"Why are you on a diet?"

Many people have asked me this since I started my diet. And most of the time I don't give the most truthful answer because most people will follow up with something along the lines that I don't need to be on a diet and I don't have any fat to lose.

Truth be told, there are two answers. There is a superficial answer and a deep answer.

The superficial answer: I want to get a nice 6 pack of abs. My diet has always held me back and I've had a long list of stupid excuses, but quite frankly I didn't think diet played that big of a role I thought I could out-train a bad diet. The truth is I can't. I don't have enough time, given my day job, and I don't work out hard enough.

The deep answer though is much more important and gives a nod to one of the prevailing philosophies for my life: I want to prevent as much illness as possible.

As much as I like sweets, junk food, and McDonald's chicken nuggets. I have things I value so much more. It seems weird to think of your body like this but I value my functioning arms and legs and pancreas A LOT. And you probably do too, which is why so many people pay for expensive remedies when these things go wrong. I like my heart a lot and I'd do and I do do (hehehe, doo doo) a lot to protect my body from illness and injury.

So when patients ask me after they've had a severe heart attack what they can do to prevent heart attacks in the future, as a physician I plainly say, "Well, part of it is genetics, but another huge part is sticking to a good (sometime vegetarian) diet, exercise, quitting smoking, and the last part is taking the medications that we tell you to take."

Initially I used to be floored when patient's refuse to change their diet and exercise routines. Now, I've gotten used to it. Few people are invested enough in their health to put that much time and energy into preserving or improving their body.

This part really saddens me. It's hard, I get it. It requires work, and learning, and sweat. But diabetes is harder, and to properly manage it, requires the same list including blood.

Diseases like diabetes and heart disease have a strong behavioral component. Diet and exercise play a huge role in these diseases, but most physicians just like patients skim over the importance of these two modalities because they are difficult to talk about.

I want to get back to the basics though. I want to learn how to do these things now because at some point disease will come knocking on my door. I believe, partially because I have to, that I can prevent disease.

I'd rather take care of my body now than be forced to by diseases that come with expensive hospital costs and a long list of medicines.