Page 6 | Michael T. Miyoshi

Volume Eating · 20 August 2013

Much to my wife’s chagrin, I tend to eat lots of food.

It used to be the norm that I would eat and eat and eat until I was stuffed. Sometimes it happened without my even knowing it. Until I had that “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing” moment. The more plant-based, whole foods I eat, the less of those times I have.

Yesterday, I had one of those feeding frenzies. Apparently, with just enough processed food to get the party started. I ate and ate and ate. Fortunately, I did not waddle around feeling miserable like I used to do, but I was still more than full.

I did not realize until this morning at least one of the reasons why I overate.

I remembered reading Eat to Live and wondering why Dr. Fuhrman said to eat both raw and cooked vegetables. Something he mentioned about volume receptors in the stomach now makes sense.

Raw vegetables take up more volume than cooked vegetables. Before and after they are eaten. I can eat lots more food when I just eat cooked vegetables. I can even get close to the miserable stage with a little processed food thrown in the mix. That was what I did yesterday. Or rather what I did not do yesterday. I did not have any raw veggies. And I ate too much. So while there are some nutritional differences in cooked and raw vegetables, the main reason (at least for me) to have some raw vegetables with meals is volume.

Thankfully, I rarely have those meals anymore when I can’t believe I ate the whole thing. And thankfully, I tend to eat more reasonable amounts of food these days. Even if I eat more than my wife thinks I should.

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My New Body · 17 August 2013

My wife commented that I must like showing off my new body when I was walking around with no shirt one day. We were in the privacy of our own home, so I do not really consider it showing off, but I must admit that I do like my new body.

The nice thing about seeing my new body in the mirror is that I have not just lost weight or merely had external changes. Things have happened inside my body to make it new.

While I have not taken a test to see what my body fat percentage is, I know that I am leaner (not as much jiggle). The blood work says I am healthier (HDL up, triglycerides down). And I know I am fitter (no more huffing and puffing after just running a block or two). I truly am healthier. I truly have gotten a new body. And that new body is better both inside and outside.

Even though all the fitness crazes infer that we ought to, I may never have washboard abs, but they do not define my fitness level or my body. In fact, even without them, I must admit to both my wife and myself: Yes, I do like my new body. (And yes, I do like showing off just a bit.)

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Numbers Tell True Stories · 16 August 2013

Numbers do not lie. And they can tell an interesting story.

As I looked at my blood test history, I can almost see when I was dieting and even what diet I was doing. I can see when I was young and did not worry about what I was eating or how much exercise I was getting. And I can see the times when I just wanted to show the doctor that it was not time to start some medication or another.

Of course, seeing the numbers all by themselves cannot tell that abbreviated story by themselves, but I know what I have done and even why I did those things.

Like most people, when I was in my early thirties, I did not worry about my health. I was active and had been eating whatever I wanted for as long as I can remember so I never thought I needed to change anything. I did not worry about my weight as long as I could be active. I do not even remember going to the doctor for physicals until after my cousin died when we were both in our mid-thirties.

Once I started getting yearly exams, I still did not worry too much. Part of this was because the doctor told me not to worry. I was young and active and that was what mattered. Even according to him. But the numbers show that I was not so heart healthy. I could also have been prediabetic back then.

I must have been worried about my health just before I turned forty. I lost ten pounds from the year before and all my blood work was in the normal range. I am sure that the year before my doctor had told me to do something or he was going to recommend I start cholesterol medication. I hate medication worse than I hate being fat so his threat worked and I changed something.

Unfortunately, the change did not stick. My forties all have at least one cholesterol reading out of the normal range. I doubt I was a heart attack waiting to happen, but I can see I needed to change. But the numbers had few changes in that decade of my life. The only thing that varied was my fluctuating weight, which went up and down depending on which diet I was using at the time. Unfortunately, my lowest weight at the time was also my lowest HDL (good cholesterol) reading.

It might sound funny, but some of my dieting was trying to lose weight and get a bit healthier for my physical. I was trying to fool myself and my doctor. But the numbers do not lie. I was not being very healthy. I was neither active enough nor eating properly according to the records.

This year, I am excited about the results of my physical because of the numbers. Like I said, I have not had good cholesterol numbers for ten years. Now, I am just about to turn fifty and the numbers say that I am healthier than when I was in my mid-thirties.

I am active and eating right and I hope to continue to be that way for the rest of my life. But regardless of how I feel, I intend to keep on top of health by watching those yearly reports. For I know that regardless of the story they tell, numbers do not lie.