Embarking on the Next Journey

I just watched the documentary "Super Size Me" that came out in 2004. I always knew that fast food was not good for you, but it was very eye opening to see actually how bad it was. To see a 32 year old man, Morgan,  in above average physical shape become to sick with in 30 days and gain 24 pounds in that time was really shocking. Not even his doctors thought it would impact him that much. What was most surprising was how Morgan claimed that after a couple of days of eating McDonalds, he actually began to crave it. The Doctors said his body was having the same reaction to whatever was in McDonalds food that a drug addict has. That is crazy. He also experienced depression, which went away temporarily while he was eating the food, but would return again shortly after he finished his meal. At one point he said that he felt really depressed, but he had no idea why. He claimed that everything on his life was going great and that there was no reason for him to be depressed, but that he couldn't shake this very down and blue feeling he was having. He experienced lethargy, and sexual disfynction.

 The scariest thing was  how he began to have heart palpitations and when he went to the cardiologist, he was actually very concerned and told Morgan that he didn't think he should continue with the diet, that his health had been affected so much already that he could risk permanent damage or death if he continued. At that point, he only had 6 more days to go, but the meals were that unhealthy and the health affects way too serious a risk, but Morgan continued anyway. After it was done, they said it took him 5 months to lose 20 pounds and another 9 to lose the last 4.5 he had gained, but I believe he did return to his original health, but they stressed the importance of his detox diet that his Girlfriend prepared for him. She was a vegan chief so she was able to prepare him extremely healthy food to help get him back to his health.
 

It was really very eye opening for me because I do eat McDonalds often. I go through periods where I don't eat it at all and then I go through periods where I eat it A LOT and have often said that if I eat it once, I get it on the brain and I crave it and I NEED to have it and then I go through a McDonalds binge that takes me sometimes a few weeks to get off of. Now, I don't eat it everyday during those times, but I have been known to go through phases where I eat it a couple days in a row, resist it (And I stress RESIST because I am fiending for it) for a couple days, then have it a couple days and the cycle continues. I have written before how there are times where I am eating bad and it is so hard for me to get back on the wagon. I want to eat good, and I feel that I can no longer stand bad food. I actually am craving some good food, but yet there is the craving for McDonalds and that over powers my craving for something good. It's like my body wants the good food, but psychologically, I am addicted to the bad food and the psychological addiction wins out. I have often wondered what was wrong with me, but I do feel better after watching this because this was proof to me that it's partically the food itself (Or a chemical in the food) that is highly addictive.

I have also experienced the bad mood swings and everything else. When I am eating like that I feel the saddest, the most depressed, the most tired and lethargic. As soon as I can get off that stuff and get eating more healthy, I start feeling so much better. It's crazy, it really is that food like that can be so addictive.

So,to get to the meaning of the title of this blog, my friend is a nutrition counselor and  she sells Herbalife, which are nutrition shakes that you drink 2x's a day and have one sensible meal a day. There is a tea suppliment that goes with it along with other suppliments, but I am just doing the shakes and the tea. The shakes are really yummy and I am looking forward to starting. I was going to start on Saturday because I went to the Doctor to get a fasting blood test to get a base level of my health before I start. I am going back in 6 weeks to get another blood test to see how things have improved. I am hoping by eating these shakes they can help me lose weight and just get that jump start I need. Knowing that I don't have to make much of a choice for meals is really helpful for me. I have to get better with meal prep, but I am not that good and I need something that is fast and economical and takes the thinking and the work out of it for me.


But definitely after watching SuperSize me, I really don't want to eat fastfood anymore. I am sure there will be times that I will, but right now it really turned me off it. And when you think about how addictive it is, I need to really work hard for the next 3 months or so to completely detox from the bad foods.....The fast food, the sugar and all the sodium I consume. I really really need to make a change. I can't stay like this anymore for so many reasons. I mean, I want to be thin. I want to have my life back and I want to be able to do all the things I love to do which I am allowing my food addiction to rob from me right now, but most importantly, it has become a matter of life and death for me now. I have to lose weight or I am going to Die. So, I say to myself; Eat or Die......Make your Choice!