More about me than you really wanted to know

 From the comments to John Wilder's post on fasting for health.

Your comment about weighing less now than you did in HS made me ponder. My BMI as a Senior in high school was under 16. I had to gain weight to join the Army. Never mind the fact that I could back-press 800 pounds or ab-press 600 pounds (the max on the machines) until I got bored. Now I’m in my 50’s, medically retired, with 3 busted discs, and a BMI of, oh, let’s see… 42. No, I’m not diabetic. My total cholesterol is now 86, up from 32 back when I was twenty (oh, how the doctors hated me). Ah, the memories, health and metabolism of youth.

No, I’m not retired for the bad back. That happened later. (I’m a veteran. I’m disabled. I’m not a disabled veteran.) Migraine with brainstem aura and IBS, after one too many high fevers. (I survived 109 degrees with no treatment back when I was 13. I was unconscious for a week on the living room couch. Why yes, my parents were a bit dim and quite willing to let me die, thanks for asking.) I have all the side effects. And I’m resistant to or have serious reactions (some permanent) to every class of medication that might help. The doctor’s experiments were… unpleasant. (The experimental beef blood medicine was really tasty, but did nothing at all.) Some days I can walk. Some days I can talk. Once or twice a week I can do both, and that’s when we get groceries. (Migraines and IBS are related, as both are neurological disorders. The gut has half the neuron count of the brain, and the two communicate constantly. The same medicines are used to treat both.  Most doctors don't know this.)

But anyways, I tried Atkins back when it was popular. It works. But the desire for bread becomes really strong after a couple of weeks. Weight Watchers also works, because any diet plan that boils down to “eat less, work more” will work if you do it every day. It will work better if you lower your carb intake, of course.