The Why

I've addressed this to a certain degree in my first post, but I suppose I can approach this in a different light: Instead of answering why I'm dieting, I can address why I'm choosing this specific method.

Back when I was working at Yahoo, I had reached a new height in weight gain. That, coupled with horrible sleeping conditions that consisted of a mattress on the hard floor, led to a horrible case of Sciatica that gave me a strong, constant and pulsing pain in my left thigh. Though there were a lot of reasons to lose weight, this was the final impetus to actually do something about it.

I went to Kaiser and talked to a dietitian. They gave me the standard spiel; eat less, exercise more. That certainly works, but I needed some more... help. I told them as much, and they suggested a shake-fasting program. I did some research, went through the proper tests (including a CAT scan, which was weird as hell) and decided to move forward with it.

I tried it and... well, it worked.

The original plan I was on included a weekly meet-up with a group of people going through the same plan, a litany of binders and pamphlets and some grief-counseling style sessions. The shakes were delicious, the classes were very educational and it really helped to set to good foundation. The problem is, the whole program was expensive as Eff. About... $1k a month or so, I believe. I was making pretty good money at Yahoo at the time but I obviously couldn't sustain that for long. After my first month, I quit.

I quit the program, but I didn't want to quit the diet. Thanks to my good friend Morgan, who was also morbidly obese and looking to start a diet, we found the shakes that worked for us at New Lifestyle Diet. They didn't taste as good, btu offered a much larger variety and, most importantly, they were drastically cheaper. $300 or so a month, as opposed to the $1k? Yes plz.

I've typed all of this and still haven't gotten to the reason Why. ^_^*

A complete fast, whole and total meal replacement, is a little drastic and, without the proper guidance, potentially dangerous. It takes the variety out of life and, more than this, takes away the deliciousness of eating food.

More than this, though, it reminds us that food is just fuel to make the body work. At its core, despite how it tastes and what's in it, eating is about refueling the body first and foremost. Being the celebrated eater that I am, I saw food as a reward, as a treat, as the most awesome part of a day. By replacing every meal with a shake, I'm forced to remember that it's not the food that should be celebrated, but the people I'm sharing the food with.

I feel like I'm rambling. Long story short, I chose the shakes because they're easy to make, relatively cheap, don't give me too many options (which can lead to cheats/backsliding), and are, ironically enough, boring enough to keep me hooked. They're convenient enough to bring with you places and are an easily calculated source to make sure you get all of your daily nutrition. Most importantly, they get the job done.