1 Why Did I Start This Blog?

Why did I start this blog? The best way for me to answer this question is to start at the beginning of my journey...

My interest in healthy living began early in life. The year was 1969, and I was thirteen years old. Back then, I had only two areas of concern regarding health, admittedly more related to vanity than actual well-being: obesity and acne.

Since there was no internet, no Google, and not even a computer, only a few methods of accessing information were available. By trial and error, I discovered that I could control the acne, for the most part, by avoiding soda pop. However, my fear of obesity remained a major concern since I had no idea of how to lose weight in a healthy way. I began saving my 25 cent allowance in order to purchase a little Dell book that surely would have a solution to this weighty issue.

The tiny book was titled The Egg and Orange Diet. I was faithful to that diet for nearly a week, finally giving up when I realized that I was weak, foggy-brained, and unable to lose even a single pound.

Fortunately, within a year, I was walking between three and five miles a day on high school and then college campuses. During those years, I was able to maintain a normal weight without much thought, due to the regular exercise and a young age. Obesity took a back seat to the more pressing issues of studying for exams and earning a degree.

Nevertheless, with each passing year since my college days, I steadily gained weight. With a ten hour workday and three children, I had little time for exercise. Burning off the calories was not an option. I knew that I needed to look once again at the food I was consuming.

I checked out diet after diet. First, I tried Weight Watchers. I was able to lose about 25 pounds, reaching my goal weight, and becoming a “life-time member”. I even became a weight-watcher clerk for a few years. But, then the weight gradually crept back up.

I then tried Dr. Bruce Lowell's Fat % Finder diet. I again reached my goal. But, the diet was not sustainable for me. (1350 calories and 43 grams of fat).

Next was Susan Powter’s low-fat diet/cookbook, Stop the Insanity. Over the course of a year, I made nearly every recipe in her book, (too many involving beans) to my children’s and husband’s utter despair. I did not lose any weight.  I tried several other plans.

Finally, I went back to Weight Watchers, and I was only able to get down to 155 pounds. But, even that was a struggle. By the year 2001, I was weighing in at 172 pounds and never plateauing. My size 14 clothes on my 5 foot 4 inch body were getting tight.

I realized then that, for losing weight, diets did not work for me, nor did the various gyms that I had joined through the years.

In 2001, I went to a bookstore determined to find a healthy eating life-style that I could reasonably maintain for the rest of my life. That is where I found the book, Life without Bread: How a Low-Carbohydrate Diet Can Save Your Life by Christian B. Allan and Wolfgang Lutz. Dr. Lutz was a doctor who successfully treated his obese patients in Germany by limiting their intake of carbohydrates. The book gave me a direction and ultimately changed my life.

I made a quality decision to reduce my intake of carbohydrates, starting with the Atkins diet. Within six months, I was following a simpler ketogenic plan. I had lost all of my excess weight; and I had bountiful energy. I have been a size 6 for over 20 years.

Once the weight situation was under control, I began to focus on other areas of my health that needed to be addressed. Hundreds of books were being published on every health issue imaginable. I started to research books and internet sources regarding brain function, mental clarity, dementia, hearing loss, eyesight, bone health, cancer-prevention, toxins, and muscle tone.

I realized that the seemingly mundane decisions of everyday life had the potential to radically impact the quality of my life. I had never before dreamed that my choice of light bulbs, the use of fluoridated water, and lack of sun exposure could have such major ramifications for my well-being.

I also believe that spiritual health is more important than any other area, not just impacting the finite number of years I have left on this planet, but for joy-filled eternal life. The Daily Devotional section of this blog is devoted to spiritual nourishment with a brief scripture passages and related challenges for living. Think of it as soul food.

And so, I am writing this blog to share what I am learning. I have no medical degree or training. I cannot guarantee that what works for me will work for you. But, what I am hoping is that the information I am sharing will assist you on your own journey to healthy living in body, soul, and mind.  ​