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Facts about diet, weight Loss & cholesterol

There is so much information out there about diet and weight loss, the simple facts sometimes get lost. Here are some the facts about diet, weight loss and the related subject of cholesterol.

(1) We have to eat — our bodies get real grumpy otherwise. If you think otherwise just visit a part of the world where starvation is an ever present danger.

(2) beauty is in the eye of the beholder – for thousands of years being “plump” (a bit more poetic term than our current “overweight”) was a sign of wealth and therefore desirable. If these poor economic conditions continue and food prices continue to rise, plump may be the new rich.

(3) One of the pleasures of life is eating — as a society we put significant importance on eating and make it a part of our most important events (weddings, birthdays and sometimes even funerals). What would holidays be without Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas cookies, Easter eggs and valentine candy (does anyone ever eat Easter eggs?).

(4) Not even doctors seem to really understand cholesterol — there is good cholesterol, bad cholesterol and triglycerides (what the hec are they). The “good” level seems to constantly questioned by medical experts. Now I hear that the problem is not the cholesterol but the plaque that it creates and that small plaque is bad but big plaque is ok. All of this is somehow determined by your DNA which you inherit. Ahhhh!!! Lets just blame Grandpa and eat what we want.

(5) We will all of die of some day – A wise old medical doctor once told me that he had looked into the medical literature about dieting and being overweight. He said his conclusion was that staying around your so-called “perfect weight” would add about 10 months to the end of your life. He then said “that is 10 more months that you would spend in a nursing home” and so he decided that he would just stay overweight. He is now in his late 80s and in a nursing home. I hope he doesn’t have to be there long.