Dear Dad,
Imagine completely changing what you eat without having to change a single thing that you eat. This is the dream of all dieters and healthy lifestyle dreamers. What if I told you that this paradox could be reality?
That sounds too good to be true right? A little in tune with the magic formulas propagated by self-proclaimed diet and exercise gurus? Well, I should mention there is a caveat. You don’t have to change a single thing that you eat, but over time you’ll change it anyway. Not because anyone makes you, but eventually you’ll change what you eat because you want to!
But first, you’ve got to start rolling your health snowball by understanding that each small positive decision will lead to a substantial cumulative change.
In middle school it was my chore to collect all the garbage in the house every Monday night. You know this, because you and Mom assigned me the task. What you likely don’t know is the dread I felt when I walked by the scale in your bathroom to grab the trash under the sink. Even in middle school the scale scared me. I knew that if I stepped on it I would be ashamed by the numbers displayed. So I avoided it, for weeks. But one week my curiosity over took me and I stepped on.
All my previous fears came true. I was shocked. In all the weeks that I passed the scale I subtly found ways to rationalize my fears: no way was I as heavy as I thought; other peers were bigger; I was still good at sports; health doesn’t even matter for teenagers. However, even in middle school I knew that the number I saw mattered and change was necessary—not just to lose weight, but more importantly to become healthier.
Over the next week I decided to experiment. I cut out all snacking, no chips on the couch or ice cream before bed, if I wanted to eat that food it had to be incorporated to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I even decided to strictly adhere to the 1-soda a week rule levied by Mom and stopped sneaking extra cans. The results I discovered next Monday were nothing short of astonishing.
I lost twelve pounds. [Gasp]. Even more surprising, in only one week it was tangibly noticeable to my fourteen-year-old-male-brain that my life was better. Regardless of any weight that I lost, I was happier, more engaged in school, more active, and more driven. I experienced the power of discipline and began the process of taking control of my life.
Thinking back on it over fifteen years later, one of two things has to be true. Either I was eating extremely terribly, yet unfortunately similar to the current standard American diet; or that scale was broken. Either way, this incident changed my whole life. Eventually, the boy addicted to soda and ice cream now craved fresh blueberries and spinach.
This was just the first push behind my health snowball. I began to explore deeper. What if I stopped drinking soda for a whole year? Answer: after a year I didn’t even like the taste. Can a salad actually taste good? Answer: Sure can!
I explored my way to an undergraduate degree in nutrition and one play short of an NFL career. I now enjoy my life as a lawyer, waking each day for a 5:30 a.m. workout and plates full of nourishing food. It started as a little change—no more snacks—and rolled into a whole new sustainable and health promoting lifestyle.
Achieving your goal of improved health doesn’t have to be about extreme restriction, the granular details, or even detailed science. Instead, let’s begin by adopting 5 simple habits guaranteed to start rolling your own health snowball. Â
1.    Eat at a table
2.    Don’t drink calories
3.    Set the tone early
4.    Meal plan
5.    Make it yourself
Some of these habits seem as they appear. Others have deeper levels. We will explore further. Â
Be dedicated. Be curious. And, be open to change.
With Love,
JSR
Promise I will read with a curious and open mind. I believe improvement in all the above 5 areas is possible and reasonable. Looking forward to going deeper. Love Dad
I am excited to follow this!