this principle for years. This is how it always been done is the mantra I remembered hearing from authority figures.
My Military Diet
I entered the Air Force and ate whatever was served in the dinning hall. The dinning hall food was pretty good. The dinning hall breakfast menu consisted of what I consider the typical all American choice of eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and gravy, by now you get the picture. And, the lunch and dinner menu wasn’t bad except I really love breakfast foods.
My Adulthood Diet
I married early in my adulthood. When I started my marriage at age 21, I considered myself a vegetarian and quickly became a vegan. Tucson, Arizona had fast food type eateries that featured full on salad bars. When I ate away from home, I went to one of the Salad Bar restaurants. Tucson had many smorgasbord restaurants with fruits, vegetables and other considered healthy food choices. At that time, I thought of myself as a man ready for any compromise. My new wife ate vegetables with me but I agreed to add chicken and fish to my diet. My diet was satisfying but my exercise program suffered. I did not gain a lot of weight but I did not have any muscle tone. I lacked stamina and endurance but I managed to make it to the table to eat. I maintained a running program but it was not consistent, so my body image wasn’t the same as when I met my bride. I am sure that my changes contributed to the end of my marriage. The bright side of this is that my diet and exercise program changed after my divorce. Somehow, I befriended an ex-pro football player and a bodybuilder and those gentlemen took my diet and exercise program to another level. The football player and his wife took care of my diet and supplementation while the bodybuilder gave me some exercise tips and motivation. I wish I could locate those gentlemen because they gave me a fitness foundation that will last me for the rest of my life.
My Mid-Life Diet
I pretty much abandoned any type of formal diet which meant my diet was almost anything that looks, smells and taste good. When I started lifting weights, I weighed 135 pounds. After about 5 years of lifting weights, I packed on 50 pounds of muscle and some fat. I justified my eating habits because I was lifting pretty heavy weights at the gym. I increased my strength and my body bulked up because I started to develop muscular arms and chest and pretty much my entire body. I had to keep my weight at about 186 pounds so I would not exceed military standards for my age and height. During my mid-life diet, my maximum bench press was 405 pounds and my maximum squat lift was 525 pounds. My arms ballooned to a reputable size and my body weight fluctuated between 185 pounds and 195 pounds and most of it was body fat. I loved to lift weights but I neglected performing any type of cardio activities. In other words, I quit running. One of my work assignments in the Air Force was in Misawa, Japan. I kept up with my weightlifting sessions and added group aerobics to my fitness program while living there. My diet changed to fit the culture of Japan. I ate a lot of rice, fish and vegetables during the week. On the weekends, I cooked out grilling pork and beef for my friends and neighbors.
My Pain Diet
I moved back to the states where I lived in Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, Missouri and finally moved back home to Indiana. I was following the typical American diet of three meals a day. It was unheard of that anyone would go without three meals per day. Since I was lifting weights most of the bodybuilding magazines and athletes promote the ideal that a serious bodybuilder should consume 6 meals per day. I used the bodybuilding profile as my rational for overeating. The problem with controlling my weight was my lack of exercising consistency. I kept a work out diary but it was more about lifting weights than diet. Somehow I managed to maintain a just above average physique. I think I looked pretty fit for a short period until my work accident. I slipped and fail on the hard car plant floor and let me tell you that concrete is unforgiving. I was knocked out for about 2 hours. My doctor told me that I was lucky that I didn’t bust my head open or break my spine. But months later, I believe the damage of that fall was delayed because I suffered serious pain down the left upper part of my body. The pain started in my left shoulder and after several cortisone shots it settled into my left middle and index fingers. The doctors told me I would have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. My diet and exercise really changed as a result of this pain. I couldn’t bear letting anything touch my left hand therefore I curtailed my fitness program. My relationship with food changed. My only joy each day came in the form of eating ice cream. It seem that ice cream soothed the pain in my fingers. The drugs I was prescribed kept me heavily sedated. I looked forward to my trips to the grocers to buy Party Cake ice cream because I ate a lot of it and it ran out frequently. My weight ballooned from 190 pounds to 270 pounds before I decided to detox my body from my daily drug cocktail. I was obese with chronic pain, high cholorestrol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and possible pre diabetes. And then I was diagnosed with Throat Cancer.
My Cancer Diet
During my throat cancer scare, my throat and mouth was so sore that I had to take my daily nutrition by liquid protein through a tube in my stomach. I spent three days where I refused to eat or drink because the pain was so unbearable. I was losing weight so fast that my doctor ordered a surgery to have a feeder tube inserted in my stomach. I received 12 cases of liquid protein, a package of giant syringes and instructions on how to administer the protein. I had to pour protein and water 6 times per day into my stomach through a feeder tube for about 6 weeks. The radiation treatment for my throat cancer has killed part of my taste buds. The treatments also hindered the way I chewed and swallowed food. I had to learn how to swallow. I was surprised that foods I loved did not taste the way I remembered. Now the foods I enjoyed eating and I once called my favorites taste terrible to me. Foods with an abundance of salt or either sugar taste terrible to me. I loved donuts and cookies and I still try to eat them but they taste horrible. I was a soda pop drinker but not any more because it is too sweet and the carbonation makes my mouth feel like it’s going to explode. Drinks with too much sweetener in it also taste horrible to me. Most of the time, I drink water, various types of milk and some tea. When I drink socially, I will usually drink lemonade or cranberry juice. I tried to drink a beer and it tasted like highly salted water and I got a quick buzz because it has been years since I drank anything with alcohol content. Since my cancer is in remission, I had to experiment to find foods with some type of flavor that is suitable to my new taste palette. Somehow, I continue to enjoy the flavors from meats and vegetables grilled outdoors.
Diet Now
I have moved on from the three meals a day diet because I believe it is money motivated. I tried the vegetarian and vegan diet lifestyle for a while but I know for sure I am a meat and potatoes man. I love steak the redder the better. And, I am a sucker for a big juicy hamburger. I know that everybody is different. What I mean is that our bodies react differently to food, drink and drugs. At one time, I thought of myself as a serious foodie. I enjoyed sushi, caviar, squid, escargot and other such delicacies. I especially love ribs, burgers and chicken almost anything cooked fresh from the grill. I intermittent fast almost every day which means I only eat during a small window of time. Earn your meal is my daily philosophy. I believe that in order to sit down and enjoy a good meal, I must work hard or exercise hard to earn my place at the table. My sit here and there computer career was not enough activity to warrant a big meal. Even before or after my eight hour shift, I found the time to workout. I am retired but continue with earn your meal philosophy. I have to work hard or exercise hard before I can rationalize eating. I eat about two small meals each day. I believe because I eat less my gut or stomach has shrunk because I get full fast. I don’t have much of an appetite and that’s okay with me. Eggs are the main staple in my diet. I chose eggs because they are easy to swallow and they have a lot of muscle building protein. My daily diet consist:
- Bulletproof Coffee
- Protein Smoothies
- Protein Meal – Fish, Chicken or Beef and Vegetables
In most cases, my dinner is sautéed spinach, peppers, onions and mushrooms with either shrimp or beef and scramble eggs. After that mixture is cooked, I have enough to make 4 burritos from the mixture. I also pour peach mango or verde salsa on my sautéed mixture. My breakfast type burritos are very satisfying and I can taste them. I try to keep some type of relationship with food.
